AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 3275 



fish. Of the Mackerel caught by United States fishermen on the Brit- 

 ish 'North American Coast not more than one fourth are caught inshore 

 or within the three mile limit. The rest are caught outside the three 

 mile limit. All other descriptions of fish caught by United States fish- 

 ermen are caught on the banks and constitute the great bulk of the fish- 

 eries. 



The proportions which I have mentioned in this section of my affida- 

 vit are arrived at by taking an average of the results of fishing seasons 

 through several years. 



But little injury if any in my opinion can result to Colonial fishermen 

 from United States fishermen coming inshore to fish for mackeral. The 

 large quantity of bait thrown from United States fishing vessels Attracts 

 the fish in large numbers and enables the Colonial fishermen in boats 

 to prosecute the fishery much more successfully than they could other- 

 wise do ; and experience has shewn that the free access of United 

 States fishermen to the inshore fishery has not diminished the Colonial 

 boat fisheries, but that such boat fisheries have been steadily increasing 

 since such free access was given and so far from its being found disad- 

 vantageous to fishermen to have a number of vessels fishing in com- 

 pany. It is quite usual and customary for large numbers of such ves- 

 sels to be engaged fishing lor a length of time side by side and the 

 practical result of such a mode of fishing is that the fish are attracted 

 by the bait thrown in large quantities from the vessels as aforesaid 

 and the fishing of Colonial fishermen in boats is greatly facilitated 

 thereby. 



llth Another advantage which Colonial fishermen derive from United 

 States fishermen having access to the British North American fisheries, 

 is by the former procuring bait from the latter as deposed to in the 

 second paragraph of this affidavit. A further advantage to the Colonial 

 fishermen is that United States fishermen buy from the Colonial fisher- 

 men herrings for bait to prosecute the Bank codfishery. The United 

 States fishermen do not catch herring in British North American waters 

 but buy such quantities as they require for bait for the Cod fishery from 

 the Colonial fishermen. And another advantage accruing to the Prov- 

 inces from the United States fishermen having access to the British 

 North American fisheries arises from the fact that the United States 

 fishermen purchase from traders in the Colonies supplies, not only of 

 bait, but of ice, provisions, clothing, barrels salt, nets, twines and many 

 other articles. The purchases of bait and such other articles as are 

 herein mentioned give employment to large numbers of persons and give 

 a very important trade to a number of settlements along the coast, 

 such as Prospec^ Canso, Port Mulgrave and Louisburg. At Prospect 

 alone about one thousand nets were set to catch herring for bait to be 

 Bold to United States fishermen last season. Ice to the quantity of 

 seven hundred or eight hundred tons is usually bought there by the 

 United States fishermen and in that place alone last season the purchases 

 by the last named fishermen amounted from ten thousand dollars to 

 fifteen thousand dollars. 



The procuring of bait on the coasts of the Colonies by the United 

 States fishermen is quite as beneficial to the Colonists as to those fisher- 

 men and the herring so supplied to them as bait is not used for mack- 

 eral nor for any fishery inshore, but for the Bank fishery. During the 

 last ten or fifteen years very few of the United States fishermen use salt 

 bait they formerly brought salt bait with them and caught fresh fish, 

 as they could for fresh bait, but now most of them procure their fresh 



