3298 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



and Mackerel fisheries of the waters of the Gulf of St Lawrence and 

 the Coast of Labrador, in charge of a fishing schooner, Whaling in the 

 Straits of Belle Isle and to the Northwards Codfishing in the gulf and 

 on the coast of Labrador And taking Mackerel in the Bay de Chaleur 

 In the years 1850 to 1856 I fished in company with American fisher- 

 men and often had the use of their Seines to draw my bait without 

 charge willingly granted and moreover always kindly assisted when 

 required and I know personally of valuable services rendered freely by 

 them to a number of our Gaspe fishermen I do not hesitate to say that 

 1 believe candidly speaking and unprejudiced Gasp6 fishermen, firmly 

 believe that the greater their intercourse and dealings with American 

 fishermen in Canadian waters the greater they profit by the inter- 

 course : which is the experience of former years, for, Comparatively, but 

 few American fishermen have been seen in these waters for the last ten 

 years I have not seen Americans curing fish or drying nets on the 

 shores of the Gulf waters. Mackerel fishing was their chief fishery 

 but for the last ten years this fish has been disappearing ; and to 

 such an extent that note I would consider it, undoubtedly a very 

 risky enterprise to fit out a schooner, even from here, to engage in that 

 branch of the fisheries. 



. If Canadian fishermen had the means or were independent they 

 could take their fish and oil to markets in the United States and make 

 greater profits than American fishermen in their own ports. That is 

 obvious. Our fishing and coasting schooners are about from forty to 

 seventy-five tons burthen ; the larger size costing about four thousand 

 dollars: wages to men are $16. $20 per mouth and provisions are 

 much lower in price than in the United States. It seems as if enter- 

 prise was wanting, that more fish is not taken to the Uuited States by 

 Canadians while it is exempt from duty. 



JOHN S ASCAH 



Declared and Subscribed to before me, this first day of August 1877, 

 at Gaspe Basin 

 (Seal.) GEO: H. HOLT 



U. 8. Consul 

 No. 229. 



PORT OF GASPE 



COUNTY AND DISTRICT OF GASPE 



PROVINCE OF QUEBEC 



I Benjamin Asselin, Master of the British schooner "Speedy," of 

 Gasps', do hereby solemnly declare, that I have been connected with the 

 fishery business of the Gulf of St Laurence for about twenty four years 

 and that for the greater period of that time the transportation of fish 

 has been my chief employment; between the fishery stations and the 

 shipping ports ; that my vocation has afforded me an experience ot the 

 fisheries in the gulf, which is not excelled if equalled by others; 

 that from my own personal knowledge, I am aware that the mackerel 

 fishery has been declining for several years past and I consider that it 

 has now become so reduced and precarious as to offer no encouragement 

 for the pursuit of that enterprise in these waters. 



My occupation brings me annually, during the fishing season, in 

 the close vicinity of many of the principal fishery stations in the Gulf 

 and I am enabled to say that American fishermen have not been accus- 

 tomed to land on the shores to dry nets, cure fish &tc as a practice 

 so far as I have been able to observe; in accordance with the privilege 

 granted to them by the Treaty of Washington of 1871. 



