IMERIM REFORT 65 



ill it. I agree with the evidence given, but the only hope I have is to close the shail 

 fishing down. Simply closing the river iishing- and allow bay fishing is not sufficicul 

 to do any good and give the fish a chance to make a new start. If the men who now 

 fish counted the time and the cost of what they would have lost by continuing fishing 

 under present conditions they would agree with me. No one is really dependent on 

 the shad firhing. As to sawdust, I have feen it on the flats, deposited there by the 

 tide, and on the spawning grounds it must be very injurious. It injures trout. On 

 Little Brook, where I have a mill, I have seen dead trout, proving the injury. 



Dexti£K Hill said that his information went back 80 years, as his father ami 

 grandfather were fishermen. They speared the shad with pitchforks in pools left by 

 the tide. Sixty years ago the ITollidays, from Scotland, had a schooner with nine 

 boats and short nets drifting. Later, weirs were used. All the gear was improved 

 as years went past. In April the weirs were put in and a spawn shad not often was 

 got in them; they were very seldom taken. A No. 2 shad will go through a 4i'g mesh, 

 it only takes a No. 1 marketable shad. Though we rarely see a spawn shad in April 

 or May we 'were convinced they passed up, it must be in the channel here and were 

 caught above in large quantities. They began up there in Shubenacadie fishing for 

 these fish 25 or 30 years ago. In a poor season it was profitable, as we easily 

 gilt 5,000 or 6,U00. Some years 18,000 to 20,000 shad were taken, that was in good 

 years. Even our poor years here were really profitable good years, but there's not a 

 haK barrel of spawn shad been ever taken on all this shore in a season. About 20th 

 of June our fish come, and we closed do.wn the weir.s and went out in the boats for 

 six weeks, but stopped because we only got 50 or 60 in a night. Probably we did fish 

 too long and too much gear ; 26 years ago the shad fishery declined, then 12 or 14 years 

 ago it was good for two or three years, very good. . We found the cause of the failure 

 to be the destroying of the breeders, and of course the supply runs out. I won't really 

 say it is, but I believe it is the cause. We petitioned the government to stop the 

 catching of the spawning fish, but we reaUy got no answer. Then we 

 asked for a closed season and again no answer. Perhaps it was the men 

 up the bay shore influenced the matter. They likely said, ' Don't stop us, stop those 

 below,' hence the government let it droji. The shatl made straight for the head o- 

 the bay so that there was good fishing above, then later we would get fishing lower 

 down. A straight west wind was always favourable for our shad fishing. Shad 

 return jusi as swallows and birds return to their own haunts, hence we said the fish 

 are hatched \ip there and we depend upon those spawning fish up there. Now we 

 have no fish. Likely there are more causes than one. What will restore them '. 

 It is no use to stop the catching of spawning shad. It looks hardly reasonable tn 

 say to the Shubenacadie men 'Stop your fishing and let the others down below gn 

 on Scot free. To close all down seems a cold-hearted way, but if the commission 

 reports in favour of several hatcheries but requiring the closure for two or three 

 years we could then help by all being closed down. In our petition we asked for 

 hatcheries to restore the shad that way. They have proved good in other places and 

 should be beneficial here. I've seen lots of small fish but never saw one stranded 

 or destroyed. Our weirs can't be harmful in that way as except the Mersey, Eng- 

 land, there is nowhere such a tide as here, viz., 60 feet, and our weirs must be open 

 with such a swift tide. We made great hauls in olil times and caught No. 3's among 

 the rest. I think our bay is full of fish as I think they grow fast. Reasonable 

 men would not say a word against closing down if it is necessary, and I would sacri- 

 fice my nets and gear. I have fifty bunches of net lying no use now as well as three 

 or four weirs, and I'd be willing. I want to see something done even if it does tread 

 on my toes. You cannot please everybody gentlemen. 



J.\MES A. FrLTOx said : I am of the same opinion as the last witness, something 

 must be done. I am of opinion that the shad brought $100,000 to the shore between 



