56 THE REPORT ON [ No. 27 



lands and shallow waters they are a good deal smaller than usual, owing no doubt to 

 illegal fishing with gill-nets. Dore has been very scarce here for the last few years. 

 Maskinonge are few and small in size. Sunfish and perch are very plentiful and larger 

 than usual: 



The close season has been strictly observed. 



During the season he seized between four and five hundred pounds of pike illegally 

 taken with nets which he gave away on the market square to poor people and others. 



Overseer Donaldson reports : 



That in making a tour of inspection of the lakes in his division in the latter part of 

 October he seized one gill net about sixty feet long, and one night line, on Gull Lake in 

 the township of Palmerston. 



The fishery laws were however fairly well observed in his division. He is of 

 opinion that the fisheries are improving owing to the vigilance of overseers, and to the 

 disposition of the people generally to have the fishery laws strictly observed. 



Overseer Flynn reports : 



That the fish caught in his division are chiefly taken by anglers who fish for home 

 consumption. He estimates that as many as two hundred and thirty families obtain food 

 in this way and that over 70,000 lbs. were in the aggregate taken daring the season. He 

 does not think the amount taken exceeds the yearly increase. There are some 35,000 

 acres of fishing territory in the division, and on an average not more than 2 lbs. of fish were 

 taken to the acre. 



Overseer Smith reports : 



That the fish in his division are mostly taken by the tourists at the two summer 

 hotels. 



The catch of trout and bass was less than other seasons for two reasons. First, the 

 summer visitors have been limited to certain numbers, ten trout and twelve bass, which 

 gives general satisfaction. 



Second, the little shad and manhadden have come in from the St Lawrence in millions. 

 These furnish all the food required, but notwithstanding this, the catch by angling has 

 been very satisfactory. 



The close season has been well observed but a change in the close season for trout 

 should be made. It should be earlier in the season so as to protect the fish in their 

 spawning season. 



There are no fish ways in his division, but one is needed near Charleston. 



There has been some illegal fishing done by poachers netting during the night. He 

 has fined two parties ten dollars each, and has seized and taken out of the water twenty 

 eight gill-nets and two night lines, which are now in his possession. 



Overseer Loveday reports : That fishing in his district has been far better during the 

 past summer than for a number of years ; that he has seen some very 6ne specimens of 

 bass and pickerel taken within three miles of the city, some of the bass as much as 4 lbs. 

 each in weight and the pickerel much heavier. One afternoon in September in the Otta- 

 wa River only two and a half miles from the city he caught eleven very fine fish, five 

 bass and six pickerel. The bass were all over 2£ lbs. and the largest i\ ; that the pick- 

 erel were about the same, the largest weighing 6f lbs. This he attributes to the abolition 

 ef netting. 



Below the falls a few miles down the river the fishing has not been so good as it was 

 a few years ago ; that he believes this is caused by the constant increase of sawdust and 

 mill refuse that is thrown into the river ; that one of the favorite spots where formerly 

 he would never fail to land a few nice pickerel is now covered with sawdust so that there 

 is scarcely a foot of water : that on the Rideau River fishing has been very fair, but no- 

 thing like it was a few years ago ; that this, he believes, has been caused to some extent 

 by the capture in past years of small fish, and by the cultivation of land along the river 

 front which was formerly drowned lands ; that before cultivation these lands 

 were covered with water for the greater part of the year, and that it was here that the 

 fish usually spawned ; that now the land is only covered during the high water ; that the 

 fish as usual run up over these places to deposit their spawn, but that when the water 

 falls the spawn, being left on dry ground, is lost ; that in some cases as the water falls 

 the fish gradually swarm toward the deeper parts, and when the water goes down they 

 are left to perish and die in large numbers and are used for manure. He would suggest 



