Conservation
ish, Birds and Game
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Commission of Conservation
Canada
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^r^LICATE
Commission of Conservation
Constituted under " The Conservation Act," 8-9 Edward VII, Chap. Z7, 1909, and
amending Acts, 9-10 Edward VII, Chap. 4-2, 1910, and S-i George V,
Chap. 12, 191$.
Chairman:
Sir Clifford Sifton, K.C.M.G.
Members :
Hon. Aubin E. Arsenault, Sutnmerside, P.E.I.
Dr. Howard Murray, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S.
Dr. Cecil C. Jones, Chancellor, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton,
N.B.
Mr. William B. Snowball, Chatham, N.B.
Hon. Henri S. B^land, M.D., M.P., St. Joseph-de-Beauce, Que.
Dr. Frank D. Adams, IJeaa, Faculty of Applied Science, McGill University,
Montreal, Que.
Mgr. Charles P. Choquette, St. Hyacinthe, Que., Professor, Seminary of
St. Hyacinthe and Member of Faculty, Laval University
Mr. Edward Gohier, St. Laurent, Que.
Dr. James W. Robertson, C.M.G., Ottawa, Ont.
Hon. Senator William Cameron Edwards, Ottawa, Ont.
Mr. Charles A. McCool, Pembroke, Ont.
Sir Edmund B. Osler, M.P., Toronto, Ont.
Mr. John F. McKay, Business Manager, "The Globe," Toronto, Ont.
Dr. Bernrard E. Fernow, Dean, Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto,
Toronto. Ont.
Dr. George Bryce, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.
Dr. William J. Rutherford, Member of Faculty, University of Saskatche-
wan, Saskatoon, Sask.
Db. Henry M. Tory, President, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.
Mr. John Hendry, Vancouver, B.C.
Members, ex-officio:
Hon. Martin Burrell, Minister of Agriculture, Ottawa
Hon. William J. Roche, Minister of the Interior, Ottawa
Hon. p. E. Blondin, Minister of Mines, Ottawa
Hon. John A. Mathieson, K.C, Premier, President and Attorney-General,
Prince Edward Island
Hon. Orlando T. Daniels, Attorney-General, Nova Scotia
Hon. George J. Clarke, Premier and Minister of Lands and Mines, New
Brunswick
Hon. Jules Allard, Minister of Lands and Forests, Quebec
Hon. G. H. Ferguson, Minister of Lands, Forests and Mines, Ontario
Hon. a. B. Hudson, Attorney-General, Manitoba
Hon. George W. Brown, Regina, Saskatchewan.
Hon. Arthur L. Sifton, Premier, Minister of Railways and Telephones,
Alberta
Hon. William R. Ross, Minister of Lands, British Columbia
Deputy Head and Assistant to Chairman
Mr. James White
Commission of Conservation
Canada
COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES. GAME AND
FUR-BEARING ANIMALS
Conservation
OF
Fish, Birds and Game
Proceedings at a Meeting
of the
Committee, November I and 2, 1915
19U
THE METHODIST BOOK AND PUBLISHING HOUSE
TORONTO
Committee on Fisheries, Game and
Fur-Bearing Animals
Chairman :
Dr. Cecil C. Jones
Members :
Hon. a. e. Arsenault
Hon. Geo. J. Clarke
Hon. 0 T. Daniels
Hon. G. H. Ferguson
Hon. a. b. Hudson
Hon. J. a. Mathieson
Dr. Howard Murray
Dr. J. W. Robertson
Hon. W. K. Boss
Ottawa, Canada,
March 1, 1916
iJiR:
I beg to submit herewith a report of the proceedings of the Com-
mittee on Fisheries, Game and Fur-bearing Animals, at their meeting
on November 1 and 2, 1915.
For convenience, the various addresses are not here presented
in the order in which they were delivered, but have been rearranged
according to subject. The whole compilation is now issued under the
title of " Conservation of Fish, Birds, and Game."
Respectfully submitted,
JAMES WHITE,
Deputy Head and Assistant to Chairman
.<^iR Clifford Sifton, K.C.M.G.,
Chairman, ^
Commission of Conservation,
Ottawa
To Field-Marshal, His Royal Highness Prince Arthur William
Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught and of Strathearn.
K.G., K.T., K.P., ETC., ETC., Governor General of Canada
May it Please Your Royal Highness:
The undersigned has the honour to lay before Your Royal High-
ness the attached report on " Conservation of Fish, Birds and Game,"
which is a compilation of addresses delivered at a meeting of the Com-
mittee on Fisheries, Game and Fur-bearing Animals, of the Commis-
sion of Conservation, on November 1 and 2, 1915.
Respectfully submitted,
CLIFFORD SIFTON,
Chairman,
Commission of Conservation
Ottawa, March 2, 1916
CONTENTS
PAG«
Introduction — Chairman's Address 1
Dr. C. C. Jones
Brief Remarks on the Work and Aims of the Commission of Conservation.. 8
Sir Clifford Sifton
Practical Problems in the Fish Business 10
D. J. Byrne
Technical Education in Relation to Fishermen's Occupations 28
Dr. Jas. IV. Robertson
The Herring Fishery of Canada 37
Prof. E. B. Prince
Unutilized Fisheries Resources of Canada 47
Prof. E. E. Prince
Government Inspection and Branding of Fish 65
/. /. Covjie
Oyster Culture in Prince Edward Island 71
Hon. A. E. Arsenault
Conservation of Canada's Inland Fisheries 81
/. B. Feilding
Prohibition of the Sale of Game 93
Frederick K. Vreeland
The Big Game of the Canadian Rockies lOO* i
W. N. Millar
Game Preservation in Dominion Parks 125
P. H. H. Williamson
Conservation of Birds and Mammals 141
Dr. C. Gordon Hrwilt
Bird Protection in Canada 152
W. E. Saunders
Silver Fox Raising in Captivity 161
Hon. A. E. Arsenault
Resolutions 164
•
CONTEi^TS— Continued
Appendices
PAGE
I. Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association Act 165
II. By-laws of the Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association of Prince
Edward Island 171
III. The Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association of Prince Edward
Island — Standard Bred Register, Rules of Entry 173
IV. Notes on the Leith Nautical School, Edinburgh, and the Tech-
nical School for Fishermen, Grimsby 179
V. The Fish Inspection Act (1914) and Regulations made Thereunder 181
VI. Synopsis of the Report on the Otter Trawl Fishery, Submitted to
Congress by the United States Commissioner of Fisheries 195
Tndeif 201
ILLUSTRATIONS
CAGJE
A Large Hump-back Whale, 82 ft. Long Frontispiece
Lower Jaw and Mouth Cavity of Fin-back Whale 6
Fleet of Herring Boats, New Brunswick 6
Fish Hatchery in Marine Laboratory, Bay of Nigg, near Aberdeen, Scotland 31
Net-making and Net-mending Room, Fisher Lads' Institute, Grimsby, Eng-
land 31
Tunny or Horse-mackerel SO
Sword-fish, 400 lbs. Weight 50
Diagram of Dog-iish Reduction Plant 54
StafJ of Scottish Herring Girls Packing Herring 66
Trout from Tusket, N.S 86
Cleaning Sea-mosses or Zoophytes for Market 86
Two Stoney Indians with Eleven Heads of Big-horn Sheep 94
Ducks Illegally Netted in Lake Ontario 98
Head of Big-horn Sheep 102
Head of Moose 102
Head of Elk 106
Head of Caribou 106
Group of Stoney Indians with Heads of Big-horn Sheep 114
Stoney Indian Encampment 114
Buffaloes in Buffalo Park, near Wainwright, Alta 118
Elk in Buffak> Park 118
Big-horn Sheep in Rocky Mountains Park, close to Banff 126
Group of Big-horn Sheep, near Banff, Alta 126
Reindeer at Athabaska Landing, in Transit to Fort Smith 135
Jamieson Lake, in Buffalo Park 135
Big-horn Sheep at Vermilion Lakes, Alta 146
Deer in Rocky Mountains Park 146
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3
COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Proceedings of the
Committee on Fisheries, Game and
Fur-bearing Animals
A MEETING of the Committee on Fish, Game and Fur-bearing
Animals of the Commission of Conservation was held in the
Board Room, Temple Building, Ottawa, on November 1 and 2, 1915.
The following members of the Commission were in attendance :
Sir Clifford Sifton, Chairman of the Commission
Dr. C. C. Jones, Chairman of the Committee on Fish, Game and
Fur-bearing Animals
Hon. A. E. Arsenault, Summerside, P.E.I.
Hon. O. T. Daniels, Attorney-General, Nova Scotia
Mr. A. A. Lefurgey, representing Hon. J. A. Mathieson, Premier,
Prince Edward Island
Dr. Howard Murray, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S.
Dr. J. W. Robertson, C.M.G., Ottawa, Ont.
Dr. C. C. Jones, Chairman of the Committee, presided. In opening
the meeting, he said :
Gentlemen : The first item on the programme is the Chairman's
address. My purpose will be mainly and almost altogether to connect
up the work of this meeting with the work of the meeting of 1912
and with the general work of the Committee before that meeting and
from that until the present time.
Special The Committee on Fisheries is perhaps slightly differ-
Fisheries** ^"^ from the other Committees owing to the fact that
Committee we have very few members other than ex officio
Needed members of the Commission, who very seldom attend
the Annual Meeting, and, for that reason, it has been rather difficult
2 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
to have a meeting of the Committee during the Annual Meeting of the
Commission. It was very difficult at the first Annual Meeting, at which
the Committee was appointed in its present form, to have a meeting of
the Committee, and it was largely for that reason that we had the
meeting in the summer of 1912. Since then, we have had Committee
meetings in connection with the Annual Meeting but they have proved
unsatisfactory and we have felt that we were not accomplishing as
much as we desired. So it seemed best to have again a special meeting
of the Committee on Fisheries, Game and Fur-bearing Animals and
this meeting has been called that we might gather information regard-
ing the subjects with which we have to deal and perhaps do more to
advance the interests of the Committee than we could at the time of
the Annual Meeting. The Assistant to the Chairman of the Commission
and his staff have prepared a splendid programme and doubtless we
shall find that the meeting will be of great interest and also of great
value.
Progress T^g fi^st subject to engage the attention of our Corn-
Fisheries mittee and a subject which was considered at the 1912
meeting, was that of a possible arrangement between
the Provincial Governments and the Dominion Government with
respect to the oyster fisheries, with the idea of leasing areas that
private companies might carry on oyster cultivation. Shortly after the
Committee was formed an understanding was reached between the
Federal Department of Fisheries and the Government of Prince
Edward Island whereby leases were made of bottoms where oyster
farming was carried on in the Island. Later, that arrangement was
extended to the other Maritime provinces. Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick, with the exception of certain specified sections of the latter.
