1332 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



No. 203. 



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



of Washington. 



I, GEORGE DUMARESQ, of Fox River, county of Gaspe, Province of 

 Quebec, merchant, make oath and say as follows : 



1. I am acquainted with all the fisheries carried on on this coast and 

 on the shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence for the last 34 years. 



2. During the Reciprocity Treaty, from 1854 to 1866, and previous to 

 that time, mackerel-fishing by the Americans on these shores, from 

 C&\te Hosier to Mont Louis, and also in the Bay of Gaspe, has been very 

 extensive. 



3. During the period just mentioned, an average ot loO schooners 

 have visited our shores here yearly for mackerel fishing. These vessels 

 averaged 70 tons, with a crew of 15 men. 



4. These vessels made yearly a good voyage on these shores. I heard 

 the Americans say so many times, and that often they were making two 

 voyages. 



5. American fishermen have acknowledged before me that yearly 

 these schooners that visited our shores here for mackerel, carried away 

 from 400 to 500 barrels of that fish. I have known vessels taking 250 

 barrels of mackerel in three days, and very close to the shore at about 

 4 and 5 fathoms of water, near Fox Eiver. 



0. The cod fishery is as good now as it was formerly. 



7. The Americans catch mackerel with hand-lines and seining. I 

 have seen them fishing, and catching fish with both. I have never seen 

 the Americans fishing elsewhere on these coasts than inside the three 

 miles. 



8. The practice of American fishermen of throwing fish offals over- 

 board is very injurious to our fishing grounds in several ways; in the 

 first place it feeds the fish too much, thus preventing the fish from tak- 

 ing bait ; also the putrid offals upon which the fish feeds on the bottom 

 must be injurious to the mother fish, thereby destroying the fry. 



y. On these shores the Americans have always fished inshore. I have 

 wen them fishing inshore continually during the Reciprocity Treaty. 

 1 have seen vessels loaded. I have not seen them seining elsewhere 

 than in Guspe*, but I have seen seines on board of several vessels. 



10. The inshore fisheries are by far of a greater value than the out- 

 side oi.es. All the fish here are caught inshore. 



11. I iim aware that the Americans have been in the habit, of using 

 artificial bait when they came to fish among our own boats, and the 

 moment that bait was thrown out mackerel would suddenly rise to the 

 surface, and alter them, making good catches. The Americans would 

 leave ior deep water, and no more mackerel was to be caught inshore. 

 lam aware, also, that Americans have threatened to stone, and did 

 htone. too, our fishermen in their boats, because they say our fishermen 

 were interfering with their fishing. 



12. This practice has been carried on during all the time the Ameri- 

 caiiH have visited our coasts for mackerel tithing, and this was at a 

 time or the cod fishery when mackerel as bait was most needed. 



The. Americans use both hauling and purse seines, both of which, 



in my opinion, are injurious to the fisheries in this respect, that it takes 



all hize of fish, H part of which they do not save, being of no market 



value. 



11. The cod fishery has rather increased since 1871; herring keeps 



