3284 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



cerned. It is the real opinion of the Inhabitants of the Maratime Prov- 

 inces especially Newfoundland that the incidental advantages to be 

 derived from the presence of American fisherman in British Waters is is 

 of great value to British Fisherman is very great, and that the fisheries 

 on the Coast of Newfoundland do not suffer to any extent, and does not 

 lessen in any way the catch of British fisherman. If the British fisher- 

 man employed as much capital and had as much energy and enterprise 

 as American fisherman the American Waters would be of more impor- 

 tance to Newfoundlanders than the British Waters are to Americans 

 especially as there are no mackerel to be caught on the Newfoundland 

 coast 



t The fishing-business as a rule does not make very large returns com- 

 pared with other businesses, considering the Amount of Capital and 

 time employed in its prosecution. It is a very precarious means of liv- 

 ing and the "fisherman's luck" is almost as proverbial as the "Miners 

 luck." 



LEVI GRIFFIN 



Taken before me at Saint John's this 2nd day of July A D 1877 



GEO. H.Y EMERSON JR 



Examiner 



No. 210. 



The examination of Henry A. Cobb a native Province lown Massa : but 

 at present of Saint John's Newfoundland taktn before me George Henry 

 Emerson, Examiner. 



This witness being sworn saith : My name is Henry A. Cobb. I am 26 

 years of age and have been engaged in the cod and other fisheries all my 

 life. I have been fishing on the Grand Bank for a period of ten years. 

 It is not true that American Fishermen use the- inshore fishery within 

 three miles for cod-fishing. There are no mackerel on the Coast of 

 Newfoundland. There is not any boat-fishing done by American fisher- 

 men on the inshore fisheries except bait-taking, which is seldom done, 

 as American Fishermen are rarely equipped for bait-catching of any kind, 

 and are consequently driven to purchase from the Newfoundland. The 

 inshore fishing is of no value to American fisherman and has to my 

 knowledge been of very little value to British-fishermen for the past 

 ten years I have never known, in all my experience, extending over 

 ten years of American fisherman availing themselves of the privilege 

 of landing on the Coast of Newfoundland to dry nets, -cure fish or for 

 any other purpose. Since the Treaty of Washington the number of 

 American fishing-vessels has not increased on the coast of Newfound- 

 laud and the only advantage derived by American fisherman is the 

 privilege of obtaining fresh-bait from .Newfoundland fishermen. The 

 advantage derived from intercourse with American fisherman, is very 

 great to Newfoundlanders. American fishing vessels call at the differ- 

 ent ports on the South East and West of Newfoundland and buy bait, 

 ice, and fishing stores to large amounts and sell their small-fish and oil. 

 Every fishing vessel entering a Newfoundland port expends at least 

 Seventy five dollars every trip before she leaves. This is of great ad- 

 vantage to the Newfoundland people especially in the outports where 

 the fisherman is generally very poor and very destitute. It is true that 

 the British fisheries are much less productive and less valuable than 

 they formerly were and the inshore fishery's on the coast of Newfound- 

 laud has been reduced about fifty per cent, iu quantity and value within 