Thus, since that time, a good deal has been done in the way of the
formation of companies to carry on oyster farming along the shores
of the gulf of St. Lawrence, Northumberland strait and various other
sections of the Maritime provinces. During the Meeting of the Com-
mittee in 1912, we had with us Dr. Stafford, who had been employed
for some time by the Biological Board in connection with the work
carried on by them. His paper proved very interesting to those of us
who were present. Plis address was somewhat technical, as he is a
biologist and not definitely associated with the practical work of oyster
culture. However, his chief idea seemed to us to be capable of prac-
tical application. He had ascertained and followed the life of the
oyster from the egg through the larval stage until it was deposited as
CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS i
spat, and he claimed it was quite possible for a fairly intelligent man,
a man who would be interested in oyster culture, to determine quite
definitely the time at which the spat would be deposited and therefore
the proper time for putting out cultch to which the spat would become
attached and, in time, develop into the mature oyster.
In connection with that work, he was asked to prepare a somewhat
more lengthy statement and that statement was issued by the Commis-
sion as a report entitled The Canadian Oyster. That work, how-
ever, was also rather technical and perhaps not quite so much in a
practical way came from the paper of Dr. Stafford as we hoped for.
At that meeting this resolution was carried:
" Resolved that the Dominion Department of Marine and Fisheries
be urged to carry on demonstration and research work looking toward;
improved methods of oyster culture, especially with reference to the
proper time of putting out cultch in order to procure the necessary
supply of spat, and also to carry on further demonstration work in
connection with the formation of oyster beds in grounds not now
productive of oysters and to assist in the introduction of improved
methods in live oyster beds."
As I suggested, very little has been done with respect to the first
part of that resolution, the ascertaining of the proper time of putting
out cultch, and the further extension of Dr. Stafford's paper with the
idea of its practical application. The latter part of the resolution, the
demonstrations in connection with the formation of oyster beds in
grounds not now productive of oysters, has perhaps come somewhat
under the domain of the work carried on by Capt. Kemp, who is an
employee of the Federal Dept. of Fisheries, and it might be suggested
that more work along this line be done through the special activities
in connection with the Dept. of Fisheries. The matter of further
resolutions in this connection or further consideration of the subject
of oyster culture might naturally come before this Committee when
the time for resolutions is at hand.
A second topic discussed during the meeting in 1912
Trawling was the matter of the employment of steam trawlers
in connection with the fisheries on the Atlantic coast.
It was suggested that it would be advisable to limit the field of opera-
tion of these trawlers and that they should be prohibited from inter-
fering with the work of the shore fisheries. It was felt that the
contention of the fishermen, with respect to the injuries by steam
trawlers, was not altogether borne out, and that their opposition was
largely due to the fact that steam trawling interfered with their occu-
pation rather than to any damage to the fisheries themselves. Although
1, COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
no resolution was passed, it was deemed advisable that the operation
of the steam trawlers should be restricted to a certain extent. The
whole subject was, however, in a chaotic condition and it was not
thought advisable to take any definite action in connection with it.
Since then, the Canadian government has taken action and limited the
field of operation of steam trawlers to twelve miles off shore. There
was also a very important investigation being carried on by the Bureau
of Fisheries at Washington. That investigation has been completed
and the results have been published. The United States authorities
suggest that international action be taken to limit the field of operation
of steam trawlers along the Atlantic coast. Thus, our chief purpose
in connection with the discussion at the meeting of three years ago
has already been carried out; the field has been restricted and the
United States report has been published. It might be well to con-
sider whether we should urge that international action be taken ;
although I presume that such action will be considered apart from
anything we might profKJse in that connection.
w>^*'fi^»f^ Among other subjects discussed at the meeting of 1912
Piy was a paper on the whitefish industry, by Mr. M: J.
Patton, at that time Assistant Secretary of the Com-
mission. In that connection this resolution was moved- — I wish to read
these resolutions in order to connect the work of this meeting with the
work of the former meeting:
" Resolved that this Committee, while recognizing and appreciating
the value of what has already been undertaken by the Department of
Marine and Fisheries, urge upon the Dominion Government the neces-
sity of planting, at the earliest practicable time, whitefish fry in lake
Superior and in lake Huron and Georgian bay in sufficiently large
quantities to prevent the depletion of those waters."
A considerable addition has been made, I understand, to the opera-
tions of the Dept. of Fisheries in connection with the planting of
whitefish fry. I asked Mr. A. Donnell, of the staflf, to ascertain just
what had been done in this respect. We have ascertained that the total
number of fry deposited in the Great Lakes region in 1912, the year
in which our Committee met previously, was 64,000,000. In 1913, the
number had been increased to 137,000,000, of which 20,000,000 had
been deposited in lake Superior. We felt at the time that the planting of
fry in lake Superior was essential to the proper development of the
whitefish industry in the Great lakes. In 1914, the number had
been further increased to 175,500,000, of which 26,500,000 had been
deposited in lake Superior, and, in 1915, the number was still further
increased to 281,600,000, with 28,000,000 deposited in lake Superior,
CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS 5
54,000,000 in lake Huron and 40,000,000 in Georgian bay. Thus, the
procedure suggested in that resolution, and advocated also in the paper
of Mr. Patton, has been carried out very largely and possibly no further
action is necessary along that line.
Also in connection with Mr. Patton's paper this resolution was
moved :
" Resolved that the Department be requested to publish each year
in its Annual Report a statement, in readily available tabular form, of
the number of fry of various kinds of fish deposited by it in each
stream and body of water where such are planted in Canada."
This has also been carried out. In their Annual Report the Depart-
ment is now publishing just the information asked for in connection
with that resolution, so that our recommendation has been fully met.
Fisheries The only other resolution passed at the Meeting was
Expert . . • ^ ^
Required this :
" Resolved that this Committee considers it necessary that an expert
official be appointed to the staff of the Commission of Conservation to
carry on investigations and report upon all matters respecting fisheries,
game and fur-bearing animals."
It is not necessary to say very much regarding that except that
means were taken to appoint an expert in 1914. Mr. White went
to England with authority to engage such an expert as was called
for by that resolution, but the outbreak of the war in August and the
subsequent financial stringency led us to decide that the appointment of
an expert in connection with the Committee should be postponed for
the present. We hope that such an official may be appointed when the
war is over and the financial stringency has been somewhat relieved.
Other Other matters considered during the Committee Meet-
Questions ^^S of 1914 were in connection with lobsters and shad
fisheries, and especially a paper by Dr. Murray advo-
cating proper means of curing, packing, grading and branding fish.
In connection with the latter subject, an Act has been passed
by the Dominion Government, The Fish Inspection Act, which,
to some extent, covers the ground. I am advised that there
have been many difficulties in connection with the working out of the
Act which, however, are being gradually relieved, so that we may
assume that good work is being done along this line and that further
effective work will be done. In time, therefore, we expect to have a
workable Inspection Act in connection with our Federal Dept. of
Fisheries.
i^
6 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Consideration ^^ °"'' ^^^^ Meeting, which I have covered in these
of Game brief statements, our time was almost entirely given to
the consideration of the fisheries. We are, however,
a Committee on Fisheries, Game and Fur-bearing Animals, and it has
been thought advisable at this meeting to devote a considerable portion
of our time to the discussion of problems in connection with game in
Canada. With that end in view, several gentlemen have been asked
to read papers in connection with the various problems dealing with
rgame laws and the preservation of game in the Dominion of Canada.
We have all felt, I am sure, that it is rather pathetic that in a country
so new as Canada there should be so little wild life, that wild life in
Canada, especially bird life, should compare so unfavourably with
that of countries in Europe in the same geographical situation but
which have been settled for thousands of years. Wild life is there
far more abundant than it is in Canada even at the present time. With
the example of the United States before us — a bad example, especially
during their early' history, and in the western states — the preservation
of game and the proper administration of game laws in this Dominion
would seem to be one of the very important things to which this
I Committee might devote its attention. Of course the administration
I of the game laws is in the hands of the provincial authorities but we
j are in a position to advise them and to ask them to consider various
I matters looking towards the protection of game, just as we have been
Unaccustomed to do in connection with the Federal Administration. We
have all looked with a good deal of interest at the work that is being
done at present in the United States towards retrieving the bad man-
agement of their early history and the effort now being made towards
restoring their game and administering their game laws properly. We
are now looking to the men there to advise us as to methods of best
carrying forward the work of preserving our game in Canada and of
administering our laws properly here.
One subject that I think we ought to consider in connection with
the proper preservation of game is the possibili<-y of ehminating the
market hunter and the marketing of game. More injury is done to
game by the market hunter being allowed to destroy game in wholesale
quantities and sell the result of his work, than by any other possible
means and, if some method can be devised of restricting his opera-
tions, it would certainly be the most effective way of preserving our
game in Canada.
Another point is the setting apart of preserves for game, as has
been largely done in connection with our forests. But still greater
OMMISSIONOF CONSERVATJO^
Lower Jaw and Mouth Cavity of Fin-back Whale
Commission of Conservation
Fleet of Herring Boats, New Brunswick
CHAIRMAN'S ADDRESS 7
efforts could be made along the line of increasing our game preserves
and administering the preserves properly.
Treaty re Another matter which is coming before the attention
Birds °^ ^^^ Committee is the proposed Treaty concerning
migratory birds, the International Treaty which is
proposed to be put into effect by joint action of the United States and
Canada in order to restrict the slaughter of the migratory birds,
especially in their northern haunts during the summer season. If this
Committee can further the ends of that proposed Treaty we should,
without any question, do it. It seems to me a most important matter.
In connection with the work of preserving our game in Canada, a
great many organizations have been formed in the past year or two
and it might be possible for the Commission of Conservation to be to
some extent a clearing house for the activities of these different
organizations, that we might sum up the work that is being done,
present it in a tangible form to the proper authorities, and also
investigate what is being done in the various provinces.
„ The third subject, with which this Committee deals, is
Fur
Farming that of fur-bearing animals. This work is important,
and we have done something along that line. At the
Meeting of the Committee in 1912, a Resolution was passed appointing
Mr. J. Walter Jones to acquire information regarding the possibilities
of fur farming in Canada. His results were published in a report
which met with very great demand and which ran into a second edition.
The matter principally dealt with was, of course, fox farming, with
Prince Edward Island and the Maritime provinces generally, as the
centre of the industry. The results of the work have been spoiled, to
a certain extent, by the wild speculation that took place a few years
ago in connection with the numerous joint stock companies, but it is
rather fortunate that that speculation has been stopped as quickly as
it has and there is little doubt that eventually there will be an important
industry on a definite business basis in connection with fur farming
in Canada.
I thought it best to review the work of the Committee of 1912
and to gather up the ends of the work covered by that meeting as a
preliminary for the work of this meeting.
Brief Remarks on the W^ork and Aims of the
Commission of Conservation
BY
Sir Clifford Sifton
Chairman of the Commission
GENTLEMEN : I regret that, as my time is pretty well occupied,
I am not able to give myself the pleasure of being present at
your sessions. I must depend for accurate information on reading
the report of the addresses afterwards and I shall give myself that
pleasure when the papers are reported in the Proceedings of the
Committee. I called mainly in order to congratulate you upon your
success in bringing about this meeting.
