496 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[March 26, 1910. 
and learn of our northern country the stronger 
is the impression 011 my mind of its special 
adaptation for a breathing place for the resi¬ 
dents of the overcrowded cities and towns of 
this continent. The increased facilities for reach¬ 
ing our northern country, with its thousands of 
miles of forests, lakes and rivers resulting from 
railroads recently constructed and under con¬ 
struction, have been taken advantage of by many 
wealthy non-residents who have bought property 
on which to erect their summer houses in locali¬ 
ties unexcelled. When we realize that one of 
the principal attractions to these pleasure seekers 
is the fish and game, it should be the duty of 
all classes of the community to assist the au¬ 
thorities in their efforts to protect and perpetu¬ 
ate this reproductive source of revenue so essen¬ 
tial to transportation companies, hotel keepers, 
guides and settlers. 
I regret that the absurd and unwise regula¬ 
tions that have prevailed in portions of Lake 
Erie for some years are still in effect by which 
fishermen in these favored localities are still 
allowed to violate the laws of nature and com¬ 
mon sense with impunity. Those responsible for 
these unjust and destructive regulations may 
have their own reasons, but a discerning public 
will have no difficulty in concluding that those 
reasons are not in the interest of the general 
public. I fail to realize how any matter of ex¬ 
pediency of whatever magnitude would justify 
the issuing of regulations to fishermen allowing 
them to take wffiitefish from the spawning 
grounds during the entire close season. These 
absurd and unjust regulations make it impossi¬ 
ble for this department to enforce the laws in 
other localities where close seasons are supposed 
to be observed. No matter where whitefish are 
procured during the close season, dealers and 
others affirm they came from the exempted dis¬ 
trict. The other fishermen operating in Lake 
Erie w'aters adjoining the exempted waters, and 
who pay the same fees, complain, and not with¬ 
out ample cause, at being compelled to stop fish¬ 
ing during the month of November, while their 
favored neighbors are allowed to continue fish¬ 
ing and reap a veritable and sinful harvest. 
The first experience of this department in rais¬ 
ing bass fingerlings was tried by means of a 
pond at Brantford with results exceeding our 
most sanguine expectations. At least 25,000 of 
these fingerlings of the small-mouth variety 
were raised and deposited in various waters of 
the Province. During the summer much anxiety 
was felt as to the success of the venture, and 
on more than one occasion it was thought that 
the result would be disastrous, and not until the 
work of transplanting was commenced was it 
known to be a success. With the experience of 
the past year it is not unreasonable to look for 
at least 100.000 in this same pond which has 
been secured for that purpose for another year, 
providing no unforeseen circumstances should 
arise. This will, I hope, lead to the establish¬ 
ing of a series of ponds, which will enable the 
work to be carried on on a much larger scale 
and allow the re-stocking of those waters which 
have been depleted in years gone by by settlers 
who had no regard for the welfare of future 
generations. It will also be the means of re¬ 
stocking inland lakes that were never known to 
have fishing of any importance, but which are 
now becoming settled more and more each year 
by the summer tourists. The State of Michigan 
with its bass ponds at Grand Rapids this year 
deposited over a million and a half of these bass 
fingerlings in the waters of that State, and there 
is no reason why the Province of Ontario should 
not do likewise. 
The sale of angling permits was much in excess 
of last year, giving only another proof of the in¬ 
creased tourist traffic which the Province attracts 
with its numerous resorts for holiday making. Not 
only is a pleasure derived from the summer out¬ 
ing, but the health-giving qualities are of such 
a nature that one experience leads to another. 
The abolishing of the much abused family per¬ 
mit has given general satisfaction, and I am glad 
to say that from the officers’ reports much less 
illegal fishing was done by the summer tourists 
this year than in former years. 
The last few years of patrol service has been 
a decided improvement, but this year was so 
infinitely better that a comparison with former 
years is out of the question. The purchase of the 
Navarch and placing her on the Bay of Quinte, 
Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River and Rideau 
waters has proven to be a wise decision. The 
illegal fishing which was openly carried on in 
some of these aforementioned waters in utter de¬ 
fiance of the local officers met its reward this 
year when thousands of yards of net, boats, 
guns and many illegal contrivances were confis¬ 
cated by the officers of this boat, and in many 
instances the culprits were caught and dealt with 
in a manner that should at least make them 
think that the department intends to carry out 
the laws and regulations a wise Legislature 
decide to enact. The department has received 
many compliments upon the attractive appear¬ 
ance this boat presented wherever she went, and 
it certainly was a decided improvement upon the 
craft which formerly were known as* the Ontario 
Government Patrol Boats. The work that this 
boat began this year will, I trust, be carried on 
next year with as great a success, and there is 
no reason why it should not be even greater, for 
at least she will go into commission six weeks 
earlier which, through unforeseen circumstances, 
she was prevented from doing last year. 
