1912 AND FISHERIES COMMISSION. '2'^ 



there the various States concerned in the control of the fisheries appear 

 to vie with each other in the perfection and increase of their plants, 

 despite tUe fact that the Federal Government Ik also largely interested 

 in the same work. 



Nothing that has been said in previous sections has been in the 

 least intended to belittle the importance of these operations, for it is 

 plain that if the fisheries are to continue to withstand the ever-increas- 

 ing drain of a growing demand, too much attention cannot be paid to an 

 undertaking in which seems to lie the greatest possible hope of prevent- 

 ing a further decrease without resort to very drastic legislative meas- 

 ures, and ultimately of effecting such an increase as will be capable of 

 meeting the needs of a steadily increasing population. 



In order to obtain some idea of the value of intensive planting it is 

 necessary to select two areas which are administered under the same 

 regulations, in one of which intensive planting has taken place, and in 

 the other little or none. For this purpose the Canadian waters of Lake- 

 Erie and Lake Superior have been chosen, o-n the former of which the 

 efforts of the Dominion Government fish hatcheries appear largely to 

 have been centred, while in the latter no planting whatever has taken 

 place, in the period selected, with the exception of a few hundred thou- 

 sand fry on one occasion in the vicinity of Port Arthur, a present from 

 the American authorities in return for the courtesy of being allowed to 

 collect spawn from Canadian spawning beds during the close season. 

 It must be noted, however, that in the case of Lake Superior an enor- 

 mous body of deep water intervenes between the north and south shores, 

 which the true whitefish will not cross, while in the case of Lake Erie, 

 since practically the whole body of the lake is suitable for whitefish, 

 there is no such intervening obstacle between the bulk of the Canadian 

 and American fisheries, so that, although intensive planting on the 

 American side has occurred in both lakes, it is only in Lake Erie that 

 it will be likely to have been reflected in the Canadian fisheries, and, 

 indeed, allowance must be made for this fact in considering the great 

 divergence in the results disclosed. 



Average Plants and Catch of Whitefish in the Canadian Waters of Lake Erie. 

 Whitefish Area, 2,100 Square Miles. 



Year. Plant. Pounds caught. 



1892-1896 45.900,000 199,000 " 



1897-1901 60,500,000 354,000 



1902-1906 62,000,000 355,000 



Average Plants and Catch of Whitefish in the Canadian Waters of Lake Superior. 

 Whitefish Area, 3,600 Square Miles. 



Year. Plant. ' Pounds caught. 



1892-1896 1,123,000 



1897-1901 700,000 591,000 



1902-1906 462,000 



