THIRTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT 



OF THE 



Game and Fisheries Department of 



Ontario 



TO: THE HONOURABLE H. C. NIXON, 

 Minister in charge. 

 Department of Game and Fisheries. 



SIR: — 



I have the honour to submit to you in this and the following pages the Thirty- 

 first Annual Report of the Department of Game and Fisheries, outlining the 

 activities of Departmental services and including statistical and comparative tables 

 for the fiscal year ended March 31st, 19 38. 



INTRODUCTORY 



The wild life of the Province of Ontario constitutes a resource of tremendous 

 importance and value. It is a heritage of the Crown administered by this Department 

 and the policies which govern the administration of this trust are based on the 

 premise that every citizen has an equity in these resources. 



The natural resources of any country are the basis of its national wealth and in 

 evaluating the true worth of our wild life natural resources, it is pertinent to point 

 out that these form a vital part of our economic structure. Analyzing these 

 thoughts we find the following facts: 



The fur trade of Canada is closely associated with the development of the 

 country, for the trappers and fur buyers were pioneers in opening up the north 

 and the west. In the Province of Ontario trapping is still more or less extensively 

 carried on. During the year under review trappers in excess of sixty-five hundred 

 were licensed and operating in Ontario, while fur dealers' license fees contributed 

 $27,438.75 to Departmental revenues, which last fact indicates that the trapper is 

 plentifully supplied with avenues for the disposal of his catch. During the same 

 period royalty to the amount of $63,632.70 was paid to the Department on furs 

 while the value to the trapper of his season's fur catch is estimated at $9 66,552.92. 

 Ih addition to these figures it is pointed out that private fur farmers raised and 

 disposed of 33,2 35 silver and black fox pelts, 233 cross fox pelts, and 2 4,864 mink 

 pelts of an estimated value of $896,963.15. 



It should be noted that in Northern Ontario where the lands are mostly still in 

 the Crown, it is the policy to allot a separate area, consisting of a township or 

 part of a township, to each trapper. While much of the north country is still un- 

 surveyed it is hoped that in the very near future eighty per cent of the trappers 

 will have their trap lines on a defined zone. Each trapper will then be responsible 

 for taking care of the fur-bearing animals in his own area, because his future 

 earnings will depend on his conservation of the supply within the zone. 



The commercial fishing industry of the Province employed some 4,440 men 

 during the year ending March 31st, 1938, and had approximately $3,277,701 

 Invested in gear and equipment, while the sum of $2,644,163.49 was derived by these 

 commercial fishermen from their operations. 



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