20 THE EEPOKT UPON No. 13 



Overseer A. Drouillard, of WalkerviUe, reports that .he is pleased to say that 

 there was a general and marked improvenient in the observance of the law, and the 

 development of the fisheries in his district, and in consequence he cannot offer 

 many suggestions to improve the condition, with but one exception, viz., the 

 absence of any regulation dealing with the size of " Blues " and " Perch " which 

 he has observed are being shipped from points along Lake Erie, and which are 

 unusually small in size, and he would earnestly recommend prohibiting taking 

 such small fisih from the waters. 



He has also observed an increase in the catch along Lake St. Clair. 



Overseer Henry Watson, of Toronto, reports that the net fishing in this 

 vicinity remains about the same from year to year, with the exception of herring, 

 and th^ajt gets worse every year, in fact, only an odd fisiherman sets for them, as they 

 have found it does not pay them, and until all the fis'hermen on this side of the 

 lake are made to use nothing smaller than three-inch m-esh will it he any different. 

 The larger herring from Lake Erie drives our small fish out of the market and 

 they have to be turned into ciscoes to be got rid of. 



Lake Erie herrings bring about three times as much per fish as ours. 



Rod fishing around Toronto is a thing of the past, the water being so badly 

 polluted that even the carp refuse to live in it, but better things are hoped for on 

 completion of the trunk 'sewer. The fishermen live up to the law, very little 

 illegal fishing being attempted in prohibited waters by poachers. 



With regard to illegal shipments, some of the dealers and large fish com- 

 panies still continue to traffic in illegal fish, but the severe treatment handed out 

 to them will no doubt have a salutary effect. 



The game act was never better respected around Toronto than during the past 

 season. The motor boat people gave very little trouble, and some of the Island 

 poachers have turned game protectors. Not quite as many ducks remained over 

 with us through the winter as the year previous, none were killed on this side of 

 the lake but w^hen driven to the American side by southerly gales quite a number 

 of them were slaughtered; not being molested here they become very tame. 



The illegal shipments seized in transit get less every year. All the express 

 companies give every assistance to make the traffic as difficult as possible. 



He interviewed over one hundred deer hunters returning from all parts of the 

 northern country with reference to both the deer and partridge. The majority 

 report the deer as greatly on the decrease. In proportion the number of fawns 

 that passed through the Union Station was greatly in excess of other years. They 

 found partridge fairly plentiful in most places in the early part of the season, but 

 after the snow came they changed their location and were hard to find. 



GAME AND FISHERIES OVERSEERS. 



Lake of the Woods and Rainy River Distkict. 



Overseer Fred Blanchard, of Fort Frances, reports that he received the patrol 

 boat " Wenonah " from Warden C. N, Sterling, of Kenora, at the town of Rainy 

 River, proceeded with boat to Fort Frances, and portaged it into Rainy Lake. He 

 found the boat very useful in patrolling the international boundary of Rainy Lake. 



