AWABD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 3337 



In all my experience in taking mackerel in the Gulf, not more than 

 one-fourth are taken within three miles of the shore. I have taken 

 whole entire trips with not a single mackerel of them taken within five 

 miles of the shore. 



I have seined off the American shore parts of five years. I have 

 stocked in a single season, seining mackerel there alone, reckoning no 

 other fish, seven thousand six hundred dollars in a season. 



The best stock I ever made in the Gulf of St. Lawrence mackerel 

 fishery in one whole season, was six thousand seven hundred dollars. 

 T^hese figures are taken from my books, and are correct. My poorest 

 stock in the Gulf of St. Lawrence mackerel fishery was in 1875, when I 

 tried all over the Gulf, and could not raise a mackerel. Of course, I 

 stocked nothing. 



During the past 10 years, the American shore mackerel have been 

 greatly superior to the Bay mackerel of the same brand in texture, qual- 

 ity, and price. 



On the American shore, we take mackerel sometimes close in, and 

 they are sometimes taken on Georges Banks 100 miles off. 



I have been some trips to the Western Banks for cod-fish, and we 

 bought our fresh bait of the shore people of the Dominion of Canada, 

 always paying casb for it. 



The people make more than double the profit selling herring to the 

 American fishermen, than in any other manner that they can dispose of 

 them. I have caught a whole trip on the Banks, entirely by the use of, 

 salt bait, carried from the United States. 



Fish offal, when thrown overboard in very shoal water, has a tendency 

 to keep fish away until the water clears ; but in deep water, there is no 

 perceptible effect on the fish. I never knew of the shore boats being 

 interfered with, or injured by the vessels. The American schooners are 

 very particular not to trouble the boats ; and it is a universal fact that 

 the schooners never can get any mackerel on the grounds inshore, in shoal 

 water, where the boats usually fish. I never took 10 barrels of mack- 

 erel on the boat's fishing grounds in all my fishing in the Bay. 



I have " hove to " this year near where the boats were fishing and 

 getting some mackerel, and we could not catch a mackerel. In most of 

 the places where the boats fish, my vessel could not go in, as they 

 fish in from two to four fathoms of water, and my vessel draws 12 feet 

 of water ; and this fact applies to most of the American schooners. 



I have been to Grand Manan for herring, to carry to Gloucester, to 

 bait Georges men, and paid from 65 cents to one dollar per hundred for 

 fresh herring, and the same herring for any other purpose or market was 

 not worth to the people who took them 25 cents a hundred to salt. The 

 shore people always catch the herring. 



I have had but one trip of mackerel sent home from the Bay by trans- 

 shipment, and that trip cost just one dollar per barrel to get them to 

 Gloucester by a sailing vessel. This was in 1861. 



I have been master of the following schooners: The Morning Light, 

 Pescador. Ida TTiurlow. Benj. Haskell, George 8. Loic^ Seth Stockbridge. 



CAPT. JAMES L. ANDEKSON. 



COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



GLOUCESTER, Aug. 4, 1877. 

 COUNTY OF ESSEX, SS. 



Then personally appeared the above named James L. Anderson, Cap- 

 tain, and made oath, that all the statements by him subscribed, are true, 

 to the best of his knowledge and belief, before me, 



(L. S.) DAVID W. LOW, Notary Public. 



