114 EEPORT OF ONTARIO GAME No. 52 



THE RESTOCKING OF DEPLETED WATERS AND THE INTRO- 

 DUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES OF SPORTING FISHES. 



When waters have become depleted of any given variety of fish and 

 it is desired to restock them with the same, two main considerations at 

 once present themselves; firstly, the •securing of a sufficiency of eggs, 

 fry, fingerlings or parent fish to effect the purpose, and, secondly, that 

 of ascertaining whether for any reason since the depletion occurred the 

 waters have become unsuited to the life of the particular fish. It is 

 apparent, moreover, that even in those waters which have not become 

 depleted, but which are annually the fishing gToundK of many anglers, 

 there is liable to occur a diminution in the quantities of the sporting 

 varieties of fish, especially so in the more restricted areas, so that if it 

 be desired to maintain a goodly supply in them, restocking operations 

 in these ca^es also become a necessity. 



In order to undertake restocking operations, it is necessary to make 

 provision for obtaining; a supply of the varieties of fish which it is 

 desired to utilize. To this end transferring mature fish from one 

 locality to another might be effective under favourable circumstances, 

 but as a general rule it is a matter of considerable difficulty to find 

 localities in which the better class of sporting fishes are so abundant 

 that a number of any one variety could be advantageously or even safely 

 removed from tliem. The modern scientific hatchery, however, affords 

 a means of attaining the dcKired end without materially robbing one 

 area in order to stock or restock another. In another section of this 

 report it has been pointed out that in order to maintain the commercial 

 fisheries to their present yield it is practically indispensable that the 

 Province should embark on considerable hatchery operations. Should 

 this be done, it would obviously very much simplify the maintenance 

 of the sporting fisheries also, for in the commercial hatcheries there 

 would in any case be dealt with such valuable sporting fishes as the 

 lake trout and pickerel, besides many of the coarser fishes which pro- 

 vide sport, and it would plainly be a simple matter to arrange for the 

 distribution of such of these as might be required for sporting purposes. 

 It would, moreover, entail but little additional expense or trouble to 

 handle the eggs of the mascalonge in these commercial hatcheries. It 

 would seem, then, that in so far as the needs of the sporting fisheries 

 are concerned there are but two varieties of fish, indigenous to the 

 Province, for which hatcheries, separate from the general commercial 

 hatcheries, would have to be provided, namely the speckled trout and 

 the black bass. 



There are in existence on this continent no small number of hatch- 

 eries conducted as private enterprises from which the fry, eggs, finger- 

 lings ■ or mature fish of certain sporting varieties, but chiefly of the 

 speckled trout, can be obtained. The main reason for the appearance 

 of the private commercial hatcheries in the States has apparently been. 



