AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 3267 



case the American codfisheries in the North Bay use herring and 

 mackerel as bait, the trawlers buy most of their bait from shore fisher- 

 men but the hook codfisheries catch their own bait on the deep sea 

 wherever they may be fishing the codfish is all caught by the Ameri- 

 can vessels outside a line 3 miles from shore the codflshers going to 

 the grand banks of Newfoundland buy nearly all the bait they use of 

 Provincial fishermen they run in usually 2 or 3 times to bait up some 

 of their bait, especially squid, they catch themselves on the grand 

 banks it pays the boatfishers better to sell their herring and mackerel 

 to the American Cod fishers in the North Bay and on the Grand Banks 

 than to salt and pack their herring and mackerel because the price they 

 get is usually the same and they save packing, salting and the barrels 

 I don't think that the mackerel vessels in the North Bay during the 

 last 5 or 6 years have averaged per season one full fare the mackerel 

 fishery in the Bay having fallen off so much The fleet of American 

 herring vessels going to the Magdalene Islands averages I should say 

 15 to 16 vessels each spring, these hire on an average three men and 

 three boats each in this Province for their trip to the Magdalenes' last- 

 ing about 3 weeks paying for a man and his boat from $30 to $35 T 6 g 

 one spring while I was there, there were hardly any herring, last season 

 when I was there they averaged about 200 barrels a vessels and during 

 good seasons they will average fully 1000 barrels of herring each the 

 other seasons while I was there that is about 5 besides the 3 mentioned 

 the catch of herring was good I think that about one half of the Crew 

 of American fishing vessels fishing off the coasts of the British North 

 American Provinces consist of men who have their homes in these 

 Provinces. I think the presence of American fishing vessels on our 

 coasts and in our harbors a great pecuniary advantage to our people ; 

 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 

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

 extrajudicial oaths. 



Dated Middle Milford August 9th 1877. 



CHAELES LOWEIE 



In presence of : 



OSCAE MALMEOS 



PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA 



COUNTY OF GUYSBOROUGH N. S. 



I hereby Certify that the above named Charles Lowrie declared to 

 and subscribed the foregoing Solemn declaration before me 



Given under my hand and Notarial Seal at Middle Milford in the 

 County of Guysborough, Nova Scotia this 9th day of August 1877 



(Seal.) JAMES G. McKEEN 



Notary Public 



No. 198. 



Nicholas Nicholsou says and deposes on oath as follows : I am living 

 at Port Hastings, Strait of Canso, am by trade a fisherman, have during 

 the last six years been out fishing in American fishing vessels my age 

 is 30 years, I was codfishing I meant to say six years besides having 

 been fishing for mackerel during two seasons, that is, last summer and 

 the summer of four years ago the codfish that is caught by the Amer- 

 icans is all caught outside a line 3 miles from shore and of the mackerel, 

 as far as my experience goes, fully two thirds is caught by the Ameri- 

 cans outside a line 3 miles from shore and about one third inside that 



