1356 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



The said Edward A. Con way has sworn to the truth of the above 

 affidavit, at Saint John's, in the county of Saguenay and Province of 

 Quebec, this 8th day of August, A. D. 1877, before me. 



P. FORTIX, J. P. 



Xo. 222. 



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



of Washington. 



I, PDILIAS Smois, of L'Islet, in the county of L'Islet and Province of 

 Quebec, make oath and say as follows : 



1. I am engaged in the fishing business for the last 16 years. I own 

 a fishing establishment in St. John Eiver, north coast of the river St. 

 Lawrence, on which I keep 24 boats. I am thoroughly acquainted with 

 all the operations connected with fishing on this coast. I am acquainted 

 with the fisheries carried on between Mingan and Seven Islands. 



2. The principal fish caught are the cod, halibut, mackerel, and herring. 



3. The cod is the principal fish, and gives rise to the principal fishing 

 on the coast. All the fishing on the coast specified is carried on within 

 the three-mile limit, with the exception of the St. John's Bank and Miu- 

 gau Bank, upon which the boats of this coast go and fish sometimes, 

 generally in the fall, but the great bulk of the fishing is carried on much 

 inside of the three-mile limit. 



4. The bait we use caplin, launce, herring, clams, and trout, mack- 

 erel and squid occasionally, also smelt. These fish are all taken close 

 on the beach, except the squid, but all far within the three-mile limit. 

 It would be impossible for a foreign fishing vessel to fish for cod on the 

 Banks of St. John or Mingan outside to the limit, without being obliged 

 to come into Canadian waters to take their bait. I am sure of this fact, 

 as 1 have seen during the last five years of the Reciprocity Treaty, and 

 the two years during which the Americans were allowed to fish in Brit- 

 ish waters with licenses, a fleet of from 10 to 40 vessels, most of which 

 were American vessels, fishing for cod and halibut, both on the banks 

 and inshore waters. These vessels had to come on shore for bait, and I 

 repeatedly saw them taking their bait by means of seines, inside of the 

 mouth of the river, as well as on the beach. They might sometimes 

 take their bait on the banks by means of drift-nets, and they might 

 also bob for squid, but they could not depend on this manner of getting 

 bait, but for cod fishing they have to come to the shore for bait. If 

 they had not this right, they would have to stop the fishing and leave 

 the coast. 



5. After the period named, I saw but a few, say three or four of a 

 season, fishing on the Banks and inshore waters, and, as usual, taking 

 their bait on shore. 



0. It is my opinion that vessels fishing on fishing grounds, and throw- 

 ing overboard all their oti'al, as every vessel does, injure the fishing, 

 because it gluts the fish, and they refuse to take the bait. 



7. The competition by these foreign vessels also injures the fishing, as 

 when the h'sh is scarce the more boats or vessels are fishing the less re- 

 mains for each ; and when bait is scarce and strangers come and in- 

 terfere with our men in the taking of it with large seines, there is less 

 chance for our men to get enough, and our fishing may be stopped or 

 hindered accordingly. 



8. The privilege of fishing in American waters is of no practical ad- 

 vantage whatever to Canadian fishermen, as it is not at all probalbe 



