90 REPORT OF ONTARIO GAME No. 52 



remembered that with the masses, at least, the extent of the catcli wil] 

 always remain the most important factor. 



The Province of Ontario is particularly fortunate in the possession 

 of innumerable rivers, streams and lakes, many of which in the present, 

 and practically all of which in the past, abounded in fish of many varie- 

 ties, a goodly proportion of which were amenable to the allurements of 

 the baited hook. Consequently if properly appreciated and administered 

 the sporting fisheries of Ontario should play a role in the creation of 

 moral and physical prosperity, growing in importance yearly aB cities 

 and towns continue to develop and the population to increase. 



That the ordinary working man will only too gladly avail himself of 

 the opportunity of angling is evidenced by the numbers wlio either 

 singly or with their families engage in this pastime in those localities 

 where even moderately good fishing is to be had, but, as the majority of 

 human beings are prone to be •somewhat impatient of negative results to 

 their efforts, that number very rapidly decreases in proportion as the 

 fishing deteriorates. It Avould seom, then, of particular importance to 

 maintain the sporting fisheries in the neighborhood of cities and towns 

 to the higliest possible level of abundance, and the larger the city the 

 greater will be the importance of so doing, owing to the proportionate 

 difficulty that is coincident with the growth of cities of providing suit- 

 able open-air distractions and amusements for the masses. Hook and 

 line fishing within reasonable limits, and especiall^^ in the case of large 

 water areas, will never impair the fislieries to the degree tliat is effected 

 by means of even a limited amount of nets in the waters, and it would 

 seem, therefore, that no matter where situated, it is extremely inadvis- 

 able to permit any commercial net fishing whatsoever in the immediate 

 vicinity of cities and toA\'ns where any fishes to be caught by hook and 

 line are at present to be found, or have previously been known to exist. 

 Tlie total commercial fishing area of the Province is so great that those 

 engaged in the commercial fishing industry could not claim tliat any in- 

 justice was being done them by prohibiting the use of nets in such waters, 

 and if the policy were adopted of barring all commercial fishing whatso- 

 ever within at least a five mile radius of cities and towns, even to the 

 extent of prohibiting commercial hook and line angling, not only wouhl 

 the fishing interests on the whole be unaffected, but a wise and proper 

 provision would be thereby made for the wholesome and healthy recrea- 

 tion of their inhabitants to-day, and for the needs in this direction of an 

 infinitely greater ])opulation in the future. It is plain also that such a 

 measure would greatly simplify the maintenance of the supply of sport- 

 ing fishes in these areas by artificial means, where such Avas found to be 

 necessary. 



In addition to supplying an incentive for healthy outdoor amuse- 

 ment to the citizens of the Province, the sporting fisheries fill another 

 role of probably equal economic importance, referred to at length in the 

 Interim Report of this rommission, in that they afford a most potent 



