1428 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



last twenty-five years; at Westport from 1343 to 1870, the remainder in 

 Yarmouth. 



2. The fishing by American vessels in Canadian waters varies very 

 much from year to year; from fifteen to twenty vessels yearly usually 

 put in at Westport for supplies, &c. ; during my residence there, have 

 known years when mackerel were plenty ; as many as seventy or eighty 

 vessels fishing in St. Mary's Bay; the number of American vessels iu 

 other waters on the Canadian shores, I have no personal knowledge. 



3. There is an improvement iu the inshore cod fishery for the past 

 four years. 



4. American fishermen use trawls chiefly for cod-fishing, seines and 

 hook and line for mackerel, nets for herring. 



5. I consider the value of the inshore fisheries much greater than the 

 outside, particularly for mackerel. 



G. American fishermen use purse seines, and they are considered very 

 injurious to the mackerel fishery. 



7. American fishermen yearly catch codfish, halibut, hake, haddock 

 and mackerel on the inshores of Nova Scotia. 



8. Americans buy herring for bait from our inshore fishermen. Do 

 not think they fish very much for them. 



9. My opinion is that the mackerel caught in the Bay de Chaleur are 

 better than those caught in American waters, and would command a 

 higher price in the American markets. 



10. Mackerel feed inshore. 



11. It is a very great advantage to American fishermen to land their 

 fish in Canadian waters. 



12. The privilege of transshipping cargoes of fish by Americans in 

 Canadian waters is very great, particularly the mackerel fishery ; it 

 enables them to prosecute that fishery to much greater advantage and 

 profit. 



13. It is more profitable to the Americans to buy bait when they can ; 

 they only fish for it when they cannot buy it. 



14. The Americans could not carry on the cod fishery with any profit 

 without having access to our Canadi ,u iushores to procure bait and other 

 supplies. 



15. The privilege of fishing in American waters is of no practical value 

 or advantage in any way to Canadian fishermen. 



The foregoing statement is true and correct to the best of my knowl- 

 edge and belief. 



BYRON P. LADD. 



Sworn before me at Yarmouth, in the county of Yarmouth, this 10th 

 day of September, A. D. 1877. 



ENDS GARDNER, J. P. 

 No. 299. 



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



of Washington. 



I, ABRAM THURSTON, of Sanford, in the county of Yarmouth, fish- 

 erman, make oath and say as follows: 



1. Have been engaged shore-fishing for the last twenty-eight years, 

 mostly boat-fishing for codfish, halibut, pollock, herring, and mackerel. 

 . Inshore boat fishing for halibut and codfish is not as good as it was 

 in the past; haddock are much more plenty; herring are about the same; 

 mackerel are much more plenty, particularly the present year. The in- 

 crease iu the catch of mackerel is very large in the county of Yarmouth. 



