1905 DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES. 15 



the raceway and to divert it into a lake in the near vicinity. The sugges- 

 tion was promptly acted upon, and it is believed the 'cause of the trouble, 

 if it originated in that quarter, has been removed. 



Some minor complaints of parties allowing sawdust to enter the water 

 were reported and investigated, and were found not to be of a serious char- 

 acter. 



i 



Fishing in the Inland Lakes. 



A number of applications have been received for licenses to net in the 

 inland lakes of New Ontario. Before, however, a policy of granting licenses 

 in such lakes is approved, it would appear to the undersigned to be import- 

 ant that a competent person should be deputed to inspect the lakes in cer- 

 tain districts and make a report thereon and upon the lands in the vicinity 

 of such lakes. Licenses should not, in the opinion of the undersigned, be 

 issued for lakes containing speckled trout or other game fish, and lakes sur- 

 rounded by agricultural lands should not be depleted of their contents in 

 advance of settlement. But an investigation would probably demonstrate 

 that there are many lakes to which these restrictions Would not apply, and 

 in which licenses might properly be issued and a revenue derived therefrom. 

 But until such an investigation and report are made, it would be better that 

 all licenses should be withheld, except in regard to lakes as to which there 

 can be no question as to what under all the circumstances may properly be 

 done, and where the local needs cannot otherwise conveniently be supplied. 



Fertilizing Lake Trout Eggs. 



In a former report the enormous loss of spawn of the lake trout by the 

 taking of those fish at the spawning period was referred to, and it was recom- 

 mended that steps be taken to prevent a portion at any rate of the serious 

 waste. It was pointed out that the State of Wisconsin had enacted that the 

 fishermen should during the spawning period "take the eggs from the female 

 trout while alive, and the milt from the male trout while alive, and after 

 mixing them together in a pail or pan immediately cast them into the water 

 from whence such fish were taken;" and it was suggested that our fishermen 

 might in their own interests readily adopt this means of assisting in main- 

 taining the fish supDb 7 . The practice has been followed for some years in 

 Wisconsin, and with, it is reported, very satisfactory results. Indeed, it 

 was believed that the planting of eggs in this manner was of more benefit 

 than the close season, and that as large a percentage of them would hatch as 

 in the hatcheries. This is the opinion of one at least of the best fish cultur- 

 ists in the United States. We would commend the matter to the favorable 

 consideration of the Dominion Department, as having sole charge of the 

 work of artificial propagation. The expense of placing a few experienced 

 men upon the tugs of fishermen operating in Lake Superior, where tfce 

 trout spawn nearly if not quite a month before the season closes, would not 

 be oreat, and there is no reason why a plan which has yielded such gratifying 

 results in Wisconsin should not be equally successful here. The fishermen 

 would no doubt be glad to afford every facilitv for carrying on the work. 

 It is also the plan adopted by some of the States for securing ova for their 

 hatcheries, — that is by sending men to accompany the tugs, and it has proved 

 to be a much less costly and troublesome means than that of operating n^ts 

 on their own behalf for the purpose. With only three hatcheries in the 

 Province, everything nossible to be done to supplement their good work 

 «hould of course be done. 



