AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2373' 



Q. Had you an impression that the fishery would fail that year at 

 the Magdalen Islands ? A. No ; the license did not cost a great deal. I 

 only paid half of it, and I thought it best to be sure, and be on the safe 

 side. 



Q. Then the possible failure of the fishing at the Magdalen Islands 

 had nothing to do with your motives in doing so? You must have had 

 some other motives ? A. We then had a right to go anywhere we had 

 a mind to. 



Q. When you had the license f A. Of course. 



Q. But why did you do so, when for 16 years you had never caught 

 any fish there ? A. We did not know what we would do. 



Q. Had you heard from others that the fleet were accustomed to take 

 the fish inshore ! A. Well, no ; I do not know as I ever heard of any- 

 body catching a great many fish within the three-mile limit ; but I know 

 the fish were caught 5, 6, 7, and 8 miles off shore, and the like of that. 



Q. Or 4 miles off? A. Yes; I suppose so; but I cannot say what 

 others have done. 



Q. You have heard of the fish being taken within 4 miles of the 

 coast? A. I suppose that some few have been caught there. 



Q. Have you so heard ? A. I could not say. When talking about 

 these matters, fishermen do not state any regular distance. A man does 

 not say he caught his fish 4 or 3 miles off shore, but that he fished off 

 East Point or Malpeque, or wherever he may have been. They generally 

 do not state the distance. 



Q. You have heard that the fleet fished off East Point, and Malpeque, 

 and Margaree, without reference to distance ? A. Well, I suppose that 

 off Margaree mackerel have been taken inshore ; more are so caright 

 there than elsewhere. 



Q. Did you hear from the captains in the fleet that they were accus- 

 tomed to take fish off the places I have named ? A. Yes. I knew that 

 they do take them there. 



Q. Did you hear that this was their custom ? A. I do not know that 

 any special man came and told me he did so, but if I asked a man where 

 he caught his mackerel, he would say at such a place, wherever it might 

 be. 



Q. Did you ever hear from the captains in the fleet that they took 

 their mackerel at East Point, Malpeque, or Margaree? A. Well, I 

 have heard of mackerel being caught at all those 3 places, but never 

 heard of them having been taken at any regular distance off shore that 

 1 know of. 



Q. But what you heard from these captains had nothing to do with 

 your taking out licenses ? A. Well, I do not know as it did. When a 

 man comes to the bay for a trip of mackerel if he does not find them at 

 one place he generally goes to another ; and if you have a license you 

 can go all round. 



Q. You have stated that you did not do that? A. I did not because 

 I found mackerel somewhere else. 



Q. Therefore you did not want licenses? A. We did not know what 

 we were going to do when we took them out. 



Q. But you had had an experience of sixteen years there? A. Yes; 

 but I did not know what would happen sixteen years to come. There 

 is a good deal of difference between the two. 



Q. Have you heard that of late years the mackerel have changed 

 their habits somewhat, and are found nearer the shore than used to be 

 the case ? A. Yes ; I have heard of them being caught by boats off 

 Prince Edward Island, but never so nigh the shore as is now represented. 



