INTKIilM REPORT 53 



Thirteenth Sitting. 

 Public Hall, Ste\vl\cke, X.S., August 14, I'JOS. 



Professor Prince and !Mi-. S. F. ITorrison, commissioners, after a few opening 

 Tomarks, took evidence as follows: — 



E. H. McGregor, Stewiacke, said that formerly the river was just swiuimiug 

 ■with shad. This year there were very few. The obstructions in the Stewiacke and 

 Sinibenacadie rivers were thought to be the main cause of the decline. There is no 

 doubt that the shad are becoming scarcer every year. Teams were loaded and they 

 were sold around away in the Musquodoboit region. Shad were barrelled, mainly green, 

 not salted, and sent to Truro market. This river was, 15 or 16 years ago, just full of 

 ■shad. They were full of spawn, the spawning being May 10 to 20. This conflicts with 

 the idea that they are mother shad of the bay. There are different kinds of shad, 

 because shad are got in Bermuda on a hook, and John McPhee, an experienced man, 

 says there are different species of shad, they are not spotted the same, are a 

 different colour and heavier far. While the bay shad run 3J to 4 pounds, the 

 ieavier kind are 8 to 9 pounds. I once saw a small shad 4J inches long when 

 1 placed a cage by instructions from Inspector Hocldn at the dam of Wm. Holmworth 

 Ri'd John Kelly, and in 15 minutes it was full of front and suckers and the one little 

 shad was amongst them. It was about the middle of May. Dickey's dam was no real 

 olstruction because it had an apron. My opinion is that shad, like all other fish, 

 should not be taken in the spawning season. 



D. H. Goodwin stated that when he was 12 or 15 years old (35 years ago) shad 

 vere very plentiful. I often waded out and caught them with my hands about the 

 last of June and early July. They were the coming down shad, in a ' sjjent ' condi- 

 tion, having been up the river and spawned. That was five miles above here. There 

 was no extensive fishing then, a few people caught them for their own use and got all 

 tley wanted. They were generally eaten fresh, not salted. The nets were 40 feet long 

 and the mesh 44 inches to 5 inches. They were set up and down stream and some- 

 times across according to the place. We used to buy shad full ot spawn at the first 

 •if the season frequently 10 pounds weight from the fishermen. Later in June and 

 J'lly the poor shad coming down and no spawn in them, 400 or 500 were taken in a 

 night by different parties within the last five years. Formerly there was no market or 

 a very limited one and there was no reason to make enormous catches. If our shad 

 are the producers of the bay shad it would be easy to restore them. The most vital 

 question on this river is the shad. Shad still come up and Robert Bates caught 30 

 this-- year. The same party got 80 one night two years ago. A great catch was made 

 at the dam three years ago (1906). Hamilton and Scott, from Brookfield. got nearly 

 500, one of them got 230. I don't think that the total catch this year was 500, pro- 

 bably not 300 shad. The tidal part of the river is muddy np four miles from the 

 mouth to Kidd's. The water backs up to within a mile of the dam. The bottom over 

 a large extent is clean and gravelly, and for one or two miles at a stretch it may be 

 still water with muddy bottom. It is all pretty clear from weeds and vegetation. The 

 shad commence to spawn when they reach clear water. They lie and spawn in sandy 

 shallow pools. They are seen playing about briskly near the surface. The river is 

 usually very low. I never saw small shad after hatching. Eels are plentiful and 

 tliey crawl inside the fish, beginning with the gills they eat along and leave only the 

 skin. I started a fishery with pots and you can get all yon want in summer, but in 

 winter we rig out with spears, but there was no frost and we could not keep the eels 

 we got. That was three years .ago. They webe. bringing 10* cents a pound. At Mil- 

 ford in 1i miles of a stream many tons were taken out. I have seen one 4 pounds, 

 but the biggest ever got was 3 feet long and 5i pounds weight. When salmon fishing 