Importance Dr. Jones will remember that, when I suggested that
of Committees ^^ take the chairmanship of this Committee, he was
over-modest in his estimate of his capacity satisfac-
torily to fill the position, and I can assure you, gentlemen, that I had
to exercise some pressure upon Dr. Jones in order to induce him to
accept this responsible position. I expressed the idea to him then, as
I have expressed it to the members of the Commission once or twice
since the work of this Commission started, that there was a good deal
of danger that it might degenerate into a one-man-power affair. That
is to say that, on account of the fact that I was the only resident
executive officer, there was a great danger that it might degenerate
into an organization which would be directed altogether by myself
and that, as a result, the activities would be very greatly limited because
one man's power is very limited, no matter how good his will may be.
To the best of my ability I have tried to avoid that by asking the
Chairmen of Committees to exercise their functions as far as possible
independently of me ; that is to say, to follow their own lines of policy
and to develop their own work. I am satisfied that only in that way
could we have achieved as satisfactory results as we have in the course
of our work in the last four or five years. We can look back now
and see where we have accomplished very great and satisfactory
reforms in connection with the affairs of Canada. In this particular
branch of the fisheries, there have already been some substantial
WORK AND AI MS OF THE COMMI SSION 9
results of our activities and I am quite sure there will be much more
substantial results in the future, as the result of the discussions which
are taking place from time to time under the direction and by the
experts of this Committee.
„ .. . One of the departments of public work which it
Cooperation , „ . ^ , , ^
Necessary struck me some years ago was suiiermg from lack of
cooperation was that of the fisheries. The Dominion
Department of Fisheries, with which our friend Prof. Prince has
been identified for many years, was doing its best but, in many cases,
conflicts of jurisdiction and legal difficulties of one kind and another
arose. Of course, when anything of that kind arises, the officials find
their hands tied and, without assistance from the outside, it is
impossible for them to make progress. The discussions which have
taken place here have to some extent assisted in removing some of
these misconceptions, misunderstandings and legal difficulties and I
understand that we shall see still further progress in that direction.
The main principle in our action, in all the branches of our work,
has been to get the people together who know most about the subject
and to remove as far as possible, by personal contact and discussion,
the misunderstandings and difficulties which prevented progress and,
as a result, to bring about coordinated action along certain lines which
is likely to produce practical results. We have been pretty successful
in that respect in some particular departments, notably in connection
with the question of fire protection in our forests. In this respect we
have achieved a work which it is almost impossible to believe has been
accomplished in four or five years. In other branches of our work,
such as that of the Committee on Lands and the Committee on Minerals
and others, there has been very substantial, practical and useful work
and this work in nearly every case, in fact I might say in every case,
is due to the intelligent direction of the work by the Chairman in
charge of the Committee.
And now, Mr. Chairman, it has been one of the characteristics of
our meetings that we have not wasted much time in discussion of
general principles and I am not going to violate the rule by continuing
the discussion on these lines now. I congratulate you and the mem-
bers of the Committee very heartily upon the holding of the meeting
and the work you have done in connection with it.
Practical Problems in the Fish Business
BY
D. J. Byrne
President, Canadian Fisheries Association
MR. CHAIRMAN and Gentlemen: When requested by your
Committee recently to deliver a short address on the practical
problems connected with the sale and distribution of fish, it occurred
to me that you had indeed given me a wide latitude ; the practical prob-
lems are so many and so varied that they might well be a task beyond
my ability.
The difficulties, connected with the production and distribution of
perishable fish products, include the quick and proper handling at
points of production as well as the transportation to inland centres and
the distribution therefrom, through regular sources, to the consumer.
Improved Methods of Fishing
OldM th d ^" recent years much progress has been made in im-
of Trawling proving the methods of taking the fish, especially in
deep sea fishing for what are known as ground fish,
including cod, haddock, flounders, witches, hake, pollock, etc., by the
introduction of steam trawlers, several of which have been operated
during the past few years off the coast of Nova Scotia. Formerly the
catch was almost entirely secured by fishing vessels operating dories,
from which trawls were set, each trawl carrying from 1,000 to 1,500
baited hooks, ganged to the main line at intervals of from 3 to 6 feet.
Frequent Tp,g frequent scarcity of bait and the difficulty exper-
ofBait ienced in securing same, very often caused the com-
plete cessation of fishing and at such times the fleet,
numbering from 50 to 100 vessels, might be held in port for weeks, due
to lack of bait. This trouble was partly overcome by the establish-
ment of bait freezers, subsidized by the Government, where bait could
be frozen and carried to provide a supply during any temporary
scarcity, but this difficulty has not been entirely overcome and will
exist at certain seasons of the year.
PROBLEMS IN THE FISH BUSINESS 11
^ , Another source of annoyance and loss to the fishermen
Prevalence
of Dog-fish is the prevalence of the dog-fish, which appears at
certain periods of the year in large schools and, while
this pest lasts — at times from two to six weeks, the length of time
varying in diflferent localities — the fishermen will not set their trawls
for cod, haddock, or other food fishes, because the dog-fish destroys
any other species on the trawls and, when taken, also damages the
trawls to such an extent that they become practically a total loss.
The establishment in recent years of reduction plants at principal
points has made it possible for fishermen to use special trawls for
taking dog-fish, which are sold to the reduction plants and by them
converted into fertilizer. This has helped, to a large extent, to remove
one of the greatest terrors of the deep sea fishermen, but the trouble
still exists and at times is the cause of heavy losses to the fishermen,
through the loss of their gear.
Prevalence of dog-fish also affects fishing from shore-boats, which,
as the term implies, operate in bays and inlets near the home port.
Dog-fish always run in large schools and they not only chase all other
kinds of edible fish, but destroy nets, trawls and other gear used by
fishermen when plying their hazardous trade.
Frequent storms and gales prevailing along the coast
from Storms ^^^ ^^U often a source of loss, since the fishing fleet
is compelled to remain in port until these storms sub-
side, because it is not only dangerous, but practically impossible, to do
any dory fishing while they last. This refers to the method of fishing
with vessels, carrying from 6 to 12 dories, each dory manned by two
fishermen, who bait and set the trawls from these frail craft, lifting
the lines to remove the fish and rebaiting at intervals of from three to
six hours, according to the locality and the prevalence of fish on the
banks where they operate.
After lifting the trawls, the dories return to the vessel with their
catch, which is then gutted to remove the entrails and packed in ice
or salt, which will keep it in good condition until the vessel returns
to port.
Introduction With the introduction of steam trawlers, using the
Trawi^ otter trawl, a bag-like contrivance made of strong
rope and weighted to keep it near the bottom, many
of the above disadvantages have been avoided. The otter trawl is
dragged at a considerable distance behind the vessel, which steams at
slow speed and is stopped from time to time in order to lift the trawl
12 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
and remove the fish to the deck of the vessel. This method obviates the
necessity of using bait and also permits fishing to be carried on during
stormy or rough weather, so that the supply is more regular, although
the cost of these steam trawlers, as well as the expense of operating
them, is necessarily much higher than the apparatus required by the
older method.
^ . . A large and profitable trade has been carried on for
Codfish nearly two hundred years in our Canadian codfish,
which, for foreign markets, is cured by salting and
drying. These fish find a ready sale, not only in the various Mediter-
ranean ports, but also in the West Indies, Brazil and other South
American countries. Large quantities of codfish, haddock, hake and
pollock are also salted and partly dried for the requirements of the
United States markets ; while on the Pacific coast, during the last 30
years, there has been built up a very large and profitable fishing industry
in connection with our Pacific salmon, which are now exported to
nearly all parts of the world in cans; a lucrative trade has also been
developed in mild-cured, pickled salmon, quantities being exported to
Central European countries, while in more recent years another im-
portant business has been built up in the handling of fresh and frozen
halibut and salmon. Large cold storage plants have been established,
where the fish are frozen promptly after being taken, and are later
shipped in refrigerator cars to all parts of Canada and the United
States, while within the past few years some trade in frozen fish has
been developed for export to Europe.
Fishing Qn our Great lakes there is a very large fishing indus-
Great Lakes try carried on, not only during the summer and fall
months, but also in mid-winter, when the fish are
taken through the ice and, owing to chmatic conditions, can be trans-
ported long distances without requiring expensive methods of refrig-
eration. They are frozen naturally as soon as taken from the water
and are shipped to various centres in the United States, especially in
the Western states, although there is a growing demand for Canadian
lake fish in Eastern markets also.
I regret to say that the greater portion of the Canadian lake-fishing
business is controlled by United States firms and this is due to the
fact that more than 90 per cent of the total output finds its market
in the United States.
PROBLEMS IN THE FISH BUSINESS 13
Transportation
We are mostly concerned here with the fishing trade
DetM-ioration a"^ distribution of fish, as it aflfects Canadians, and in
this connection the question of transportation becomes
a very important factor. Owing to the great distances which our fish
products have to be carried, also to our sparse population, the cost of
handling and delivering to the centres where these fish are consumed
is necessarily high. During the spring and summer months and until
cold weather sets in, a large portion of our fish have to be transported
by express at very high rates, which frequently amount to as much as,
or more than, the initial cost of the fish at the point of production.
In former years, when transportation facilities were not what they
should be, it was of frequent occurrence that the quality of the fish
became seriously affected while in transit, due to the methods, or
rather the lack of methods, by which they were carried. I am pleased
to say that conditions in this regard have improved very materially and,
with better transportation facilities, it is now possible to have fish
transported great distances in comparative safety, so that they reach
the distributing markets in first-class condition.
Refrigeration Refrigerator cars are supplied at important shipping
Transit points for the transportation of fresh and mild-cured
smoked fish. These cars are provided with bunkers
or ice chests at either end of the car, which are filled with ice, to which
salt is added at shipping points and, through the medium of icing
stations placed along the lines of the railway companies, the supply of
ice is renewed from time to time, thereby providing regular cool tem-
peratures during the time they are in transit.
As an instance of this method, refrigerator cars containing fresh
halibut are shipped regularly from Pacific Coast points, such as Van-
couver, Steveston, New Westminster and even as far north as Prince
Rupert, to cities in the East like Toronto and Montreal, and, although
the fish are in transit from 4]^ to 6 days, if in fresh condition when
shipped from starting points, they reach destination in good salable
condition.
Iced refrigerator cars are also provided at Mulgrave and Halifax,
N.S., as well as at St. John, N.B., for carrying fresh fish to points in
the interior. It is thus possible to move cars of frozen and smoked
fish from Mulgrave and Halifax to points as far west as Winnipeg
and Calgary, during the months of September, October and November,
without any deterioration in the quality of the contents.
14 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Shipment While good facilities are afforded for the shipping of
by Express fresh and frozen fish in car-lots, there is stiU room for
Unsatisfactory ,, , • , • , ■ j ■l
improvement on small shipments which are carried by
express, because the express companies' methods are not modem ; they
do not supply any refrigeration, but simply carry the fish in the same
car with other goods and, as these cars are heated, the quality of the
fish is very often impaired by the time it reaches its destination.
