1902 DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES. «7 



recommend that it be further enacted for a term of years, in the interest of both 

 the tourist and the settler. The public regard this law with more favor now 

 than when it was first enacted, which is good evidence that it is a good law and 

 just to all parties. It has been reported to him that there is considerable illegal 

 fishing through the ice in Emily Creek. This is a very difficult place to get at, 

 a,nd consequently a hard matter to catch any one in the act, unless a person 

 spent some time in locating them. It is said the maskinonge are very large and 

 plentiful in that locality. 



Overseer Van Norman, Sault Ste. Marie, reports that the fishing in his 

 division has been very good the past season, and the fishermen are well satisfied 

 with results. Fish have been plentiful and of a large size. There is an increase 

 in the catch of whitefish and coarse fish. Trout will about compare with the 

 catch of last season. The catch is nearly all exported to the United States, very 

 little being sold in Canada. No abuses of the regulations came to his notice 

 and the close seasons were well observed. There is no mill rubbish deposited in 

 the waters and there are no fishways in his division. 



Overseer Villeneuve, Prescott and Russell, reports that the catch has been a 

 satisfactory one. There has been a substantial increase in sturgeon, whilst other 

 kinds of fish compare very favorably with the catch of other years. The fish 

 caught are all sold in Canada ; about ten per cent, is used for home consump- 

 tion. On one of his trips of inspection he seized and destroyed some night lines 

 which were illegally set. The close seasons were well obseryed. There is a 

 small saw mill at Plantagent, but very little damage is caused by the sawdust 

 running into the water, as the mill is worked only in the spring, when the water 

 is high, and the sawdust is carried away by the currents. There are no fish- 

 ways in this division, and none are needed. No illegal fishing of any conse- 

 quence came to his notice, and no fines were imposed. 



Overseer Waddell, Grey, reports that the catch this season is not so good as 

 last year, owing, he thinks, to the frequent storms which made it impossible for 

 the fishermen to venture out to set or lift their nets. He says there were 

 frequent reports of illegal fishing during the close season. He strongly advises 

 the prohibition of herring fishing during the close season for trout and whitefish. 

 The fishermen take advantage of this privilege, and take trout and whitefish as 

 well as herring. No complaints respecting the pollution of stream* with saw- 

 dust came to his notice. About one half of the fish caught in his division are 

 sent to the American market. 



Overseer Walker, Peel, reports that some of the fishermen in his division 

 who took out licenses never set a net during the year, and the majority did not 

 fish with as much energy as they might have done. This accounts for the catch 

 being a little under the average. In. angling he finds that black bass have 

 increased, but owing to so much rain during the first part of the summer (which 

 caused the streams to be very muddy), the catch of white bass was not up to 

 former years. Perch have not been very numerous. He would recommeud that 

 some means be adopted to get rid of the carp, also the pike, as both are very 

 destructive to the smaller fish. 



Overseer Whalen, Port Arthur, reports that there was an increase in the 

 catch of fish for 1902 as compared with 1901. About the same number of 

 licenses were issued, and there seemed to be no particular explanation as to the 

 cause of the increase. The greater part of *' ^ fish is sent to Winnipeg, for 

 distribution, and is mostly consumed * „nat vicinity. The close season has 

 been well observed, and no illegal fishing has been reported. There are no saw 

 mills in his district. 



