THIRTY-THIRD 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- 

 third Annual Report of the Department of Game and Fisheries, outlining the activities 

 of various Departmental services and including statistical and comparative tables 

 for the fiscal year ended March 31st, 1940. 



INTRODUCTORY 



More than ever before the conservation of our natural resources is of para- 

 mount importance, and wilful waste becomes a serious menace. 



During the period under review the grim spectre of war, whose ugly form had 

 on previous occasions cast a dark shadow over us, became a reality, and the peaceful 

 pursuits of our normal lives have once more been directed, in large measure, to the 

 prosecution of the war. Uppermost in our minds, perhaps, is the picture of a war- 

 torn world in which sorrow, suffering and anxiety predominate; yet even this 

 dreary picture is brightened somewhat by the heroism and self-sacrifice of those 

 who are so bravely striving to maintain and strengthen their right to live in ac- 

 cordance with their national traditions. 



The sportsman knows the economic value of our wildlife heritage, and is 

 familiar with the part that wealth plays in the prosecution of a war. Therefore he 

 has a definite and personal responsibility to see that these resources shall not be 

 dissipated through unlawful means. 



Possibly, there never was a time in the history of wildlife administration 

 when the sportsmen of this Province were more deeply conscious of the necessity 

 for exercising restraint, observing regulations and playing the game according to 

 the best traditions, than just now. Education and organized effort have done much 

 to bring about this happy state of affairs. No longer is it considered smart to 

 disregard the provisions of the regulations which govern, for waste attributable 

 to the display of such disregard destroys much more quickly than subsequent re- 

 medial measures can restore. Conservation as it affects the individual is more than 

 law observance, although the latter is of primary importance, and is therefore 

 mandatory. The ethics which apply are not written on the statute books, but are a 

 voluntary contribution representing personal restraint and an attitude of mind 

 which reflects true sportsmanship. Conservation and sportsmanship are closely 

 allied. 



It is a splendid sign to find sportsmen themselves through representative or- 

 ganizations pointing out to fellow sportsmen certain laws and fundamental 

 principles with regard to their sport. Law observance is so essential to good govern- 



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