38 THE EEPORT UPON 



No. 13 



season out of Port Maitland is reported to be the heaviert on record. Ko great 

 quantities of perch liave been caught for years, and appear to be holding their own. 



About 95 per cent, of the fish caught are shipped to tlie United States, balance 

 used for home consumption. No abuses exist. The close seasons have been well 

 observed by licensed fishermen, some non-residents having no regard for same. 

 During the year he fined two men $10 each for fishing with gill nets without 

 license, and two licenses were cancelled for illegal fishing. 



Quail, partridge and woodcock are more numerous; cotton-tail rabbit plentiful, 

 and hares and white rabbit now only found in marshy districts. Ducks have not 

 been as numerous to date, as, owing to the very mild weather, they have not come in. 



Overseer Kenneth McCIennan, of Grovesend, reports that this has been a good 

 profitable season for the fishermen. The spring season was the best they had had 

 for years, the catch of whitefi?h being exceptionally large. He also noticed a large 

 increase in the amount of Jumbo herring caught. One fisherman told him that 

 about thirty-five per cent, of the catch were Jumbos. These reports bear unmis^- 

 takable evidence that the quantity and quality of the fish in that district are 

 gradually increasing and improving. 



He is pleased to report a vast increase in the amount of fish sold to the home 

 market. The fishermen are sparing no expense in supplying the local demand, 

 having this summer built large freezers where the fish can be stored and held 

 until the catch is too small to supply the trade. One successful fisherman informed 

 him that he had not shipped five tons of fish to the American market this year. 



The close seasons have all been well observed, as well as all other Fishery Laws 

 and Regulations. 



The Game Laws so far have been well observed. Black and grey squirrels 

 being the only game around there, are becoming very numerous, and the sportsmen 

 are beginning to see the fruits of protecting them, and are regarding the close 

 'seasons as the proper thing. 



Overseer James McVittiej of Blenheim, reports that the past season in many 

 respects has been a most peculiar one, from the fisherman's standpoint, and cannot 

 be classed as up to the average as regards the catch. The early cold weather and 

 heavy storms last fall caught many with twine and stakes still in the w^ater, which 

 they were unable to get, although the catch was fair up to that time. . The spring 

 fishing on the whole was very poor, although the catch w^as good in May. The 

 poor luck in the catch was to a great extent compensated for by the increase in 

 price. The angling season was marked by an increase of 300 per cent, in number of 

 licenses sold. Carp fishing in Rondeau Bay has been good, both in quantity and 

 price. The laws have been very well observed, not a single conviction. In the 

 early spring several complaints of an authentic character reached him of Americans 

 fishing in Canadian waters off Rondeau, in some instances as close as ten miles 

 from shore. This state of things seems to suggest that one of the patrol boats . 

 should be laid up in one of the Lake Erie ports, where the season opens earlier 

 than in other lakes. 



Overseer J. S. Smith, of Port Rowan, reports that the seine fishing, in both 

 the inner and outer bay last spring was up to the average in all kinds of fish, but 

 this fall so far it has been very light, owing, he thinks, to the very mild weather. 

 The gill net fishing out of Port Dover and Port Burwell for the season, he thinks, 

 will be quite up to the average. The bass fishing has al?o been up to the average 

 he thinks for the past season, there being a large number of tourists there, and the 



