AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 3231 



UNITED STATES CONSULATE AT 



PICTOU, NOVA SCOTIA 

 PIRATE COVE July 19th 1877 



I hereby certify that on this 19th day of July 1877 the above named 

 E. Augustus Crittenden at Pirate Cove before me made and subscribed 

 the foregoing " Solemn Declaration." 

 Attested : 



OSCAK MALMRO3 



U. S. Consul . 

 No. 156. 



I Ebenezer C Peeples of the County of Guysborough in the Prov- 

 ince of Nova Scotia Do Solemly declare that I am a British subject, 

 that I am by occupation a fisherman. Have been fishing in American 

 fishing vessels for the last thirty six Summers during the Spring and 

 fall I have often been engaged fishing in Boats inshore on my own ac- 

 count the Vessels in which I was employed prosecuted the Mackerel 

 fishery in the Bay of St. Lawrence during the last five or six years 

 only about one fourth of the Mackerel were caught during the season 

 that were caught in former Years, say fifteen Years ago and prior to that 



According to my estimate three quarters of the Mackerel caught by 

 American fishing vessels are caught outside of the three Mile limit from 

 shore, not more than one quarter being caught inshore 



I do not think that the Catch of Provincial fishermen are any the less 

 because an American fleet are fishing In the same vicinity 



The cause why mackerel are very plentiful in some seasons and very 

 Scarce in other seasons is not known 



At least one half of the Crews of American fishing Vessel are com- 

 posed of Natives and residents of the Maritime Provinces of Canada 



The American fishing fleet derive little or no advantage from the 

 privelege of drying nets and Curing fish on our Coasts as they are not 

 in the habit of making use of the privelege, occasionally the may cure 

 an insignificant quantity of Herrings at the Magdalene Islands 



During the last five Years the average number of American Mackerel 

 fishing vessel averaged about two hundred sail in the Gulf of St. Law- 

 rence 



The average tonnage of these Vessels is I think about fifty Tons 



The presence of American fishing vessels on the Atlantic Coasts of the 

 Dominion has greatly benefited its people owing to the purchase by the 

 American fishermen of supplies of every description and the Employ- 

 ment given on board these vessels to a large number of people belong- 

 ing to the Provinces 



The number of the Crew of an averaged sized. American fishing Ves- 

 sels is about fourteen 



The Codfish caught by American fishing Vessels are taken entirely 

 outside the three mile limit 



The average number of Crew on board Herring fishing Vessels are 

 about Eight, the Herring caught by these American Vessels is nearly 

 all caught on the Coast of the Magdalene Islands About fifty vessels 

 from the United States go to the Magdalen Island for Herrings every 

 spring, sometimes some of them go the Island of Anticosti and the 

 Newfoundland shore when Herrings are scarce at the Magdaleus. The 

 average catch of these vessels have been for the last five Years about 

 seven hundred barrels Herring each Vessel 



Mackerel Herring and Codfish are the only fish that as far as I know 

 the Americans are in the habit of catching in the Gulf of St Laurence 



