AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 1743 



thought that one single cod carries from three to five millions of eggs 

 for reproduction, one mackerel half a million, and one herring 30,000, as 

 testified by Professor Baird, on pages 456 to 461 of the United States 

 Evidence, there was some foundation for that opinion, but several causes 

 have been admitted as diminishing and sometimes mining altogether 

 some species of fish. Predaceous fish, such as shark, horse mackerel, 

 dogfish, bluefish, and probably many others, have had both effects on 

 some species. (See Professor Baird's evidence, at pages 462, 476, and 

 477.) 



A more rapid mode of destruction has been universally recognized iu 

 the use of seines or purse-seines, by which immense quantities of fish 

 of all kinds and sizes are taken at one time. By that means tlie 

 mother fish is destroyed while loaded with eggs. Fish too young for 

 consumption or for market are killed and thrown away. It is the uni- 

 versal opinion among fishermen that the inevitable ett'ect of using purse- 

 seines must eventually destroy the most abundant fisheries, and many 

 American witnesses attribute the failure of the mackerel fishery on their 

 own coast in 1877 to that cause. It is true that this theory is not accepted 

 by Professor Baird, who, however has no decided opinion on the subject, 

 and who has given the authority of a publication which he controls to 

 the positive assertion that this mode of catching fish is most iujurious. 

 (Pp. 476, 477.) 



When a vessel of sufficient tonnage is employed, that is from 40 tons 

 upwards, the catch of mackerel has varied from 300 to 1,550 barrels iu 

 a season for each vessel. 



Here is the evidence on the subject of mackerel : 



Chiverie, British Evidence, p. 11, makes the average 450 barrels per 

 vessel in a period of 27 years. Some years that average reached 700 

 barrels per vessel. 



MacLean, p. 25, says the average has been 500 per vessel during the 

 'twenty years, from 1854 to 1874. 



Campion, pp. 32, 34, 38, average for 1863, 650 barrels; 1864, from 600 

 to 700; 1865, over 670; 1877, some caught 300 barrels with seiues, iu 

 one week. One vessel seined a school estimated at 1,000 barrels. 



Poirier, p. 62, average catch 500 to 600 per vessel iu one season. 



Harbour, p. 79, average catch 500 per vessel iu one season. 



Sinnett, p. 84, average catch 500 per vessel in one season. 



Grenier, p. 87, average catch 500 to 600 per vessel iu one season. 



McLeod, p. 98, average catch 500 per vessel in one season. 



Mackenzie, p. 129, average catch of mackerel 700 barrels per vessel. 



Grant, p. 182, average catch of mackerel 600 to 700 barrels per vessel. 



Purcell, p. 197, average catch 250 per trip. 



McGuire, p. 210, average catch of mackerel 600 per season. 



Forty-four other witnesses, examined on behalf of the Crown, and 

 cross-examined before the Commission, have stated the same fact. These 

 statements are confirmed by the following American witnesses: 



Bradley, American Evidence, p. 2, COO barrels. 



Stapleton, " p. 10, 600 " 



Kemp, " p. 63, 600 to 700. 



Freeman, p. 75, 600 to 750. 



Friend, " p. 119, 520. 



Orne, " p. 127, 233 per trip = 466 per season. 



Leighton, " p. 140, 361 " =722 



p. 156, 342 " = 684 



p. 161, 246 " =492 



p. 175, 375 " = 650 



p. 181, 260 " =560 



Rowe, 

 Ebitt, 

 Cook, 

 Smith, 



p. 



186, 274 " = 543 



