100 SHAD FISHERY COMIIISSION 



James Bourke, St. Martin's^ said he had lived here 40 years and knew the shore 

 up to the head of the hay. No shad were taken off the shore here, but in Cumber- 

 land bay and Petitcodiac river shad were plenty. The water is clear on our shore, 

 more so than off evea Point Lepreau, and I think that shad are most plentiful on 

 the south shore. Of course, lots of shad are caught at Mace's bay and Dipper har- 

 bour. Lots of herring got here in buoyed anchored nets formerly, but have declined 

 during the last two or three years. They don't compare with their former abundance. 

 They were salted down and shipped to St. John, N.B. Cod, pollock, mackerel and 

 lobsters are the main lish here, especially the last ; quite a lot taken- A business is 

 not made of fishing now as it was formerly. The desire is to commence lobstering 

 earlier, viz., September 1 instead of January 1, as ice prevents fishing early in the 

 year. Our lobsters are a good size; some small ones occur. The size limit should 

 be the same as in the next county. 



Egbert Conley said that 25 or 30 years ago shad were plenty, and 50 barrels 

 were taken out of a weir at Ahna, while good catches were made below Point Wolfe. 

 It was quite an industry, but 15 years since they became scarce. Sawdust was blamed 

 as the injurious cause. Herrings were taken a little later than the shad at Point 

 Wolfe. No shad or herring were taken below Martin Head. Shad occurred in June 

 and July and into August. 



Bexjamik Black said that formerly there were weirs westward of Quaco, and as 

 many as 20 or 30 barrels of herring were got in one night in a brush weir 40 years ago. 



Squire Skillen, St- Martin's, said he was formerly a fishery officer for the dis- 

 trict. Lobster, cod, haddock, halibut, pollock, hake, a few mackerel and herring, 

 which used to be quite an industry. Pollack are got in large quantities. Herring,- 

 of which large catches were made every season, fell off because sawdust began to 

 cover the feeding grounds from the mills. Dog-fish were as plenty as now, yet hun- 

 dreds of barrels of herring were got in a night, indeed 150 barrels of large fat herring 

 were taken in a brush weir in one night. In the 70's and SO's about 150 fishermen 

 engaged in herring fishing in this district. I have not had charge of the district since 

 1889. No shad were ever caught here, but very fine ones were taken at Martin 

 Head, 20 miles above here. The last shad there were taken in 1881 or 1882, but 

 probably shad were there after, but the weirs were not fished. Shad vary locally, as 

 the Nova Scotia shad (Scott's bay) wholly differ from the St. Johnn and Pisarinco 

 shad. Economy shad were fat, heavy fish as compared with the thinner, poorer shad 

 taken on the New Brunswick shore- I once saw a big catch of shad taken in one 

 weir at Scott's bay on a Sunday morning in July, 1882. At that very time I was 

 settling a dispute at Spencer's Point (the matter of Mitchel of Deer island). Mit- 

 chel had a fine catch of shad, and he had taken a large horse mackerel (Tunny). 

 The local people objected to the intrusion of Mitchel and his being given a weir 

 stand. In Cumberland bay (Joggins) shad were got in October, later than on 

 Economy shore As the shad of the other shore are thus later, I expressed the view, 

 to the Mitchels that they were our fish from this shore which migrated there, but 

 they said 'No,' and they spoke of two distinct varieties of shad. 



John Howard, St. Martin's, said that he had been a lobster fisherman since 1892. 

 In their average size and quality the lobsters in that locality were the best in the Bay 

 of Eundy. We sell to Eastport buyers fresh, their boat coming up here from Eastport 

 in the spring, but in winter they are shipped in barrels to Boston. There are no can- 

 neries. The price from April 1 to June 30 averages 13 cents, a low price, but in 1907 

 they averaged 16 cents each. The season by law opens too late (January 5) as it is 

 so rough on the shore we cannot fish, and owing to ice, &c.. we lose our gear. The sea- 



