2736 AWARD OP THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



Q. You do not know whether this is the case or not ? A. I do not 

 know about that matter. 



Q. What other time did you so fish along the American coast? A. I 

 so fish, more or less, most every season, for a short time, either in the bay 

 or on our shore. 



Q. Did you do so this year ? A. Yes, for a little while ; about a fort- 

 night. 



Q. In what vessel? A. In a dory and in a vessel of about forty tons. 



Q. You did so in different vessels ? A. Yes ; we went out on an ex- 

 cursion like. 



Q. You were just out for a pleasure trip ? A. Yes. 



Q. Do you not know that this is a rather serious matter ? A. I had 

 just got home, and being obliged to wait a while on a certain business, 

 I thought I would go out and catch a few fish. 



Q. Just for recreation ? A. Yes. 



Q. How far did you go out? A. Well, not three gun shots from the 



QWhereT A. Off Cape Ann. 



Q. What did you catch ? A. Mackerel. 



Q. How many ? A. One day I struck a barrel myself and I suppose 

 the six of us got eight or nine barrels. 



Q. What did you fish with ? A. Lines and hooks. 



Q. That was this year ? A. Yes. 



Q. Do you wish the Commission to understand that the mackerel fish- 

 ery was first rate this year, off the American shore, within 3 miles of 

 the coast? A. It was better inshore than off shore. It has been a very 

 poor year; our mackerel-fishing has been very unsuccessful and the 

 fishing there has been better inshore than off shore. 



Q. Your fishermen have tried inshore this year ? A. Yes. 



Q. And still they have been very unsuccessful ? A. Yes, and they 

 have tried off shore. 



Q. And there the fishing was worst ? A. Yes. 



Q. That only shows that the mackerel have deserted your coast, both 

 inshore and off shore ! A. It appears there are plenty of fish, but they 

 are so small that the fishermen do not want to catch them. 



Q. Do they catch them ? A. They catch some, a certain percentage 

 of them. 



Q. With what? A. Lines and seines. 



Q. As far as good fishing is concerned, there has been no fishing 

 along your coast at all to speak of this year ! A. No ; but very good 

 fish have been caught ou our shore this year. 



Q. Then the American market has to be supplied with mackerel from 

 the bay this year? A. 1 do not know about that, but I think that a 

 small percentage, likely 25 per cent, of the mackerel in the American 

 market will come out of the bay ; I do not know that I would like to 

 swear it would be that. 



Q. 25 per cent, will have to come in there from the bay ! A. Yes. 



Q. Then if the fishing has been very bad on your shore, where will 

 the rest come from ? A. From our shore.' 



Q. And you say that there is no fishing at all on your shore this year? 

 A. Yes where I say there is no fishing at all. 



Q. And 75 per cent, will come in from your shore ? A. Yes. 



Q. How many barrels of mackerel do you think have been taken on 

 the American coast this year ? A. I could not tell you. I could not 

 estimate the quantity. 



Q. Do you know how many have come in from the bay ? A. No. 



