INTERIM REPORT 99 



nets for shad. This shore goes off bold rapidly and is good for lobsters. In spring 

 lobsters are haudy close inshore in 5 fathoms, but in winter they are in 20 or 22 

 fathoms and are carrying spawn. We sometimes get 15 spawn lobsters to a haul, and 

 they are always very large. I fish six months in the year lobsteriug. There are not 

 shad fisheries between here and St. Martin's. Spring shad are taken in a 6-ineh meshed 

 net drifting in May and Juno-, as they fish salmon at the same time and finish on to 

 15th August. In Charlotte county sardine weirs shad are taken 100 at a time at 

 Lepreaux. Two j'ears ago I saw them in the fall, say September or October, taking 

 shad, but they are smaller than spring shad. Dog-fish are jaleutiful in July, every 

 hook having one and they are put on the land. We favour a lobster hatchery. Scallops 

 are found near here. 



George Kirsop stated that he was fishery guardian and agreed with what had been 

 said by previous witnesses. More spawn lobsters he found occurred from May 1 to the 

 last of June, when the weather is warm. The spawn lobsters should not be shipped away 

 to the States but kept here and our own waters stocked with their spawn by means of 

 a lobster hatchery. Black river, three miles from here, is a good location. Salmon 

 and most of our fish would pass through a C-inch mesh. 



EiCHARD Dare said he had fished lobsters oyer 12 years and pollack as well. Our 

 boats are small for fishing out in the bay. We just use hand lines and fish off here. 

 He agreed with the preceding witnesses in their views. He found dog-fish exceedingly 

 plentiful in the locality. 



Thirty-second Sitting. 



Victoria Hai.i., St. ^Martin's Hall, " 



St. ilARTix's. X.B., Oct. 15, 1908. 



Professor Prince, Chairman, opened the sitting in the usual formal way, and Mr. 

 S. F. Morri>ou and ilr. S. Melanson, commissioners, also gave brief opening addresses, 

 and there was a large attendance of fishermen and other^. 



A. F. Bentley was the first witness. He said I fished shad long ago in Nova 

 Scotia at Five Islands- I consider shad one of the most valuable of all our fishes. 

 Fifteen or 20 years ago it was a remunerative fishery for the fishermen and valuable 

 to the public. Thousands of barrels were caught. It was the thing which brought 

 money to the people, and some fishermen I "know realized as much as $2,000 a season 

 from shad fishing. I moved down here, but I hear that shad are now very scarce, 

 bringing $8 to $11 per half-barrel, but some seasons as high as $12 a half-barrel. I 

 consider shad to be one of the best of fish. Fresh there is no fish better, and salted 

 it is equal to mackerel. As a boy I remember that 4e. was the price of a shad and 

 later 25c. If the government can do anything to increase the shad they would be 

 doing one of the best things that could be done for the people. 



John Kase, St. Martin's : I have fished up Shepody bay for 30 years, and I used 

 to get all the shad I wanted. I fished during the shad season and worked at other 

 things other times. I used both Brift and set nets; both gilling the fish, but drift 

 nets are used in deeper water- We got shad the first of the summer, June and in 

 July and August. We got big shad, and I cleaned them and got spawn in them. 



