i 



.-i*-'ii » . > »iiif '■>.>■«. , 



i.iiMmMi.^^M'. 



have a maw of evidence that they wore on ..11 quints a', t!u .••\\\\<' tl u >, ut;>! !': !.<.i^i* 

 numbcra — 



Babaon, 20th American AtBdavit, fstimatea the Americnii fleet at 7r>0 nail. 



Plumer, 22nd „ „ „ „ Tim „ 



Pierce, 24th „ „ sayi from TdiMcHiiO „ 



Uerring, 2Cth „ „ „ „ mivs TOO „ 



Woiwon, 30th „ „ „ „ „ 700 „ 



Embree, lC7th „ „ „ «nys 700 to HOO „ 



Omnt, 168th „ „ „ „ aixyn TOO „ 



Bimdlcy, the fir«t Amcrciin witness exatniiicd before tlic Commission, in iinsucr lo 

 the American Connsel, paj,c 2: Q. CJivo an approximate amount to the I)e8t of yonr 

 judgement ? — A. 600 or ?00 certainly. I liave been in the Hay \\itii 900 sailot' American 

 vessels, bnt tliu number ratlier dimiiiislied alon;; tliu last years 1 went tiiere. i'AerMliiiit( 

 tended to drive tliem out of the Buy. cutturiii, and one tiling and anotlier, and tiiinll\ I 

 went fishing in our own waters and (ild a }<;()()(1 deal l)etter. 



Graham, page lOG of American Kvidence, undertakes to contradict Hradle) — but 

 finally he has no better data than Hradley to guide Iiimsclf, and after all his eiforts, ho 

 admits the number to liavu been GOO sail. 



This was during the existence of th(! Reciprocity Treaty, and on this point, as will 

 at on all others, it is to that period that we nuist refer, to find anal()^;y of cireumsiances. 



The average catch of these vessels presents naturally a i;reat diversity of apprecia- 

 tion, and on this tlie causes which divide<l the witnesi-es are mure nunii rous llian those 

 concerning the nuinb<.>r of vessels. Kirsl the tonnage of the llsliinu vessels, varyini,^ from 

 30 tons to 200 tons, must have regulated the catch more (ir iiss. Win ii a ve>sel had 

 a full cargo, she liad to go home, ev( n if fish had ccmiinued ti sw.irm around iier. Then 

 the most favoured siKits could not admit of tlu^ vviiole fleet at liie s;inie time. Tliey had 

 to scatter over the wludu fisliing area wiili nuctn.tiions of liiek ainl misliap. We must 

 add to this that many of the crews were composed of raw malriial, vli) iiad to obtain 

 their education and coidd not bring very lar;;e fares. Some ii.uiir.ilisis have expressed 

 the opinion that fish are inexhaustible, and liiat no amount ol' lishiu'; can ever adiet the 

 qiiHulity in any manner. When it is tlioiif^lil lli.il one sin-^le eod ( arries from M.iKiO.OOO 

 to 5,000,000 of eggs for reproduction, (iie mackerel SOO.tidO, iuid oiu' liei-rini!: .^(>,U00, 

 as testified by Professor Baird, on panes -loG to 401 of llie I'niNd .States' evidence; 

 there was sonic foundation for that opinion, but several eause^ !i ivc i)i'in admitted as 

 diminishing .and sometimes ruining altogether some species of li»li. Predacious lisli, 

 such as shark, horse-mackerel, dogfisli, bhiefish, and probably niaiiv others have had 

 both effects on some species. (See Professor Haird's evidence at pai^es Wi-', 176, and 

 477.) A more rapid mode of destruction has lieen univcr.sa!!\ reco-ni/.id in the use of 

 seines or purse-seines, bv which immense quantities of fisli of all Uinds and sizes ,iro 

 taken at one time. By that means the motlier fish is (h'stroxnl wiiiii' ioa led with ( Lji^s. 

 Fish too young for consumption or for market are killed and tiirowu away. It is tlie 

 universal opinion among fishermen that the inevitable eirect of n.sing pnrse-seines must 

 eventually destroy the most abundant fisheries, and many American wilnesMs attribute 

 the failure of the mackerel fishery on their oun eoa>t, ii\ IS77, to that caus>'. It is true 

 that this theory is not accepteel by Professor Baird, who, however, has wo decided 

 opinion un the subject, and who lias given tlie antiiority of a publication, vvhiiJi he 

 controls, to the positive assertion that tliis mode of eat-hin;^ lisli is not injurious. I'aycs 

 476, 477. 



When a vessel of sufficient tonnage i.« employed, that is from forty tons upwards, 

 the catch of mackerel has varied from 300 to 1,.550 barrels in a season for each vesstl. 



Here is the evidence on the subject of mackeriil : — 



Chivcrie, liritish fivideiice, ji. II, iiiiikcs tlio uvcroge •l.'JO hnrri'ls ik.t 

 vuMcl in a periml of Iwt'iity-scvL'u years. Some years, that 

 aTerage rcnched 700 barn-Is jilt vessel. 



MiicLeau, p. 25, suyu the iiviTa;,')* Iiils Uii-ii 500 pur vusm^I dtiriu){ the 

 twenty years from 18.14 to I8T4. 



Campion, pp. 32, ,'54, 38, uvuniKe for I8(j3, 6."0 liiur.Is ; 1H<;4, from 

 600 to 700; 1865, over 070; 1877, some cmi^fht 300 luini-ls 

 with seines in one week. One ves.sel seined u silmol I'stimuleil 



at 1,000 barrels. 

 Poirier, p. 62, average catch 

 Harbour, p. 7'J, „ 



Suinett, p. 84, „ 



Ciieaier. p. 8T, „ 



McLewi, p. 98, 



.")00 to 600 per vesai;! iii one season. 



500 



."'00 



500 to 600 „ 



5(tO 