The express companies, who do a profitable business in carrying
fish from many points, should be compelled to provide suitable refrig-
eration, and it has been demonstrated that by dividing the express ear,
one portion can be equipped with bunkers for ice, thereby ensuring
conditions as safe as in refrigerator cars which are used in the
freight service.
. . While on the subject of transportation, it would be
from well to mention the great assistance rendered by the
Government Government to the fishing industry and the many
advantages derived therefrom. Realizing that cost of transportation
by express increases the price of fish to consumers at points far distant
from the source of production and thereby curtails the demand, our
Dept. of the Naval Service arranged to pay one third of the express
charges on all fresh or mild-cured, smoked fish, with a view to
increasing the sale and consumption of fish at inland points.
The results obtained far exceeded our most sanguine expectations
and the increased sale of both fresh fish and smoked fish, such as
baddies, fillets, etc., which are cured from fresh fish, and are con-
sequently highly perishable, has been so great as to justify the expen-
diture. The payment of one third of the express charges by the
Government is intended to reduce cost and thereby foster a greater
demand for fish, so that consumption will increase to a point where
carload lots can be forwarded, in lieu of smaller quantities, it being
assumed that when the business has been developed to a point where
carload lots can be handled, the question of transportation charges will
right itself, because the larger quantities will secure lower transp>or-
tation rates. The Dominion Government assumes responsibility for
one third of the express charges, on Canadian fish only, from the
Atlantic coast to all points as far west as Toronto and from the Pacific
coast as far east as Winnipeg, but, when the quantity in one shipment
amounts to 20,000 lbs., which is the minimum weight for a carload,
this Government assistance is withdrawn, for the reasons whicli I have
already stated.
Unfortunately this plan has not always worked uniformly well,
and I have in mind instances where carload lots shipped by express to
PROBLEMS IN THE FISH BUSINESS 15
Montreal, from a point of shipment in Nova Scotia, were charged at
the full express rate for smaller quantities, when the express company
learned that the Government would not pay one third of the charges,
ia yiew of the fact that the shipment amounted to a sufficient quantity
for a carload lot. In my opinion express companies should be com-
pelled to quote a lower rate on carlots than they charge on smaller
shipments, because it is not always possible to use the freight service
in view of the distances traversed and consequent length of time the
fish must be in transit.
Distribution
Present T"^'^ method now obtaining for marketing fish is to
Method of ship quantities to centres where distribution can be
made most readily and under best conditions; in most
of the large cities the wholesale firms have modern cold-storage
facilities for the safe handling and carrying of fish, and these, in turn,
distribute to retailers in their various cities, as well as to small towns
and villages within a certain radius. Before re-shipping, the fresh
fish are packed with ice in suitable carriers and are delivered to the
retailer within a few hours, the time varying according to distance.
During the winter months the fish can be carried safely by freight,
but, during a large portion of the year, it is necessary that transpor-
tation be made by express to insure prompt delivery.
It might be said, in connection with the distribution
5-*^i J to the ultimate consumer, that the methods now
Fish Trade . .
obtaining vary to such an extent as to leave no room
for comparison. While it is claimed by some that the distribution of
fish to consumers should be made from special fish shops, or markets,
it must be remembered that this is not possible while the demand is of
limited proportions and, in my opinion, much larger quantities will be
consumed by obtaining the widest possible distribution through the
medium of dealers handling other commodities, provided, of course,
that sufficient care and attention is given to the handling of such a
highly perishable product as fresh fish.
In our country the sale of fish has not assumed anything like the
volume that should obtain, not only in view of the fact that fish is
an excellent substitute for high-priced foods, like meats and poultry,
on which prices are continually advancing, but also because fish is
nutritious, containing all the necessary properties, and should be-
come a staple article of food in our Canadian homes, instead of
being, as at present, an occasional substitute or, in some cases, a com-
pulsory change from the regular menu. No great difficulty has to be
16 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
overcome in obtaining this wide distribution and thereby increasing
the consumption of fish, since the butchers' shops and other stores
where perishable products are sold are compelled to have a supply of
ice, this being the only requisite for handling fish in a satisfactory
manner.
It has been proved beyond doubt by the distinct success achieved by
the Dept. of Fisheries that fish can be handled in departmental stores in
the large Canadian cities, as well as in a great many cities of the United
States and, this being the case, it is only necessary for the dealers who
wish to develop a trade in fish with their customers, to set apart a
small portion of their store or shop where they should place a suit-
able refrigerator box, preferably with a glass cover, in which the fish
can be kept and inspected. By packing in crushed ice, a desirable
temperature may be assured and flies and dust kept away, so that the
fish may be kept in good condition up to the very minute that it reaches
the consumer. Besides the refrigerator box, all that is necessary is a
block on which to cut the fish and a special scale for weighing them,
so that a fish department can be installed with very little expense,
while providing all that is required.
p, . . By careful methods in the handling and distributing
Substitute of fish from its source of production, through the
for Meat wholesale and retail dealers, an economical and appe-
tizing article of diet can be supplied that will help to do away with the
oft-heard complaint about the high cost of living. If we can succeed
in educating the public to the value of fish as a regular food supply
and as an economical substitute for meat, we shall not only furnish
our Canadian people with an excellent food at a comparatively low
cost, but we shall at the same time help to develop one of our great
natural resources.
Export of Fish to England
I might say in connection with the exporting of fish
tothe^War"* ^"^ ^^^ progress that has been made, we are at the
present time negotiating, or rather we have been
through our Canadian Government, with the Imperial Government in
England to help take care of the tremendous shortage in the fish
supply on the other side. Last August an inquiry came from the Dept.
of Agriculture and Fisheries in London, through the Colonial Secre-
tary, Rt. Hon. Bonar Law, to our Dept. of Trade and Commerce. Sir
George Foster and the Hon. Mr. Hazen, after consulting with some
members of the Canadian Fisheries Association, placed the matter in
PROBLEMS IN THE FISH BUSINESS 17
our hands and I am pleased to say there are now in transit to England
— in cold storage of course — samples of various kinds of Canadian
fish which amount to about five cubic tons. It is hoped by the intro-
duction of our fish, which are being sent now to provide against tem-
porary scarcity, that it may be possible to develop a regular trade with
the Mother Country in many of our Canadian fish which are not
known over there and, if we succeed in doing so, it will be of immense
advantage to our fisheries, because it is not a question of shortage in
supply or difficulty in procuring the fish with us here in Canada.
Our difficulty has been the shortage of a market and,
fth ^""k^t '^ ^^ *'^" enlarge our market, we shall at the same
time not only increase the production but we shall
reduce the cost of producing, because, as you will understand, the fish
can be produced in larger quantities at lower cost. At the same time,
in August last, the Canadian Fisheries Association made a request of
the Dept. of Trade and Commerce for the appointment of a Com-
mission of practical men to proceed to England and study the require-
ments of the trade there to find out in what lines the shortage existed
and what we could supply. We have not yet succeeded in obtaining
this Commission but we have not yet given up hope; what the fisher-
man lives on mostly is hope ; he is always hopeful, that is what keeps
him going.
Value of Canadian Fisheries
Another word in connection with our fisheries with
Increase^'"^ respect to the value. The increase in the value of
Canadian fisheries within recent years has been
phenomenal. Whereas, until a few years ago, the annual value was
$20,000,000, it is now from $30,000,000 to $35,000,000, and, as I have
said, there are immense possibilities for increasing that value. The
value of the British Columbia fisheries alone, as taken from the Govern-
ment records, amounts to nearly $12,000,000 for the past year. In
Nova Scotia it amounts to $8,000,000 ; in New Brunswick to $5,000,000 ;
in Ontario, practically all lake fish, to $2,750,000 ; in Quebec province
to $2,000,000, while in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta the value
is about $1,000,000. In the Prairie provinces new lines of railway
are developing areas containing immense lakes that have never been
commercially fished, and the production in that region will be increased
tremendously.
18 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Work of the ^ might say in conclusion that I did not know CJtactly
Conservation what was required. I thought that to speak on any
Commission commercial problem might not interest the Commis-
sion, as you are more interested, to my mind, in the conserration and,
where the source has been affected, in the replenishment of supplies.
I am pleased to give any publicity that I have at my command to the
problems of the fishing industry, which I have very closely at heart.
I believe that the Conservation Commission, by promoting the propa-
gation of fish through the hatcheries in our Great lakes, as well as in
its work in connection with the lobster and salmon fisheries, is doing
a great work. It is a matter of fact that, in some of our western lakes
that were considered practically depleted a few years ago, there is now
a good supply of fish, and it is due solely to the hatcheries the Gorern-
ment established, which have not only taken care of the shortage but
have rather increased the quantities in those lakes.
Prof. Prince : I, of course, take an intense interest in the subject
which Mr. Byrne has brought before us, and desire to congratulate
him on the very succinct and condensed manner in which he dealt
with a very large subject and the orderly way his points were taken
up. We all know that he has done herculean work on the Fisheries
Association, which was started not very long ago, and great things are
likely to follow from the work of that organization. What our fish-
eries needed, both on the seacoast and in the interior, was a better
understanding amongst those engaged in the industry, better methods
of cooperating with the Government and, indeed, a reorganization of
the methods of handling this great industry.
I do not intend going over very many of the points Mr. Byrne has
brought before us, because I think they, in a sense, explain them-
selves, and some of them are points which I myself have urged, very
much like a voice crying in the wilderness, for many years. One point
struck me as particularly good, namely, that all methods of transpor-
tation and supply of fish will not improve the situation unless the
fish are handled properly in the first instance. You cannot make a
good fish out of a bad fish. If the fish is not properly handled in the
first instance — and there is no commercial commodity which has been
so badly treated in the first stages — you cannot place it in the market
in proper condition. Fishermen, I regret to say, are prone to ill-use
the product which they draw from the sea; in fact, they seem to de-
light in knocking the fish about and jumping on them in a manner that
no other product could stand. I have been shocked to see the way fresh
PROBLEMS IN THE FISH BUSINESS 19
fish have been handled by fishermen, their appearance destroyed and
their food qualities deteriorated. So, when Mr. Byrne tells us that the
methods of handling fish in the first instance have been improved, that
there is an approved, a quick and an efficient system, I think it is a
matter for congratulation, and it will be a splendid thing if more can
be done in this direction, so that the merchant, when he receives fish
from the fishing boats, may be sure he has a product that has been
properly handled and treated, and with which he can deal with confi-
dence that it will reach our tables in good condition. But I defy any
man to knock fish about in a fishing boat, ship it a long distance and
have it arrive at our tables fit for food.
The reference to the dog-fish pest also struck me as an important
point, and it is of special interest to me because I am chairman of a
Committee of the Fisheries Board which, during the last month or so,
has gone thoroughly into this dog-fish question again, and we hope to
report very soon as to what is yet to be done with this terrible pest,
which is such a source of loss to our fishermen and to all interested in
the advance of the fishing industry.
