22 THE EEPORT UPON No. IS 



woodcock do not seem to be so plentiful. By the number of muskrats seen they 

 must be increasing very fast. The last report from the deer hunters state deer 

 very plentiful. 



Overseer B. A. Dusang, of Fesserton, reports that Angling has been good the 

 past season; the game fish as plentiful as the year 1908; and Americans very plenti- 

 ful. He sold three hundred and eighteen dollars of permits, about double of any 

 year previous. He was on the road all the time between there and Moon Eiver, the 

 majority of tourists get their permits before they come up there. Ho has eighteen 

 licensed fishermen in his division; whitefish and trout were about the same catch 

 as last year, they don't seem to decrease any. About half of the fish is consumed 

 in Canada and the rest goes to the United States. The laws have been well observed. 

 Partridge are getting pretty plentiful; if they put the winter in they will be very 

 plentiful another year. He had forty-six guides in his division that took out license. 

 He thinks that there should be some power given to an Overseer, so that when he 

 is thirty or forty miles away from a magistrate he could dispose of small violations 

 such as catching one or two small fish under size, when it is almost impossible to 

 get them to justice. Deer have been scarce; very few killed in that district. He 

 travelled about twenty-seven hundred miles with the little boat " Florence '' on the 

 north shore this season. Carp were not so plentiful as the year before. 



Overseer J. W. Jermyn, of Wiarton, reports that he regrets to say this season 

 has not been favourable for the fishermen. The spring and summer catches were 

 very light — not enough to pay expenses. Then this fall the fish were unusually late 

 coming on the shoals, and the weather was so rough they could not set or lift nets 

 for over a week at a time, many of them lost the greater part of what nets they 

 had so that when a fine day came they had nothing to work with, and many were 

 forced to cease operations before the close season. He is quite certain the catch 

 of fish is not more than one-half as large as other years in this district. He also 

 states whitefish was more plentiful this season than on previous years, while the 

 trout seems to be less. As the season is just opened for Game he cannot say very 

 much on that line. During the season he has made several visits up the Bruce 

 Peninsula, and finds there are quite a few deer left in certain localities. Partridge 

 is also on the increase, no doubt owing* to the provision in the law protecting them. 

 Ducks are very plentiful this season. He is pleased to report that both the Fish 

 and Game laws in this division have been fairly well observed, while in some of 

 the adjoining divisions there have been several infractions of the Fishery Act; 

 however, he got after some of the parties, seized a large quantity of hooks, lines 

 and fish, and the offenders had to appear before a Justice of the Peace and were 

 heavily fined. This action somewhat broke up a bad gang and he believes had a 

 good effect. 



Overseer John Kennedy, of Meaford, reports that summer fishing was fairly good 

 as the spring was very backward, the fishermen were later in getting out, there being 

 so much ice in the bay. Fall fishing has not been so good as 1908 on account of 

 October being so rough; the last few days were fine, they had good hauls in taking 

 in their nets, averaging from 3,000 pounds for tugs. He is pleased to report that 

 all the nets were in on the first of November. The Carp for the first time were 

 seen in Meaford Harbour, and following the Sturgeon. One or two were caught 

 weighing 20 pounds. The fishermen are afraid they will be an injury to them — 

 that they will take the spawn. 



