1964 DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES. 45 



in September, and did no fishing after the first of October. All other kinds 

 of fish will about compare with the catch of last season. 



With the exception of three or four tons used for home consumption, all 

 fish are exported to the United States. 



No abuses of the regulations came to his knowledge, with the exception 

 of two small mesh nets, one in Island Lake and one in Root River, which 

 were taken out and destroyed, but the owners of which could not be located. 

 The several close seasons were most strictly observed. He is not aware 

 of any injury having been done by mill owners allowing sawdust or other 

 i of use being dumped into the waters. There are no fishways in his division. 

 Overseer Walker, Port Credit, Lake Ontario, reports that the herring 

 trout and whitefish fishing has been about on the average, but in the line of 

 angling it has been very bad. In the catch of bass and perch there was 

 quite a falling off, due to the heavy rains and muddy water. The carp are 

 becoming very numerous, and he thinks that some means should be pro- 

 vided whereby they could be destroyed, or in time the game fish will be 

 driven out of the rivers, and the fishing from which so much sport is derived 

 will soon be a thing of the past. 



Overseer Waddcll, Lcith, Georgian Bay, reports that there has been 

 excellent fishing in his district during the past year, and the fishermen have 

 done wen. He was notified of one case of illegal fishing, but the party sus- 

 pected got away before he could get to him. He lifted two nets at Cape 

 Commodore in close season with some fish in them, and had one net and the 

 fish stolen the same night. About half the catch of fish in his division is 

 exported, and the remainder is sold for home consumption. There have 

 been no complaints about the saw-mills dumping their refuse in the water; 

 most of the mills burn all the sawdust. Bass and speckled trout are nearly 

 all fished out of the streams in his district, but there is good trolling for 

 salmon trout during June and July. The close seasons have been fairly 

 well observed. 



Overseer Willis, Port Whitby, Lake Ontario, reports that the season on 

 the whole was not as good as last year, on account of the spring and summer 

 being so unusually cold and backward, and also on account of the prevailing 

 brgh winds. 



The laws and regulations were very well observed by the fishermen. 

 There was not more than half enough fish caught to supply the local 

 market, except at Pickering Harbor, from which place quite a few were sent 

 to Toronto. Both the herring and whitefish were larger than in previous 

 years, and the price obtained correspondingly better. 



Hook and line fishing was very good all summer, pike being much more 

 plentiful than for a number of years. 



Overseer Willmott, Beaumaris, Lake Muskoka, reports that the angling 

 during the past season has on the whole been satisfactory, but there is a 

 marked decrease in the fish in the waters which have been constantly fished 

 for a number of years. The continued efforts of the Department to restock 

 ihe depleted waters, and also to introduce adult bass into waters in which 

 these fish have not hitherto been found, meet with the greatest success 

 and with the approbation of both summer visitors and settlers in the northern 

 districts ; and it is astonishing how in many cases these fish have spread 

 tt» other waters connected with those into which the fish have been intro- 

 duced. The immense numbers of herring in many of our northern lakes 

 would. \u* thinks, warrant the Department in allowing bona fide settlers to 

 use small nets, say fiftv yards long, for the capture of these fish during the 

 month of November when they are running; there would be little chance 

 of other fish being caught where the herring would be found, except, per- 



