1446 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



there are not many caught more than three miles off, the good fishing 

 is all near the shore. Here this week, the Americans are taking the 

 mackerel with seines close to the shore. The mackerel are now school- 

 ing close in, and there are few or none more than three miles off. These 

 seines do a great deal of harm, as they kill a great many small mack- 

 erel and other fish, which are thrown away, the seiners only taking the 

 large mackerel. I saw twenty sail of Americans fishing in one bunch 

 within about two miles of the land, on Thursday last, some of them 

 seining. They were fishing between East Point and Saint Peters. The 

 seining destroys the fisheries. The Americans are now scattered all 

 down the coast; they are just now beginning to arrive. There will be 

 a large fleet of them here this summer. There are already about forty 

 sail of them along this shore, and they are coming all the time. 



7. If the Americans were not allowed to fish in near the shore, they 

 would not be able to get enough fish off shore to pay the expenses of 

 the crew while out. They might get an odd catch, but that would be 

 all, and they know this. 



8. That when the cutters were about these coasts, they prevented the 

 Americans fishing near the shore to a great extent, and consequently 

 damaged their fishing. There were not enough cutters around to 

 keep the vessels off altogether ; they used to watch the cutters, and 

 when the smoke was seen the schooners would clear out. I have known 

 some of the Americans leave the bay and fish on their own shore, on 

 account of the cutters. 



9. That I fished one summer and four or five falls on the American 

 shore, and there are more fish here than there are on the American 

 shores, and the bay mackerel generally command a better price than the 

 others. There is very poor hook-fishing on their shore ; they can only 

 seine. 



10. That I have been four or five times down at the Magdalen Islands 

 herring fishing, and there are often a hundred sail of Americans down 

 there for herring. Their cod-fishermen get much of their bait at the 

 Magdalenes, and they catch large quantities for the Swedish and other 

 foreign markets. These herring are all seined close inshore. That is 

 about the best paying branch of the fishing business. 



11. That I was two winters at Fortune Bay, in Newfoundland, in Amer- 

 ican vessels, getting herring. The last winter I was there (1862) there 

 were forty-two sail of Americans in Fortune Bay. In the fall they go 

 up to the Bay of Islands. The last winter I was in Gloucester, there 

 were over twenty sail from that port alone, down at Newfoundland after 

 herring. In the winter time they freeze the herring and send them down 

 to bait their George's fleet ; and they also send them to their towns and 

 cities to retail. That is a big business down there for the Americans. 



12. The right of transshipment is a very great advantage. I look 

 upon it as the greatest privilege the Americans have got. They can run 

 in from the fishing grounds, land their fish and ship them away to 

 market, without loss of time. They thus save, on an average, three 

 weeks in the trip, and when they have to go home, it is generally right 

 in the good fishing. It is also a great advantage to be able to refit 

 here, as they can buy all their general stores here cheaper than at home. 



The right of transshipment is also of great advantage to the Ameri- 

 cans, as they are thereby enabled to keep themselves well posted up in 

 the markets, and can send their fish in so as to catch good prices. This 

 is a very great thing, as I have known a rise of three and four dollars a 

 barrel in two days for mackerel. The mackerel market is a very varia- 

 ble one. 



