AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2479 



Q. From the chart you judged you were within three miles of the 

 shore? A. That is the way we judged, by our soundings. 



Q. Yon tried the Cape Breton coast ? A. Yes. 



Q. How did you find the fishing there ? A. I remember catching 

 some mackerel one season near Margaree Island. 



Q. Any quantity to speak of ? A. Somewhere in the neighborhood 

 of 30 or 35 barrels. 



Q. Those were all ? A. They were got in one day's fishing at the lat- 

 ter part of the season. 



Q. You have already stated that you caught one-eighth of your mack- 

 erel inshore ; where did you get them ? A. Inside of three miles at the 

 Magdalen Islands. 



Q. You never caught any mackerel at all, except 35 batrels, within 

 three miles of the shore, except at the Magdalen Islands ? A. Yes ; I 

 have caught a few mackerel at different times, within three miles of the 

 land, probably at Prince Edward Island. I have taken mackerel there 

 inshore, in very small quantities, perhaps one barrel or two. 



Q. Apart from the barrel or two caught at Prince Edward Island, 

 you never caught any fish within three miles of the shore, but 35 bar- 

 rels around Cape Breton ? A. That is the largest catch I took, know- 

 ing I was within three miles of the land: 



Q. Did you catch many within four miles of the land? A. No. 



Q. Did you catch many within five miles ? A. No. You cannot raise 

 a sufficient body of mackerel in less than 20 fathoms of water to lay to 

 and heave bait. I am speaking as I found it. 



Q. Do I understand you to say that you cannot raise a large body of 

 mackerel within three or four miles of the shore? A. I venture to 1 say 

 tbat I cannot do it, for there is not deep enough water. 



Q. Then is it not curious that you can find them around the Magda- 

 len Islands ? A. It is deeper water there than around any part of the 

 coast. 



Q. Does not this map (a chart of the coast of North America from 

 the Strait of Belle Isle to Boston, including the banks and islands of 

 Newfoundland) show that the soundings around Prince Edward Island 

 and Cape Breton are deeper than those off Magdalen Islands ? A. I 

 don't know but this map shows that. 



Q. Would you say, looking at this map, that within three miles of 

 Magdalen Islands you can find water 20 or 25 fathoms deep ? A. In 

 some parts we do. 



* Q. Within three miles of the shore ? A. We do. I don't know that 

 I can find it marked 20 fathoms deep. 



Q. You have shown why mackerel cannot be caught at Prince Ed- 

 ward Island! A. I don't say they cannot be caught there. I have 

 caught them there myself in small quantities. 



Q. Apart from the two or three barrels, you said mackerel were not 

 to bo had there, and you gave as a reason that the water was not deep 

 enough ? A. Sometimes we took them inside of three miles at the 

 Magdalen Islands ; sometimes not within fifteen miles of land. It is 

 giving a large proportion to say that one-eighth of my catches were 

 taken within three miles of land. 



Q. You did not say that it was giving a large or small proportion I 

 A. I did not want to put it down too small. I have seen many trips 

 taken when no fish were taken anywhere except at Magdalen Islands, 

 and there pretty well offshore. 



Q. You gave evidence that one-eighth of the catch was taken inshore ; 

 none appear to have been taken inshore except 35 barrels off Cape Bre- 