Mr. Byrne's paper was extremely practical and there are many sug-
gestions in it we should take to heart. I feel considerable pride in the
fact that I have had something to do with some of these movements to
which Mr. Byrne referred. Many of the things which are being done
now are matters which I urged upon the Government, but which it
seemed very slow to take up; I remember telling Earl Grey, who was
active in fostering our industries, that there were two things lacking
in our fishing industry, one being organization amongst the men
handling the fish, and the other, strong public opinion backing up officers
of the Fisheries Department in their work of enforcing the law as to
close seasons and other regulations. When such infractions took place
it was too often the case that the public seemed to sympathise with
the violator. If a man shipped a lot of illegal lobsters, everyone —
sometimes even heads of universities were not free from blame, and
in this, Mr. Chairman, I am not casting any reflection upon yourself —
seemed to sympathise with the poor fisherman, forgetting that he was
thereby injuring the public and the public resources.
I would like to ask Mr. Byrne a question with regard to the ship-
ping of fish from the retail merchants to customers in small refriger-
ator boxes. Are they used in sending the fish to its destination?
Mr. Byrnb: You refer to the method of distribution from the
wholesale dealer, who receives the fresh fish in large quantities and car
lots, to the retailer. In the city the fish are packed in a box to be
20 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
delivered to him. In the country they must be packed for shipment
by express. But the point I wished to make in my paper was that at
the present time, a great many of the dealers who handle fresh fish,
the retail dealers, treat the fish part of their business as a rather neces-
sary evil. The trade is not very large. The public do not seem to
be educated to the value of fish as a food. There is an occasional de-
mand, perhaps on Friday, for fish, and they have to satisfy that demand
and are rather reluctantly compelled to handle fish, so that frequently
they throw them on a heap in the corner, perhaps in the window where
the flies and heat get at them and, by the time Friday comes, the fish
are not really in fit condition for food.
I suggest that any retail dealer handling fish should have a refriger-
ator box — whether it is elaborate or not does not matter so long as it
serves the purpose — and preferably with a glass cover so that while
the fish will be protected from heat, flies and dust, they can still be
seen. If this were carried out, he would have his fish at least under
a fairly good method of refrigeration while in his possession and his
customers would be more sure of getting food fit to eat. I am sorry
to say that, at the present time, the greater portion of our fish is
handled in a haphazard manner, and I think it helps to keep down the
demand that should exist among our Canadian people for fish — such
a demand as now exists in European countries. In the British Isles
there is more fish per capita used in a week than is used in Canada
in two months, and in Germany and all other European countries the
quantities of fish consumed, particularly among the working classes,
to whom it appeals as an economical food, are enormous. It does not
seem to interest our people here. They do not seem to know the value
of fish as a food. What we have to do is to educate the public to
appreciate it.
My reference to shipping in boxes was to the shipping from the
wholesaler to the retailer at a country point or in a small town. In
the city the retailer has to handle the fish and he must have his own
refrigerator box. No wholesaler could undertake to supply the box
to him.
Dr. Jones: Would it be possible in shipping fish in small quanti-
ties by express, to have special refrigerator boxes for shipping the fish,
or would the addition of express upon the box to be such that this
would be an impossible method ?
Mr. Byrne : It would be possible, I think, with better express
arrangements. I have tried to show in my paper, without being vin-
dictive, that we get very little assistance and can hope for very little
PROBLEMS IN THE FISH BUSINESS 21
from the express companies, and, if we ship a package which has to
be returned, such as you mention, the express companies would make
us pay full express rates for taking back the packages. So the cost
of doing it that way would be rather against increasing the demand
for the sale of fish. We are all interested in increasing the sale, since
we have an ample supply and only a limited demand.
Hon. O. T. Daniels : Like Prof. Prince, I have been very much
interested in the paper and, I may further add, that in the province of
Nova Scotia, and I suppose also in the province of New Brunswick,
we have been very much interested in this legislation in respect to
trawlers. I was, therefore, glad to have mention made of their use
with reference to curing fish, and I can very readily see that Mr.
Byrne's view has been along the line that probably we should get bet-
ter fish from the trawler for the purposes of the market than from the
method heretofore in use.
Mr. Byrne: I would not wish it to be understood from the re-
marks I made in connection with trawlers that I was putting forth the
view that the fish from trawlers was better fish than what was pro-
duced by any other method. I really think the very best fish is what
we call the shore fish— that caught by the shore fishermen. They go
out early in the morning and come back the same day. These fish
are caught on lines; they are put in the boats and, if they are handled
carefully, are the best possible fish. The fish caught on trawlers are
always more or less bumped about. The trawl is dragged on the bot-
tom and very often the fish reach the market with hardly any scales
on, showing the rough handling to which they have been subjected.
The trawl is hauled up and all the fish dropped out on the deck. All
this tends to soften the fish and take away from its good qualities. 1
would not wish to be quoted as claiming that the trawl fish are better
than the boat fish. I do not think they are. What I did claim for the
trawlers was a more regular supply, that fishing can be carried on at
all times when it would not be possible to carry it on in smaller craft,
and that, therefore, the market can depend on a regular supply of fish
on certain days or at certain times, and that the trawlers can operate
regularly throughout all seasons of the year even when the dog-fish
are running, when there is a scarcity of bait and when the weather
is stormy.
Dr. Jones : In connection with the experiment of shipping fish to
the Old Country, is that altogether fresh fish ?
Mr. Byrne: The request of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries
was for fresh fish, but after making an exhaustive study of the matter.
22 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
it was decided that, owing to the length of the time they would be in
transit, it was out of the question to ship fresh fish to England. They
would be in transit at least ten or twelve days and you could not hope
to ship fish and have them land in good condition after that length of
time. So the samples sent over were fresh fish frozen and packed in
cases, mild-cured fish, baddies, kippers, fillets and bloaters. These are
frozen. These fish were brought to Montreal and we put them into
our own cold storage. Last week the Corsican, which has suitable cold-
storage accommodation, took these fish aboard into another cold room,
so they would be practically in cold storage from the time they were
cured until they reach Liverpool. It has always been a source of annoy-
ance to me to see the poor service we get compared to the service given
to the fish trade in England, where fish trains run ahead of express
and mail. Here, the fish train runs last — and the fish trade are treated
along the same lines.
Mr. Cowie : I have little to add to what Mr. Byrne has said. He
has read us a very comprehensive paper, and I am sure it has been of
great interest to the Committee. Coming from a man who is directly
engaged in the business and who is so prominently engaged therein, it
must be looked upon as a very excellent contribution to the addresses
and papers of the Conservation Commission.
In connection with this question of the good or bad quality of the
fish taken by steam trawlers, I agree with Mr. Byrne that the finest
fish we have landed on our shores here, as well as on the shores of
the British Isles, are the fish that are taken by hook and line near the
shore. Trawling, of course, brings us huge supplies of fish and, as
Mr. Byrne has said, ensures steady supplies. Vessels can be sent to
sea and come in on certain days; contracts can be made with inland
centres and fish supplied just like any other commodity that can be
produced at will. But the quality of the fish is quite another thing. In
the trawl net all kinds of fish and all kinds of material from the bottom
of the ocean are mixed up together. Sometimes a net is in the water
and is dragged for two or three hours at a time. The fish are all rolled
over each other and they become scaled and sickly looking by the time
they are brought on deck. Sometimes these vessels go so far to sea
that they are out a couple of weeks, and often the bulk of their catches,
when they make these long voyages, is in such bad condition that they
have to be spl't and dried and cannot be used for the fresh-fish market.
Of course I do not mean to say that trawl-fishing could not be utilized
to advantage on the coast here, seeing that a good quality of fresh fish
could be readily landed as they have not very far to go to sea to get a
PROBLEMS IN THE FISH BUSINESS 23
decent supply. I thank Mr. Byrne and congratulate him on the very
excellent paper he has read to us this morning.
Me. Lefurgey : With regard to the question of the local consump-
tion in Canada, I think there is a great chance for improving the mar-
ket in that regard. I know that in nearly all the small centres, in the
Maritime provinces anyway — and I think that the people who have
lived in small towns there will bear me out — the consumption of fish
is comparatively small. Right in the Maritime provinces, in many
towns, it is almost impossible to go down to the market, except occa-
sionally, and get fresh fish. I do not know where the fault is, whether
or not it is on account of the lack of education among the people as
to the value of fish as an economical food. Possibly an improvement
in the education of people in this respect might very well remedy that
condition and possibly the local condition of the trade might be im-
proved, so that dealers would be induced to deal regularly in fish and
keep it in proper condition. I think that is a point that might help to
increase the consumption to a large extent. The fish from Prince
Edward Island is shipped straight through and does not reach the
small centres regularly, so that the people of the community cannot get
a regular supply of fish. In many instances the local dealers handle
it without even a proper ice box, and it is impossible to handle
fresh fish and deliver it in good condition after it has been kept for
four or five days under such conditions. There is a field for a vast
increase in the consumption of fish in Canada. If in the first instance
we could educate our people to the value of fish as a food product
and encourage the local dealer to keep a fresh supply on hand, getting
it in at least twice a week, undoubtedly there would be a greatly in-
creased consumption and our people would receive a better food pro-
duct. There are very few people in our communities who have been
properly educated as to the value of fish as a diet, say two or three
times a week, as an article of staple food consumption. I think a
great deal can be done in this way, much more than we can possibly
hope to accomplish by the foreign exportation of fish to meet English
orders.
What would be the difference in the cost of sending our fish to
the English market as compared with the cost of fish caught in English
waters ?
Mr. Byrne : This question involves several others. I think I am
quite safe in saying we could not compete with the British product for
fresh fish. The British Isles use vast quantities of fish. They are pro-
duced and run to market quickly and we could not produce them nor
24 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
market them there in competition; but what we could do is to carry
out the object we now have in view. Since the outbreak of war, a
great many trawlers that formerly operated in the North sea have been
taken by the Admiralty. Some have been sunk, some are engaged as
mine sweepers, and this has caused a very perceptible drop in the fish
supply. In fact, the shortage, if I remember correctly, amounts to
60 per cent of the normal supply. When you have such a shortage
it is a very serious matter where fish is an important article of diet.
As the Imperial Government appealed to our Government to secure
supplies of fish in Canada to make up this shortage, we have sent over
samples of fish, some fresh frozen, but mostly prepared and frozen.
We hope that a market may be developed for some of our Canadian
fish, which are of very high quality. Our Canadian kippers, bloaters,
baddies and fillets, when properly cured, will compare favourably with
any and, if this tremendous shortage in Britain continues, we can sup-
ply the deficiency. It is simply a question of taking care of their
shortage during the war and possibly we may establish our product
in the English market to such an extent that there will be a preference
for at least some varieties.
It is rather difficult to speak positively respecting transportation.
The times are abnormal, freight rates are increased by the war risk
and the charges for shipping in refrigeration or cold storage on board
steamers are practically three times what they were before the war.
At the present time the cost of transportation would not fall much
short of a cent a pound, shipping in refrigerator chambers, and you
have to add to that the insurance and war risk.
Mr. Lefurgey: The main point is the possibility of opening a
market in England for Canadian fish products, that are not now used
in the Old Country, and that opening a market under present condi-
tions might help us to establish a permanent market for the class of
fish which they have not used over there in the past.
