1 HHAD Flf^UKIfY CVllillti.SWX 



as well. Important dealers who appeared before the Commissiou declared that shad 

 after spawning were unfit for food and, in the course of business, they would not 

 purchase or handle them. 



The exception which is applied in our report to St. John river and its tributaries 

 takes into account the peculiar conditions which surround the weir fishery in St. 

 John harbour, regarding which St. John city has special and exceptional prerogatives, 

 and also with regard to recommendation No. II, which is applicable generally, and 

 under which shad and salmon fishing would be prohibited from August 15 in one 

 year to July 1 in the year following, for three years following the adoption of these 

 regulations submitted. It must be observed that, under these conditions, salmon nets 

 of the mesh of 6J inches extension measure may be used from March 1 to August 15 

 in each year. 



n. This recommendation, No. II, will, iu a great measure protect shad by confin- 

 ing fishing operations to li months, viz.: July 1 to August 15, for a period of three 

 years. Moreover the mesh of salmon nets provided, viz.: 6i inches, from March 1 to 

 August 15, will not take shad but will allow salmon fishing to be carried on with the 

 mesh specified. 



Ill- We have in this suggested regulation recommended the adoption of the 

 terms used in subsection 1-t of section -17 of the Fisheries Act, chap. 45, 1906, so that 

 instead of sunset and sunrise we recommend that the terms be low water nearest 6 

 o'clock in the morning and evening, the terms thus used in the Act and in the 

 fishery regulations under the Act will then as far as possible be uniform. 



rV. In this proposed regulation the provision of a fish gate, as already required by 

 a special regulation in the fishery laws for Digby county (Xova Scotia Special Regu- 

 lations, 1907, section 20, subsection 3), is made general in Xew Brunswick and Xova 

 Scotia in the area within which, by our recommendations, weirs would he isermitted. 

 The Commission is aware that the department nearly twenty years age took steps in 

 this direction by requiring fish escapes in all weirs in St. John harbour. (Order-in- 

 Council, June 6, 1892.) 



V. This recommendation adopts the words of the existing regulation (Xova 

 Scotia Eegulations, section 20, subsection 10 and 11), except that instead of permitting 

 all kinds of fish to be so dipped, gaspereau or alewives only are permitted, in order 

 to protect shad and salmon. This recommendation has been already enforced in 

 Shelbume county (Nova Scotia Eegulations, section 20, subsection IS). 



VI. The Commission found that different lengths of nets have been used in shad 

 fishing. For example, in Nova Scotia the length used ranges from 600 fathoms down, 

 while in New Brunswick the maximum length used appears to have been about 250 

 fathoms. The regulation now suggested establishes a uniform maximum length, 

 about 300 fathoms, or a quantity not exceeding fifteen bunches of twine, during the 

 three years specified in recommendation No. II. 



VII. In order to hasten the restoration of the shad fishery and to enable the pro- 

 tective steps suggested to be effectively carried out. the present lax method tmder 

 which fishing is carried on should be replaced by some method of issuing a permit. 

 Under such a system, all fishermen entitled to engage in the shad fishery would be 

 enabled to carry on their operations under the permit with conditions specified. This 

 recommendation is made in order to avoid promiscuous and unlimited fishing during 



