A lake survey crew member uses an echo sounder to obtain 

 the bottom contours of a lake. Photo by F. P. Maher. 



Ontario Water Resources Commission and the Department, 

 was begun in 1969 on Lake Erie at Nanticoke where a large 

 station is under construction, and where plans are under- 

 way for the construction of a large steel making industry. 



The Department's campaign during 1968 to ensure proper 

 garbage disposal by winter fishermen, through the use of 

 plastic litter bags, on selected waters was so encouraging, 

 that the program was expanded province-wide during 1969 

 to help keep our lakes and rivers free of domestic wastes. 



NETTING CREWS 



Department netting crews are stationed at Maple in south- 

 ern Ontario and at Thunder Bay in northwestern Ontario. 

 Their duties are to provide netting gear for the use of District 

 personnel on field projects and to maintain such gear by 

 repair or replacement. They also instruct and assist field 

 personnel on netting projects and actually carry out some 

 of the more difficult ones. 



In 1969, the staff at Maple actively participated in the 

 collection of lake trout and yellow pickerel eggs for hatch- 

 ery purposes. They also provided numerous species of live 

 fish for display at the Toronto Sportsmen's Show and the 

 Canadian National Exhibition. In addition, a total of 85 trap 

 and pound nets and eight retainers was loaned out to nine 

 forest districts, two universities and the Department's Re- 

 search Branch. As a result, some 220 pieces of used netting 

 had to be overhauled, mended, rebundled and stored. A 



total of 25 new trap nets and two retainers was constructed 

 m 1969. 



The netting crew at Thunder Bay was actively engaged in 



11 field projects involving fish tagging, spawn collection, 

 lake surveys, fish sampling, fish transfer and the demonstra- 

 tion of impounding gear. In addition, a total of 18 trap nets 

 and two seines was loaned out to five forest districts. All 

 gear in stock was overhauled and repaired; one new net was 

 constructed; and three nets were rebuilt with modifications. 



FISHERIES MANAGEMENT UNITS 



Each Unit, although part of a forest district, has more precise 

 responsibilities for large, important lake systems which re- 

 quire intensive inventory and management. 



Plans were underway to establish new Units on Lakes 

 Superior and Huron where a need was indicated for co-or- 

 dinated plans of fisheries management involving the acti- 

 vities of several forest districts. 



Lake St. Clair. This Unit, established in 1968, moved into 

 new headquarters, formerly a commercial fishery, near the 

 mouth of the Thames River. Previous studies were reviewed 

 and existing data summarized. Records of yellow pickerel 

 tagged in the Thames River during the spawning run in- 

 dicated a gradual dispersal of these fish into Lake St. Clair 

 northwest as far as the St. Clair River and Lake Huron. A sum- 

 mer creel census, involving 5,634 anglers, indicated a total 

 angling effort of 66,407 man-hours producing a catch of 

 53,972 fish. Lake St. Clair has an active ice fishery. From inter- 

 views of 1,492 anglers, an estimated 532,880 fish were 

 caught, mostly yellow perch, from an estimated effort of 

 91,560 angler-hours. This is a catch of 5.8 fish per man-hour. 



Lake NIpigon. Following establishment of this Unit in 1'^68. 

 and a review of existing data from previous investigations, 

 sur\'eys were conducted of tributary streams to evaluate 

 their potential for spawning habitat of game fishes such as 

 yellow pickerel and brook trout. Spawning pickerel were 

 tagged in some of these unsurveyed streams as well as those 

 in Ombabika Bay. Nine individual bays on the lake were 

 sounded and examined for spawning habitat and standing 

 crops of young-of-the-year game fish. Initial investigations 

 began in the Sturgeon River to determine the efl'ects ol 

 logging and driving on sport fish populations. The Black- 

 water River was examined for stream-spawning lake trout. A 

 sampling program of the fall fishery for whitefish was under- 

 taken. Brook trout were tagged during the spawning season 

 on some of the tributaries to the lake. 



Rainy Lake. In 1969, this Unit increased its staff by the addi- 

 tion of a Fisheries Management Officer. Between May and 



21 



