30 DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND FISHERIES No. 9 (194 6) 



STOCKING, LAKE CLOSURE and CREEL CENSUS 



The experimental stocking of selected lakes in Algonquin Park and the 

 practice of alternate annual closure of Lakes were continued as in previous years 

 as experiments in fish culture directed toward building up a good stock of both 

 lake trout and speckled trout. The creel census was carried out in order to deter- 

 mine the efficacy of these two procedures. 



Bioligical studies have been initiated in Lake Superior Provincial Park, 

 Sibley Provincial Park and Quetico Provincial Park, in all of which the creel census 

 has been used as a means of determining the present availability of stock of game 

 fishes. More intensive biological studies have been carried out on the lakes and 

 streams of both Quetico and Sibley Parks as a basis for a management policy to 

 improve the game fishery. 



Meetings of the Ontario and New York State fisheries biologists were held 

 on two occasions during the year at Kingston, Ontario, for the purpose of planning 

 studies on lake Ontario. Arising out of these conferences investigations of the 

 plankton production, small-mouth black bass and whitefish were undertaken. The 

 bass of the upper St. Lawrence river and adjacent Ontario waters were tagged in 

 order to determine their movements throughout the year. 



A special study of the whitefish was carried out to compare the effec- 

 tiveness of natural reproduction with that of hatchery produced fry. In order to 

 accomplish this, the hatchery raised fry are to be planted in alternate years and 

 an analysis of the year class composition of fish in the commercial catch is to be 

 carried out continuously so that the year class of whitefish arising from natural 

 spawning only, and natural spawning supplemented by hatcheries may be measured. 



In conjunction with this investigation the Ontario Department of Game 

 and Fisheries have greatly improved the method of collecting statistics of catch 

 from the commercial fishermen which constitutes an essential adjunct to the 

 successful implementation of this research. 



In view of the fact that the Atlantic salmon were formerly abundant in 

 Lake Ontario and tributary streams where they are now completely lacking, an 

 investigation has been undertaken in cooperation with the Ontario and Federal De- 

 partments of Fisheries to determine whether or not it may be possible to introduce 

 this valuable species. This investigation includes, also, an analysis of the distri- 

 bution of planted salmon fry and fingerlings along the course of Duffin Creek where 

 the experiment is being carried out to determine conditions within the stream fav- 

 ourable or unfavourable for the planted fry. 



The techniques and results of this study may be of the greatest importance 

 as having a direct bearing upon the general practice of planting fry and finger- 

 lings of any species in the waters of the Province. 



Closely integrated with this investigation, studies a;re being made on the 

 effect which sedimentation in the stream has upon invertebrate life constituting 

 the food of the fishes living there. 



