1912 AND FISHERIES COMMISSION. 183 



anglers enter the Province by rail, and board at some hotel or lodging 

 house for at least a portion of their time. A percentage of the |2.00 

 tax is at present paid to the official who collects it and in some districts 

 forms no inconsiderable part of his income. If, however, the govern- 

 ment officials received adequate remuneration, there could be no hard- 

 ship in enlarging the numbers of those entitled to issue the licenses and 

 collect the percentage, and, as the railways, hotels and boarding houses 

 handle the bulk of the traffic, there would seem to be no possible objec- 

 tion to throwing open the issuance of the non-resident anglers licenses 

 to them. In fact, it would appear highly advantageous to do so, for 

 by this means undoubtedly a far higher percentage of visitors would 

 pay the fee than at present, seeing that a far greater number of persons 

 would be directly interested in its collection. Moreover, the railways, 

 and the majority of hotel and boarding house proprietors, are finan- 

 cially trustworthy, and could be relied on to carry on tlie work under 

 whatever system was adopted. 



Gangs of Hooks. 



In the proposed regulations affecting the international fisheries of 

 the great lakes provision is made against the use of artificial baits with 

 more than three hooks, or more than one burr of three hooks, attached 

 thereto. At the present time the variety of artificial baits on the market 

 is very great, and unfortunately there has developed a tendency in cer- 

 tain instances to furnish the lure with a great quantity of hooks or 

 gangs of hooks. Lures thus equipped are plainly most destructive, for 

 if the fish but approaches it is liable to be hooked in some portion of the 

 body and in its struggles other hooks will almost certainly gain a hold. 

 Such methods of angling cannot be deemed sporting, for not only do 

 they almost annihilate the chances of the fish to escape once it has been 

 hooked, but also tend to minimize the play which the fish can afford the 

 angler. More especially is this the case with the smaller sporting fishes, 

 such as the black bass and speckled trout, and even in angling for larger 

 fishes such as the lake trout and mascalonge there can be no necessity 

 for the employment of such deadly engines, for one large hook firmly 

 embedded is, as a general rule, sufficient to land a fish, and in any event 

 one gang of three hooks should be ample to accomplish this end even 

 with fishes of the greatest weight and activity. It would seem, therefore, 

 that throughout the waters of the Province no artificial bait should be 

 permitted to be used which has more than three hooks, or to which is 

 attached more than one gang of three hooks. 



Recommendations. 



Your Commissioner would, therefore, recommend: — 

 (1) That no commercial net fishing, or net fishing of any descrip- 

 tion other than minnow seining for bait purposes, be permitted in the 



