72 



the catchment powers of fishinf:^ engines in use, it is highly improbable that any 

 foreigner will resort to these waters for fishing purposes. 



In a geographical sense, the fishery groiuuls thus formally opened to British 

 subjects comprise about 2,000 square miles, distant and unproductive, and which, 

 for these and other reasons, are practically unavailable to the nritish fisherman. It 

 is shown above tiiat the best United States' authorities concur in opinion that these 

 fisheries are rapidly becoming exhmisted, alFording scarcely remunerative employ- 

 ment for American fishermen, who have been themselves obliged to abandon these 

 f rounds, and resort in large numbers to the more productive waters of Canada, 

 t is as impossible to conceive in theory that Uritish fishcrmeM siiould forsake their 

 own abundant waters to uiidertaUe a long and arduous voyage to those distant and 

 unremunerative fisheries, as it is an undisiiutcd matter of fact that ihey do not, and 

 in all probal)ility never will, do so. 



A similar concession embodied in the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854, which em- 

 braced ?> degrees more in a southerly direction, extending along the coasts of 

 Delaware, .Maryland. Virginia, and |)art of North Carolina, to the 'MJth parallel of 

 north latitude, jirovcd during the twelve years it existetl of no i)racti(.al value what- 

 soever, not a single Mritish tislieriiian having utili/.ud it. 



Tiiecpiestion of bait must now be considered, as some importance may, perhaps, 

 be attached by the United States to the supposed advantages derived in this respect 

 by British subjects. It might appear at first sight that the privilege of resorting to 

 h:' inshorcs of the Eastern States to procure bait for mackerel fishing was of 

 practieiU use. .Menhaden are said to be fi)und only in United States' waters, and 

 are used extensively in the raacktM-ei fishing, whicii is olteii successfully pursued 

 with this (leserij)tii)n ot' l)ait, es|)eeially by its use for feetliiig and attracting the 

 shoals. It is, however, by no means indispensable; other fish baits, plentilul in 

 British waters, are quite as successfully used in this particular kind of fishing- 

 business, and vcr\' gcner.dly in other bi-.'.nchcs. both of deep-sea and inshore fishing, 

 as, for example, iVcsh herrings, .-dewives, cajielin, sandlaunce, smelts, squids, clams, 

 and other small lisiies caug!\t chiolly with seines closo inshore. Hritish fishermen 

 can thus llnd sullicient bait at home; and can jiurch.ase from American dealers any 

 (juautities they require much cheaper t'.ian by making voyages to United States' 

 waters in order to catch it for themselves. It is a remarkable fact that for six years 

 past, .American llshernien ha\e l)oug!it from Canadians more herring bait alone than 

 all the menhaden bait imjiortod into Canada during the same period. The menhaden 

 bait itseli can also be bred and restored to jilaces in the Hay of Fundy, on the 

 western coast of Nova Scotia, where it existed up to the time of its local extermi- 

 nation, 



it is notorious that the supply, both of food and bait fishes, has become 

 alarmingly scarce along the United States' coast. At Gloucester .alone some thirty 

 vessels are engaged during about six months in e; > h year catching menhaden for 

 bail". They sell about 100,000 dollars' worth annually, and, by catching them 

 imtiioderatelv in nets and weirs for supplying bait and to furnish the oil mills, they 

 are rapidly exlcrniiuating them. The .Massachusetts Fishery Commissioners, in 

 their report for 1^72, state that" It takes many hands working in many ways to 

 catch bait enough for our fishing fleet, which may easily be understood when it is 

 remembered that each tJeorge's man takes 15 or 20 barrels for a trip; and 

 that each mackereler lays in from 7") to 120 barrels, or even more than that." One 

 of t!u! prineii)al modes for the ca|Hure of bait and other fisiies on tlu! New England 

 Coast is !)y fixed trajis or pounds on the shore. By means of these, herrings, 

 alewives, and menhacL'n areeaught as bait for the sea fishery, besides merchantable 

 lish for the markets, anrl tlie coarser kinds for the supply of the oil factories. There 

 arc upwards of sixty of these factories now in operation on the New England Coast. 

 The capital invested in them approaches .'5,000,000 (hjUars. They employ 1,1.97 

 men ; 38.3 sailing vessels, and 2!) steamers, besides numerous other boats. The fish 

 material which they consume yearly is enormous, computed at about 1,191,100 

 barrels, requiring whole fishes to the number of about 300,000.000. These modes of 

 fishing for menhaden and other bait arc furthermore such as to preclude strangers 

 from participating in them without exceeding the terms of the Treaty ; and even 

 without this difficulty, it must be apparent that such extensive native enter- 

 prises would bar the competition, and suffice to ensure the virtual exclusion of 

 foreigners. 



The attention of the Commissioners is therefoie respectfully drawn to the 

 following points : — 



S 