Prof. Prince referred to illegal fishing of certain fish products,
lobsters for instance, and to the general apathy of the public in regard
to illegal fishing. I do not think there is so much apathy of the general
public in regard to illegal fishing ; I think there is probably a little care-
lessness in regard to keeping to the regulations by the people who are
dependent largely for their living on the fisheries. The packers, the fish-
ermen and the people who are dependent upon them are the ones who
are careless about the regulations. This arises, I think, not so much
from an apathy or from a desire to evade the fishery regulations as
from the fact that in many localities, the regulations now in force do
PROBLEMS IN THE FISH BUSINESS 25
not satisfy the fishing pubhc and, while we have had a Royal Com-
mission who have established certain regulations and certain close sea-
sons for fishing in many places, I do not think it meets with the
approval of the fishermen or the packers, and from personal observa-
tion, I do not think that, in some sections, at least, it meets the real
requirements of the situation. Different seasons call for different
treatment as to the length of time during which fishing should be per-
mitted. For instance, on the north of Prince Edward Island the fish-
ing season commences fairly early, but there was a period of nearly
a month in the early spring of this year, when, owing to ice condi-
tions, the fishermen could not get out and set their traps and, on the
south side, the fish did not strike in to the fish boxes. Under such
conditions the packers, after going to a great deal of expense in equip-
ping themselves for a catch of fish and to keep their factories in
operation, feel that the conditions at those times should be met by a
special regulation, and I think that possibly, if there was an advisory
board who would take into consideration conditions of such a nature
as that and change the season to suit the conditions arising, the situation
would be very much improved. I think it would do away with a great
deal of dissatisfaction among the fishermen and would tend to do away
with a great deal of illegal fishing that possibly goes on at the present
time. If this matter were taken up with the fisheries officials, some such
adjustment as that might very well be made and certainly it would be
a satisfactory thing to all concerned in fisheries protection.
Prof. Prince: Respecting the shipping of fish for long distances,
quite a considerable quantity of fish goes to Australia and New Zealand
from Scotland. I saw finnan baddies in Melbourne and Adelaide that
had arrived in splendid condition from Scotland. The Scotch people
are very patriotic in regard to fish and must have Aberdeen baddies.
We could send Aberdeen baddies from Canada much more readily than
they can be sent from Scotland and there is a possibility in such coun-
tries as Australia and New Zealand for quite a business in that direction.
Mr. Feilding: There is one question I should like to touch upon.
We are continually hearing of the cheap food side of the fishing indus-
try. I have only been associated a short time with the fishery adminis-
tration of this country, but I fail to find what I have always hoped to
find, namely, fish put on the market at such a price that the workingman
would look to it as he would to meat. I am living at Barrie, forty or
fifty miles from Georgian bay. There is an excellent train service to
ColHngwood. A travelling fish salesman comes around once a week
and retails off his stock. He says that he buys his fish direct from the
26 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
tugs in Collingwood. If that is true somebody must be making more
than they have any right to make out of the commodity. The class of
fish he deals with is largely the so-called lake trout and whitefish. We
never get pickerel as he cannot put them on the market in good condi-
tion. He purchases the stock from the tug at the usual market price at
Collingwood, which is somewhere around five to eight cents according
to the season and quality of the fish. I have never seen it in Barrie
under twenty cents a pound. It is nearer twenty-five cents a pound,
which appears to be an unreasonably high price for a commodity that is
advertised as being a cheap food. I do not know whether Mr. Byrne
could explain who receives that profit. Is it the distributor or the
express company, or who is it?
Mr. LiEFurgey: It is also an unsatisfactory method of retailing the
fish, taking it around in that way.
Mr. Byrne : I am a wholesale dealer and if I could make anything
like the profit that this buyer in Barrie makes I should not be a whole-
sale dealer, I should be a retired merchant — long ago. The trouble I
touched on in my paper is that, when you get an article of food for
which there is not a large demand and towards which the public show
a certain apathy, you will find that the man handling it makes out that
it is a lot of trouble to handle it, that he runs a risk of loss on it and
that he, therefore, has to put the price up. The man in this case is
charging twenty cents for what cost him from five cents to eight cents.
If it is shipped by express, then the retailer is getting an exorbitant
profit. The same condition exists in many centres; the retail dealer,
partly because he has not a big trade in fish, assumes that he is entitled
to big profit and charges too much for it. Fruit is sold throughout
Canada at lower prices than it was sold for years ago. It is cheaper
because of greater demand, larger consumption, greater production.
Then, in the same way, in the fish business, if we get a larger consump-
tion, it will bring down the price.
I have been endeavouring to persuade the Government to start a
campaign to educate the public respecting the value of fish as food.
If that were carried on it would remove a lot of prejudice. This pre-
judice, some of it well founded, arises because people do not get fish
in good condition, and it tends to decrease the demand. If we can
get a campaign of advertising what will be the result ? What did it do
for the Canadian apples last year ? What is it doing for the Canadian
farmer this year? There is a greater field in the case of fish and, if
we could induce the Government to undertake such a campaign, it
would be a great thing both for the fish industry and for the public.
PROBLEMS IN THE FISH BUSINESS 27
We have been trying to induce the Government to make a nation-wide
advertising campaign in Canada as to the value of fish as a food. I am
quite sure that Mr. Lefurgey is right in his reference to shipping to
England. Our market is Canada and we can produce and deliver fish
to the people of Canada, if they will take it in quantities, and they can
get fish cheaper than any other staple food. Mr. Feilding did not men-
tion whether there are several of these hand carts from which fish is
peddled or whether there is only one and the man has a monopoly.
Mr. Feilding : He has the whole fish trade in a town of about 7,000
people.
Mr. Byrne : It is an exorbitant price because he is charging twenty
cents for what he pays the fishermen five to eight cents. That is an
unfair profit. He will try to justify himself by the fact that there is
not much sale and he is bound to take risks. People should be educated
to eat fish, not in the cities alone but also in the small centres. It is
in the small centres that good fish cannot be obtained, but, if delivered
regularly and in good condition, and if the people were educated res-
pecting the value of fish as a food, conditions would be greatly improved
and the stores in the small towns would handle the product properly.
Technical Education in Relation to Fishermen's
Occupations
BY
James W. Robertson, C.M.G., LL.D.
|%yf"R. CHAIRMAN and Gentlemen: Before stating some of the
AYJ. advantages which would come to fishermen and to the fishery
interests from better education, and before outlining a plan whereby
such education might be provided, I would like to say a word or two
as to what the nature of education is.
What is its aim and main purpose? In many quarters its chief
purpose has been regarded as the abolition of illiteracy, or the training
of boys and girls to read and write and reckon. Certainly that would
be a highly inadequate explanation of what is needed and what real edu-
cation must do for boys and girls and the community. Let me give a
brief statement of the least it should accomplish. It should fit persons
for their occupations as contributing earners ; it should qualify them
for their duties as citizens and trustees of life, and make them ready
for such opportunities of service as may come to them as individuals.
To put it in other words, adequate education should provide a series of
experiences arranged in such sequence that through them boys and
girls, men and women, would become intelligent, continue healthy,
develop ability and willingness to work and live agreeably and effect-
ively, severally and in cooperation with others, cherish high ideals of
character and follow good ideals of conduct.
For the most part the education of the race in all nations has been
gained through the occupations followed by the people. The processes
have been slow and very costly. I do not mean costly in money spent
but in lives wasted, opportunities missed, and the hindrance of real pro-
gress towards satisfaction and happiness. All the processes of educa-
tion, whatever its form of organization, consist of series of experiences
which bring about changes in individuals. The changes which are
sought by intelligent teachers and leaders are those represented by the
change from ignorance to intelligence, from helplessness to personal
ability, and from the utter selfishness of the very young child to public
service for the common good.
TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR FISHERMEN 29
While education has been obtained through the experi-
Education for ences of occupations, the first form of organized edu-
cation was to prepare individuals for special occupa-
tions or callings. Organized education is now being extended to serve
all occupations and all classes of workers. The occupations followed
have always occupied a large place in the drama of hfe. If all the world
is a stage, then the occupation by which the player earns his living has a
very large influence upon the character of the play. The severest charge
brought against the modern school and college education is that it does
not provide fair play for those who are to follow the constructive and
conserving occupations, such as farming, fishing, manufacturing and
housekeeping. Complaint is sometimes made that those who seek pro-
visions for special education for workers are disposed to materialize
and debase education, which the complainers suppose should be regarded
only as a theoretical and scholastic preparation for life. On the other
hand it seems to some of us that an education planned to prepare for
life without regard- to qualifications for the occupation to be followed
will fail to accomplish its purpose, whereas a formal education defi-
nitely planned to qualify individuals for occupations will thereby
become the best means for preparing them for their whole life.
J , Fishing is one of the ancient and primitive occupations
the Fishing of mankind, and it is also one of the fundamental
Occupation employments of a large proportion of the population
of Canada. Passing reference may be made to at least one notable man
who gained qualifications for his later life through the management of
a boat, the handling of a gill net, and even control of a drag-seine net
in the sea of Galilee. St. Peter, who became the preeminent fisher of
men, was first a fisherman as a contributing earner in his community.
The occupation has always been followed by hardy, courageous, intel-
ligent and adventurous men ; perhaps it is to be credited with the
development of these qualities. The question now is whether the con-
ditions of such worthy men cannot be greatly improved, their powers
enlarged, and their outlook improved by education, directed especially
to qualify them to follow their occupations in the very best way.
The economic importance of the question is revealed by the fact that
the annual value of the fisheries of Canada is some $31,000,000 to
$35,000,000. The numbers of men employed are about 84,000 in sea
fisheries and 10,000 in other fisheries. These represent a population of
about 470,000 persons. The value of education to them is to be meas-
ured by its effect on their standards of life and the satisfactions they
30 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
derive from their activities, as well as by the profits which accrue to
themselves and to the country from their industry.
Work, having definite and important educational
Department of values, has been done in recent years by the Dept. of
Fisheries Marine and Fisheries. The provision of better means
of transporting fresh fish in good condition to the large centres of con-
sumption, and the information concerning, and illustrations of, good
cooking have increased the demand and thus tended to better the price
and enlarge the consumption.
g. ^ . Inspection, which helps to standardize packages, has
Value of both a commercial value and an educational influence
Inspection upon those who are connected with the occupation.
That is all good work and in the right direction. It has been compara-
tively easy to do. It has had to deal with only a few people and these
usually all willing and anxious to have such things done. However,
great losses are still caused by careless handling of the fish, faulty
cleaning, imperfect curing and unsuitable packing. As instances of the
result of such methods the fact may be mentioned that, whereas Nor-
wegian mackerel sell for about $15 per barrel, Canadian mackerel,
quite as good when first taken from the water, sell for about $6 per
barrel. Scotch herring are in demand at from $10 to $15 per barrel,
while Canadian herring are in the market at from $3 to $4 per barrel.
The Norwegian and Scotch fishermen have had opportunities for prac-
tical training, in other words for education for their occupations,
whereas the Canadian fishermen have been left to follow antiquated
methods.
jg , , They need and would readily accept and profit by such
Modern forms of education as would develop intelligence.
