I 



1912 AND FISHEKIES COMMISSION. 79 



the public the greatest benefit from the occurrence of these fli^heiies in 

 the Province, two means suggest themselves as available, namely to 

 adopt the Russian system of subdividing the available fishery areas into 

 locations and auction the sturgeon fishing privileges in the same at 

 fairly frequent intervals of time, making provision for a limited open 

 season, restrictions as to size, and for the very strict supervision of the 

 fisheries, or else, after the Provincial Fish Agencies should have been 

 established, to enact that all sturgeon captured under the ordinarj^ com- 

 mercial fishing licenses issued by the Province, which could not be 

 returned uninjured to the waters, should be shipped to the nearest gov- 

 ernment fish agency at the expense of the Government, the fisherman 

 being i>a.id a small fixed sum for each fish thus shipped, and to operate 

 the sturgeon fisheries by or under the immediate direction of an efficient 

 staff of overseers, the expenses being born by the government and the 

 products disposed of for the benefit of the public treasury. Under either 

 system the sturgeon fisheries would thus be made to produce a consider- 

 able yearly revenue to the Province, increasing as new waters in which 

 the fish exists are opened up under the development of transportation 

 facilities, but the latter would have the great additional advantage that 

 under it a sufficiency of eggs should always be obtainable for hatcher^' 

 purposes, which in view of the depleted condition of the bulk of the 

 Provincial waters is no slight consideration. Under this system, the 

 sturgeon would become for all practical purposes a perquisite of the 

 Crown, but it Avould be necessary to make allowance for the necessities 

 of the Indians wlio in certain localities are largely dependent on the 

 flesh of this fish for their supply of food. In doing so, however, it sliould 

 be made a specific and punishable offence for an Indian to trade or 

 barter with this fish outside the limits of an Indian reservation. 

 Your Commissioner would, therefore, recommend: 



(1) That the sturgeon be declared a perquisite of the Crown, and 

 that commercial fishing for the sturgeon be prosecuted, in such waters 

 as may be deemed desirable, by or under the immediate direction of Gov- 

 ernment officials, the expenses being born by the Government, and the 

 fish sold for the benefit of the public Treasury. 



(2) That where under the ordinary commercial fishing license a 

 sturgeon is inadvertently captured, and cannot be returned uninjured 

 to the watei-s, it be required of the licensee to ship forth witli to the 

 nearest government fish agency at the expense of the government. 



(3) That illegal trading in sturgeon be punished by a fine of |100 

 for the first offence on each of the parties concerned, and for the second 

 offence by a fine of |200 on each of the parties concerned, together with 



he cancellation of tJie licenses, if any, under which either or both parties 

 are conducting their business. 



(4) That in certain localities where the sturgeon isi one of the prin- 

 cipal foods of the Indians, the above provisions be relaxed so as to allow 

 of the Indian taking this fish for their own use in the vicinity of their 



7 F.C. 



