1905 DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES. 31 



Overseer Lee, Lowbanks, reports that the early fishing was good, with 

 a falling off later in the season, the storms in the fall damaging the pound 

 nets very badly. From what information can be gathered from fishermen, 

 the sturgeon were not as plentiful as in former years, and those taken were 

 of a smaller size. The prices obtained for all kinds of fish and caviare were 

 high. % 



After supplying for home consumption, the balance, fully 95 per cent., 

 was exported to the United States. 



The laws and regulations, and the several close seasons, were well 

 observed. 



He would advise that permits be granted to men who are reliable, in 

 all inland waters, to catch carp, and that all means possible be used to rid 

 the waters of this coarse and noxious fish, which is reported to be a destruc- 

 tive robber of all kinds of game fish. 



Overseer McCall, Victoria, reports that on the whole the fisherman has 

 had a prosperous season. The take of herring has been large on account 

 of a greater number of tug gill net licenses being issued. There is practi- 

 cally no whitefish taken now in his district, as the tug men only try for them 

 during the months of May and June. There was not the usual quantity of 

 blue pickerel taken in November as in former years. 



The seine fishermen of the Inner Long Point Bay have taken a large 

 quantity of fish, and there is a falling off of all kinds but carp, of which 

 there has been an increase. 



There is each season more and more American tourists visiting the Long 

 Point waters angling for bass. That bass are increasing is admitted by all 

 familiar with the waters, and the regulations in regard to the taking of bass 

 have been observed throughout the year better than he has ever known them 

 to be. And as to the general observance of the fishery laws and regulations, 

 they have also been observed better than in former years. He has only 

 made three confiscations of fish, and one of gill nets at Long Point, the nets 

 being fished for pike in Long Point County marsh. 



Overseer Wigle, Leamington, reports that pound net fishermen are 

 strongly opposed to any kind of gill net fishing except for perch in the 

 spring, and he is strongly opposed to gill net fishing in the fall west of Point 

 Pelee. The water is shallow, and there are so many expert gill net fisher- 

 men that they soon find out the direction the fish are going, and so com- 

 pletely surround them that it is almost impossible for many of them to 

 escape. He saw many herring that were taken last fall, just ready to spawji. 

 He is told that tug licenses were granted last fall on Pelee Island to fish 

 gill nets west of the Point, and to his mind that was a great mistake. Her- 

 ring decreased from 98,192 lbs. in 1904 to 84,973 in 1905; perch increased 

 from 149,105 in 1904 to 177,114 in 1905; whitefish have decreased from 

 69,200 to 49,000; pickerel or dore have increased from 76,900 to 185,973. 

 There is not much difference in other kinds. The pound net fishermen had 

 a lot of damage done their nets in October by heavy winds, which made 

 business dull, but later on did fairly well. 



Nearly all of the fishing outfits are controlled by Americans, and the 

 fish caught in this division go to Detroit and Sandusky, Ohio. 



LAKE ONTARIO. 



Overseer Brickwood, Kingston, reports that there have been very few 

 violations of the fishery laws. The fishermen's reports compare favorably 

 with other years. The bass fishing he finds not so good in the St. Lawrence 

 as in the past, which he attributes to the many campers, bathers, boats, gaso- 



