30 REPORT OF THE No. 32 



he is strongly of the opinion it would hdTve been a great deal better had it not 

 been for the German Carp. 



The fishery laws have all been well observed. 



Overseer J. W. Taudvin, Kingston, reports that fishing of all descrip- 

 tions in his district was above the average, in fact much better than in 

 former years. Probably there were not any more fish caught by angling 

 than in former years, but it was owing to a lot of stormy weather in July 

 and August. The black bass fishing has been the best in years. 



Overseer R, J. Walker, Port Credit, reports that the season's catch has 

 been good, being an increase over the year 1906. The prices and demand 

 have both been good, a large quantity of fish being used in the vicinity of 

 Port Credit, the balance being shipped to Toronto. As for angling, it has 

 been the best for years. Black and white bass have increased considerably, 

 also perch. It is quite a difficult task to estimate the amount of angling 

 done, but as the electric cars run to Port Credit, a great many more people 

 came out to fish, and on holidays there are scores of people fishing along 

 the river for the distance of a mile and a quarter. The law has been very 

 well observed. He has had to keep his eye on a few parties whom he sus- 

 pected, but it did not amount to much after all. 



Overseer H. E. Wartman, Portsmouth, reports that the bass were not 

 so plentiful in 1907 as the year before, but he never saw so many eels. One 

 could go out when it was calm and see them crawling in every direction. 

 The old fishermen in that section claim that eels live on the spawn of other 

 fish, and if that is the case he thinks that is one reason why the bass were 

 not so numerous this year. 



The wild ducks in this section were more plentiful, also plover. There 

 was quite a lot of shooting done out of steam launches, but he could not 

 get nigh them in a rowboat. He thinks game and fishery overseers ought 

 to have good strong glasses to enable them to see the name of the launches 

 two or three miles off. The season for muskrats, he thinks, is too long, 

 He has noticed the rats killed in December and January were not well 

 furred, and the skins consequently not worth as much as if they had been 

 caught later. He found that some unprincipled person had cut holes in 

 houses the 'first of the winter, which made it ruinous to the rats. March and 

 April are the two months their skins are prime. 



Overseer W. R. Wood, Toronto, reports that there has been a consider- 

 able increase in the quantity of trout caught, but otherwise the situation 

 remains much the same as last year, with a slight falling off in the herring 

 and whitefish. It may be said, however, that fishing as it is carried on here 

 can hardly be called a commercial enterprise, as very few devote their whole 

 time to the business, but depend on other forms of employment. 



During the season six small gill nets were confiscated, which had been 

 set in prohibited waters. They were probably set by boys for sport. At 

 present the licensed fishermen strictly observe the laws governing the fish- 

 ing industry. 



River St. Law^reitce. 



Overs^eer Nassau Acton, Gdnanoque, reports that the fishery and game 

 laws were well observed in his district. He had no complaints as to netting, 

 etc., and the guides in his division are trustworthy and would have reported 

 any violations. 



The fishing has been as good as the average, but the guides say they 

 did not do much this season on account of the summer hotel not having been 

 opened until late in the season. 



