1908 GAME AND FISHERIES. 28 



Department to give overseers fair wages and let them put in the whole of 

 their time in the woods in hunting season. He thinks a few heavy fines 

 will stop the practice. He would also recommend two more years of close 

 season for partridge, though owls and foxes kill a great many. 



Overseer David Irwin, of Killarney, reports that the fishing at Killarney 

 during the past season has been very good, quite up to the average, but, 

 owing to the dense smoke which prevailed and the rough weather during 

 the latter part of the season, it was not quite as good as it otherwise would 

 have been. 



The close season was well observed, there being no law-breakers in his 

 division. The angling was good, the tourists being well pleased. 



Regarding game. The deer and moose back of Killarney were very 

 plentiful, quite a number of these having been shot during the season. 



Some moose were killed without a license, the parties having secured a 

 license afterwards, but he seized the moose. 



Overseer Oliver, Little Current, reports that the fishing in his division 

 for the past j^ear has been a fair catch, considering the amount of nets used 

 by each licensee. Whitefish, trout and pickerel have brought a good price, 

 averaging about six cents per pound. Although the catch has been a great 

 deal less than last year, fishermen have done fairly well owing to the prices 

 being good. There has not been much herring fishing in his division during 

 the year. Prices for herring averaged about 2\ cents per pound. He finds 

 that the catch of whitefish, trout and pickerel, especially whitefish, is 

 decreasing verj^ fast, and he has come to the conclusion that there are too 

 many nets being used in his division. In his opinion, if there are not some 

 of the heavy rigs shut off, or some other means taken to keep up the supply, 

 the fish will soon be so scarce that fishermen will not be able to make it pay. 

 They have been gathering whitefish spawn and trout spawn this fall, and 

 he believes they are taking it out of Lake Huron and the Georgian Bay to 

 hatch. If these young fish are not returned to the lakes they were taken 

 from, he thinks it is an injustice to these fisheries. 



No violations of the fishery laws have come under his notice, but he has 

 not been able to patrol his division as well as he hopes to next year, with the 

 yacht with which the Department has furnished him. It is well equipped 

 and suitable for the business, except that it should be supplied with a small 

 boat, which is very much needed for grappling and lifting nets. The "Vega" 

 went into commission on the 26th October, and was laid up on the 25th 

 November. During that time he was able to do some very good service with 

 her, although the weather was very rough. 



The angling in his division for the past year for black bass and pickerel 

 has been good. There were not quite as many tourists as the year previous. 

 Only one serious violation of the Game Act came under his notice, and that 

 was a party from Collingwood shooting two moose in McGregor Bay. He 

 notified Overseer Irwin, and had it attended to. He is afraid the Game Act 

 has not been as well enforced as it should have been, as he has had several 

 reports of violations, but he hopes to be able to give a better report of its 

 enforcement in future. 



Georgian Bat. 



Overseer John Beatty, of Old Fort, Midland, reports that the fishery 

 laws were fairly well observed, no illegal fishing having come to his notice. 

 The principal fish caught in his division were pike and maskinonge, there 

 being more maskinonge caught in 1908 in the Wye River and Mud Lake 



