1905 DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES. 25 



the Indians are then laying in a winter supply of fish for dog feed, and, 

 Indian nature like, they place their nets in the most convenient place, 

 which is in shallow water close to the shore and at the mouth of streams, 

 the result being they take an enormous quantity of brook trout. He knows 

 of an instance a few years ago of one Indian aloee having 2,000 brook 

 trout, weighing from two to seven pounds each, in his possession for dog 

 feed. During the summer months, large numbers of these Indians also 

 congregate on the islands at Virgin Falls at the head of the river, which 

 is practically part of the Nepigon River itself, or where it widens out 

 before entering the lake proper, where it is studded with a beautiful group 

 of islands, forming a number of narrow channels between the main shore 

 and islands, the Indians setting their nets across these channels catching 

 everything that passes, including a great many large speckled trout. Virgin 

 Falls was noted for years as the best fishing grounds on the river for 

 both large brook trout and their quantity, but of late very few large 

 fish are to be had there, the cause being attributed to these Indians netting 

 them just above the falls. 



There is no occasion for such destruction of these fish by anyone, Lake 

 Nepigon being so well supplied with other fish of fine quality that thev 

 can get more than sufficient to meet all their requirements by setting their 

 nets away from those favorite places for brook trout, but Indian nature 

 like, these people take that which comes most convenient for the time being, 

 not realizing they are destroying the means of causing large numbers of 

 them being emploved as guides for tourists at very remunerative wages 

 every season. Measures should be adopted to put a stop to this destruction, 

 as there is only one Nepigon, and it would be too bad if it were allowed to 

 be destroyed. 



Each year they have more or less people who are making a trip around 

 the world, etc., stop off here for a few days fishing, who have fished all the 

 known streams of any consequence. These people have repeatedly stated 

 that for fishing, the Nepigon has no equal, and for scenery they had seen 

 nothing that could surpass it, except possibly some points in Switzerland. 

 To properly protect the Nepigon waters, it requires an officer, paid a 

 proper salary and expenses, to enable him to devote his entire time to the 

 duties and to have a few guardians placed at various points thereon. As 

 the territory tributary to the Nepigon waters has been created into a forest 

 reserve, and with the regulations for such reserves providing for a super- 

 intendent to supervise, with fire rangers at his disposal, he would recom- 

 mend that the position of Fishery Overseer be combined with that of 

 Superintendent of the Forest Eeserve and make the fire rangers also fishery 

 guardians. 



He would also recommend that the guides be licensed, making them, 

 by reason of their license, a guardian, and any infraction of the fishery 

 regulations on the part of the guide or his party would be cause for cancell- 

 ing his license. 



The fee for license need only be a nominal sum, say $1.00 per annum, 

 and would have a tendency to prevent any infringement of the regulations 

 by both anglers and guides. Under this arrangement, in time, the guides 

 would become educated to the fact that the preservation of the fish meant 

 remunerative employment for them each season. 



He would also recommend that a bounty be paid for coarse fish caught 

 in the river. The Indians would be glad to fish for them upon this basis 

 and it would be the means of greatly reducing their number. 



With such an arrangement, he has not the least doubt that the Nepi- 

 gon waters can be protected efficiently, preserving to the country the best 



