RESEARCH BRANCH 



The responsibilities of the Research Branch may be re- stated as being 

 related to the following quotation from the "White Paper" of 1954; 



(1) To assess the research needs of the Department. 



(2) To secure co-operation with existing research agencies competent 

 to meet departmental requirements. 



(3) To develop departmental research services in those fields where 

 co-operation cannot be secured. 



A summary of the work undertaken by the Research Branch during 1960-61 

 is set out below: 



The WILDLIFE Section was partially reorganized in 1960 due to the resig- 

 nations of three staff members. The vacancies will be filled in 1961 and will have 

 the effect of putting greater emphasis on farm game, animal diseases, caribou and 

 moose. A five-year experimental beaver trapping program in a 45 square mile re- 

 search area in Algonquin Park was concluded, and indicated that under the favour- 

 able conditions for beaver in southern and central Ontario trapping pressures 

 should have little effect on populations. After several years of study on success 

 of deer hunters it is becoming increasingly evident that adverse weather conditions 

 and the maturing of forests are much more important factors in the decline of deer 

 herds than are hunting pressures and predation. Research to develop realistic 

 wolf and coyote management techniques has led to experimental poisoning programs 

 in parts of central and northern Ontario as a control measure. Statistics show 

 that in 35 years the bounty system has produced no clear cut decline in the 

 numbers of wolves or coyotes. 



In FISHERIES research no major changes were made in the great lakes 

 research program or facilities during the year. In the sport fisheries field, 

 however, two new research units were established to work on speckled trout and 



