DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES,

15
seems more reasonable to suppose that they simply withdraw to the deeper waters of
the Atlantic, at the edge of the Gulf stream or to the south of the banks. The time
of spawning ranges from the latter part of May on the United States coast, to the
end of July in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It varies slightly from year to year, but is
always later to the north, the variation in the different years being doubtless due t
the climatic conditions of the individual season.
THE METHODS OF CAPTURE.
The methozis of capture are: (a.) hook and line; (b.) shore haul seines; (c) drift
nets (d) trap nets; (e.) the purse seine.
(a.) Until the purse seine was invented almost the entire catch of mackerel was
made with hook and line, the fish being raised and held by toll bait, i. e., herrings,
porgies, and clams ground in a mill and mixed with water to the consistency of thin
porridge. This was continually thrown into the water in small quantities and the fish
rising to this bait take the hooks. No serious damage was ever done to the fishery
when prosecuted in this way ; first, because schools might be decimated, but were
never annihilated ; second, because immature or unsaleable fish were immediately
jerked back into the water, but little damaged by their adventure; and, thirdly, because
nature herself protected the fish, because they would not rise to bait, when near the
spawning tine, and the large catch of fish was thus made after the fish had spawned.
The hook and line method is still that by which the greater part of the Canadian catch
is made; a fact to which we owe the hitherto continued productiveness of our mackerel
fishery.
(b.) Shore haul seines are used to a very limited extent indeed, the places where
they can be used advantageously being few and scattered.
(c.) The drift net is anchored at one end and pivots with the tide, this net is
not much used in the Gulf but is largely used on the Nova Scotia coast.
(d.) Trap nets can only be used by special license, each permit applied for is
considered on its own merits.
(e.) The purse seine is a large fine mesh net made out of tarred cotton twine.
These nets were at tlrst both clumsy and costly, but of late years not only has the
net been made simply perfect, but the price has been put at such a figure that they
have been adopted by Canadians more extensively and entirely by United States
fishermen. 'Ihe basis of operations for this fishery is a schooner carrying two seines
and two seine boats; the seines are called, the deep and shallow seines,'the one being
about 15 and the other about 10 fathoms deep.
The relation between the reduced produotivenees of our mackerel fishery and
the adoption of the purse seine is one of the problems now most urgently presented
for solution.
In protecting a fishery, the required conditions are, first, proper means must be
used for the capture of the fish; second, these means must only be used at proper
times; and the question then arises: is the purse seine a proper means of prosecuting
the fishery, when used as it now is?
In order to prevent the harassing of the schools of unspawned fish on the United
States coast, a law was passed by Congress prohibiting the landing in the United
States of mackerel caught with a purse seine before 1st June in any year; thus in
practice admitting that the use of the purse seine prior to that date was liable to in
jure the fishery. The condition of the fish which prevails on the United States coast
up to 1st June is precisely that of the Gulf of St. Lawrence up to say 20th July, and
therefore this date of prohibition, which may afford adequate protection to the fish on
the United States coast, affords none to those on ours. But the point is none the less
established that a Government, whose ruling principle of fishery legislation has been
to interfere as little as possible with the liberty of the fisherman, has definitely
concluded that the purse seine, used prior to the spawning season, is injurious to the
fishery.