.' "Y^V*V1 f't*".'-' 



n.18 



Mr. Abraham Lebrnii, of Pcixc, oxaniini'd by Mr. Wcatlu'rbo. (ells Ihe Conuuission 

 wliiTe tli(> American-* prncMnc tlicir bait : — 



"<*. WhiTc il'i ilii^y |rr(Hiin lli. ir Iwit '.—\. 'I'ln' .uciniiiliiy nl' tlioiii ipim urc il "ii tli« fniWl. 

 "Q. Ilnw (1(1 tlii'v <^i.-t it ■'- \. In not" TIk'V liikc lii'iiiii;; in iiilP. 

 "Q. Ami wUdl fW '. —A. S(|iiiil ; llicv iilfc seine eiiiilin en iwx I'on-t. 



"Q. Wliere do they giH. ttipif iicl-' with wliicli tliey enteii i(- ' — .A. Tlicv luin;,' tlicni willi liirin 

 "Q. Where did they ^;i'D tiie Imii aricr the al.Ki^'iitidii nl' the Kecipidcity 'I'renty ' — A. They nui 

 the risk of rapture to obtain it within thii( -mile limit 

 " Q. Year iiftcr year ? — A. Ves 

 " Q. TIow do you know Ihnt '- A. I have seen tlii>m do mi." 



The witness is then asked abonl haUbut : — 



"Q. Ilidibut are caut;lil aloiii; the north shore > if the llivcr f^t, l.awrelii'e lor the distann- of 1S(I 

 miles, to wliieli you have referred ' — A. Ye^' 



" Q. And they are taken on tlie eoiust of Antieosii. and aloni,' the south coast, and ah)nu tlie other 

 coasts, on the soutli 8i{h' of tlie St. Lawrence, which you have nieiitioned (~\. Ye", A\\ lioiii C^ajic 

 Chatte to Cajie Gaitpc ; thi.s isa ci'lclnated coast I'or lialibiit. 



"(\. Are halibut caught on tlie ■chores if (Jaspc ami the I'.ay of Chuleurs '—A. Tiiey aic or have 

 been canijht there. 



"Q. By wliom is the halibut lishery ca.ried on '. — A. Chieliy by the Anioricatis, 



"Q. And how are they ciiught <. — A. Will; ii.iwls. 



" Q. AVhat efl'e(}t lias their mode of fishiiii,' had ou tin coast as a halibut fishery 'n'ound ? — .V. 

 With rcpard to halibut, it has injured the fisherj'. 



"Q. I'ly what means^ — A. P.y overfishing,'. Halibut !•• .1 lish which does not repiiHhice its'clf like 

 the cod, and of course the lisliiiiL; is thus alVected and injured. 



"Q. Tiy whom has this over-lishins been done ? — k. I>y the Americans. 



" Q. l»\irin<; how many ycar.-J - \. Ii has li»en the ';a.se a.s Ioiil; as I tan renieniber — that is, Iroiti 

 1856 to the tini(! when I left the noitli shnie. in IST:!. T'ley have lVe(]uontcd the coast from year to 

 year. 



"Q. Is the halibut lishery carried on now on the soutli .shore ? — A. At juvseut hidibut ui" very 

 scarce there, but formerly they were very plc'ntifid on this coast." 



Mr. John Holliilay, wlio pursues tlic Hsliins; bnsiii(>ss on an oxiensive scale at tlie 

 mouth of the Moisie River, testified, in his exaniiuatioii liy Mr. Tlioaisoii, as follows: — 



"Q. Widl, do you take no halibut or hake ?--.V. Wo take a lew lia'ibm, nut of any great moment, 

 this year past. 



"Q. Why is that ? It useil to be plenty ? — A. They u.sed tn be. but since I.SGS or ISriO, the coiist 

 is nearly cleaned of halibut by tla^ American ii.sheiiiieu comirt^' there. '!"" o of them were taken in my 

 neighbourhood ; that is two of their vessels were taken by the cruizers. 



" Q. What became of them ? — .\. I think they were both condemned. 



" Q. AVell, were those halibut taken within three milep of the shore ? — A. Oh. yes, within about 

 a mile and a half of the shoie. 



"Q. There was no doulit, then, about the fact of the infrintjement of the law, I'or whicli those 

 vessels were taken '. — A. I have seen several of them leave the coast and leave their lines. Wl.en 

 they saw the cruizers come they stood out to sea and camt; buck a day or two afterwards and jiicked 

 np their lines. 



" Q. That was within three miles t—.\. Yes. 



"Q. How mar ^ -A. About a mile and a half. 



" (,). I do iKit know wheiher the atmosphere there is of that pecidiar character that a vessel within 

 half-a-milo will think she is three miles out? — A. They could not well think that. 



"y. You can generally toll when you are within three miles? — A. Yes; at all events within a 

 mile and a half. 



" Q. W^ell, you say that in 18t'i8 and 18G!», the iVmericau schooners came there smd fished out the 

 halibut — k. Yes, they cleaned them out. 



" Q. What kind of fishing was it ? — A. With long lines or trawls. 



" Q. There were il great many hooks upon them? — A. .V great number : there were several miles 

 of them. 



" Q. What was the efi'ect of that, either to your own K-miwledge or Iroin what you have heard ? — 

 A. The whole of our inshore lisliermeii lislied codlish and halibut. We get none now, or next to none. 



" Q. No halibut you mean ? — .\. No halibut. 



"Q. Are they a fish that keep pretty close to the bottom as a rule ? — A. Yes. 



"Q. Therefore they arc the more liable to be taken up by th(^ trawl? — A. That is the niethod 

 adopted in this country of catching them altogether. 



" Q. Before the Americans came with a trawl, how did your people take them' — A. With hand 

 lines. 



" Q. Where they reasonably plenty in those days ? — A. Yes ; a boat has got from eight to ten. 

 Kow they very seldom get any. 



"Q. WeU, had the h'lnd-line lisliing been continued and iho.se trawls not introduced, is it or is it 

 not your opinion that the halibut would be now there Just as it used to be? — A. 1 tlank it would be 

 Ss good as previously. 



" Q. In your opinion then this trawl fishing is simply destructive ? — A. To halibut." 



