AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1341 



fisheries in our waters if they were not able to procure bait in our in- 

 shores. 



19. The privilege of transshipping cargoes to the Americans is worth 

 a load, and the privilege of getting bait in our iushores for their cod an. I 

 halibut fisheries is worth these fisheries. 



20. Fishing by Americans in our waters hinders the ILshing D-ra- 

 tions of our fishermen to a great extent, because they are so much IM-I- 

 ter equipped with vessels and gears than we are, that they take all tho 

 best and largest fish. 



hi* 



THOMAS + MCKAY. 



mark. 



Witness : 



A. D. JOHNSTONE. 



Sworn, to the best of his knowledge, information, and belief, at Ga*|M, 

 county of Gaspe, Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada, this 1st 

 day of August, A. D. 1877, before me. 



N. LAVOIE, 

 Justice of the Peace, Province of Quebec. 



No. 210. 



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



of Washington. 



I, FRANCIS NOIL, of Fox River, county of Gaspe, Province of Quebec, 

 fisherman, make oath and say as follows : 



1. Am acquainted with all the fisheries which are carried on on this 

 coast from Griffin's Cove to Chlorydorrne, a distance of 33 miles, for 

 30 years. 



2. During the Reciprocity Treaty, from 1854 to 1SGG, and before, the 

 mackerel fishery by the Americans has been very extensive on these 

 shores. 



3. I have been several times during a season on board American ves- 

 sels fishing mackerel. I have seen them fishing, whilst I was on board, 

 and catching mackerel, and I have fished myself, besides, during the 

 period mentioned above. I have seen yearly, and many times during 

 the season, from shore and from my boat, Americans catching muckerrl, 

 and always inshore and very close to the shore, in two or three fathoms 

 of water. 



4. The number of American fishing-schooners which have visited these 

 shores for mackerel fishing yearly, during the period mentioned above, 

 was about 150, to the best of my knowledge. The average tonnage of 

 these schooners is about 65 tons, having 15 men for a crew ; each of 

 these vessels have carried away yearly at least 350 barrels. 1 have 

 heard the captain of these schooners say that most of these schooners 

 were on their second trip, having made their first load about the Mag- 

 dalen Islands, Prince Edward Island, and the Strait of Canso. 



5. The cod-fishery is about the same as formerly j herring the same 

 also. 



6. The Americans take mackerel by means of hand-lines and seines 

 but on this coast I did not see them using seines. 



7. The practice of the Americans of throwing fish offals oven 

 injures our fishing grounds and the fisheries in general ; because, fli 



