1928 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



Q. What sort of bait ? A. Herring, squid, and caplin. 



Q. Which is the most important bait ? A. Squid. 



Q. What degree of importance do you give to caplin ? A. Well, I 

 have a poor opinion of caplin. I never used it but once, and I did not 

 do anything with it this year. 



Q. Do you intend to buy caplin for bait any more? A. No. 



Q. How long can you keep squid for bait ? A. About a fortnight, or 

 from 14 to 16 days. It is all owing to the weather; if you have good 

 weather it will remain good for three weeks. 



Q. If kept on ice ? A. Yes. 



Q. And if frozen hard, would it keep longer I A. I have stated as 

 long as they will keep when frozen. 



Q. Then, if you wanted to keep them more than 14 or 16 days, you 

 would only use more ice and freeze them harder ? A. Yes. 



Q. How is it with herring ? A. The same. 



Q. Can you keep them frozen hard as long as you please ? A. No ; 

 but for about a fortnight. 



Q. Jf frozen absolutely hard with an abundance of ice, how long will 

 they keep ? A. Three weeks are as long as they will keep at the outside. 



Q. Have you ever used salt bait ? A. Yes ; some. 



Q. What did you so use ? A. Clams and squids and slivers ; we got 

 them on our own coast. 



Q. What are slivers ? A. Fogies and menhaden cut into 'slices. 



Q. To what extent are clams and slivers and other salt bait used in 

 cod-fishing ? A. Vessels from this out to the last of October use it 

 altogether. It is late to get bait anywhere on the Newfoundland coast ; 

 but they can now get good bait from the south. 



Q. You have not been cod-fishing long enough to know when the use 

 of fresh bait began ? A. No. 



Q. Perhaps you know from tradition or hearsay how long it is since 

 it has been used ? A. I could not say ; but I should think that it has 

 been used during the last 7 or 8 years that is on the Grand Banks. 



Q. Prior to that, did people for 150 years succeed in catching cod ? 

 A. Well, they used to go there and fish with salt bait and clams and 

 what bait they got out of the fish; they saved everything inside of the 

 fish for bait. 



Q. Did they also catch bait on the Banks ? A. O, yes ; squid. Some 

 vessels, which got their own bait on the Banks, obtained full fares. 



Q. But your practice has been to go to Newfoundland and buv bait ? 

 A. Yes. 



Q. Do you catch it yourself ? A. No. 



Q. Did you ever catch any ; and, if so, how ? A. I caught a few 

 squid ; that is all. 



Q. Under what circumstances? A. This year two baitings of squid 

 cost im> *220. 



(^. How much did you catch ? A. I have caught $5 or $6 worth. 



Q. Is that the proportion of what vou caught, to what you have 

 bought ? A. Yes. 



Q. How many herring have you bought this year? A. I bought two 

 baitings; the first cost me *52, and the second*830. 



Q. Do you go and catch bait, when preparing for cod-fishing ? A. 

 .No; we buy it. We go to Newfoundland, see the American consul, 

 and get our money. We proceed to St. Peter's when bound up to For- 

 tune Bay, and see the American consul, and then go up and buv our 

 bait. 



