THIRTy-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT 



OF THE 



Department of Game and Fisheries of Ontario 



T(r. THE HOiNOURABLE G. H. DUNBAR, 



Minister in Charge, 



Department of Game and Fisheries. 



SIR: 



I have the honour to submit to you herewith the Thirty-seventh Annual 

 Report of the Department of Game and Fisheries, in wich is contained information 

 with reference to the activities of the various Departmental services, and in which 

 are included condensed statistics and comparative tables for the fiscal year ended 

 March 31st, 1944, and other information which will probably be of interest. 



INTRODUCTORY 



The period under review found the nation still at war, and all of its resources 

 directed towards crushing the forces of oppression which have threatened to over- 

 run our democratic civilization. This deflection of the national economy from the 

 usual channels of peace to the more urgent task of winning the war has added to 

 the difficulties of administration and is reflected in certain branches of Depart- 

 mental activity. Despite adverse conditions which have as a result prevailed the 

 normal operations of the Department have been continued and maintained at a high 

 level. 



By reason of the urgency of the war effort, transportation difficulties and 

 the shortage of ammunition sportsmen have not been able to indulge as freely as 

 was possible in normal times in the twin sports of hunting and fishing. As a conse- 

 quence it is quite likely that fewer fish were taken and less game destroyed thus 

 leaving a larger adult stock for propagation purposes, and this should result in 

 increased natural reproduction. 



Education along conservational lines has been stimulated through the 

 various campaigns sponsored by the many branches of Government and Industry, 

 to promote economy in the use of available resources, and the careful salvage of 

 every item that might be of value in the war effort. In any evaluation of natural 

 resources it is now generally recognized that wild-life forms an important part of 

 the total assets of the nation. It provides, among other things, food and clothing, 

 and is the incentive to outdoor recreation which is conducive to health and good 

 citizenship. For these reasons the wise use of such natural resources is imperative, 

 and the protection thereof is a patriotic duty. It is no exaggeration to say that the 

 public is more conservation minded to-day than ever before, and this attitude is of 

 great importance and assistance to the Department in its efforts to maintain suf- 

 ficient resources to meet demands which we have every reason to believe will 

 increase following the cessation of hostilities. 



The vast extent of the land and water area of the Province, — some 412.000 

 square miles, — embraces in its physical features every requisite for the development 

 and perpetuation of our wild-life heritage. Its huge forest areas and wild lands; 

 its rugged geological formations; its swamps and marshes, bounded by areas of 

 rich agricultural land; and its sparkling lakes and free-flowing rivers; all these 

 constitute an environment capable of sustaining an abundance of wild-life, provided 

 the essentials of conservation are understood and practised. Such an extensive 

 territory, however, presents many problems which add to the complexity of adminis- 



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