AWARD OF THE FISHERY COMMISSION. 3431 



Is that so? A. Yes; this relates to the spring fishery, ou Bradley 

 Bank, for instance. 



Q. Is this statement true ? A. It is ; as I interpret it. 



Q. As you now interpret it ? A. Yes ; and as I always have inter- 

 preted it. It was written with that express view. 



Q. It does not contain any limitation. It is said that 



Immense schools of mackerel are left unmolested iu the gulf aud on the coast of 

 Newfoundland. 



A. Yes. 



Q. Are there immense schools there ? A. Yes. 



Q. Which are beyond the reach of the boats? A. Yes; especially 

 during the spring. 



Q. And, therefore, they are left unmolested iu the gulf in consequence 

 of the fishermen being unprovided with suitable vessels and gear. You 

 continue : 



It is, however, a reserve for the future, which, at uo distant day, will be utilized. 



Q. It is your hope and expectation that the people of the Dominion may 

 take the fish in larger boats or vessels, which will enable them to put 

 an end to this kind of disability aud disadvantage under which they 

 now labor? You also think that the fish telegraph system might be 

 adopted and used as it is managed in Norway; that is, by telegraphing 

 along the coast the presence of mackerel, I suppose ! A. Yes ; and of 

 fish generally. 



Q. You think that eddies contain and hold together a great amount 

 of fish food? A. Certainly; of the free-swimming kind of fish food. 



Q. Aud these eddies are formed by the action of currents and tides ? 

 A. They are formed by the motion of the tide wave being impeded by 

 the shelving coast, while dragging along or moving over any feeding 

 ground. 



Q. The tides meet one another? A. Yes; but that is a different 

 thing altogether. 



Q. Do those eddies contain fish food ? A. Certainly. I imagine that 

 very eddy will aggregate and draw into itself all the floating substances 

 which it has the power to draw in. 



Q. Therefore the eddies as well as the Banks and shoal parts of the 

 gulf would be places where the fish would naturally go to find their 

 food? A. Free-swimming food yes. 



Q. To what depth do the tides affect the movement of the water f 

 A. That is a very difficult question to answer. It is supposed that they 

 begin to affect, or rather that the bottom begins to affect the tide, which 

 is the proper way of putting it, at a depth of about 500 feet ; that is to 

 say, as a tidal wave approaches the coast it begins to be affected when 

 the bottom has a depth of a little less than 100 fathoms, and 100 fath- 

 oms is 000 feet; so you may put such depth at about 500 feet ; but that 

 effect would be unappreciable to ordinary observation. 



Q. At what depth is it appreciable to ordinary observation ? A. I could 

 not say; I know, for instance, that in the Bay of Fundy, at a depth of 50 

 fathoms, it is very appreciable, but that is an exceptional case. The geo- 

 graphical features of the province of Xova Scotia aud of the coast of 

 Maine have a wonderful effect upon the tides and in determining the 

 depth at which they mix up the waters. But in the open sea the effect 

 begins to be felt at a depth of about 500 feet. Outside of that it is nierrly 

 an up and down movement of the particles of water, moving at the rate <>t 

 about 1,000 miles an hour, following a wave like motion. It is only ob- 

 servable when it is multiplied by the tide breaking upon the eoa3t, but 



