331 



The wliolc of tlu; witnesses on Ijoili sick's luivo lestificd tluil when tliey were not 

 Hsliinj; inslinn; tlicy were lishin<;- around Maj^'lalen Islands, wliicli is anotlier shore, on 

 Orjilian, Uradley or, .Miseon, or other ii;\nks ; but as reirards a deep-sea fishery, in contra- 

 distinction to hanks or shon; firliery, th(.'r(! is no such riling in the whole evidence. 



>■/■;• Jli'.rini(h,- (iiiJt. — Are you now referring to th(; fisheries generally, or to the 

 mackerel fishery in jjarticnlar ? 



Mr. Doiitrr. — To (he codfishcry also. Codfish is taken on banks. 



Mr, Dttna. — It is a (|Ucstion of names — what you call a bank fishery. 



Mr. Doulre. — Is not the result of the whole evidence on both sides (hat iish is to be 

 found on (he coast witliin a few miles, or on banks, and nowhere else? This is the prac- 

 tical experience! of all fishermen. Now, science explains why it is so. That class of 

 evidence is unanimous on tliis most important particular, namely, as (o the temperature 

 necessary to the existence of tlie cold-waler iisli in conunercial al)undance, such as the 

 cod ami its tribe, ihe mackerel, and the herring, wiiieh include all llie fisli valuable to 

 our commerce. According to tiie evidence I sliall (juote. tlie increasing warmth of the 

 coastal waters of tlu^ United States, as sunuuer advances, drives the fi.sh off the coast 

 soutli of New England into the deep sea, and puts a stop to the sunnner fishing for 

 these fish on tliose parts ot the coast in the United States; a condition of things due to 

 the shon^ward swing of the Clulf Sireani there. On the otiier hand, it is slated that on 

 the coasts of liritisli America, where Ihc Arctic current ] ire vails, the fisli come inshore 

 during tlu- summer months, and retire to tlic deep sea in the whiter months. 



Professor Baird say.^ on page 'l.'j.') of his evidence before Ihe Commission, speaking 

 of the codlish, in answer to tiie (jueslion \m\ by Mr. Dana, " Wiiat do you say of their 

 migrations r" Answer: "The cod is a fish the nugraticms of which cannot bo followed 

 readily, because it is a deep-sea fish, and does not show on the surface as the mackerel 

 and herring; but, so far as we can asc(-rtain, there is a ]iartiat migration ; at least, some 

 of the iish don't ?eem to remain in llie same localities the year round. They change 

 their situation in search of food, or in ronseiiurnvc of the rdrldiiou-s in tlie lonpernture, 

 the percentage of salt in the water, or souu.' other cause. In tin' soutli of New England, 

 .soutii of Cape Cod, the tisliing is largely oil-shore. Tiiat is to say, ilu,- {isii are off" the 

 coast in tiie cooler water in the summer, and as the temperature falls approaching 

 autumn, and th(- .shores are cooled down to a certain degree, they come in and are taken 

 within a few miles of llie coast. In the northern wafrrs, as far as 1 can understand from 

 the writings of Professor Ilinil, the fish generally go ofl'-shore in tiie winter limv, excepting 

 on the south side of Newfoundland, where, i am informed, they maintain their stay, 

 or else come in in large numbers ; but in the Jiay of Fundy, on the coast of Maine, and 

 .still further north, they don't remain as close to the shore in winter as in other seasons." 



You will observe that Professor IJaird limits his statement that the warm water in 

 summer drives the ti.sh off the coasts of thi; United States to the soulli of New England 

 only. The water appears to be cold enough for them on the coast of Maine in summer 

 to permit of their coming inshore. But now let us see what he says of the condition of 

 the fisheries there. In liis official Rejuirl lor 1872 and 1873 tiie following remarkable 

 staleinent is to be found : — 



" Wliatevur may ho llu' innKiiumcL' of iii'Tt'iHiiiL.' tliu supiily of saliiinn. ii, is triflinjr compavod witli 

 the n'slnvaliiiii of niif i.ilutustci! coil-li.sliei'ii'.s, anil sliould iIk'^^i' liu lii'iiiit;lit back to llicir nrij;inal 

 coiiditioii, \vc sliall liiiil williiii a short tiiiio, an iin'icasf uf wcallli im miv kIiovos, tlio anioimt of 

 whicli it M-onlil lie dijlu'iill to calculato. Xol only would itio 'iciierai in'o.sjiiM'ily of tiio adjacenl .Stakes 

 In.' cidiaiiiiMl, lait in ihi; iiicivasi'd nnnilicr of vl-.sscU liiiili, in da' lariji'i' numliL'l' of niL'ii induced Lo 

 dcvolc themselves to niantiini' ])ni-^'iils, and i:i the u'ciu-ral siinnilus tn cviTvlhiiiL; cniiiiected with tlie 

 husiness of tiie seafariiiL; ]ii'ofrssion, we should he reiovoring in a ureal niea.-ure from that hiss which 

 lias lieeii llie ,s(iuree of so niucli lanieni ition to jiolilical ecununiists and >vell-wislR'rs I'f the country," 

 I'atre 1-1. ItiiKiit I'/' Cciiiiiu'.-iiiiicr uf Fish timl Fisluria. 1872-7.!. 



It thus appears from the (cstimony of Professor Maird that the cod are driven oil' 

 the shori s of the United States south of New Kngland by the increase oi' temiieialure in 

 the suuuner mouilis, and on the New England and. Maine shores the cod lislieries are 

 exliaiisted. Tlie only conclusions lliai cnn be ih'uwii from these ficls are thai the sole 

 (lependancc of the I'nited Slates" li.-iiermeii liir eod. which is tiie most imiiortant com- 

 mercial sea-llsli. is, with the single exception n' (ietirge's slioals, allogetliei' in waters oil' 

 the British American coast line. 



Professor Hind says, in relation to t!rs s'.ibjeet and in answer io llu- ipteslions — 



"AVhat alioul the cod.' I.s it a Iish that requires a low temperature ' — A. W'hh rcLiard to the 

 sjiawniiiii of cod, it always snUs thu eoLle;| wuicr wherever ice is not iiiesent. In all llitM'.]iawninu' 

 ■'rounds from liiu Straits of Dcllc Islu down to ilas.sacimsulls iiav — and tlievarc vcrv numenai.s iiideeil 



