8 REPOKT OF ONTARIO GAME No. 52 



Canadian Waters of Lake Superior, 1892-1906. 



Average yearly catch of whiteflsh : 



1892-1896 1 , 123,000 



1897-1901 591 . 000 



1902-1906 462,000 



Canadian Waters of North Channel and Lake Huron, exclusive of 

 Georgian Bay. 1892-1906. 



Average yearly catch of whiteflsh : 



1892-1896 1,657,000 



1896-1901 940,000 



1902-1906 1 , 051 , 000 



Georgian Bay, 1892-1906. 



Average yearly catch of whiteflsh : 



1892-1896 1,535,000 



1897-1901 450,000 



1902-1906 423,000 



Canadian Waters of Lake Ontario, 1892-1906. 



Average yearly catch of whiteflsh : 



1892-1896 291,000 



1897-1901 245,000 



1902-1906 238,000 



In dealing with fishing statistics it is always possible to gainsay the 

 conclusions arrived at from the comparison of any two particular years, 

 and in fact such comparison affords but a slender foundation on which 

 to base a sound argument owing to the fact that weather conditions and 

 other possible contingencies may greatly ait'ect the success of the fisher- 

 men in individual years. Indeed, on more than one occasion interested 

 parties have availed themselves of the opportunities afforded by such 

 comparison, wdien localized and restricted to two years, to proclaim 

 through the public press that the commercial fisheries of the Province 

 were still in a flourishing condition. A period of fifteen years, however, 

 eliminates to a great extent this element of chance, and the averaging 

 of the catches in periods of five years enables a clear idea to be formed 

 of the extent of the loss or gain. It may, in fact, safely be said that out- 

 side of a few interested individuals whose desire for quick profit out- 

 weighs their appreciation of truthfulness, no one with any knowledge of 

 the condition of the Canadian Great Lake fisheries to-day will deny that 

 a steady decrease is occurring wdiich must, unless something is soon done 

 to prevent it, result in the complete exhaustion of the fisheries. The 

 following short paragraph from a Sault Ste. Marie journal of November 

 25th, 1910, well illustrates this fact : 



" Lake Superior a Fishless Sea." 



A despatch from Fort William says : " The catch of trout and white- 

 fish in Lake Superior has never been so light as in the season now^ clos- 



