DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES,

32
APPENDIX No 2.
NOVA SCOTIA.
ANMJAL REPORT ON THE FISHERIES OF NOVA. SCOTiA. FOR THE
YEAR 1888, BY MR. W. H. ROGERS, INSPECTOR.
AMHERST, N S., 31st December, 1888.
Hon. CHARLES H. TUPPER,
Minister of Marine and Fisheries, Ottawa.
Sia,—I have the honor to transmit herewith the returns showing the catch. of
fish in the various counties of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, together with a general
return of the whole province; also comparative tables showing the catch of fish in
each county during the years 1887 and 1888, with statement giving value of vessels,
boats and other materials employed in the fishing industry.
By these returns it will be seen that there has been an ggregate falling off in
the total value during the past year of $562,752.26 as compared with the previous
year, the total value in 1887 having been $8,379,782.68, and for 1888, $7,817,030.42.
The four counties of Cape Breton Island give a total value for the current year of
$1,481,988.08 against $1,554,288.04 in 1887, a decrease of $72.299.96, or less than
five per cent.; and the fourteen counties comprising Nova Scotia proper gave a
value in 1887 of $6,825,494.64, and for the present year $6,335,042.34, a decline of
$430,452.30, or over seven per cent. As will be seen by the table herewith showing
the increase and decrease in the various items, the decline is pretty generally dis.
tributed over most of the principal items. This would seem to indicate that the
shortage in the catch was not because of the scai city of fish, but rather on account
of unfavorable weather.
The County of Lunenburg continues to take the lead in the catch of fish, which
may be accounted for by the enterprise of its merchants and fishermen, who have
for some years been engaged extensively in the deep sea cod fisheries. Its steady
increase from year to year in the value of the crop gathered proves pretty clearly
that there is no lack in the supply of these fish in the sea.
SALMON.
The catch of these fish in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton was about the same as
last year, but the Labrador crop has fallen off some, the entire yield for the year being
1,1b7,800 lbs. showing a decline of 108,553 lbs. The summer was an unusually wet
one. The streams were full all the season, and the fish found their way to the upper
portions of the rivers, and hence the catch was not so large as it would have been,
bad the rivers been in their usual condition. However, it will have a good effect in
future years, if low streams and hard frost do not kill the spawn, during the winter
months. That such a thing should happen is not at all unlikely, and should it occur,
all the artificial culture we are doing would not have much effect in keeping up the
supply, nor offset such a wholesale destruction & spawn as would occur. Such
natural causes as these have much to do with producing the large periodical fiuctuations
in the catch of these, as well as in most other branches of the fisheries.