Some important results have come to the fore in the past year. The culmina- 

 tion of years of effort in the study and control of the sea lamprey will be shown 

 by the numbers arriving at the barrier weirs in the spring of 1962. If the number 

 is low it will mean that the poison that has been applied to the streams w'here 

 lamprey have spawned has been effective. The discovery of this chemical and 

 application in a precisely measured amount sufficient to kill the young lampreys 

 but not strong enough to harm the young fish has been an important discovery 

 and a big job of biological and of engineering know-how to which our branch 

 has contributed. Its final success may revive the almost extinct lake trout 

 fishing and give a boost to the tourist industry and commercial fishing. The 

 development of the hybrid trout known as splake, which is a cross between lake 

 and speckled trout, is proceeding, and selection is being made of those which have 

 a capacity for deep swimming in the zones formerly inhabited by lake trout. 



The fact that this hybrid matures and spawns at an early age, while the lake 

 trout takes seven years and is exposed to lamprey attack for three years before 

 spawning, may mean that the splake can live with the lamprey even if the latter 

 is uncontrolled. There are thus two good approaches to the restocking of the 

 depleted lakes. Lamprey control and restocking with lake trout, with or without 

 splake; no complete lamprey control and stocking with splake. 



The wildlife research has made censuses and studied the food habits of the 

 big game, deer, moose, caribou, and of their main diseases and predators as well 

 as some fur-bearers. Upland game birds and waterfowl are receiving the same 

 attention. The census methods will provide a more accurate method of deter- 

 mining populations and setting quotas for hunting in years to come. The study 

 on wolf predation has given important information that will make possible the 

 control or management of these animals. 



The summary of wildlife research would not be complete without a mention 

 of the discovery in Northwest Ontario and Manitoba of a race of "giant" wild 

 geese formerly considered extinct. 



Forestry research in the past year has seen a great advance in knowledge of 

 the effect and procedures of "prescribed burning", particularly as they affect 

 the derelict hardwood stands where it is hoped, by the use of fire, to destroy 

 worthless stems of hardwoods and introduce more valuable species. The use 

 of prescribed fire will also reduce existing fire hazards and help to control wildfires 

 in dangerous seasons. 



The last year also saw the conclusion of a successful test of tree estimating 

 as a substitute for log scaling. The objective of this work was to attain compar- 

 able accuracy at a reduction in cost. The tests were successful in these respects, 

 and if estimating is adopted as a means of assessing timber dues, it should result 

 in more flexible and economic logging. 



FISHERIES RESEARCH 



The fisheries research program is being developed to obtain the new facts 

 and to develop the new techniques necessary to the complex job of management 

 of both the sport and commercial fisheries of Ontario. Constant attention is given 

 to the task of selecting, from the many problems suggested, those which, when 

 solved, will provide the greatest advantage to management throughout the Province, 

 rather than locally. Continued development of the program along these practical 

 lines demands that the close working relationship between management and 

 research staffs be continued and constantly improved. This working relationship 

 must be close enough that research is fully aware of the problems of management 



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