Second Annual Report 



OF THE 



Game and Fisheries Department. 



To The Honourable J. 0. Reaume, 



Minister of Public Works. 



Sir, — I have the honour to submit for your approval the Annual Report 

 of the Department of Game and Fisheries for the year ending December 

 31st, 1908, which I venture to hope will be found even more satisfactory in 

 some respects than those of past years. 



The usual statistics, Reports of Inspectors, Wardens and Overseers 

 appear in due order. 



Enforcing Laws and Regulations. 



Divided jurisdiction has, I regret to say, during the past year, as in 

 former ones, resulted in destructive infractions of the laws of nature and 

 common sense. No matter how expensive or efficient the protection of the 

 fisheries of the Province is during the open season, the desired effect of pre- 

 serving and perpetuating this valuable asset will be of no avail so long as 

 those controlling the seasons submit to be periodically held up by those 

 determined to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. I know of no con- 

 ceivable cause, except national and wide spread famine, that would justify 

 any man or men, no matter how exalted their position may be, in issuing 

 orders or instructions having the effect of allowing fishermen to invade the 

 spawning grounds of our most valuable species of fish with impunity during 

 the time alllotted by nature for the propagation of the species. I am char- 

 itable enough to believe that those directly responsible for allowing fish to 

 be taken from the spawning grounds when full of spawn and unfit for food 

 have not the least conception of the sin they are committing against nature's 

 laws and future welfare of the Province, unless they do it on the pernicious 

 principle that the end justifies the means. Those responsible for the period- 

 ical encroachments on the inadequate close seasons may attempt to justify 

 their unwise and questionable policy by referring to what they are doing 

 with the hatcheries. The hatcheries may be useful in assisting nature, but 

 will certainly be a miserable failure to those attempting to reverse and 

 supersede the perfect plan of nature's reproduction. The time is not far 

 distant, unless close seasons are extended and strictly enforced, when the 

 miserable work of extermination will have reached that stage when spawn 

 will not be" procurable for the hatcheries. This is not an exaggerated view 

 of future possibilities ; it is. a state of affairs that will occur as sure as fate 

 unless a halt is called in time, and wiser councils prevail to prevent such 

 an undesirable consummation. It is utterly impossible to compute with any 

 degree of accuracy the percentage of fry from hatcheries that mature after 

 being placed in public waters. The result of encroaching on the close sea- 

 sons is demoralizing and destroving the fisheries of the Province to the 



15] 



