AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 13] 1 



No. 185. 



Ill the matter of the Fisheries Commission at IJalif'ax, under the Treaty 



of Washington. 



I, DAVID PHILLIPS, of Peninsula, in the county of Gaspe, make oath 

 aud say as follows : 



1. I have lived at Peninsula, in Gasp6 Bay, for forty-six years. I am 

 a farmer and have fished. I understand practically all that relates to 

 the taking and curing of fish. I am 72 years of age. 



2. The principal fish taken in this bay are the cod, mackerel, halibut, 

 and herring. 



3. The codfish taken varies in quantity year by year, but more is taken 

 now than was taken 30 years ago. I believe that the codfish spawn iu 

 the bay, and we see great quantities of the young codfish. 



4. The herring spawn iu this bay,. I have seen the sea whitened by 

 the milt of the male. 



5. Formerly mackerel were very abundant, and I have seen the mack- 

 erel schooling in great numbers. I have seen them so thick that one 

 could almost walk on snow-shoes ovec them. Last year and the year be- 

 fore but few were caught. This year the mackerel are appearing iu 

 quantity, and there is the prospect of a good catch. I have not for many 

 years seen the mackerel so large, and good in quality. When I first came 

 here a few American schooners used to fish in the bay for mackerel 1 , but 

 afterwards they became so numerous that I have seen as many as forty of 

 them in the bay at one time. During the time of the Reciprocity Treaty 

 they fished in the bay in great numbers, and I estimate the annual num- 

 ber that did so at from 100 to 150 and 200. The touujige of these ves- 

 sels was from 50 to 100 tons. Some of these vessels made two voyages. 

 I average the number of barrels taken by each to be about 500 barrel*. 

 When, after 1868, the coast-guard schooners were put on to keep the 

 Americans from fishing in the inshore waters but few Americans came 

 in to fish. In the first years of the Treaty of Washington about one- 

 third of the number that came under the Reciprocity Treaty visited the 

 bay to fish. These vessels were of the same tonnage, and the catch was 

 about the same. The waters of this bay are most accessible ; the bay is 

 sheltered, there is a fine, convenient harbor iu all weather, and a good 

 supply ot wood and water. 



6. The privilege granted to the Americans to fish at our doors is no 

 benefit certainly to us; far from it; it is a serious injury. I certainly 

 wish to see our inshore fisheries kept exclusively for our own fisher- 

 men. Our population is increasing rapidly, and we require that all our 

 fisheries should be preserved to ourselves, or otherwise our young meu 

 will have to emigrate. 



7. There is an abundance of bait for codfish in the bay, especially 

 launcefish, squid, and clams. Our fishermen on the outside coast fre- 

 quently came in boats a distance of forty miles to get bait, especially 

 lauucefish. 



8. The privilege of fishing in American waters is no use to us. 

 fish were plentiful on their coast, why do they come here ? I never 

 knew of any of our fishermen having gone to fish there. 



9. The privilege of selling our fish duty free in the United States 

 no use to us. Our fish, especially codfish, has a more suitable market 

 elsewhere. 



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

 edge and 'belief, correct. 



DAVID PHILLIPS. 



