63 



Two principal causes have contributed to the de- 

 struction of the fisheries of the Lakes. 



1. The wanton destruction of small immature fish, 

 and 



2. The netting of gravid fish upon their spawning 

 beds. 



For three-quarters of a century these waters have 

 been fished persistently, in and out of season. The 

 size of marketed fish has been constantly diminishing, 

 and the meshes of the nets have as gradually been con- 

 tracting in size to accommodate them to the size of the 

 fish. They have been fished for in deep water during 

 the spring and summer months, and with the advent of 

 the fall the fishermen have resorted to every known 

 spawning bed and shoal, with every engine of destruc- 

 tion at their command, and played havoc with the 

 spawning fish. What may reasonably be expected 

 when an industry is thus prosecuted ? Is there cause 

 to hope for any reasonable measure of success from 

 plants of fish made under such conditions? Not 

 only are the fish naturally hatched thus taken and 

 marketed of an immature and barely marketable size, 

 but those which have been artificially hatched and lib- 

 erated are alsp taken before they have had a chance 

 to aid in a natural way the restocking of the waters, 

 thus supplementing the work of the Commissions. 

 Add to this the indiscriminate slaughter of the spawn- 

 ing fish upon their beds and how long can the industry 

 survive ? The answer is before us. 



Ontario, with its former wealth of fish of the finest 

 edible character, has long; since been robbed of its 

 treasure, and the nets of the fishermen have rotted on 

 the shore. Erie, even richer than Ontario, in fine 

 food fish is nearing its last stage, as was demonstrated 

 during the season of 1894, by the exodus of the com- 

 mercial fishermen from that Lake to the Lake of the 



