1907 GAME AND FISHERIES. 16 



In the first place, it is a well known fact that the best fishing obtains on 

 the Canadian side in all waters, not as is generally considered, on account of 

 better protection or of less fishing, but is attributable to nature. 



The question of making uniform fishery regulations with the several 

 States bordering on International waters, being now under consideration at 

 Ottawa, need not be commented upon here. The fact that the Federal 

 authorities have had the right of making regulations for the proper preser- 

 vation of the fisheries since 1867, and have left the fisheries to be destroyed 

 during close season in certain localities noted for natural spawning grounds, 

 cannot be successfully defended ; nor can the action of that authority be 

 justified in using the most destructive nets possible in dragging over the 

 spawning beds at the breeding time in the Bay of Quinte waters, to take fish 

 for the purpose of obtaining eggs to put in the waters where they have 

 removed the close season for that particular kind of fish, while the netting 

 is being carried on and millions of these eggs taken with the fish, which if 

 permitted would have deposited them on the natural spawning beds. This 

 is robbing Lake Ontario of the remnant of the whitefish for the very doubtful 

 benefit of Lake Erie, 



Stocking depleted waters. 



For a number of years parent bass were caught in Lake Erie under con- 

 tract, for the purpose of stocking inland waters, but the results are not very 

 satisfactory for the following reasons : 



Ist. These fish were placed in waters thoroughly unsuited by reason of 

 the lower temperature of the water than that from which the fish were taken, 

 and the shock was too great for them to survive, particularly after having 

 been caught and penned up for several days previously, and after travelling- 

 several hundred miles by rail. When placed in the new waters, a very large 

 percentage of them died. The only feasible way* of re-stocking waters with 

 these fish is to select small ponds or streams having a similar temperature to 

 the waters from which they are to be taken. Procure the parent fish in the 

 fall months and place them in these rearing ponds and allow them to hatch 

 out their own young in the following spring ; these young fish will be suffici- 

 ently large enough for transportation in the fall, or perhaps it would be 

 well to leave them until the following year, when they would be better able 

 to take care of themselves, before removal. In this way we would have fish 

 that were acclimatized, and they would be too small to be captured by the 

 angler as is the case with the parent fish that survive the hardships incident 

 to their transportation. 



Enforcement of Regulations. 



The regulations in some cases were not lived up to, and many fines were 

 the result ; but on the whole they were better observed than formerly, owing 

 to the fact that it was found that the Department was not inclined to show 

 partiality. 



Staff. 



The present outside staff, so far as I have seen, are fully capable of per- 

 forming their duties, but are not sufficiently remunerated for the amount of 

 work actually necessary for the protection of the game and fish, but neverthe- 

 less have done fairly well, considering the limited time they are able to 

 devote to the work. 



