FISHERIES OF THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC 183 



The late Mr. E. E. Tache, Deputy-Minister of Crown 

 Lands up to the time of his death in 1912, had the active 

 surveillance of the provincial fish and game branch, under 

 successive Ministers, from the time of its establishment in 

 1883 until it was made a part of the new Department of 

 Colonization, Mines and Fisheries in 1905. 



Mr. Sergius Dufault, the present Deputy-Minister of 

 Colonization, Mines and Fisheries has occupied the position 

 ever since the formation of the Department in the year above 

 mentioned. 



Mr. Mackedie was succeeded as Superintendent of 

 Fisheries by Mr. J. N. Proulx, and he by Mr. Honore Chasse. 

 Mr. Chasse was followed by Mr. L. Z. Joncas, Ex-M.P., who 

 died in 1903 and was replaced by the present Superintendent, 

 Mr. Hector Caron. 



PRESENT MARKET VALUE OF THE FISHERIES 



Rather more than 12,500 men are now employed in the 

 commercial fisheries of the Province, which have a total 

 market value of from $1,500,000 to $2,000,000. In 1911-12 

 the last year for which at present writing there are complete 

 returns, their total value was $1,868,136. They are undoubt- 

 edly capable of much greater development. And in this con- 

 nection, will it be deemed inappropriate to quote a part of the 

 language employed by the late Noel H. Bowen, Esq., of this 

 city, nearly sixty years ago, when in speaking, in the city of 

 Quebec in the course of a lecture on Labrador 1 of the 

 wealth of fish contained in the waters of the Province, he 

 said: "And yet, knowing the riches with which a bountiful 

 Providence has lined our shores, and having this countless 

 treasure within our grasp, will it be believed that not even 

 one vessel sails hence during the year to participate in these 

 fisheries? The ships of other nations flock to the banks like 



i See Transactions of the Quebec Literary and Historical 

 Society, Vol. IV., p. 340. Quebec, 1856, 



