1909 GAME AND FISHERIES. 19 



coupons marked " expires on November 21fe't,'^ seem to cause some dispute as to 

 when the hunting season is closed ; as it is, the meaning is not understood by some. 

 With reference to winter fishing at Thessalon, he is informed that a consider- 

 able number of fishermen, those who follow the occupation also continue to make 

 their. living by fishing in the winter, and as fome of the fishermen spoke to him 

 with reference to a report that it is the intention of the Department not to allow 

 fish taken in the winter to be sihipped outside the Province, and as these men claim 

 that by selling their fish is tlie only way they have of making a living for their 

 families, and as it is claimed that the smallness of the prices to be obtained in the 

 local market in the Province is much less than can be obtained in American cities. 



Overseer A. Calheclc, of SauU Ste. Mane, reports that reports from fishermen 

 are to the effect that the catch of white fish and lake trout is much larger this 

 season than it was for the season of 1908; white fish especially have increased very 

 largely this season, as the reports of the fishermen will go to show. The only reason 

 he can give for this increase is that they are leaving the protected waters for 

 better feeding grounds. The law is fairly well observed among our own fisher- 

 men, but a good deal of poaching is being done by Americans in our waters. They 

 come over and set their nets in the evening, lift them in the morning, and go 

 back to their own shore. He cannot too strongly recommend that a suitable patrol 

 boat be put on the waters between the southeast end of St. Joe's Island, in Lake 

 Huron, and Richardson's Harbour, Lake Superior. There was a very large in- 

 crease in the number of tourists who visited our 'speckled trout fishing grounds 

 on the north shore of Lake Superior this season over former seasons. He also 

 noticed that there was a much larger increase in the revenue from the game and 

 fisheries this season than there was for the season of 1907 and 1908. The rea- 

 son of this is that the waters of Lake Superior were better patrolled than formerly. 



During the early portion of the year 1909 he secured six convictions, all for 

 the killing of deer during the close season, the costs and fines amounting to $469.80. 

 The convictions all resulted from infractions of the laws in jobbers' lumber camps 

 on the A. C. R., and he says, in his opinion, that there are as many deer and moose 

 killed in the close season in this district as there are in the open season, con- 

 sidering the ravages of wolves and man. Deer are becoming more plentiful 

 every year, yet he would strongly recommend that the present bounty on wolves 

 be increased to $25. This would be an inducement for sportsmen to take means 

 to destroy them. Beaver are becoming more plentiful, notwithstanding the fact 

 that large numbers of them are trapped every season. He would recommend that 

 the season for beaver be extended. Muskrats are becoming more plentiful every 

 year. The close season for partridge has been most beneficial, as they are in- 

 creasing very rapidly. In conclusion he would say that, on the whole he believes 

 conditions are improving with respect to the observance of the law in regard to 

 game and fish in that district. 



Overseer Joseph Hembruff, of Maniiowaning, reports that the angling for bass 

 was not quite so good as last year, but there have been more tourists than for 

 years past. Quite a number of tourist buildings have been built around the lake. 

 He thinks when the tourists come that it would be a good plan to stay on the lake 

 two or three days each week to keep proper watch and a good boat provided, as it 

 gets very rough sometimes on Lake Manitou. 



