DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES,

96
scarce the following summer. Since the practice has been prohibited, they were
never more plentiful in the waters of Charlotte County.
MACKEREL.
The failure recorded last year in this fishery has again occurred, and this year is
more complete. In 1880 the catch was 19,650 barrels and 66,427 cans. In 1886 the
catch was 17,868 barrels and '10,128 cans; in 1881 only 3,607 barre1s
and 44,278 cans were caught. After making all allowance for the.
alleged erratic arid uncertain movements of mackerel, their pelagic wanderings
and changing habitat, so great a decreas in a few years wonlu indicate some general
and hitherto unknown cause. In my opinion, based on many years' observation, extensive
reading and converse with old and experienced mackerel fishers, these causes
are: first, the great destruction, by purse seines, of gravid parents and half-grown
young fish; second, the failing supply of food in Bay Ohaleur and the Straits consequent
on the great destruction of smelts, frost fish and flounders in all the counties
bordering these waters where alone this fish is pursued by our fishermen. 'The myriads
of young fry which formerly crowded all our estuaries, and afforded the kind of food
that the mackerel seeks inshore, are no longer there. The waters are depleted of'
this food; consequenty the schools are no longer attracted to the inshores. We see the
asme result in American waters where purse seines have destroyed the gravid parents
and immature young fish and the porgies on which they feed. The scarcity of mackerel
in American waters, coupled with the continued demand for them, has led to the
importation of large quantities from England, whence the future supply will probably
come. While purse seines and bag-nets are allowed without restriction, I
can see no reasonable hope of any improvement in the mackerel fishery. My
present conviction is that there should be a close time to cover the spawning season,
and that purse seines should be prohibited in Canadian waters. I have seen our
Ealrnon, shad, bass, alewives, oysters arid lobsters all dwindling away for want of
protective laws, and now the most valuable fish of all is being exterminated by the
unrestricted use of destructive implements arid the wanton waste of spawning fish.
COD.
A serious decline in the catch of this fish appears from the returns. Last year
93,542 cwts. were caught. This year the quantity has fallen to 86,695 cwts. By
mueh the largest quantity is caught in the northern counties, and it is altogether
probable that a failing supply of food is closely connected with the decrease. The
vast drain made on smelts, frost.fish and flounders for the last five years has no
doubt made food scarcer in-shore, and the fish have not come in as formerly. In the
southern counties, wher the abundance of young herring affords ample supplies of
food, the catch has not declined. A scarcity of codfish in northern waters would be
deplorable, for the closing of the lobster canneries will leave only the cod fishery as
a source of employment for large numbers who have heretofore been engaged in the
lobster fishery
HALIBUT.
The returns show a catch of only P1,970 pounds against 50,234 pounds last year.
But fishermen say the catch exceeded that of last year if correct figures could be
had. Almost the whole catch, with the exception of the small part used in home
consumption, goes direct from the fishing grounds to the United States' markets,
and there are no means within my reach by which I can get even an approximation
to the real quantity caught by our fishermen.
POLLOCK, HAKE AND HADDOCK.
The catch of all these fishes exceeds that of last year. These fisheries are confined
almost wholly to Charlotte County, and have not been pursued with much
energy since the sardine fishery has given fishermen more profitable employment at.
borne.