AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



der the whole of the former Reciprocity Treaty As all ve*uwln can be 

 built, equipped aud -manned in the colonies f,,' r a third less ih.,i, ,' | U| , 

 United States consequently if there were as many colonial fishermen M 

 American and they had equal skill and industry they could entirely 

 drive the American fishermen out of the business 



JAMES G. TAKU 



COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS 



ESSEX ss (lLorcKSTKR Dec ITJd 1875 



Then personally appeared the abovenamed James (i. Tarr to me 

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

 scribed are true as far as they depend upon his own knowledge unl a* 

 far as they depend upon information and belief he believe* to be true 



before me 

 (Seal.) DAVID \\. LOW 



Xotary 1'ubltr 

 No. 38. 



I John E. Gorman of Gloucester in the county of Essex and Com- 

 monwealth of Massachusetts being duly sworn do depose and say, 

 that I am twenty six years old and have been engaged in the fish- 

 ery business for the last thirteen years during the last live year* 

 1 have been master of a vessel I have been engaged in fishing for 

 mackerel in the Bay of St Lawrence every year but two, ami since 

 the Treaty has come into effect have been in the Bay each year 

 In 1874 during the mouth of July I fished in shore to some extent 

 may have taken from 150 to 200 barrels out of 700 my whole catch 

 lor that trip. In 1875 fished near the Magdalen Islands and caught 

 very few inshore Out of my last three trips in which my whole catch 

 was 1900 barrells I caught not more than 200 barrels inshore Most of 

 the fish taken inshore are caught by the Canadians from small boat a 

 going out from the shore and returning each day with 'their tish. They 

 can use with profit this fishery where in many cases our large fishing 

 vessels could, not go. This inshore fishery is f comparatively; little 

 value to us, We would be much better off without this right and with 

 the old duty of $2 per barrel on tish imported from Canada The H.y 

 fishery has been steadily decreasing from year to year, hist \ear of all 

 the vessels from Gloucester engaged in the Mackerel fishery nearh lour 

 hundred in all only about 50 sail were in the Hay t any time. Tim 

 caused by the increase in value of the seine fishery on the coast of th 

 "United States, in which most of the other vessels were eng*jrl. 

 Seine fishery is much more valuable and profitable than the t! 

 the Bay with lines, the vessels make shorter trips. The seme I 

 has. been tried to some extent in the Bay but was not pn 

 bottom is too rough and the water too shoal 



The fish in the Bay have diminished in number and deter* 

 quality very much within the last ten years, for instance 1 

 the vessels did not average more than UM) barrels each, while 

 catch was only 380 barrels, in 1874 my vessel caught 7W 

 the whole fleet averaged, as much as 30 barrels- 

 Clams and pogies are the principal bait for mackerel, no ; 

 taken on the coast of the United States and the Canadian* 

 us to a great extent, I have sold them myself as much as I 

 eachyeSr-The right to laud &c as granted by the Treaty 

 of some value in the old times when the Reciprocity Treaty t 



