2316 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



Q. Did you fish with seines or with hand-lines ? A. We fished with 

 hand-lines. 



No. 31. 



STEPHEN J. MARTIN, master-mariner and fisherman, of Gloucester, 

 was called on behalf of the government of the United States, sworn and 

 examined : 



Question. Are you a native-born citizen of the United States! An- 

 swer. I was born at Ketch Harbor, Halifax County. 



Q. But your home at present is Gloucester ? A. Yes. 



Q. When did you first go fishing ? A. I went fishing on our shore 

 when a boy 12 or 13 years of age. 



<Q. But after you grew up? A. Then I went into the bay from Glou- 

 cester ; this was in 1838. 



Q. That was your first regular voyage ? A. Yes. 



Q. You were not master at the time? A. No. 



Q. Did you make more than one trip that year ? A. No ; we were gone 

 three months and we caught 200 barrels. 



Q. That was rather poor ? A. Yes. 



Q. Were there many vessels in the bay in 1838 ? A. No; very few. 



Q. In 1839 what vessel were you in ? A. The Mount Yernou. 



Q. How long were you in her ? A. About three months. 



Q. What was your catch ? A. 70 barrels. 



Q. From 1839 to 1847, what were you engaged in? A. I was work- 

 ing ashore on the wharf, culling mackerel, &c. 



Q. Did you go to sea in 1847 ? A. No; I went in the bay during the 

 mackerel season. During the first part of the season I went to George's 

 Bank. 



Q. When did you go to the bay? A. About the 1st of August. 



Q. In what vessel? A. The Clara S. Storey. 



Q. What did you catch ? A. 250 barrels the first year. I only made 

 one trip then. 



Q. You were master at the time ? A. Yes. 



Q. Were there then more vessels in the bay than when you first went 

 there? A. Yes; some more, but still there was not a dreadful number. 



Q. In 1848 you were in the same vessel? A. Yes. 



Q. How many trips did you make ? A. Two. 



Q. How much did you get on the first? A. 250 barrels. 



Q. And on the second ? A. About 260 barrels. 



Q. Did you go home with your first trip? A. Yes. 



Q. In what vessel were you in 1850 ? A. The Alexandria. We made 

 two trips. 



Q. What did you catch ? A. 300 barrels on the first and 250 on the 

 second. 



Q. Did you catch any fish within three miles of the shore in all 

 this fishing? A. No. We caught the first trip in the Alexandria up 

 the gulf abreast of Seven Islands, about one-third of the way across to 

 Cape Chafte. We got none inshore. We never saw any fishing inshore 

 the whole time that we were there. 



Q. And no vessels were catching any fish inshore ? A. Only three 

 vessels were there at the time, and none of them caught any fish inshore 

 while we were there. 



Q. la what vessel were you in in 1851 ? A. The Bloomer. 



Q. How many trips did you make? A. Two. 



Q. What did you catch ? A. 300 barrels on the first and 250 barrels 

 on the second. 



