AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2465 



Q. The same with Bank Orphan. You have not been there this 

 year? A. No. 



Q. Have you been at the Magdalen Islands ? A. In sight of them. 



Q. You did not catch anything there ? A. No. 



Q. So the fish are not now so much at the old places where you used 

 to find them 20 years ago ? A. No. 



Q. In what direction is the change tendipg? Are the fish nearer the 

 shore than they used to be years ago ? A. I don't think any nearer 

 than they used to be not the body of the fish. 



Q. This year about one-half of your catch was taken near the shore? 

 A. We did not get but very few of ours inshore this season. 



Q. Did the fleet use purse-seines in deep water ? A. I did not see a 

 seine hove in the bay. . 



Q. Why don't they use purse-seines in deep water if the fish are 

 there ? A. I don't know. They don't very often heave them till they 

 see the mackerel when schooling. 



Q. Did you see any mackerel schooling there in deep water? A. I 

 did not. 



Q. And therefore you did not throw your purse-seine ? A. We did! 

 not have a seine to throw. We h^ad hand lines. 



Q. What character are the fish you have got ? What qualities No. 1,.. 

 No. 2, or No. 3 ? A. I should say they would go by the cull here about 

 one-half 2's and one-half 1's. 



Q. Is that what you call a fair average for the catch ? A. Yes. 



Q. Is it better than the average catch as regards quality 7 A. The 

 quality is not so good. I have been here a great many falls when three- 

 quarters~would be 1's. 



Q. Would I be correct in assuming that of the fish caught by your 

 vessels in the bay three-quarters are 1's ? A. Not this season. 



Q. Generally? A. Yes, as a general thing they used to be so in thefall' r 

 say from 1st August up to to 20th October. 



Q. About three-quarters 1's and the others 2's ? A. Yes, that used 

 to be about the average. 



Q. I suppose you left the bay on account of the storm of the 22d ? 

 A. There have been no fish caught since then. 



Q. Did the storm cause you to leave ? A. We left because there was 

 no mackerel. 



Q. Before the storm came on the mackerel were there? A. The 

 mackerel were going pretty well thinning out, I suppose, by the appear- 

 ance of things. 



Q; After- the storm of the 22d they disappeared f A. I saw none 

 after the storm. 



Q. Is it not customary for mackerel to disappear after a storm ? A. 



Not in all cases. It was getting late for them. 



Q. I have heard it stated that when a storm comes on the mackerel 

 generally disappear, and you don't see them for some days ? A. That 

 is a common thing. 



Q. You saw mackerel before the storm of the 22d ? A. Yes. 



Q. They were not seen afterwards ? A. The clay before the storm I 

 saw mackerel and caught some. 



Q. Did you see any afterwards ? A. No. 



Q. So that> it always, or very nearly always, happens that after a 



heavy storm you do not see mackerel for some days, do 'you? A. No 



but after a week's time you should see them if they are there. 



Q. They return after , week's time? A. Yes. 



Q. Is there any difficulty in ascertaining the distance from the land ! 

 155 F 



