26 THE REPORT OF THE [ No. 68 



" During the year 1900 the greater part of the fish was shipped to the United 

 States from this district, probably ninety per cent. The exact quantity cannot 

 be obtained. 



" I have heard of no abuses existing during the year excepting the following) 

 if they may be termed abuses : 



" (1 ) In the month of August I was informed that some fisherman at Ross- 

 port was leaving fish offal unburied on the shore there. I wrote to the man 

 instructing him this must be disposed of by burial in future. I afterwards made 

 enqiries and foun 1 that these instructions were being followed. 



" (2) In the month of October a complaint was made that one of the lumber 

 companies operating near Pigeon River had dammed up Arrow Lake . and was 

 damaging the fishing. I communicated with the manager, and he immediately 

 lowered the dam and arranged to prevent the water being raised too high. 



" I have been unable to find that the close season was violated in any way. 

 It was reported to me at one time that some pound nets had been left in the 

 water near Thunder Cape during the close . season. I communicated with the 

 Department and received instructions to go out and examine the grounds. I went 

 out with a tug and found that no nets were there. The owner of the nets had 

 apparently had some trouble in removing them and had cut them at the corners, 

 leaving a piece of the rope hanging from the sticks. From a distance it appeared 

 as if the nets were there. I found out afterwards that when the nets were being 

 raised a storm had arisen, and the owner fearing he would lose them cut them off 

 at the corners. 



" In the month of June I heard that a man had a hcop net set in Thunder 

 Bay near McKenzie River east of Port Arthur. I went down and seized the net 

 and advised the Department of my action, and was told to keep the net until fur- 

 ther orders. This man was not prosecuted as he was an old man and worth 

 nothing and claimed he did not know it was wrong as he was catching suckers for 

 his dog. I still have the net in my possession. 



" There are no fishways in my division. There was only one sawmill operat- 

 ing continuously in the district during 1900 and that was at Port Arthur inside 

 of the breakwater, and did not affect the fisheries, There is a mill at Fort Wil- 

 liam on the Kaministiquia River, but it was not operated last year, and when 

 operated the refuse is burned. 



" I have again experienced great difficulty in getting returns from the fisher- 

 men, in fact many of them will not reply to my letters at all, and therefore the 

 information as to value of nets and boats, number of men employed, and amount 

 of fish caught, e"c, can only be approximately stated. 



'• There is no doubt that a fish hatchery on Lake Superior would be of great 

 benefit to the fishing industry here. There is no hatchery on the Canadian side 

 of this lake at all, but there is one the American side at Duluth and one at Sault 

 Ste. Marie. At present the Booth Fishing Co. is placing spawn on the north shore 

 on their own account. I am told that the expense of running a hatchery is not 

 excessive compared to the results obtained. I have not been connected with the 

 fishery long enough here to speak of its condition compared to some years ago, but 

 I believe the catch has steadily decreased for some time, and will probably 

 . continue to decrease, owing to there being no source of supply other than natural 

 causes. On the American side the industry has been greatly aided by the 

 hatcheries, and fish are now plentiful where some years ago none were to be found. 



Inland Fishing. 



"The coming season will probably see an increased number of tourists coming 

 to the District for its fish. A new line of steamboats will be run from the Soo to 



