AWARD OP THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 3241 



is of great pecuniary advantage to the people thereof and in no respect 

 an injury to the interests of the people of the Provinces I do not think 

 that the American fishing vessels have driven away the mackerel from 

 our fishing grounds, because not only mackerel but herring have got to 

 be very scarce in the Strait of Canso and all around the coasts of Nova 

 Scotia and Prince Edward Island and yet the Americans have never 

 fished here for herring; and 1 do solemnly declare that I believe con- 

 scientiously that the foregoing statement or declaration is true and that 

 I make this declaration by virtue of an Act passed during the 37th year 

 of Her Majesty's reign entituled an Act for the suppression of voluntary 

 and extra-judicial oaths. 

 Dated July 23d 1877 Bear Island, N. S. 



WILLIAM EMBREE 

 In presence of 



OSCAR MALMROS 



U. 8. Consul 



PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA 



COUNTY OF RICHMOND 



I hereby Certify that the above named William Embree voluntarily 

 made and subscribed before me at Bear Island settlement in said County 

 of Richmond the foregoing Solemn declaration 



Given under my hand and Notarial Seal this -53rd day of July 1877 

 (Seal.) JAMES G. McKEEN 



Notary Public 

 No. 168. 



I Charles Steward do solemnly declare that I live at Bear Island 

 Settlement about 5 miles below Hawkesbury on the Strait of Canso 

 that I am 46 years old that I have been fishing ever since I was 12 years 

 old and have followed nothing but that about 7 or 8 years I have been 

 mackerel fishing during the summer in the spring I have always been 

 net-fishing in boats I was 3 seasons in American Mackerel fishing ves- 

 sels they generally come from home after the 4th of July and stay up 

 to about the middle or last of September the mackerel fishing has not 

 been very productive during the last 5 or 6 years, the last 2 or 3 years 

 the catch of mackerel in the Gulf of St. Lawrence has been very poor 

 while I was in the American fishing vessels they caught at least f of 

 their entire catch outside a line 3 miles from shore in fact most mackerel 

 were caught by them from 6 to 7 miles from shore the greater the fish- 

 ing fleet is the more the mackerel are stirred up and brought to the 

 surface of the water and I don't think that Colonial vessel catch any the 

 less mackerel on account of fishing alongside of an American fleet I 

 think the seine fishing is injurious to fishing as it breaks up the schools 

 of mackerel there have been but few American seine fishers in the 

 Gulf and they never succeeded very well in the Gulf seine fishing 

 ought to be prohibited I think about of the crew of American fishing 

 vessels is composed of natives of the British Provinces who continue to 

 reside in the Provinces The American fishermen do not, as far as I 

 know dry their nets or cure fish on the Coasts of the British North 

 American Provinces during the last 6 years I should think the Ameri- 

 can mackerel fleet in the Gulf has not averaged over fifty sails a season 

 during the period of from 10 to 15 years ago the American mackerel 

 fleet in the Gulf averaged I should think about 300 sails the cpdfishing 

 is prosecuted by the Americans exclusively outside the 3 mile limit from 

 shore, mostly on the banks of Newfoundland the American herring 

 fleet during the last 10 years has averaged about 20 sails off the Coasts 



