3314 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



of Maine, arrived at Prince Edward Island about the 18th of August, 

 having tried unsuccessfully at Margaree; and not finding mackerel at 

 Prince Edward Island, 1 went to the Magdalen Islands, and tried hard 

 for one week, with pleasant weather, catching only 10 barrels altogether. 

 Spoke many vessels, both American and British, all telling the same 

 story, "that mackerel was very scarce." Being dissatisfied with the 

 prospect, I sailed for home, with a number of others equally disgusted. 

 I omitted to state that previous to going to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, I 

 caught thirty-five barrels of shore mackerel off Block Island, which I 

 sold for $24 per barrel; the 10 barrels of Bay mackerel I sold for $13 

 per barrel, which is one dollar more than the regular price, as they gave 

 me one dollar more for them, in order to secure the shore mackerel. I 

 have been in the Gulf of St. Lawrence mackereling thirteen seasons, and 

 averaged 300 barrels each year ; and I have no hesitation in saying, that 

 not one-tenth part were caught within three miles from the shore, except 

 those I caught at Magdalen Islands. I did not take a license during the 

 years of exclusion. I never knew or heard of any injury to any shore 

 boats by the American fleet, and this very trip I have given away to 

 these boats bait, which they solicit. I never heard that mackerel clean- 

 ings were injurious in any way to the fishery ; on the contrary, we often 

 grind it with the other bait. I have known of times when I have been 

 solicited by farmers in St. Mary's Bay to save my offal for them, and 

 they would send a boat for it, they wanting it for their farms as a fer- 

 tilizer, and not on account of any injury to the fishery by being thrown 

 overboard. The reason I did not take out a license during the years of 

 exclusion was because I did not fish within the three-mile limit, and 

 therefore was of no value to me. The cost of my late fishing was as 

 fallows : 



Charter of my Vessel, per month, $250 . $250 



13 Men at $30 per mouth 390 



Captain's Wages 75 



Seine and Boat, use of 100 



Outfits, Provisions, Bbls. Salt Bait 350 



insurance, Packing and Inspection 100 



$1,265 



RECEIPTS. 



35 Bbls. Block Island Mackerel, $24 $840 



10 taken in Gulf of St. Lawrence $1.3 130 



$970 



RECAPITULATION. 



Cost of Voyage '. $1, 265 



Receipts from Voyage , 970 



Amount lost by Voyage , $295 



During the winters for the past seven years, I have been to New 

 Brunswick for herring, averaging 2 trips during the winter. I have 

 uniformly bought my herring, paying the cash, and have paid on an 

 average, $2500 a year, with the exception of last winter, when I made 

 three trips, and paid them $3600. I usually pay from thirty-five to 

 ninety cents per hundred, taking 500 to the barrel. The herring fisher- 

 men there have often told me that they could not realize 12 cents per 



