During many years, but especially at the resumption of outfitting for 

 the great fishery at the beginning of the Restoration, the recruitment of cap- 

 tains was about as difficult as that of doctors. 



The old regulations had imposed on outfitters the obligation of entrusting 

 the command of their boats only to captains of the high seas. Now the amount 

 of instruction which was required of the latter for obtaining their papers ex- 

 ceeded considerably that one found among the professional sailors in the fish- 

 ery. As a consequence, captains had to be hired outside this source, a solu- 

 tion which did not satisfy the outfitters, since they demanded of the command- 

 ers of their vessels not only the ability to navigate to the fishing grounds and 

 to get back safely to port at the end of the season, but also, to possess enough 

 practical knowledge of the fishery and the processing of their product to act 

 as true chiefs of these expeditions, capable of making the best profit from 

 their capital investment in the vessel entrusted to them. 



In the absence of these professional qualifications, the outfitter was al- 

 most always led to supplement the captain by a "fishing skipper" (patron da 

 peche), a simple fisherman having authority and experience to whom could be 

 entrusted under his proper responsibility, exclusive supervision of the fishing 

 operations. Thus the captain found himself, on arrival at the coast of New- 

 foundland or to the banks, practically divested of his authority. 



From this duality of command many conflicts resulted, dicipline suffered 

 and frequently also the execution of the fishery. The high seas captains were 

 reluctant to accept this subordination, especially since the supplementary re- 

 muneration of the fishing skipper was often made at their expense. There re- 

 sulted difficulties of recruitment which, in the 18th century, aroused inces- 

 sant complaints from the outfitters. 



These latter demanded that the command of the vessels of the great fish- 

 ery be entrusted to coastal skippers, subjected, in obtaining their papers, to 

 the same conditions of navigational knowledge as the high seas captains, but 

 with a program of theoretical information considerably lightened. This com- 

 mission would be within the reach of the better-instructed fishermen, and one 

 could admit that they possessed sufficient knowledge to conduct a boat to New- 

 foundland, following a route which they had made from a youthful age. 



At the resumption of outfitting in the 19th century, the recruitment of a 

 sufficient number of high seas captains had become practically impossible. 

 The outfitters multiplied their grievances. 



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