1322 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



Fishing by Americans in our waters hinders the fishing operations of 

 our fishermen to a large extent, because we are not supplied with ves- 

 sels and gears to compete with them. 



JAMES + SAMUEL. 



mark. 



Witness: 



A. D. JOHNSTON. 



Sworn, to the best of his knowledge, information, and belief, at Fox 

 River, county of Gaspe, Province of Quebec, Dorainion.of Canada, this 

 '21th day of July, A. D. 1877, before me. 



^. LAV OIJD, 

 Justice of the Peace, Province of Quebec. 



No. 195. 



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



of Washington. 



I, EDWARD TRACHY, of Perce, county of Gaspe", Province of Quebec, 

 fisherman, make oath and say as follows: 



1. Am acquainted with all the fisheries on this shore for 60 years past. 



2. Between 1854 and 1866, the fishing by the Americans on this coast 

 has been very extensive, between Cape Cove and Cape Perce, a distance 

 of about nine miles. 



3. I have seen the American schooners inshore engaged in mackerel 

 fishing. I have been on board their vessels many times, and I have seen 

 them from the shore and from my boat fishing and catching fish be- 

 tween Bonaventure Island and the mainland. 



4. About 150 American vessels have visited these shores yearly for 

 mackerel fishing, each vessel averaging about 70 tons, having from 12 

 to 15 men for a crew each. 



5. During that time I have spoken to American captains, and they 

 told me that they had made good voyages, and sometimes two during 

 a season . 



C. These schooners have carried away yearly from our shores an aver- 

 age of 500 barrels of mackerel each trip. 



7. The fisheries are about the same as they were 20 years ago; but 

 this year the cod fishery has increased greatly. 



8. The Americans take mackerel by means of hand-lines. I have 

 never seen them using seines. 



9. The Americans, before and during the Reciprocity Treaty, have 

 taken the most of their mackerel inshore. 



10. The inshore fishery is of much greater value than the outside on 

 this shore. Herring, caplin, launce, codfish, and the best part of the 

 mackerel are taken inshore. 



11. I ha vo been greatly annoyed while out fishing mackerel, by hav- 

 tln Americana come in among our boats, and by throwing bait, en- 

 tic* the mackerel outside with them, where we could not go. 



have seen the American fishermen many times come inshore and 

 et nets for bait, arid thus taking the bait away from us. 



13. 1 bare seen yearly several American schooners come in the cove 

 ere for bait ; and I remember once of one waiting two days until our 

 Isbermen had caught enough bait for her. 



14. There ia great increase in the cod fishery since 1871. I think 

 this is owing to the absence of Americans from our waters. 



