REPORT 



OF THE 



Deputy Commissioner of Fisheries 



FOR THE YEAR 



1905 



To the Honourable J . 0. Reaume, Commissioner of Fisheries for Ontario ; 



The undersigned has the honor to submit herewith the Annual Report 

 of the Department of Fisheries for the year ending 31st December, 1905. 



,' The season has on the whole been a fairly profitable one for the fisher- 

 men, though the lakes were this year again visited by frequent and 

 violent wind storms, which caused many suspensions of their operations. 

 Notwithstanding this, however, and that apparently fewer fish were caught 

 than in 1904, prices were better, and from the fishermen's standpoint the 

 outcome was nearly as good. 



The total number of persons engaged in the industry in 1905, as 

 reported by the overseers, was 3,247, as follows : 



Lake of the Woods and Rainy River District, 140; Lake Superior, 184; 

 Lake Huron and North Channel, 359 ; Georgian Bay, 315 ; Lake Huron 

 (proper), 326; Lake St. Clair and Detroit River, 216; Thames River, 76; 

 Lake Erie, 803; Lake Ontario, 516; Nipissing District, 44; inland waters, 

 276; 122 less than were employed in 1904. 



The amount of capital invested was $1,129,467, divided over the lakes 

 as follows : 



Lake of the Woods and Rainy River District, $47,175; Lake Superior, 

 $86,775; Lake Huron and North Channel, $153,460; Georgian Bay, $295,- 

 628; Lake Huron (proper), $103,762; Lake St. Clair and Detroit River, 

 $30,419; Thames River, $955; Lake Erie, $326,279; Lake Ontario, $64,- 

 294; Nipissing District, $24,000; inland waters, $4,673. 



There were in use 122 tugs valued at $323,675 and 1,464 sail and other 

 boats valued at $299,498. 



There were licensed 530 pound nets; 506 hoop nets; 27 fyke nets; 121 

 seines; 130 dip nets; 3 machines; 139 spears; 13,000 hooks, and 3,910,528 

 yards of gill nets, of a total value of $1,130,800. 



The total product of the fisheries amounted to 22,572,300 pounds, the 

 estimated value of which is $1,708,963. 



The principal species taken, and the quantity and value (including 

 salted) were : 



Whitefish, 2,895,820 pounds, $289,542; trout, 6,170,850 pounds, $617;- 

 085; herring, 5,232,200 pounds, $261,610; pickerel (dore), 3,236,940 pounds, 

 $323,694; pike (including blue pickerel), 1,479,900 pounds, $59,196; stur- 

 geon, 401,350 pounds, $32,108; caviare, 17,100 pounds, $11,970; bladders, 



m 



