AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 3227 



to the States I went this spring employed as cooper in an American 

 fishing schooner " Stagawa" from Gloucester catching herring at the 

 Magdalen Islands and I know that her bill of expenses at Pirate Cove 

 amounted to about $000 f^ during the last 6 or 7 years the mackerel 

 fishery has much fallen oft' I think that about one half only of the 

 mackerel that were caught from 10 to 12 years ago have been caught 

 during the last 5 years the last 2 years the mackerel fishery was a 

 pretty bad failure I know that very few if any vessel caught enough 

 fish to make more than one trip I know that the American fishing 

 vessels call at a great many Ports all along the coasts of the Dominion 

 and expend much money in these Ports, formerly Yankee money was 

 about all the money we saw the presence of American fishermen on 

 the Coasts of these provinces has been a great help to the people of the 

 Provinces they were in the habit of buying socks, mittens, all kinds of 

 vegetables, mutton beef, store goods and supplies of all kind, their pres- 

 ence was certainly no injury to our people in any respect ; I do not think 

 that much fishing will diminish the fish that annually visit the fishing 

 grounds I rather think that feeding them by throwing out much bait 

 attracts them seine fishing may injure the fisheries, but the real reason 

 why in some years mackerel are plentiful and in other years scarce is 

 not known, I think that more than one half of the crew of American 

 fishing vessels are natives and residents of the Canadian Provinces ; 

 and I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same 

 to be true and by virtue of the Act passed in the 37th year of Her 

 Majesty's reign entitled "An Act for the suppression of voluntary and 

 extra-judicial oaths. 



JAMES PEEPLES 

 Dated Pirate Cove July 20th, 1877. 



UNITED STATES CONSULATE AT PICTOU N. S. 



PIRATE COVE July 20th, 1877. 



I hereby certify that on this 20th day of July 1877 the above named 

 James Peeples before me, at said Pirate Cove voluntarily made and 

 subscribed the foregoing Solemn Declaration. 



Attested : OSCAE MALMROS, 



U. 8. Consul. 

 Xo. 153. 



I, Samuel Peeples of Pirate Cove, Guysboro County do solemnly de- 

 clare : that I have been for over 30 years a fisherman I have been 

 nearly every summer been engaged on American fishing vessels fishing 

 in the Gulf of St Lawrence, during the spring and fall I have been en- 

 gaged in boat fishing on my own account during the last 8 or 9 years 

 the mackerel fishery has much fallen off during the last 6 years the 

 catch has not averaged more than of what it was 10 or 15 years ago 

 and during the last two years it has been almost a total failure I do 

 not think that Provincial fishermen catch any the less fish on account 

 of fishing alongside of an American mackerel fishing fleet on the con- 

 trary I think their catch is then greater ; I have often seen Provincial 

 fishermen in their boats come out to fish alongside of the American fleet 

 because they would catch a greater quantity by following the fleet than, 

 they would by remaining iu-shore American fishermen make but little 

 use of the coasts of these Provinces for drying nets and none for curing 

 fish I know that American fishermen call at a great many ports of the 

 Canadian Provinces and that they buy more or less at every port where 

 they call ; they buy beef, mutton', all kinds of vegetables, store goods 



