1909 GAME AND FISHERIES. 33 



law in this respect appears to have been fairly well observed. There were a few 

 instances where the law was violated by setting nets, the parties being fined in 

 each case. He is pleased to say that the game laws are much better observed than 

 they were in past years. Settlers, as a rule, are becoming educated, and realize the 

 importance of preserving the game. 



Ee game birds and animals, partridge appear to be getting plentiful, and he 

 believes that prohibiting the killing of them last year has had a very gatisfactory 

 result. Ducks of different kinds are also plentiful. 



Deer are more plentiful than they have been for a number of years. The 

 discontinuance of settlers' permits to kill deer for their own use is by no means 

 popular with the people residing in localities where permits were issued. He is of 

 the opinion that it would be an improvement to have hunting licenses sold by none 

 excepting overseers, deputy game wardens, and other game and fishery officers. 

 He has good reason to believe that where irresponsible parties are trusted with 

 the selling of those licenses, they sometimes abuse their privileges by carrying a 

 license in their pocket while hunting, without being filled up, and, if not challenged, 

 they are returned to the Department as unsold. He has been advised that in one 

 instance last year a party who was entrusted in this way did not only use a blank 

 license himself, but als'o provided his friends with them. By entrusting the sale 

 of licenses to officers only, it would enable such officers to know who had obtained 

 licenses and who had not. 



Ovevfieer Henry Drew, of Long Lake, reports that it has been a very fine season 

 in his* district, as reported by sports. He sold sixty-seven angling permits at 

 Sharbot and Eagle Lakes, and believes the law was well observed. He also thinks 

 it was a good thing to have our overseer appointed residing at Sharbot Lake, as he 

 thinks he will make a good officer. Game is scarce in that vicinity, but he thinks 

 it is on the increase the last two years. He would call the attention of the Depart-, 

 ment to the matter of herring nets in Eagle Lake. There is abundance of small 

 herring or ciscoes, weighing about three to the pound, and they do not grow any- 

 larger. They have been getting licences of three-inch mesh extension measure, 

 and that is too large for herring; would recommend that it be changed to one 

 and one-half inch mesh, as he has never seen any other kind of fish taken in 

 herring net<^. 



Gam'' and Fishery Overseer H. Esford, of Barriefield, reports that as to fishing 

 in his waters there has been a good catch, and the fishermen have done fairly well. 

 Bullheads are plenty and bass are increasing in the drowned lands very fast; there 

 are plenty of black bass there now, which never was before. Carp are beginning to 

 be caught there, but are small as yet. Dogfish are increasing. They catch them 

 as heavy as twenty pounds. There have been four fishermen fined for violations 

 of the fishery law. Outside of that, the law has been fairly well kept. Fur has 

 been scarcer this season than last season. Muskrats were not so plentiful as last 

 season. Mink are scarce. Ducks have been very scarce in his waters this fall, com- 

 pared to other years. 



Overseer James Fisher, of Sunbury, reports that the fishing in his district has 

 not been better in years. The green and black bass being very plentiful, the 

 tourists catching their limit almost every day, also some good catches of salmon 



3 G. P. 



