GAME FISH SECTION 



With the ever-Increasing growth in the population of the 

 Province, which is reported to be 5,l80,000 an increase of l,l80,000 

 since 19^5, and the growing interest in the utilization of the fishery 

 resource as is demonstrated by the increase sale of non-resident fishing 

 licenses from 126,36? in 1945 to 377,220 in 1955, it is evident that 

 Ontario's game fish fishery is an industry of major importance, socially 

 and economically. 



The management of this resource is administered by a field 

 staff of trained personnel operating in twenty-two forest districts 

 of the Province. Eighteen biologists are permenently employed to 

 study and investigate existing problems relative to the management of 

 the fish and wildlife resource. 



The game fish management operations undertaken in 1955 were 

 in many respects similar to the general programme of recent years. 

 Twenty-five hatcheries and rearing stations v;ere operated during the 

 year for the production of game and commercial fish species for intro- 

 duction and re-stocking of suitable public waters. Lake and stream 

 inventory studies were continued for the assessment of water quality, 

 and evaluations and analyses were made on the composition, age and 

 growth rates of the fish populations. - Two relatively important 

 changes were made in the Fishery Regulations during the current year 

 as a result of investigations conducted on pickerel and rainbow trout 

 waters. 



Other significant operations undertaken during the year in- 

 cluded, fish tagging and census studies. Netting operations were 

 conducted for the harvest of bass from overpopulated waters and the 

 removal of coarse fish species. A number of mechanical trap weirs 

 were also operated for the sampling and trapping of sea lamprey. 



In addition to these projects which are described in greater 

 detail later in this report, the Department also undertook to provide 

 considerable assistance to private individuals and organized associations 



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