AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 2861 



catches when the vessels can't? A. Well, it has been somewhat of a 

 mystery to us all, but we make it work. 



Q. What is the difference between boat and vessel fishing ? A. Well, 

 the boat goes off and comes to anchor and springs up, and they com- 

 mence to throw the bait over. 



By Mr. Dana : 



Q. Springing up means coming broadside to the tide ? A. Yes. They 

 throw the bait and the tide takes it away, and they keep feeding it out 

 and gathering the fish around them all day ; and although they may not 

 have a large quantity of fish they make a decent business of it. Whereas 

 a vessel can't do the same thing. They heave to most of the time and 

 drift. 



By Mr. Foster : 



Q. If you were going to pursue vessel fishing would you make any 

 use of seines? A. The seines don't seem to be as favorable with us as 

 they were. 



Q. Have seines been made successful in the gulf? A. I have had two 

 mackerel seiners there. One wore out, and the other half wore out and 

 I sold it. 



Q. To what do you attribute the fact that seining in the gulf does not 

 seem to be a success ? A. To the shoal water and rough bottom. 



Q. What do you say about making a shoal seine? A. My seine was 

 a shoal seine, made expressly for the bottom. Three times out of four 

 you get foul of rocks and a hole is made, and away goes the mackerel. 



Q. Suppose the three-mile limit were distinctly marked out by a line 

 of buoys so that anybody could see it. and there was no danger of 

 making a mistake as to it, would the right of fishing within three miles 

 of the shore be worth to the United States vessels three dollars a ton ? 

 A. Well, I don't think many would take it. There are very few ves- 

 sels coming here now when they have free access to the shores. If they 

 had to pay a dollar a ton 1 think it would be very seldom they would 

 come. There might be times when it would be different, because they 

 know by telegraph when there is a good run of mackerel, and when the 

 gulf is full they might come down, but ordinarily they would not. 



Q. To what do you attribute the apparently great importance of this 

 three-mile concession? A. I think the great importance of it is this: 

 that when sometimes a man sends a vessel down here it is a valuable 

 property, and they have to trust it to their captains. A mistake in re- 

 gard to the line might involve them in any amount of trouble. Any 

 captain of a vessel if be was four or five miles out would make out to sea 

 if he was fishing and a cruiser came along, and it was unsafe to go even 

 within that distance of shore, because you could not tell certainly as to 

 the distance. No man can tell unless he has instruments. He may be 

 25 or 50 per cent, out of the way. 



Q. Whether by mistake of the skipper, or by mistake of the cruiser, 

 whether intentionally or unintentionally, if a man's vessel is seized what 

 is the effect? A. It does not make a great deal of difference whether 

 he is guilty or not. It amounts pretty much to the same thing, so far 

 as my experience goes. The business is broken up and the men thrown 

 ' out of employment for the season. Everything is gone, and the vessel 

 is laid up six months, eaten up by the worms. You might get your ves- 

 sel back, but you would not get GO per cent, of the value of her on the 

 voyage. 



',>. llow much do you pay for mackerel to your fishermen ? A. Do 





