3328 AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 



practiced by the Canadian marine force, the object of seizure being stimu- 

 lated by one-half of the prize money being divided among the crews of 

 the cutters. The inshore fisheries of the Gulf of St. Lawrence for cod 

 and halibut is a matter belonging to the past. No American fisherman 

 now fishes inshore for either. I have fished out of Gloucester for cod 

 and halibut 27 seasons, and I never took either fish inside of three miles 

 of the English shore. The American fishery now is absolutely and purely 

 a deep-sea fishery for cod and halibut. 



The first fresh bait bought in Newfoundland by American fishermen 

 was about 22 years ago, and brought to Gloucester to bait the Georges 

 men. It is about 8 or 9 years since the Grand Bankers and Western 

 Bankers began to buy bait at Newfoundland ; for centuries before they 

 had used salt bait and the other bait and refused fish taken on the 

 Banks ; they also used to buy bait at St. Peirre. Now they go up For- 

 tune Bay for it; they pay cash for this bait. It costs $150 to a vessel 

 for a Grand Bank fare. The people there have got well off by the sale of 

 this bait ; they are rich, and every dollar left there by American vessels 

 is clear gain to them, as there is no other use or market where they would 

 use these herring they sell to American vessels. 



I have owned and run more than thirty vessels, and in the different 

 branches of the fisheries pursued by American fishermen, I have had as 

 much experience as any person now living; and I know the value of 

 the different fisheries by actual experience in practical fishing, in each 

 department, and the scale of values by actual sales. In the herring 

 trade for the first eleven years, it was profitable to those engaged in it, 

 but for the past eleven years there has been more lost than gained, on 

 a fair average. 



I have lost myself $1,500 on one voyage, and $1,100 on another. I 

 never made over one thousand dollars on anyone herring voyage. 1 have 

 known vessel after vessel to throw overboard her cargo of herring in the 

 harbor of Gloucester, and to have given them away in New York for 

 manure. 



PETER SINCLAIR. 



COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, 



COUNTY OF ESSEX ss. GLOUCESTER, Sept. 3, 1877. 



Then personally appeared the above named Peter Sinclair, and made 

 oath that all the above statements by him subscribed are true, before 

 me, 



DAVID W. LOW, 



(L. S.) Notary Public. 



No. 262. 



GLOUCESTER, September 1, 1877. 



I, Win. T. Rowe, Master of the schr. B. I). Haskins, of Gloucester, do, 

 on oath, depose and say, that I was born in Gloucester, am 39 years of 

 age, have been engaged in the fisheries 25 years. 



I have just returned from a trip to Block Island, and the last week, 

 off Monhegan, Maine. 



The mackerel taken off Block Island are very large and fat, taking 90 

 mackerel to a barrel. We set our seine once off Mouhegan, and took 20 

 barrels No. Is and 2s. We came home to refit and are going immedi- 

 ately to the Eastern shore. There is now a great body of mackerel there, 

 from close into the rocks to 25 miles off. The Maud Midler took 230 

 bbls in her seine at one haul. The Fairy Queen, of Portland, took GO 



