•^34 



" Q. And they cleaned out the halibut ? — A. Fisbenueu all aj^ee in saying that they took away 

 itU the halibut on our coiist." 



Wliile we arc ^l»eakinK nt' tliL- halibut. I must nniiiid tlic nit nibers of tlio Com- 

 mission of the strenuous ellbrts made by liie American coun«l and witnesses to impress 

 them with the notion that halibut was extinct all oxer the Bay of St. Lawrence, and 

 tl)at tlie Americana never fished tor codfish in the (luif anywhere. We are not left here 

 to select between confliclinf? testiniuny. We iiave ju<!icia! authority to streng;then our 

 assertions, i will extract from a report filed in the ca.se, four seizures of vessels caught 

 in the act of tisiiing lialibut and tod within the three-mile liiinl 



'" I.i//.ii' A, 'I'aii',' ij.'i liFiis. Mi'.s.si.-j. 'I'liiT ilnis. I'V. rcr,-!. (ilmiro.^tcr, Mu.-.-., U.S., sui/i'il 27lli August, 

 ISTil, by X. L;iv(iii', .<i'li(i(iii(M • I-ii (.'iuiiulieniii',' iil oui ."-ioO yanl.^ I'mui tljr fhori- in .St. Miu-j,';a'rt's May, 

 norlli slioic oCdulf ot St {.uwrouer, rin\in( o ol' (,tui'bfc. .\iii-liovcil :it AVr-t I'l'iut of St. Margaret's 

 Hiiy, iiciiv Scveu isiiiiKi.x. St. Lawruiicc coiust, 'vubI ot Jlnuiit .bily. almut :i."itJ yaids tioni the shore. 

 Five li.-^hing liuiit-s wcic aluii^.-iiilr tla.' vc-^si'!. crmv 1ili\ iii,.; ju.st n.'lururil tVuin Icialing llii-ir lines, which 

 wcYf set liL'tween lln' vl-s.scI and llir main land. Si.\ lialil.iit.s wtTC I'uund c^ii the lines. Mastf' 

 adniitled ilial tlie owm r ot vr.s.sv] liad clircciiai him to go and li.sh there, a.s tlir (jctvcrument eulter was 

 aeldoni seen in Ihe.sc ]ilar('s. and some of ilie rrew stated that if they had good .--iiy-glu.ss they would 

 not have bi'cn caugiit. Trimi in Vice-.\dniiralty Court at (jut^bec. Vessel iMJiidemned. Defended. 

 Sold for 2,1^01 dollars ; money paid to cri'ibtof j!neeiver-(ieneral, after deducting oost.s and charges. 



" 'Samurl tiilbi'it,' -"l tons, Iticluud JIaiian muster, ( iloucester, Mass., t".S., seized July 24th, 

 1S71, by Is'. J.«ivoie, .sclioouer 'La Caniulicnne,' about two miles N.W. by W. IVom IVrroquet Island, 

 ueui- Mingan, on '111/ r.ortii C'lasl of thi- (l\ilf of St. ],a\vrenee. At the time nl' cuyiiure schooner was 

 taking IVt'.sli (■Mdli.--!i in l.uard fioni Diie "I her tlaus aloiig.side. Two of her lioal.- wfre actively lishing 

 at a distance of -i"iO yanl.^ Irom .^iuiv. ;i!d men on binnl \vi it Im the act of huiiiiii;: in llicir lines with 

 lisli caught on tlii-ir lionk.s. Wbi'ii .^ci/rd bnats were inilf-full of freshly caught codtisb, and had 

 aLiio on board lishing gi ar used Inr cod fishing. Owner admitted having lislnd, but jileaded iis an 

 excuse that he was under the imincs.'iinn that the jirovisions of the Wasliington Treaty were in 

 operation. Tried in tiu; .Vdmirally t'ourt at tjueboc. Vessel condemned. Vessel released for costs. 



