AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1601 



attributes the deficiency in line-fishing to the use of trawls. He goes 

 on to say, " The c atch was made chiefly in deep water this year, as 

 far out as five to seven miles off the coast, and no line-fish have been 

 taken within two miles, except haddock." He says : 



The winter fishing was principally done in deep water. As rough weather prevailed 

 most of the time, the fishermen found it very difficult to take care of their nets, a 

 great many of which are lost. A large number of American vessels now frequent our 

 coasts to engage in this fishery, and pay but little attention to our laws, which pro- 

 hibit Sunday fishing and throwing over gurry. This I am powerless to prevent over 

 a stretch of 20 miles of coast, on which from 00 to 100 vessels are engaged. A suita- 

 ble vessel is necessary for this work, and she should cruise around among the fishing- 

 grounds and see that the laws are respected by those who are participating in the bene- 

 fits of our fisheries. 



Of course, it is difficult to prove a negative; but ought not the Brit- 

 ish Agent to be required, upon a subject of such magnitude as this, to 

 produce some more satisfactory evidence ? If a large fleet of American 

 vessels are year by year catching herring within three miles of land, 

 among an equal body of British fishermen, within a limited space near 

 Grand Mauau, and if they are taking from a million to a million and a 

 half dollars' worth a year, is it not possible for our friends the minister 

 of marine and fisheries and the learned counsel both from New Bruns- 

 wick to furnish the names of just one or two vessels, or one or two cap- 

 tains among the great number that are so engaged ? A million to a 

 million and a half dollars' worth is the estimate that they put upon the 

 fishery. How many herring do you suppose it takes to come to a mil- 

 lion or a million and a half dollars '? It takes more than all the herring 

 that are imported into the United States, by the statistics. Just in. that 

 little vicinity they say that a greater amount of such fish are taken 

 than are imported into the United States. Now, if an operation of that 

 enormous magnitude is going on, it does seem to me that somebody 

 would know something more definite about it than has appeared in this 

 evidence. Certainly there has been earnest zeal and the most indefati- 

 gable industry in the preparation of the British Case. Nobody doubts 

 that. There has been every facility to procure evidence ; and are we 

 iiot entitled to require at the hands of Her Majesty's Government some- 

 thing that is more definite and tangible than has appeared on this sub- 

 jecjt ? I have made all the inquiry in my power, and I cannot find out 

 what the vessels are, who their captains are, from what ports they come, 

 or to what markets they return. We know very well what the Glouces- 

 ter herring-fleet is. It is a fleet that goes to buy herring ; that buys it 

 at Grand Manan ; that buys it at the Magdalen Islands; that buys it in 

 Newfoundland. But of any fleet that fishes for herring in the territo- 

 rial waters of New Brunswick, after the utmost inquiry we can make, 

 we remain totally ignorant. 



There is another view of this subject which ought, it seems to me, to 

 be decisive. Everybody admits that herring is one of the cheapest and 

 poorest of fish, and that the former duty of a dollar a barrel, and five 

 cents a box on smoked herring, would be absolutely prohibitory in the 

 markets of the United States. Now, how much must these New Bruns- 

 wick fishermen gain if they have as large a fishery as we have, and we 

 have a fishery of a million and a half dollars in that vicinity ? That is 

 their statement ; the British fishery is about equal to the American ; the 

 American is very near to one and a half million dollars a year in that 

 vicinity ; the British-caught fish go to the United States markets almost 

 'xclusively I think one witness did say two-thirds ; everybody else has 

 spoken as if the herring-market wasin the United States almost altogether. 

 i ;How many barrels of herring does it take to come to a million dollars? 

 101 F 



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