1374 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



C The privilege of fishing in American waters is of no value to us. 

 I have no knowledge of any Canadian vessels being engaged in fishing 

 in American waters. 



7. The free market for our fish in the States is of no use to us, as our 

 fish is prepared either for home consumption or for foreign markets 

 other than the American, where they command better prices. 



8. It is my opinion that it is of the greatest importance to us as Can- 

 adians to keep our fisheries entirely to ourselves as a means of develop- 

 ing our own fisheries, and fostering our mercantile marine, and giving 

 employment to our maritime population, and thereby keeping them 

 from emigrating to foreign countries. 



I swear that the above statement is to the best of my knowledge and 

 belief correct. 



his 



ISAAC + CHOUINARD. 



mark. 



Witness : 



W. WAKEHAM. 



The said Isaac Chouinard has sworn to the truth of the above affi- 

 davit, at Cape Chat, in the county of Gaspe, this thirty-first day of July, 

 A. D. 1877, before me. 



P. FORTIN, J. P. 



No. 240. 



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



of Washington. 



I, AUSTEN LOCKE, of Lockeport, in the county of Shelburne, mer- 

 chant, make oath and say as follows : 



1. I have been engaged in the buying and selling of fish for twenty 

 years, in fishermen's supplies, and outfitting fishing-vessels, and am 

 well acquainted with the inshore fisheries in Shelburne County. 



2. From eight to ten American fishing-vessels run into this port 

 within the two or three years now past. They purchased ice and bait 

 and supplies to a small extent. They are fitted out at home with sup- 

 plies and only purchase when they run short, which is a great accom- 

 modation to them. The American vessels which run in here sell their 

 small fish, which would be an inconvenience for them to carry home ; 

 by doing this they take home a cargo of large and valuable fish. The 

 American vessels which come in here and take ice and bait, trawl for 

 codfish off this coast within twelve or fifteen miles. In my opinion 

 trawling is an injurious method of taking fish, as it destroys the spawn 

 fish. Out of this port there are about one hundred vessels engaged in 

 the fisheries mostly codfish all fitted out here. The most of these 

 vessels take codfish by hand-lining. The American vessels which fish 

 off this coast take, during the year, about one thousand quintals of cod- 

 fish each, and could not catch this fish unless they got bait and ice in 

 our harbors to enable them to do so. 



3. In the falls of seventy-one, two, and three, I had a vessel running 

 to the North Bay for mackerel, and in seventy-one she made a good 

 trip. She took three hundred and forty barrels of mackerel. She car- 

 ried fifteen men. From seventy-one back to sixty-three I had vessels 

 engaged in the mackerel fishery, and in my experience this fishery has 

 varied, being some years good and others poor. Since seventy-three 



