52 SHAD FISHERT COillllSSlOX 



about there. On the south shore there was one weir below Burncoat head. While 

 there were seven or eight on the north side of the bay. I visited some of these weirs 

 they took a large quantity of fish, big and little. Have seen small shad in them about 

 the size of gaspereau, which were left in the weirs over Sunday ar.u were taken out of 

 the weir on Monday for manure. I think weir fishing is destructive to any kind of 

 fishing. I make this statement after a long experience in catching and handling fish. 

 In fifteen years" experiente in catching iind splitting shad in the Cobequid bay, J 

 don't think I ever saw a spawn shad. The first of these spawn shad I ever saw came 

 from Elmsdale where they catch them every year by thousands. I don't think these 

 shad were caught there twenty or twenty-five years ago or not to the extent they have 

 been in recent years. I believe these shad caught in the fresh water are the parent 

 fish. They fatten up very fast, after they go back to salt water, and feed on the worms 

 on the flats. I think sawdust dne? hanu to any fish and should not be allowed to rui> 

 into any river where fish enter. There is far too much dirt and refuse thrown into 

 rivers where fish exist. When I fished with ilr. Halliday, at Labrador, he was very 

 careful of the cffal and had pits dug in the ground to hold the refuse which was treatcu 

 with acid. These pits were cleaned out, the contents were shipped to Quebec for fer- 

 tilizer. If the fishermen threw any garbage into the water from the boats they were 

 subject to the loss of their season's pay or fined from $10 to $50. I think the govern- 

 ment should stop the catching of shad and salmon when going up to spawn, also when 

 they are going out after spawning as they are worthless then and unfit for food. I 

 want to give my opinion that the fish caught going out of the rivers in the early spring 

 are spent salmon and not grayling as some people claim them to be. I wish to affirm 

 that there are no grayling in these provinces. I have fished in all the waters about 

 this country and have not seen anything outside of trout and salmon, and the fish 

 caught in Grand lake and called grayling are all small salmon. They are darker than 

 the salt water salmon, but that is caused by the colour of the water they live in. I 

 think the close season for salmon fishing should not be extended later than August 15, 

 and if any change is made it should begin earlier. We have a run of salmon appear- 

 ing off this coast and caught about Portuguese Cove from the middle of September to 

 the last of October in the company of the fall mackerel, they are clean, fat and very 

 fine flavour, six to eight pounds in weight,, which may have spawned away to the north 

 with the mackerel. They are caught in the 4-inch mackerel nets, and would be a source 

 of much profit to the fishermen if by local restrictions the men were allowed to fish for 

 them with a 5-inch meshed net. They are at that season of the year far ahead of our 

 spring run of salmon in flavour, and I wish to call attention of the department to these 

 fish. I have never heard of such fish being caught anywhere else on this coast, and 

 would like to send a specimen to Professor Prince, in Ottawa, for examination. I 

 think the best way to restore the shad fishery is to let nature have its course. We 

 could handle a lot of shad at a good price now if we could get them. I wish to state 

 that I have seen a wilful waste of trout fry by those engaged to transport them from 

 the government hatcheries to the rivers or lakes where they were to be dejwsited, by 

 carelessness in handling and placing them in still water lakes with no outlet and 

 where they would be devoured by trout and eels. I think much more care should be 

 taken in this matter so important to the country. 



