1362 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



7. These American vessels fishing on these Banks and throwing the 

 offal overboard cause great destruction to the cod by the codfish swal- 

 lowing the heads aud spinal bone, thus choking themselves; besides, it 

 drives the cod off the grounds on which these offals are thrown. 



S. American vessels fishing on the Baok of Natashquan or any other 

 Bank in the gulf, cannot carry on the fishery with profit, or at all, un- 

 less they obtain the right of taking bait on shore, that is, in British 

 waters. " It is true they might bring salted clams from their own coun- 

 trv or herring from the Gut of Canso, and sometimes take fresh herring 

 on the Bank with drift nets, but this bait cannot be depended upon, and 

 no schooner could make a profitable voyage under those circumstances; 

 aud without the right of taking fresh bait on our shores no American 

 schooners could continue to fish on the Banks. 



9. At Bonne Esperance, Five Leagues, Middle Bay, Belles Amours, 

 Bradore, Blanc Sablon, the Americans use seines for taking cod; these 

 they haul on shore, and by means of these seines they take large quan- 

 tities of codfish large and small many of the small ones too small to 

 be cured, and they have to be thrown away, thus causing a wanton 

 waste of this precious fish. Two years ago, at Blanc Sablon, some 

 American fishermen threw away six boat-loads of small fish which had 

 been taken in the seine. This way of taking fish is an injury to the 

 fishing ground, to the fish itself, which it destroys without profit, and to 

 the fishermen who fish with hook and line. 



10. The herring is a fish that is found in great abundance on this 

 coast, aud they spawn at many places, particularly at Betchewar, St. 

 Genevieve, Pashashubac, Kejasca, Washshuco&tai, Coacoachoo, and 

 many other places to the eastward. American fishing- vessels have been 

 in the habit of visiting the coast between Washshucootai and Coacoa- 

 choo, both inclusive, for the purpose of taking herring for the last twenty 

 years. They take this herring with seines, which they draw on shore. 

 About 20 American schooners went there this year; the ordinary fishing 

 schooners for herring took about 1,000 barrels each, and one three- 

 masted schooner took 6,000 barrels (six thousand). This load was for 

 the Norwegian market, and the vessel sailed directly from Washshucoo- 

 tai for Norway. During the last twenty years about the same number 

 of vessels have loaded herring each year. 



11. I am also acquainted with the fisheries of the north and south 

 coasts of the island of Anticosti. The fisheries carried on there are 

 those of cod, herring, and mackerel, and halibut, and are all carried on 

 within three miles of the coast, there being no fishing beyond that limit; 

 so that any vessel coming to fish there must fish within British waters. 

 Some American schooners, about eight or nine, come to fish herring on 

 the north coast of Auticosti, at Fox Bay, or Belle Bay. Some of them 

 loaded there, others went to complete their load at Washshucootai. 

 They have been in the habit of coming for a number of years till this 

 year. 



1-. About fifteen years ago American vessels began to come and fish 

 for halibut on the coast of Auticosti, and they fished there until this 

 year. They also h'shed on this coast, and even'in the harbor of Esqui- 

 maux Bay. I cannot state exactly what number, but I can say that 

 they fished so exhaustively that they have nearly destroyed all the hali-' 

 but on these fishing grounds. 



. The competition of so many American vessels in our -waters is 

 ijunoaa in a very great degree to our fisheries aud to our fishing in- 

 terest ; and the fishermen of this country have a much smaller chance 

 of taking fish when they have so many American fishing-vessels on the 