Methods ability and cooperating will in carrying out the pro-
cesses connected with all these parts of their business. Present methods,
however, while they may have met past situations, are not suited to
present conditions of transportation and markets nor to the exacting
demands of present consumers. The recognition of a need for change
is itself a step in advance. That recognition has been frankly met by the
fishery authorities, by commercial interests and by consumers. There
is also coming into definite view a recognition by the fishermen them-
selves of a need for charfge in their methods. They, more than most
men, are slow of heart to believe in new methods and instinctively sus-
picious of the theoretical — as they think unpractical — and educated
leader. The problem now is how to catch the fisherman in the net of
Fish Hatchery in Marine Laboralorv , liny oi Xigg, near Aberdeen, Seollaiiu
Net-making rnd Ket-mending Room, Fisher Lads' Institute, Grimsby, England
TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR FISHERMEN 31
recognition and of personal interest. The educators, as fishers of men,
must use some suitable bait and it must take the form of something the
fishermen can see as being directly for their good, something in the
nature of a practical demonstration, which will win their interest and
secure their acceptance. It must also have as its spirit something they
can feel as touching their interests, the prospects for their children
and their future welfare. In brief, it must be carried forward for them
by enthusiastic young men who believe they have in that field of service
a mission worth while, a great cause to advance.
p. . . We can learn a good deal from what other countries
Schools in have done. The Netherlands have eight schools for
Other Countries fishermen and two school ships. The classes are
attended by young lads from ten or twelve years of age and by men
who have had years of experience at their jobs. France has eight spe-
cial schools for fishermen and courses on fisheries and fish culture in
four hundred elementary schools around its coasts. England has fifteen
schools for fishermen, whose courses are chiefly directed to provide
instruction in navigation and the handling of the gear of fishing boats.
The institution at Piel* near Barrow-in-Furness, provides special short
courses for selected fishermen. Each course lasts for a fortnight and
the Education Committees of the County Councils grant $25 to each
fisherman who attends. Such men, when they go back to their locali-
ties, become centres of influence and enlightenment among their fellows.
A somewhat similar course is provided in Scotland in one or two cen-
tres. Selected fishermen attend such courses for one week only. They
receive a scholarship, sufficient to pay their travelling expenses, and $5.
They also exercise a very direct and helpful influence in the fishing
community when they return. Japan leads all other nations in the pro-
vision it has made for the training of this class of its people. It has two
* " In the Biology course each man is supplied with a good student's micro-
scope, having coarse and fine adjustments and J^ in. and % in. objectives, a
hand magnifying glass, scalpels, scissors, dissecting needles, glass slides and
cover-glasses. The material for investigation and instruction is supplied by the
laboratory in a fresh state. It consists of the economic food fishes and shell-
fish. An account of their life histories, food and habits is given and illustrated
from preparations and live material. Living fish eggs, showing the changes in
development during incubation from day to day, are examined under the micro-
scope. Lantern demonstrations giving a resume of the work are given at the
end of each week. The course lasts a fortnight with five hours' daily instruc-
tion.
" The Navigation course for trawlers is pretty much the same as the work
required by the mate of a deep-sea vessel — chart work, rule of the road, lights,
signals, sextant and compass, laying down courses, etc. In combined Naviga-
tion and Biology we give 2^4 hours to Biology and 3 or 4 hours to Navigation,
daily. "^Extract from letter from Mr. Andrew Scott, Marine Laboratory, Piel.
See also Appendix IV.
32 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
central institutions attended by some 500 or 600 students annually.
Each takes a three-year course and the graduates are employed after-
wards in directing and developing the fisheries of Japan and the dif-
ferent areas where fishing is carried on. Perhaps that fact explains
the very large share which the Japanese have captured of the halibut
and other fisheries of our Pacific coast. Our plan must be to train
the more intelligent young fishermen as instructors, and our methods
must be of such a nature that the interest of these young fishermen will
be gained. When that is accomplished, they will soon find means of
adding to their equipment whatever more is necessary.
Wh t h Id How shall we go about it in Canada ? I would suggest
be Done in that, first, the Government undertake the publication
Canada? Qf suitable bulletins, freely illustrated and very simply
and clearly worded; second, that the Government should provide
demonstrations by means of travelling instructors at suitable centres.
Short courses, suitable for selected leaders from all fishing localities,
should be provided thereat. In addition to these provisions, courses in
nature study having to do with the fisheries should be given in all public
schools in fishing communities. Then, in the organization of the fish
hatcheries and in the management of them, provision should be made
for the training of men in that special branch of service. Finally, win-
ter schools should be inaugurated wherever ten or twelve persons could
be induced to attend, each with courses for young fishermen (a) in
fishery subjects and (b) in navigation and boat machinery. It should
not be beyond our capacity to provide such opportunities by the hearty
and cordial cooperation of the Dept. of Fisheries, the provincial
departments of education, bodies of public-spirited citizens, and the
trustees of public schools concerned. All that could be done in this
direction would accrue to the national welfare through the conservation
of the fisheries themselves and, best of all, through the improvement of
the conditions and the betterment of the outlook of the fishermen and
their families.
Mr. Feilding: No one is more interested than I in this proposal
for the education of fishermen. I have advocated it for many years.
Ten or fifteen years ago I wrote a paper for the International Fisheries
Conference on the same subject. During the past few months I have
been doing some work for the Ontario Government in connection with
fisheries conservation work in some of the inland lakes and, in each
case, have invited fishermen to meet me and discuss some of their many
TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR FISHERMEN 33
grievances. But one outstanding fact is the extraordinary amount of
ignorance amongst them of their own business. I have had cases where
I have tried to ascertain the proportion of males to females on the
spawning beds at certain periods. I could not get any information on
points like that. They did not use their eyes on anything outside the
practical points of extracting the fish from the water. The advantage or
disadvantage of using certain sizes of nets is another thing on which
there is extraordinary ignorance. In one case on an Ontario lake, two
men were fishing alongside one another, one with a 4>4 in. mesh and
another with a 6 in. mesh. Nothing could make the man using the 4^
in. believe that he would be better off with the 6 in., although the man
using the larger mesh was getting bigger and better fish and at the end
of his season had shipped a greater weight of fish. The man with the
small mesh is extracting immature fish which he should leave in the
water for a year or two and thus get a better product. Then, parti-
cularly in some of the out-of-the-way places, there are so many fisher-
men who are absolutely illiterate that it is difficult to know how to
begin. I think this is largely the fault of the elementary schools. There
also seems to be, at certain points, an undesirable element which is dif-
ficult to handle, yet I feel quite sure that, if the problems are brought
before them by an enthusiast, we can get great improvements along
these lines.
Mr. Cowie : Just one word in connection with the teaching of
fishermen. As I understand it, in the European schools for fishermen
they are taught more of navigation and questions of a scientific nature
than the actual work in connection with the use of a line or a net. For
instance, before I left Scotland, the Fishery Board had arranged to
bring a few leading fishermen from every fishing community to its
hatchery at Aberdeen for one week for the purpose of imparting to
them scientific knowledge of fish life, with a view to sending those men
back to diffuse the knowledge in their various communities. Again,
at Grimsby, Eng., they have a school for fishermen, but it is devoted,
I think, entirely to the teaching of navigation and probably to some
instruction as to the science of fish and fish life. In Germany, I under-
stand the schools are chiefly devoted to subjects such as wireless tele-
graphy, the use of motor engines in fishing boats and the use of chart
and compass and navigation generally. It is a very difficult problem to
handle the instruction of fishermen in the actual work of fishing and
the handling of fish. To a certain extent we have done something along
these lines. For instance, I have written some pamphlets in a simple,
straightforward way, describing to the fishermen how they could
3
34 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
make better catches of mackerel and herring and how they would
obtain them in better condition at the proper season of the year. To-
morrow, I hope to read a paper on what we are doing with regard to
instructing them in the salting, curing, packing and grading of pickled
fish, or such fish as are marketed in barrels and hope to note one of the
reasons why our cured mackerel sells for so much less than Norwegian
mackerel. In these countries to which Dr. Robertson referred, do they
teach the actual work of fishing as well as the arts of navigation?
Dr. Robertson : There are schools of navigation and schools of
navigation and fisheries. The kinds of instruction vary. The school
at Grimsby is one of the former type. There, the young man is supposed
to undergo a five years' apprenticeship on the boats, thereby gaining
plenty of practical experience, so the need there is to teach naviga-
tion, the rules of the sea, etc. On the other hand in the schools of
France, the instruction for one class of pupils deals with the arts of
navigation, and for another deals entirely with the life history and
movement of fish, the catching of fish and methods of curing and
shipping. The young men who are attending these schools go out on
the boats with the fishermen and thus learn the practical part of the
business. There is a third kind of instruction, which we could adopt,
namely, the kind represented by the short course at Piel, England,
where they take men successful in the fishing trade and give them a
two weeks' course especially on the life history of fishes.
Mr. Cowie: They are doing that at Aberdeen.
Dr. Robertson : Yes. That gives them new knowledge of fish.
They often dissect as many as four or five types of fishes in a fort-
night and they get instruction on the life history of the fish.
I cannot lay too much stress on the importance I attach to those
bulletins with illustrations. I think most highly of the publication in
large numbers of illustrated bulletins on the producing industries of
Canada. I believe it is the cheapest and the best possible way of
helping to make Canada. When I was head of Macdonald College we
had visitors from many countries. Some of them were distinguished
people, whom I invited to address the students. On one occasion a
Russian woman came to Montreal and asked if she might visit the
college. She was sent by the Russian Dept. of Agriculture to study
methods of teaching women domestic science, etc. I said that I should
like her to talk to our students. She said she did not speak English
very well but she would try. She went on the platform, took out
a small bulletin and struck it hard on the top of the desk. She said:
TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR FISHERMEN 35
" That is a bulletin by Dr. Robertson, on ' How to Keep Poultry in
the Best Way for Profit.' It has been printed by many hundreds of
thousands of copies and sent all over Russia. That happened many
years ago and, to-day, Russia sends to England more poultry than any
other country and is beginning to exceed Denmark in the egg trade.
Russia grows poultry as it is described in Dr. Robertson's bulletins
with plenty of pictures." I tell you that because I think the fisherman is
not less susceptible of instruction and improvement than the moujik
of Russia.
Mr. Cowie : In connection with what Mr. Folding said about the
fishermen, I take it he referred to the fishermen on the Great lakes.
There they are possibly an ignorant class of people. But I rather take
exception to that when speaking of some of the fishermen around the
shores of Nova Scotia. It would be difficult to find any working class
in any part of Canada that has more intelligence than some of our
fishermen in that province. On the bay of Fundy there is a com-
munity of 2,000 or 3,000 people. They have splendid homes, and own
twenty or thirty motor cars. Men who reach that stage of comfort
with regard to living and enjoyment of life, have fairly well mastered
their profession. I simply mention that fact as showing that our sea
fishermen, at least, cannot be classed as ignorant or uneducated. For
instance, you cannot tell some of the lobster fishermen very much
about the lobster. They know how to handle it, and I, for one, would
not undertake to tell them anything about the lobster that I supposed
they did not know.