The Naiad, which for the first time last year 
patrolled the waters which the Navarch did this, 
was placed upon the Kawartha Lakes and Lake 
Simcoe with the result that laws and regulations 
were never so well observed. The tourists who 
openly boasted of their large daily catch of fish 
much in excess of what the law allowed were 
this year much more observant of the laws and 
regulations, knowing full well that should the 
officer in charge of this boat apprehend them 
in their illegal work, prompt action would be 
taken to prevent a recurrence. The work 
this boat did on Lake Simcoe in breaking up 
illegal net fishing was alone worth the cost of 
her maintenance. 
The Vega, which was purchased late last summer, 
had not much chance to show what she would 
be able to do in the patrol service. This year 
she was on continual patrol from the 15th of 
May until the 31st of October patrolling waters 
around Manitoulin Island and Georgian Bay as 
far as Penetanguishene. The waters of the inner 
channel of Georgian Bay with the Vega, Char¬ 
lotte and Florence, the two last being gasolene 
launches, never before received such good pro¬ 
tection from the illegal fishermen. These boats 
being so constantly on patrol very few infrac¬ 
tions of the law were observed. 
The Edna Ivan, in charge of Capt. K Dunn, was 
chartered in the same manner as last year and 
went into commission the 1st of May and con¬ 
tinued until the 31st of November. She patrolled 
the waters of all the Great Lakes, visited the 
various fishing stations, settled many disputes 
between fishermen, prevented much illegal fish¬ 
ing by her presence and in fact gave excellent 
satisfaction. 
Another year’s experience of having special 
officers at important shipping points to inspect 
all shipments of fish and to see that none were 
shipped excepting those legally caught has met 
with excellent results. I do not hesitate to say 
that this means has prevented perhaps more than 
in any other manner thousands of tons of fish 
which otherwise would be illegally caught, and 
a great improvement to the fisheries will un¬ 
doubtedly be observed in the course of the next 
few years. 
Some two years ago a letter reached me from 
the Reeve of a village situated on the banks of 
the Grand River to the effect that in his official 
capacity in the interest of the inhabitants he 
had been compelled to have buried tons of putrid 
fish that had been killed by deleterious matter 
from a nearby factory. Many of the fish so 
wantonly destroyed had at the urgent request of 
the residents been recently placed at consider¬ 
able expense in these waters for restocking. For 
many miles below the factory referred to these 
contaminated waters run through a fine grazing 
country. Results from cattle drinking these 
waters and even from eating fish caught in them 
can better be imagined than described. Although 
this department is interested in this matter to 
the extent of being anxious to prevent the un¬ 
necessary and useless destruction of fish, it cer¬ 
tainly appears to me that it is or should be the 
duty of the municipal authorities to do all pos¬ 
sible in future not only to prevent such viola¬ 
tions, but also punish those committing them. 
Tw r o close seasons have been favorable to the 
increase of the ruffed grouse, especially in the 
northern portions of the Province. Of course, 
in the older settled parts of the Province they 
will disappear with the woods. The open sea¬ 
son should be reduced to one month, the same 
as quail, from the first day of November to the 
30th, both inclusive. This would prevent them 
being killed when immature, when whole coveys 
are destroyed. 
Quail were found in average numbers in some 
localities. In the lowlands many small imma¬ 
ture birds were found, in consequence of the 
first nests being destroyed by flooding. I am 
not very sanguine as to the future of quail in 
the Province. Food and shelter, so essential to 
them in winter, is becoming scarcer each suc¬ 
ceeding year. Of course the reduced open sea¬ 
son should have a favorable effect and tend to 
keep up the supply. 
Woodcock are not increasing to the extent de¬ 
sired, although some fair bags were made dur¬ 
ing the season just closed. 
Snipe and plover were found as numerous 
as usual, and in some localities afforded good 
sport. 
Duck shooting early in the season was not 
satisfactory, owing to the unusual fine weather 
prevailing, but later on in the season for some 
days the shooting was all that could be desired 
by those entitled to be known as sportsmen. 
E. Tinsley, Superintendent. 
