and smallmouth bass, and brook, rainbow and lake trout 

 was carried out to the maximum capacity of our hatcheries. 



Attempts to culture aurora trout under artificial condi- 

 tions, at both Dorion and Hill Lake hatcheries, have been 

 disappointing to date. 



The hybrid splake, developed for the rehabilitation of 

 Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, have reached the production 

 stage. One hundred thousand splake fry were donated to 

 Michigan for rearing and ultimate release in the American 

 waters of Lake Huron. Thirty-thousand large yearlings, 

 reared at Chatsworth hatchery, were released in the Mea- 

 ford shoals area of Georgian Bay during the spring of 1969. 

 This was the initial production planting. Though relatively 

 small in numbers, survival was excellent, and conditions for 

 natural reproduction appear optimum. Ontario's commit- 

 ment to the rehabilitation of the Lake Huron waters is one- 

 half million splake yearlings annually. 



Kokanee were reared from eggs received from Colorado 

 and Montana in the continuing project to establish a breed- 

 ing population in the Great Lakes. Mature kokanee, which 

 returned to their original planting site at Oxenden Creek, 

 near Wiarton, were artificially spawned. The eggs were 

 found to be viable, indicating that natural production in 

 Great Lakes waters was a reality. The establishment of this 

 species in Lake Ontario has been less successful than that 

 in Georgian Bay and Lake Huron waters. The kokanee proj- 

 ect has been curtailed for the last two years because of 

 spawning-run failures in British Columbia. A large propor- 

 tion of our introductory spawn comes from this source on 

 an exchange basis for brook trout eggs. 



Coho salmon, from Lake Michigan, were reared at Chats- 

 worth hatchery and released as smolts in 1969. Waters 

 planted included Bronte Creek, the Humber and Credit 

 Rivers in the western basin of Lake Ontario, and the Gravel 

 and Jackpine Rivers of Nipigon Bay, Lake Superior. Coho 

 salmon eggs were spawned by Department personnel in 

 Michigan and transported to Chatsworth hatchery for cul- 

 ture. This is the second lot of coho cultured in Ontario, and 

 though experimental in nature, the program is being con- 

 tinued to assess the contribution of this species to the 

 fishery in the western basin of Lake Ontario. 



Lake trout eggs were received from Clearwater (Atika- 

 meg) Lake, Manitoba, in exchange for brook trout eggs 

 provided by Dorion hatchery and maskinonge fry provided 

 by Deer Lake hatchery. The experimental use of two-year- 

 old lake trout in the Muskoka lakes has produced significant 

 returns and may hold promise for other inland waters 

 hampered by reduced productivity of the native stocks, 

 especially when in competition with other species. On the 

 other hand, lake trout yearling plantings in Manitou Lake, 



Manitoulin Island, now form 88 per cent of the spawning 

 females, indicating the proven success of yearling plantings 

 in specific waters. 



During experimental yellow pickerel culture at White 

 Lake hatchery, a technique was developed to initiate young 

 yellow pickerel on an artificial diet. This is a significant find- 

 ing. Previous restrictions on rearing yellow pickerel were 

 caused by their preference for live feed and cannibalistic 

 habits. 



Golden shiners were spawned and reared experimentally 

 at Westport hatchery in an effort to provide the commercial 

 bait fish industry with methods and procedures for the 

 artificial culture of bait fishes. 



Several public fishing areas in southern Ontario, main- 

 tained by the Department and the Conservation Authori- 

 ties Branch of the Department of Energy and Resources 

 Management, were stocked with catchable trout. These fish 

 provide quality angling in areas of high population where 

 suitable water and opportunity is limited. 



University and Government research agencies were also 

 provided with Provincial hatchery fish for studies related 

 directly or indirectly to improving our knowledge of fisher- 

 ies management. 



Our commitment to the International Great Lakes Fishery 

 Commission for the rehabilitation of Lake Superior, follow- 

 ing lamprey control on these waters, is 500,000 lake trout 

 yearlings annually. These fish were provided from Dorion 

 and Tarentorus hatcheries. 



To accommodate visitors and those interested in fish 

 culture and fisheries, our hatcheries remain open seven 

 days a week. The annual number of visitors has exceeded 

 100,000 people, and a large percentage of these come in 

 pre-arranged guided tours. 



Where possible, assistance is afforded to private hatchery 

 operators and pond owners on an advisory basis. Sixty in- 

 dividual, private fish hatcheries were licensed in 1968. Of 

 these, nine were licensed for restocking purposes only, 27 

 for human consumption sales, and 24 for both purposes. 



DOMESTIC OR SPORT FISHING LICENCES 



Number of Licences Sold 

 Type of Licence 1963 1967 1968 



Non-resident Smelt 3,500 5,171 4,870* 



Resident Smelt 4,500 5,706 3,941 



Angler's Bait-fish 81 425 826 



Domestic Dip-net 81 425 826 



'Includes non-resident bow-and-arrow fishermen. 



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