DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES,

52
abundance greater during the winter season. These happy circumstances of nature,
thrown open to easy railway communication, will open up an immense fish supply
to every inland town from Montreal to the extreme west of Ontario This supply
eannot be surpassed for excellence and will furnish fresh fish to the west at cheaper
rates than the people there have been accustomed to get it heretofore. These benefits
will not extend only to Cape Breton fishermen, but will increase the traffic
of railway and develop a greatly enlarged inter provincial trade.
Appended hereto will be found statistical tables showing in detail the various
phases of the fishery production of Cape Breton Island.
I have the honor to be, Sir,
Your very obedient servant,
A. C. BERTRAM,
Fishery Officer for Cape Breton.
SYNOPSES OF FISHERY OVERSEERS' REPORTS.
COUNTY OF CAPE BRETON.
Overseer Francis Qvinan, of Sydney, reports that there is not much ground for
congratulation over the season's fisheries in his district. The most noticeable
decrease is in the catch of mackerel and salmon, and the fishermen who prosecuted
those branches of the fisheries fared badly. The usual fall run of mackerel did not
appear this year to any great extent, while the salmon fishery, although reported
good in other districts of the island, was very poor in his division. The herring
fishery, however, was much better, particularly towards the close of the season,
while the total catch of codfish exceeded that of last year. Towards the latter part
of the season this fishery was good and made up for the light catch of the first part
of the summer. Engaged in this branch of the fishery there are now a large
number of fishermen from Newfoundland, who have settled at Lingan. They are
an excellent class of settlers and understand their business. There is a slight
increase in the catch of halibut as well as in that of alewives, which seem to be
returning to their old haunts. Small fish of every kind were more plentiful than
usual. A falling off in the lobster catch is reported as compared with last year
owing largely to unusually stormy weather during June and July, and to the des..
truction by fire of the Cow Bay factory, although this factory was rebuilt and
operations commenced again, long before the season was over. After the lobster
fishing season the factory at Cow Bay engaged in canning herring, which, if found
to take in the market, will become an important industry on this island. There are
very few saw-mills in this district and none cause injury to the streams frequented
by fish. These are situated on small streams running from lakes, the water being
so low that they run only a few weeks in the year during high water. The fishery
laws were well observed, and only a few violations came under this overseer's notice.
Overseer Alexander lWcDonald, of East Bay, reports a large falling off in the
catch of codfish and mackerel, owing to the presence of drift ice, which remained on
the coast to the end of May, thereby preventing fishermen from going to the fishing
grounds. Another cause for the falling off is to be found in the unusually stormy
weather and high winds during nearly the whole season, which caused codfish and
mackerel to keep in deep waters, out of the reach of shore fishermen. A further
drawback was found in the scarcity of bait. Mackerel appeared in the spring as
usual, but their stay on the coast was brief, and the fall run was a disappointment to
the fishermen, who had made extensive preparations in consequence of the advance
in prices. Berring fishing was much better than last year, although these fish made
a much shorter stay than usual. They were, however, plentiful, and of a superior'