3240 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



of the purchase by them of all kinds of supplies and country produce 

 and because they give employment to great many of our fishermen and 

 other people that No. 1 and~No. 2 mackerel and most of the fat herring 

 caught bv Colonial fishermen finds its only market in the United States 

 a part of the fat herring however is sent to Canada, and I make this 

 solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true and by 

 virtue of an Act passed during the 37th year of Her Majestys reign en- 

 tituled an Act for the suppression of voluntary and extra-judicial oaths. 

 Dated Cape Jack July 24th 1877. 



his 



JAMES + GILLIES 



mark 

 In presence of 



JAMES G. McKEEN 



PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA 



COUNTY OF ANTIGONISH 



I hereby Certify that the above named James Gillies voluntarily made 

 and Subscribed by affixing his mark before me at Cape Jack settlement 

 in Said County of Antigonish the foregoing Solemn declaration 

 Given under my hand and Notarial Seal this 24th day of July 1877 

 (Seal.) JAMES G McKEEN 



Notary Public 

 No. 167 



I, William Embree do solemnly declare: that I live at a place called 

 Bear Island, on the Strait of Canso about 2 miles below Port Hawkes- 

 bury in the County of Richmond, Nova Scotia that I am by occupation 

 a fisherman that I am 55 years old and have been out fishing evy sea- 

 son since I was 18 years old that I have never been employed in an 

 American fishing vessel that I have been fishing in the Gulf of St Law- 

 rence around Sydney the Magdalen Islands and other places in the 

 Gulf that I have fished alongside of American vessels many a time 

 A never thought that I caught a smaller number of fish on account of 

 fishing alongside of the American fleet American Mackerel fishing 

 vessels begin to arrive in the month of June in each year but in small 

 numbers only they do not come as a rule before the first week in July 

 this year they are but just now beginning to arrive and I don't think 

 that the bulk will arrive before August the mackerel begin to fatten 

 up from about the middle of July as far as I know the Americans do 

 not dry their nets or but very rarely and do not cure their fish on the 

 coasts of the British North American Provinces the Americans catch 

 their codfish all on the banks & other places on the high seas as near 

 as I can come to it I think that about two thirds () of the entire catch 

 of mackerels by the American fleet in the Gulf of St Lawrence is caught 

 outside of the 3 mile line from shore and about in-shore I think that 

 between and J of the crew of the American fishing fleet is composed 

 of natives and residents of the British American Provinces the aver- 

 age number of the crew of an American Mackerel fishing vessel is about 

 13 to 14 the crew of an American herring fishing vessel averages about 

 8 men the mackerel fishing in the Gulf of St Lawrence has much fallen 

 off formerly that is ten or fifteen years ago there were as many as 700 

 to 800 Am. vessels counting each return of the vessels to the Bay as a 

 new vessel fishing for mackerel in the Gulf of St Lawrence while dur- 

 ing the last 6 years taking an average their number during the season 

 has not I think been more than 200 I am convinced that the presence 

 of American fishermen in the ports and on the coasts of the Dominion 



