2368 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



Q. The shores of Cape Breton Island, from Port Hood to Cheticauip 

 and Margaree, c., are well known to all fishermen as good fishing- 

 grounds in the fall ? A. Yes; spells of mackerel are found there. 



Q. And as a rule, the fleet go there some little time at any rate ? A. 

 Yes ; some of the vessels go that way. 



Q. You were accustomed to go there every fall, for a greater or less 

 time I A. We never fished at Margaree a great deal. 



Q. But you were at Port Hood or Cheticamp ? A. Almost every 

 fall. We would be there a week, I suppose. 



Q. And off Sydney ? A. No ; I was never around Cape Xorth. 



Q. But you were around the Cape Breton shore every fall ? A. Yes ; 

 our vessels were there late in the fall. 



Q. And sometimes you were there for a week, and sometimes for 10 

 days? A. Yes. 



Q. Were good catches made there at these times ? A. I never saw 

 but one good catch made there and that was taken between Margaree 

 and Cape Mabou. 



Q. Is that on Cape Breton ? A. Yes. 



Q. Between Margaree Island and the mainland a good catch was 

 innde? A. Yes. 



Q. Were many vessels then there ? A. No ; there were 25 or 30 sail. 



Q. What do you call a good catch as taken there ? A. 60 or 70* 

 barrels. 



Q. Apiece ? A. Yes ; but all vessels do not catch alike. 



.Q. Your judgment would be that each of these 25 or 30 vessels caught 

 60 or 70 barrels ! A. I do not think that all did so. I understood you 

 to ask what I thought a good catch was. Some of them did not get 

 more than 30 barrels. 



Q. Do you know what the vessels took at the time ? A. O, yes. 



Q. What did they take ? A. One vessel caught 70 barrels, and we 

 got 50. 



Q. Would that be the general average ! A. I could not tell. We saw 

 them all catching fish around us, but vessels do not always fish alike. 

 There is a good deal of difference between them. One might catch 100 

 barrels, aud another not one-half that. I have seen this happen often. 



Q. You understood that they made good catches ? A. I know that 

 another vessel, my brother's, took 70 barrels. 



Q. Have you any doubt as to this being the average for the fleet ? 

 A. I do not think that it was ; but I think they all got a large share. 



Q. Within what time did you take them ? A. We got them all dur- 

 ing one day. 



Q. What have you caught there every fall ? A. I have obtained very 

 few there, that fall excepted. 



Q. You went there nevertheless f A. Yes ; but we got most of our 

 stock at the Magdalen Islands. 



Q. Did the fleet also go there ! A. They went somewhere, but I do 

 not know where. 



Q. I understand you to state that you do not know where the fleet 

 went ? A. I could not tell. I know that they left the Magdalen Islands, 

 but I could not say whether they went to Murgaree or Prince Edward 

 Island. 



Q. But they either went to Margaree or Prince Edward Island ? A. 

 Of course ; when fishing, vessels go trom one place to another, aud it is 

 hard to tell where they go. 



Q. I heard a witness state I think it was yesterday that the mack- 



