AWARD CF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 3257 



is about 15 years or 20 years ago last year was the slackest fisbing season 

 I have seen ; I think there were nearly one hundred american fisbing ves- 

 sels in the Gulf and about 10 Provincial vessels fishing for mackerel I 

 don't think that a single vessel made two trips during the year and not 

 many of them had a full cargo, many in fact not over 50 barrels. Dur- 

 ing the four seasons preceding the last there were about 120 American 

 sails on an average during each season in the Gulf fisbing for mackerel 

 and about 15 to 20 Provincial vessels but the vessels did not well dur- 

 ing any of those years when I was with the Americans, that is, em- 

 ployed on their fishing vessels, we caught most of the mackerel outside 

 of line 3 miles from shore, we caught them outside of sight of land en- 

 tirely on Bank Bradley and Bank that is from 20 to 30 years ago. 

 Ten (10) to 15 years ago we caught the mackerel in the American ves- 

 sels I was in off the East Point Prince Edward Island and off New Lon- 

 don P. E. I. and off Cascumbec P. E. I. about 8 to 10 miles off and the 

 same distance off' the North Cape P. E. I.; during the last 8 years the 

 Americans caught most of their mackerel on the North Side of Prince 

 Edward Island about 5 to 8 miles off the coast they have caught but a 

 small proportion of their entire catch inside 3 miles from shore certainly 

 not more than one fourth of their entire catch inside 3 miles from shore 

 and they caught that portion in the fall of the year the American fishing 

 vessels make most of the business that there is in the Strait of Causo, when 

 there are but few American fishing vessels in our waters trade in the 

 Strait is slack and money is scarce ; during many years the only money 

 we saw was Yankee money they buy a great deal of country produce as 

 beef, mutton potatoes, all kinds of other vegetables, homespun cloth, 

 socks & mittens made by the country people and other things besides 

 buying largely store goods of various kinds and they give employment 

 to a very great many of our fishermen besides to coopers and other me- 

 chanics particularly during the last 10 or 15 years a great proportion of 

 the crew of the American fishing fleet is composed of Colonial people, 

 I mean such as have not removed their place of living to the States. I 

 think it is of great advantage to the people of these Provinces that the 

 American fishermen should visit our coasts and fish there as much as 

 they please they do no injury to our fishing and nearly half of our fish- 

 ermen would be out of employment if the Americans did not employ 

 them in their vessels. 



JOHN GRANT 



Subscribed & sworn to before me this 27th day of July 1877. 



OSCAE MALMROS 



U. S. Consul 



PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA 

 PORT HASTINGS, COUNTY OF UNV^UNESS 



At Port Hastings in said County of Inverness on this 27th da.\ of July 

 1877 the above named John Grant made and subscribed in my presence 

 the foregoing affidavit 



Given under my hand and Notarial Seal at Port Hastings aforesaid 

 the 27th day of July 1877 



(Seal.) JAMES G McKEEN 



Notary Public 

 No. 187. 



Patrick Walsh being duly sworn says : 



I am about 35 years old am living near McGuire's at Steep Creek 

 Guysboro Co, Nova Scotia have been fishing in vessels, mostly Ameri- 



