3094 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



other branches of marine business full employment for their money and 

 have been unwilling to engage in a business paying so poor returns as 

 the fisheries 



The Nova Scotians who have at their own doors what might be an im- 

 mense source of wealth have been lacking an available out-let for the 

 surplus product of their fisheries beyond that which their own markets 

 supply, but under the existing state of affairs between the United States 

 and Great Britain this want is fully met Since the autumn of 1873 the 

 Grand Banks Codfishery has been as a whole unproductive and such 

 stocks of fish as the American vessels have produced have been dis- 

 posed of without difficulty, but in the event of a large catch which would 

 till all the markets of our own to overflowing the presence of a large 

 amount of English fish thrown into the market on equal footing with 

 our own and at greatly reduced cost of production from our own, thereby 

 enabling them to be sold at a profit to their owners when American fish 

 would have to be sacrificed, would be a blow of great severity to the en- 

 tire New England Codfishery 



At the present time there are in our market a greater number than 

 usual of English parties in pursuit of a cheap class of fishing schooners, 

 and I have known within the past year of several instances in which ves- 

 sels have been sold to parties from the Provinces to be employed in the 

 codfishiug business I consider that by means of the new treaty between 

 the United States and Great Britain the fishing interests of the British 

 Provinces have received a most favorable and important impulse. 



ALFKED MANSFIELD 



COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS 



ESSEX ss GLOUCESTER Dec 29th 1875 



Then personally appeared the above named Alfred Mansfield to me 

 known and made oath that all the foregoing statements by him sub- 

 scribed are true so far as they depend upon his own knowledge and as 

 lar as they depend upon information and belief he believes them to be 

 true 



before me 



DAVID -W. LOW 



(Seal.) Notary Public 



No. 33. 



I George Steele of Gloucester in the county of Essex and Common- 

 wealth of Massachusetts being duly sworn doth depose and say I am 

 and for the last U7 years have beeu engaged in the fishing business, 

 owning and fitting out vessels for the cod and mackerel fisheries on the 

 North American coast. My vessels have been both on the coasts of the 

 British provinces and of the United States. I had last year in all eleven 

 vesseles. 



Tli< codfishery is wholly a deep sea fishery no cod are caught within 

 three miles of the shore. The free fishery clauses of the treaty are there- 

 fore of no value to the United States fishermen engaged in" this catch. 

 Nor do the cod fishermen catch their own bait, they carry as bait from 

 home Halt and fresh herring; they also to some extent buy fresh bait in 

 the provinces herring or squid. 



The effect on the codfish business of allowing free importations into 

 Ine United Stat?s has been and must continue to be very beneficial to 



e provinces, for they find iu the United States their ch'ief market for 



