AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1445 



out and come down here to fish unless they were allowed to fUli within 

 three miles of the shore. 



MICHAEL MCDONALD. 



Sworn to at French River, in New London, Queen's County, Piiuce 

 Edward Island, this 12th day of July, A. D. 1*77, before me. 



JOHN 8HABPE. 



J nut ice nf the Peace. 

 No. 310. 



I, THOMAS WALSH, of Souris, in King's County, Prince Kdward Island, 

 master ma iuer, make oath and say : 



1. That I have been connected with the fishing business, as a practical 

 fisherman, since the year 1851 ; that is, twenty-six years, in both boats 

 and vessels. I fished for seven years out of Gloucester, United Siate*, 

 in vessels; thirteen years I fished out of Kustico, in boats. I ran a fish- 

 stage there and I am well acquainted with the fishing and the fishing 

 grounds. I have fished down to Seven Islands, up the Bay Chaleur, at 

 Auticosti, the Magdalen Islands, and in fact all over the gulf fishing 

 grounds; and 1 fished for herring for two winters, in an American ves- 

 sel, on the coast of Newfoundland. 



2. That out of Kustico, New London, and round that side of the island, 

 there is a vast increase and improvement in every way in the l>oat fish- 

 ing. There are now twenty boats on that side engaged in fishing, to the 

 one there was when I went there in 1862. The boats themselves have 

 improved two hundred per cent.; they are better in every way. There 

 is now a very large capital invested in the business there now, and it 

 has all been put in during the past few years. These boats, taking large 

 and small together, take crews of four men to each boat, besides stage- 

 men and others employed on shore, who are a large number. 



3. That these boats average about fifty quintals of codfish each, and 

 about one hundred barrels of mackerel each, during the season, besides 

 large quantities of herring. There are also plenty of hake in about six 

 fathom of water, or about two miles from shore. The fish caught in 

 Rustico are nearly all, in the spring, sent to Charlottetown and Sum- 

 merside and the country while fresh, and there sold for good prices. 

 Over there they catch as many herring as they want for mackerel bait, 

 besides what they sell fresh and what they salt for the winter. 



4. That the mackerel are nearly all caught from one to four miles 

 from the shore. The greater part of the mackerel, fully two thirds, are 

 caught within three miles of the shore. The herring are all caught 

 within a few hundred yards of the beach. In the spring the codfish are 

 caught about two miles from land; as the season advances they go fur- 

 ther off. 



5. The reasons for the big increase in the boat fishing are, that i>c<>- 

 pie find there is money in the business, and consequently go into it 

 There is now also a large class of men whose number is constantly i 

 creasing, who have not got any land, and who depend entirely n\wn 

 fishing. The boat fishing affords employment to these men, which 

 could not get in any other way. The business, in fact, keeps these men 

 home; it is the support of their families. 



6. That I was out for seven years in vessels belonging to the I 

 States. We used to catch from three to eight hundred barrels 

 erel in the season ; we would average good five hundred barrels 

 the season, taking one with another. These tish we caught i 

 together close to shore, within three miles of the land. 



