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its waters are, therefore, under the control of each Colony, to 

 the centre of the channel. 



No river in North America, (except perhaps the Columbia,) 

 yielded so large a supply of salmon as the Restigouehe. But its 

 eharacter, in this respect, is fest passing away ; the numbers 

 hare fearfully diminished of late years ; and, if the present state 

 of things continues, Tery likely a brief period only will elapse, 

 ere the salmon fishery of the Restigouehe will be numbered 

 among the things that have been. 



Mr. John Duncan, a very intelligent and respectable farmer 

 near Gampbellton, stated, that he has followed salmon fishing 

 on the Restigouehe for forty years ; the fishing has greatly fallen 

 off within the last ten years. Twenty years since, according to 

 Mr. Duncan, 3000 barrels of salmon were shipped annually from 

 the Restigouehe ; in his opinion, not more than 300 barrels were 

 taken the past season. The largest salmon taken, within Mr. 

 Duncan's own knowledge, weighed sixty pounds. 



Mr. Duncan, stated, that drifting for salmon was practised on 

 the Restigouehe, all along the river, for eighty miles above the 

 tide-way ; a net, stretched between two canoes, is dragged 

 down stream, and this is called "drifting." Nets are set, at 

 night, quite across the river, where the channel is narrow ; at 

 the same time, parties are engaged with torch and spear, in 

 taking salmon, or driving them into the nets. 



Mr,- Duncan, however, thinks that the greatest injury to the 

 salmon fishery, arises from the salmon being speared on their 

 spawning beds, up to the very latest moment in the season 

 before the river closes, when the fish are quite worthless ; and 

 that the great means of improving the fishery, would be, to pre- 

 serve the upper part of the river. 



The Honorable John Montgomery stated, that salmon are des- 

 troyed on the Restigouehe, by nets of great length, which are 

 set, as well from the New Brunswick as the Canadian side of 

 the river, and overlap each other, by which the channel is closed 

 and the passage of the fish obstructed. These nets are kept 

 constantly set during the season, on Sundays as well as other 