'■'Knoki C'.,' liij tons, liirliard < 'uninngliam luasti-r, (Uourester, Jlass.. U.S.. .seized L'yth May. 

 liS72. by I.. 11. Jv.ichancc, .schooner ' Strlla Maria,' less than two miles from the .-hore in Tnnity Bay, 

 north shmc of (lulf ill St. Lawrence, rrovince of t.Mu'bcc. .\ctively fishing at time of capture ; had 

 been iisbing all (kiy v.itl) trawl nets set from fiUtotiOi) yards IVnm shore, and oxti'iiding five or si.x miles 

 aloic; the ciia^^t. betwi-rii I'ninl des Moots aiul Tiiinty liny. AVhen captuicd. vessel Mas becalmed 

 inside of 2 miles of Tiinilv llay : had mi drck two tresh caught halibuts, and two of her men were at 

 t;lie time engaged in raising tniwis .-.ct dose in Trinity I'.ay. ( Mi their coining alongside of ves.sel. it wa.s 

 ascertaini'd they bad two halibuts in Liieir boat. Master admilted having committed the otiisnce, but 

 begged bard lo lie let oil', on accoiiuL of this being his fii>l olfenee. Had been warned, before coming 

 lu Trinity liay, not to iisii within limits. .\t time of seizure vessel had on board a cargo of about 2,000 

 pounds of lialilml and salt. Suictii's liisi'lriigi'd. 



•• ■ .lames Bliss.' 02 tons. .Mian Mi- Isaacs master, (llouce-tor. Mr.ss., I '.S. .seized 18th June. 1872. by 

 L. II. Lachiiiirc. schoonei' ' Stella Maria.' v.illiin one and a half miles of the east end of Antieosti 

 Nkinii. in the (iulf oj Si. Liiwreiice. I'lovinrf of (^Imdicc .Vi liino of capture was anchored within one 

 and a ball miles IVom tiir .-iioii', between I'oiiit C'oinioi.inl and llie east end of Aniicosli Islanil. Actually 

 tisbing lor balibul with live trawl nrt.i mI aionnd tin- M'ssrl. between 50 yards and one and n. half 

 miles I'lum the slioic. and had been fishing there for ;lir.'c days iiifvious. Master acknoAvled.ged the 

 olfenee, and -taled tint be bad Ih'cii waimdby his owners not Ui ex))osc tlieii vessel. Sureties 

 discliaiged ' 



Dr. l^ierre Kortiu, M. P.F., lestilied before tlie Commission as to tiie lar<j;e numo. r 

 of British e3tal)lishments eiij;ao(:(l jn the codfisiierie^ i>n the soutli shore of the River St. 

 Lawrence, to the iiead of Bale ile.s Chaleurs, and on the nortli sliore ut' lli(> River and 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence. Dr. Fortin, e\amincd by myself, testified as follows: — 



■ i,,i. .Ml lliiKi- I'^'.alili-limi'iils dealt I'Ni'lusividy in rod '—A. Ves, their iiriiicijial businrs.s i.s rodlisii. 

 Sonielinii-s licvrili;,' and mackend ari' ditidt in but not niucli. 'I'he piincipa! is^odli^ll. 



•' (>. Do any ol iiiii>i- i staiilisliments resmt to Xewfoinidland lor cod. '. — No, not at all ; never. 



■ 1,1. Wi'll. wlierr i.~ all their cod caught ' — A. Uii the shmr, (mil from hitut'.. 



- (). \> all the cod iiicy deal in caught in (.•ut^bec waters ' - .\. Vi~ 



• {} Willi boats '. — .\. ^■|•s, and tliey tisli from the shore. 



■ (ji. What kind ol boat- ! Dpen boats ' — A. .Fishing bo.iLs nianni'd by nvonun. 



(^». Name the banks and their extent, which exist ie tbeM> waters ? — A. (Mi t'le north shore I 

 know of only two bank.- of small i>xlenl. St. John or Mingan and Natiishquan. 



■ tj. Si, Jobn and Mingan are the ,«ame thing ' — \. W-, the same bank. Six or seven miles 

 t'lom tlie shore. 



■■ Q. Of what leii^tii i- il ;— .\. 'I'hey lie -ix oi .-i \eii mill s from the .shore, but tlii^ merge into the 

 .shoal lisliei'ies. 'l'lie\ ne nol distinct liom the shoal lisheiies. 'I'hey are .-even or eight Tuiles in 

 length. 



■1,1 Wbal IS the leiielli of the Xalashi|uan !■— A. Ili„aloullo niile^ ill lelc^lh. These are all 

 llle b.illk.- on the north ^il|e. 



■■ Q. Now on the south side ? — A. Well, lioni .Maiiiiiin- io( ape (.nispi', is what is called the Iviver St. 

 biwience. there are no banks. The lishing i- all caiiii.d on w iifin o miles, and soiiietiuios within 2uiil«a. 



