72 REPORT OF ONTARIO GAME No. 52 



the domestic license was devised. It is to be noted, however, that local 

 residents have no more right to the fish in waters near to their homes 

 than has any other citizen of the Province, for the fish belong to the com- 

 munity, so that the dispensation accorded them in the form of a domestic 

 license is a privilege which should not be abused to the detriment of the 

 general population. Unfortunately, however, it would seem that this 

 fact is often unappreciated by the holders of these licenses, and that the 

 license is abused in certain localities, both in the capture of sporting 

 fishes and in trading, or peddling the catch in the surronnding district. 



The value of the sporting fish in the rivers and lakes is so great to 

 the Province that to kill them off by persistent netting is nothing short 

 of an economic crime. If the residents of any locality desire to catch 

 these particular classes of fish, the legal means are open to them as to 

 other citizens of the Province under the limitations imposed by law. It 

 is evident, however, that the placing of nets in localities which are 

 largely inhabited by sporting fishes cannot but result in the capture of 

 some of them, even though the intent of the owner of the net might be 

 only to catch other varieties. Where domestic licenses are deemed to be 

 necessary in such localities, it is difficult to determine a means of 

 remedying this evil, but one solution, at least, is to be found in the edu- 

 cation of the residents in these country districts to the value of the 

 sporting fishes to themselves as a means of attracting to their vicinity 

 the sportsman-tourist who must inevitably enrich them to the extent of 

 the money he is bound to spend in the district. Once the resident's fully 

 appreciated the economic benefitsi of a regular summer tourist traffic, 

 care would assuredly be taken by them to place their nets in such places 

 where the least possible harm would be done to the sporting fish. In any 

 case, if deliberate netting of sporting fish can be proved against the 

 holders of a domestic license, the punishment should plainly be severe. 



In regard to the trading of fish caught under this license, even 

 though they are not sporting fish, it may be argued that citizens living 

 at some little distance from the waters should be equally entitled to share 

 in their products as those who live on the shores or banks. This, how- 

 ever, while correct in theory, does not affect the scope of the license 

 under discussion, which is issued for domestic purposes only, but does 

 not debar the licensees from giving away any surplus fish to their neigh- 

 bors in the vicinity, but, on the contrary, the fact that in certain locali- 

 ties there may be a demand for fish, w^ich as a matter of fact is already 

 the case in several country districts, is merely an indication that there 

 will arise a market for fish throughout the whole Province, if the matter 

 is properly taken in hand, which should and could be satisfied by legiti- 

 mate means. 



The main evil of the domestic license lies in the impossibility of 

 supervision, for however energetic an overseer may be, he conld not per- 

 sonally view the catch at each lifting of the domestic nets, nor even keep 

 close tabs on what is being caught, and thus, not only might sporting 



