66 



Nova Scotia, states that it is common, with sucli advaiitiiges, for each vessel to catch 

 from 1,000 to 1,500 barrels of mackerel in three trips. .\Ir. K. II. Derby estimates 

 the catch of vessels "in the mackerel business from 500 to 700 barrels." 

 Mr. William Smith, late Controller of Customs at St. John, New IJrunswick, now 

 Deputy Minister of Marine and Fisheries, computes tlie catch of mackerel by 

 American vessels al 10 barrels per ton. 'i'lie late Mr. M. II. Perley, Her Majesty's 

 Commissioner under the Treaty of I8.j4, reports in 1>'4'.) havinp; accosted live 

 United States' vessels actively lishing' about three miles i'rom Paspebiac, in Chaleur 

 Bay, and several in .Miramichi Hay, bavins;- upwards of 900 barrels of mackerel 

 each. It appears from a return made by the Collector of Customs at Port Mulgrave, 

 in the Gut of Canso, that among- loo vessels of the American mackerel fleet which 

 were casually spoken at that port, in 1S73. the names of which he gives, tiicre were 

 33 having- over .300 barrels a-piece; 55 having over -400 barrels each; 28 having- 

 over 500 barrels each ; 12 having- over 600 barrels each; and 7 having- over 700 

 barrels a-piece. Probably these were not the l.irgest fares secured, as the vessels 

 were reported before the fall fishery (usually the best) had taken place. In the 

 year 1874, 1(51 United States' fishing- vessels look, at the east point «)f Prince 

 Edward Island, 383 barrels per vessel. The catch of mackerel in that season by 

 the Island tishermcn, who are few in numbers, and fish mostly in open boats and 

 with seines, was altogether inshore, and aniounted to 27,."?I7 barrels. 



We may confidently state that at a very moderate computation each American 

 fishing- vessel frequenting- IJritisli waters, obtains through the privileges conferred 

 by the Treaty, a catch of at least .'300 barrels of mackerel alone, worth 12 dollars 

 per barrel, at each tri|),— or a gross value of o.GOO dollars per vessel. 



The proportion of codfish taken and forming- part of mixed fares would be com- 

 paratively small when distributed amongst a lai'ge number of vessels fishing- princi- 

 pally for mackerel and herrings. It is estimated that vessels fishing for cod, 

 herrings, and other tisli during tlie intervals of innckereling, usually take of herrings 

 300 barrels ; codfisli, 100 cpiintals ; haliiiut, 200 (piintals; haddock, pollack, and 

 hake, 100 quintals; and bait fishes (e\clusi\e of herrings, used fresh), 200 dollars' 

 worth ; each vessel averaging about 2,000 dollars' worth in all. .Many of these vessels, 

 or others of smaller tonnage, are engaged in fishing around tlie western coasts of Nova 

 Scotia, and in the Bay of Fundy, both bei'ore and after their regular voyages to the 

 eastern and Gulf tishing grounds. 15ut tlie maximum number of vessels and the 

 value of catch reckoned in this claim, lor tiie jiurposc of stating a basis of computa- 

 tion, without |)rejudice, iiov/ever, to wiiatever addition to tiie number of vessels 

 eng-igcd, and tiie quantity and value of fish caught, may be substantiated in further 

 evidence, does not s|)ecitically include the catch of those smaller vessels, which are 

 constantly occuj)ied in tlic insliore (isiiings of the western coasts of the Maritime 

 Provinces for other kinds besides mackerel. This reservation is necessarily due, if 

 not to the mod<n-ation of the claim involved, at all events to the obvious dilliculty of 

 ascertaining- willi exactness the movements and operations of a fleet of foreign 

 vessels, of varieii (onn;ige, luinibering b(>twccn 1,000 and .'i,(iOO, besides the many 

 small boats attached, which are continually moving about in dill'ercnt and distant 

 localities, or frequenting tiiroughout each season the countless indentations of a 

 sinuous coast neaily 4,000 miles in lineal extent. 



In reca])itulation of tiie above, it is estimated Iliac each United States' fishing 

 vessel will, on a moderate coniputation, take within liritish Canadian waters 3,(J00 

 dollars' worth of mackerel, and 2,000 (k)llars' wortii of other fish ; or a total of 5,600 

 dollars' worth of fish of all kinds as an average for each trip. This estin ate is, 

 however, made, as stated in the case of the number of vessels engaged, without pre- 

 judice to any larger catch per vessel, which we may be able to substantiate in 

 evidence before tiie ('ommission. 



Third. — The estimated amount of oapital embarked in this business by United 

 States' citizens exceeds 7,000,000 dollars. Mr. Lorenzo Sabine, formerly President 

 of the Boston Board of 'frade. estimates it at 7,280,000 dollars. It employs about 

 16,000 men alloat, besides many others iishorc. That the investment is a prnfitablc 

 ont>, is |)roved by the large amount of vessels and men engaging in it, and also the 

 n-.ore costly a|)|)liances which are provided in tliese fishing pursuits. If the con- 

 siruction and equijiment of vessels f()r the various fisheries which United States' 

 citi''.<'ns so persistently follow in British waters was not proved to be highly advan- 

 tageiuis, it is reasonable to assume that it would cease to engage a large amount of 

 lapital, for the use of which so many other attractive enter[)rizes exist. It must be 



