AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1305 



ISO. 180. 



In the matter of the Fisheries Commission at Halifax, under the Treaty 



of Washington. 



I, HENRY PRICE, of Grande Greve, of the county of Gaspe", of the 

 Province of Quebec, make oath and say as follows: 



1. I am 53 years of age. I was born here, and have fished for the 

 past 40 years. I am well acquainted with all the fisheries of this Bay 

 of Gaspe and the neighboring coast/ They are the cod, mackerel, her- 

 ring, and halibut, and are all carried on inshore, within three miles of 

 the coast and in the bay, except as to the cod fishery, as some few are 

 taken off Ship Head, beyond the three mile limit. 



2. As long as I can remember, the American fishing-vessels have re- 

 sorted to this bay for the mackerel-fishing, but it was during the exist- 

 tence of the Reciprocity Treaty and the period of licenses that they came 

 in greatest numbers. There were, I should think, from 130 to 200 of 

 them came here every year of this period. Many of these made two 

 trips the season. They averaged from 50 to 100 tons, and took about 

 500 barrels each. During the first three or four years of the Treaty 

 of Washington, a good many American vessels came still to this bay 

 and the neighboring coast, of the same class as formerly about two- 

 thirds as many as before say, from 100 to 140 ; but for the last few 

 years we have seen only a few, although their catch was about the 

 same as formerly. The mackerel they took was of the best quality, 

 especially those caught at the latter part of the season. They fished 



with hook and seine. 



3. The crews of those American fishing-vessels often committed dep- 

 redations on this coast. I can state that some years ago about 30 of 

 them came ashore and took forcible possession of my house, insulting 

 and threatening my family, capsizing everything in the house, and 1 

 had to get the assistance of my neighbors to drive them away. Some- 

 times they anchored in the midst of our nets, and, when getting under 

 way, broke and carried them off. One of my nets, worth $20, was torn 

 to pieces by one of those American vessels, when it could easily have 

 been saved. 



4. The American fisheries are entirely useless to us. 



5. I think it most injurious to us that the American fishermen should 

 be allowed to come to our waters, because they take such large numbers 

 of fish, and draw the fish outside of our ordinary fishing grounds, by 

 throwing overboard bait. I have myself seen United States fishermen 

 preventing us from fishing near them, when in our own waters, ordering 

 us off with threats. 



I hereby swear that the above statement is, to the best of my knowl 

 edge and belief, correct. 



HENRY PRICE. 



The said Henry Price has sworn to the truth of the above ath'davit, 

 ' at Grande Greve, this tenth day of August, A. D. 1877, before me. 



P. FORTIN, J. I\ 



