AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1435 



9. That in the year 1870 I fished in the American schooner I.l.i I-:. 

 Davis, of Harwich, in the United States, a schooner of about fifty tool 

 bnrden, and carrying thirteen hands. In her we were out about two 

 months, or about half or two-thirds of the mackerel season, and caught 

 two hundred and thirty barrels of mackerel. Nine-teuthsof these mack* 

 erel were caught within two miles of the shores of the Magdalen Island* 

 and of this island. The Dominion cutters were round that year, and 

 we risked the vessel and outfit in order to fish near the shore. ' The. 

 outfit belonged to me. 



10. That it would not be worth while for vessels to fit out for the bay 

 fishing if she could not fish within three miles of the shore. During the 

 five years that I was fishing in schooners I never saw a schooner get a 

 good catch more than three miles from the shore. 



11. That I should put the average catch of the American schooners 

 in the bay during the last ten years, at the least, at from three to four 

 hundred barrels of mackerel each. 



12. That the American schooners do harm to our boat-fishing, be- 

 cause, when they see the boats getting fish, they come in and drift down 

 upon and lee-bow the boats, taking the fish away. They come inshore 

 and drift down on the boats, and off the shore, throwing bait and carry- 

 ing the fish off with them. The boats have often to get under way to 

 avoid being run down by the schooners drifting. When the American 

 fleet comes, fishermen look upon their arrival as the end of the good 

 fishing. They break up the boat-fishing ; they also do harm by clean- 

 ing their fish on the fishing grounds and throwing the offal overboard. 

 Fish will not stay on the grounds when the offal has been thrown over. 



13. That I have been engaged for seven years herring fishing at the 

 Magdalen Islands, Anticosti, Labrador, and Newfoundland, and the her- 

 ring are all caught within one mile of the shore. That there ia a large 

 fleet of American fishing vessels getting herring at Magdalen Islands 

 every year. They seine the herring and ship them off to the States and 

 West Indies. At the Magdalen Islands and at Anticosti the Americans 

 do a lot of trawling for halibut near the shore. At Labrador and New- 

 foundland the Americans have from one hundred and fifty to two hun- 

 dred vessels fishing herring every year. These herring are all taken iu 

 the rivers and bays, and are sent to the States, to Sweden and to the 

 West Indies. They use these herring for baiting their Georges and 

 Bank fleets. 



14. That we find that the mackerel strike in here from the northward 

 and work up towards the south and along the shore, and towards the end 

 of the season they work back. The Americans, and all experienced fish- 

 ermen, know about the way the fish go, and are able to follow them up. 



15. That the right of transshipment is a very valuable privilege to the 

 Americans, as they save thereby about a fortnight each trip, which 

 would amount to about a trip saved for the year. I have made a trip 

 in the bay in eight days. They can also refit here as cheap or cheaper 

 than they can at home, and in less time. By being able to transship 

 they are able to watch the markets; they can send the fish in in time t 

 get good prices when the prices are up. They can get the fish i 

 quicker by steam than if they took them on themselves. The marker?! 

 market is more fluctuating than any other market, and therefore i 

 great advantage to be able to watch it. The fish also get worse 1 

 being kept in the hold of a vessel, as they have to be rehandu 

 repickled ; they lose in weight, don't look so well, and they weifi 



by being kept on board, and do iiot bring such good prices. 



JOHN A. McLLOD. 



