AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 3229 



late as the beginning of August the herring fishing vessels arrive 

 at the Magdalen Islands about the 1st of May, they remain there as 

 a rule about 2 to 3 weeks unless the fish happen to be scarce there when 

 they often go to the coast of Newfoundland Generally the herring fleet 

 makes but one trip a season and after their return home fish off the 

 American coast for cod or mackerel or sometimes they go to the Gulf of 

 St Lawrence the American herring vessels have considerably benefited 

 the People on this Strait, besides buying supplies of all kinds, they 

 nearly all hire from two to three boats to go with them to the Magdalen 

 Islands paying about 30 dollars a trip for a man and his boat and ten 

 dollars a boat without a man, the average number of the crew of 

 American herring fishing vessels when they arrive at the Strait consists 

 of from 4 to 5 men and the hire the rest here paying about $20 a man 

 for the run to the Magdalen Islands and back the mackerel fishing 

 vessels expend likewise a great deal of money in the Maritime 

 Provinces as they call at a great many ports and spend money in every 

 port as long as I can remember has the trade of the merchants on the 

 Strait of Causo principally consisted in selling goods of all kinds to 

 American fishermen and the people of the Strait of Canso would have 

 seen but very little money if it had not been for the money spent by 

 American fishing vessels On the whole I don't think that pro- 

 vincial fishermen get a smaller catch of fish on account of the 

 presence of American mackerel fishing vessels in the Gulf of St 

 Lawrence Generally and almost without exception the fishing of 

 American Mackerel fishing vessels up to the middle of August or be- 

 ginning of September is done outside the 3 mile limit from shore and 

 after that until the latter part of October they mostly fish inshore the 

 only fishing prosecuted by American fishermen off the Coasts of the 

 Dominion of Canada is the herring, the mackerel and the codfishing, 

 the codfish is all caught outside the limits, off shore. During the times 

 when mackerel fishing was still good the American fishing vessels 

 would ship from 300 to 350 men each season from the Strait of Canso 

 and Cape Bre:ou I think that the crew of American fishing vessels is 

 composed of about natives of the Maritime Provinces who continue to 

 reside in the Provinces and are British subjects In my opinion the out- 

 fitting of an American fishing vessel for the Gulf of St Lawrence costs 

 about $300 to $400 more tlrau the outfitting of a fishing vessel of the 

 same tonnage in the Province of Nova Scotia; And I make this solemn 

 declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true and by virtue 

 of an Act passed in the 37th year of Her Majesty's reign entituled An 

 Act for the suppression of voluntary and extra judicial oaths. 



Dated Pirate Cove July 21st 1877. 



ISAIAH CRITTENDEN 



UNITED STATES CONSULATE AT 



PLCTOU, NOVA SCOTIA 



PIRATE COVE July 21st 1877. 



I hereby certify that on this 2lst day of July 1877 at Pirate Cove, 

 Guysboro' County, Nova Scotia, the above named Isaiah Crittenden 

 voluntarily made before me and subscribed in my presence the above 

 and foregoing " Solemn Declaration." 

 Attested : 



OSCAR MALMROS, 



U. S. Consul 