Mr. Feilding: My remarks only apply to certain stations on our
lesser lakes. I would not class within the category of ignorant men
the fishermen of a place like Port Stanley or Port Maitland. I mean
away in the backwoods of Ontario.
Mr. LeFurgey : While the remarks of Mr. Cowie may apply to
some places in Nova Scotia, I think that in Prince Edward Island,
especially where they can only fish during a short season, it requires a
longer period for these people to get motor cars, particularly in the
Island, where they are opposed to motors. There is a great deal of
necessity for education and the fisherman is a hard man to approach
and educate. Distribution of pamphlets is perhaps the most eflfective
way of reaching him. I think that it is absolutely necessary that we
should have some further instruction to fishermen; that we should
have some schools to which we could send a certain number of fisher-
men from the different localities who would thus become interested
36 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
in the treatment of fish, the necessity for the preservation of the
fisheries and kindred matters. Our people do not understand that.
In the lobster and other fisheries they do not understand the necessity
of preserving the supply ; they do not understand the need of preserv-
ing our oysters by proper regulations and the necessity of preserving
the lobster by short seasons and by the regulation of fishing. If
some of these men could be taken to a school and given a course of
education and if you could thus obtain a certain number of leaders in
the different fishing communities who could explain to the others, there
would be, together with the pamphlets distributed among the fishermen,
an inspiration to the fishing public of these communities to follow the
lead of the men who had studied the subject and who were close enough
to them to bring the lessons home.
Hon. a. E. ArsEnault : I have been interested myself in the fisheries
for some years past. One of the greatest necessities is the education
of the fishing population in regard to the preservation of the fisheries.
One of our greatest difficulties with respect to the oyster is the preju-
dice of the fishermen. They say, in regard to the oyster, " You have
opened up our grounds to leasing and, in the case of the lobster, you
have shortened our season. You are giving us nothing in return ; you
are doing everything for the farmer, he is a particular pet of yours,
you give him money and send out papers to him, but for us you do
nothing." Some demonstration stations would go a long way towards
instructing the fishermen in the necessity for a short season and the
necessity for taking a larger view. If they think that the fish are
theirs and that it is for them to take them at all times of the year,
regardless of whether they will become depleted by over-fishing, great
mischief must result. That has been the trouble with some of our
fishing industries ; they have suffered from over-fishing. This applies
especially to the oyster on our Island, in reference to which I shall
have something to say later on. Now that a beginning has been made,
even if it be only the starting of stations to educate the fishermen as
to the necessity of putting up better fish and marketing it in better
condition and of preserving the fisheries, a great deal should be accom-
plished. I trust that the beginning made here to-day will not end the
matter, but that it will be taken up and that something will be done.
Fisheries Institutes along the same lines as the Farm Institutes would
interest the fishermen and bring them together to talk their business
over. I trust that we shall see some practical results from this dis-
cussion.
The Herring Fishery of Canada
An Account of Recent Scientific Researches on the Atlantic
Coast
BY
Prof. E. E. Prince, LL.D., D.Sc, F.R.S.C,
Dominion Commissioner of Fisheries, Ottawa
THAT Canada should possess one of the most wonderful herring
resources in the world in her Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters,
but that her herring industries should rank as wholly inferior in value
and reputation, has been an anomaly difficult to understand, and still
more difficult to explain. Why is it that Scottish and Norwegian
herring should have such a high reputation that the herring fisheries of
these two countries approach the total value of the whole of Canada's
fisheries? According to the answers frequently given, the quality of
our Atlantic and Pacific Coast herring, in a fresh condition, is very
inferior. If the raw material be of poor quality, it cannot be expected
that the manufactured or cured article should take rank with a superior
Scottish or Norse product. It is, however, an erroneous assumption
that the fresh Canadian herring are not of the very best quality.
„ .. In comparing the Canadian and Norwegian herring
Canadian and c . • ,• / n n^u . i u • •
North Sea nsheries, we notice: (a) That large herring constitute
Herring the main portion of the catch in Canada, due doubt-
less to the large mesh of nets in use (2yi in. and 2%
in.), but in the great fisheries of Norway, thousands of barrels of
younger herring, the esteemed ' fat ' herring, are taken, and these
have brought for centuries the greatest returns to the fishermen.
(b) No Canadian herring fishing is carried on far from land; whereas,
in the North sea, the most valuable herring fishery is conducted in the
open sea by means of drift nets, and the coast fishing is comparatively
insignificant. In Norway, as in Canada, all the herring fishing was
coast fishing, until some successful experiments proved that the finest
herring could be caught oflf the coast, and now hundreds of thousands
of barrels are taken by drift nets each year.
37
38 COMMISSIONOF CONSERVATION
Initial Exoeri- '^^ 1904, a scheme of investigation was initiated by the
ments by Canadian Government, chiefly to discover the existence
Mr. Cowie q{ schools of ' fat ' herring, to prove that drift-net
fishing in the open sea was possible, and, lastly, that the quality of
the fresh herring in Canadian waters was not inferior to the fresh
herring of Europe. Mr. J. J. Cowie, a practical expert from Scot-
land, after four years' investigation, accomplished the most promising
results. He used drift-nets from a Scottish steam drifter, " No. 33,"
which is still engaged in the work of the Dept. of the Naval Service.
Single catches of 20 to 30 and up to 60 and 70 barrels of herring were
taken in a single night by Mr. Cowie, and these were cured in the
Scottish fashion. Dr. Hjort, a Norwegian fisheries expert, after
reviewing these early experiments, expressed his satisfaction with the
work that had been done. To make a commercial success of our
herring industries, expert investigation on a much larger scale was
necessary. Mr. Cowie's work, on the whole, received little encourage-
ment from the fishing population or from fishing firms on the sea
coast. Indeed some strong opposition was experienced, though certain
firms, including the Whitmans of Canso, the Wilsons of Halifax, and
the firm of Bell-Irving and Co. on the Pacific coast, took the matter up
in earnest and attempted to develop a herring-curing industry on the
Scottish lines.
Three difficulties were encountered by these pioneers in the her-
ring-curing enterprise :
(1) Scarcity of labour, lack of fishermen, curers, etc.;
(2) Impossibility of obtaining a staff of herring girls (gutters) ;
(3) Uncertainty in the supply and alleged great fluctuations.
Where are the Practically no fishing seems to be carried on in Canada
' Fat ' Herring with the object of catching the younger, smaller,
' fat ' herring. Only a few barrels of younger herring
are caught in the bays for use as bait. Where, then, are the sizes of
herrings which correspond to the Norwegian small ' fat ' herring ?
Are they, as is the case along the Norwegian coast, mainly confined
to some special areas, or are they in the open waters outside or inside
the gulf of St. Lawrence. Do they anywhere occur in such quantities
and under such circumstances that a new fishery of supreme import-
ance could be developed? That the younger stages or immature her-
rings must occur in larger quantities than the larger and older ones is
obvious. Possibly the younger year-classes are less numerous in a
special year or shorter series of years, but, during a longer period of
HERRING FISHERY OF CANADA 39
years, it is evident that older herring must be much reduced in number,
in comparison with the younger individuals. From the study of the
growth of the Newfoundland herring it is evident that the three-, four-,
five- and six-year-old herring, which to a larger or smaller degree may
belong to the immature ' fat ' schools, must possess the esteemed
qualities of the Norwegian ' fat ' herring which are caught by hun-
dreds of thousands of barrels. This opens up a vast field for interest-
ing scientific and practical investigation to solve such questions.
It is above all things necessary to discover the schools and determine
the migrations of the esteemed ' fat ' herring and, in practice, to adopt
better methods of capture and of handling, curing, and packing, so
that our Canadian herring industry may rise to the front rank in the
herring fisheries of the world.
Scientific Herring Researches Undertaken
In order to solve the problem of bringing Canadian
Invitation to herring up to the standard of the Scottish or Norse
product, it was necessary that certain preliminary
questions should be decided, and Dr. Johan Hjort, Director of Nor-
wegian Fisheries, was invited by the Biological Board to come from
Norway to conduct investigations on lines similar to those which he
had followed with success in Norwegian seas. Hon. J. D. Hazen,
Minister of the Naval Service, and Mr. Desbarats, the Deputy Min-
ister, took great personal interest in this proposal, and strongly approved
of the investigations which were conducted in the autumn of 1914 and
during the summer of 1915.
Dr. Hjort decided that the following questions
Problems required investigation :
(1) Is there only one race or type of herring on the
Atlantic coast of Canada, or do several races exist in these waters?
(2) Is the rate of growth uniform, or can different types of
growth, varying according to environment, be distinguished?
(3) Is the annual renewal of the stock of herring constant, or are
there great fluctuations as in Europe, that is to say, are there fluctua-
tions in the number of individuals belonging to different year-classes?
European fishermen have observed that herring are dissimilar in
many important features, and differ in size and quality at different
times in different parts of the sea. The conclusion followed that, in
the North sea, for example, a great number of various local races of
3
40 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
herring occurred, migrating only in restricted areas and that they con-
gregated in dense schools at the period of ripeness. At such times,
which may be termed " times of seasonal schooling," the fishing
operations can be carried on profitably and successfully.
Dr. Hjort's investigations in Canada must be regarded
Methods of as of a preliminary nature, but they show some results
xvCSCArcn ^ . . . .
of great mterest. Limits of time and opportunity
rendered it necessary to confine the investigations to certain main
features, and, in studying the specimens of herring obtained, the
features regarded by Heincke as the most important received special
attention. These were :
(o) Number of fin-rays in the dorsal fin;
(b) Number of fin-rays in the anal fin ;
(c) Number of keel scales behind the ventral fins;
(d) Total number of vertebrae;
(e) Number of first vertebrae with haemal arch.
For the study of these characters, samples of fifty to seventy-five
individuals were selected from the following localities: the west coast
of Newfoundland ; the gulf of St. Lawrence, especially Magdalen
islands and Northumberland strait ; the Atlantic coast of Cape Breton,
especially west of L'Ardoise ; the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia,
especially near Lockeport ; the bay of Fundy, andof Gloucester, Mass.
During 1915, Dr. Hjort continued his work, assisted by Prof.
Willey of McGill University, Dr. Bjerkam of Bergen, Dr. Huntsman
of Toronto, Dr. J. W. Mavor of Wisconsin and a Norwegian captain.
Their report is now in preparation.
Knowledge Acquired by Investigations in the North Sea
Scientists have urged two extreme opinions with
Distribution regard to the distribution of herring in the North sea,
of Herring , ,,^ .. r , , ,
namely, (1) a great migration of one vast school, and
(2) the limited migration of a number of local races. Variants of
these two theories have been much discussed. On the whole, writers
have, since the time of Linnaeus, distinguished between different races
or varieties of herring, and Nilsson determined that two great types
could be distinguished off the coast of Norway, namely, the outside
oceanic herring (forma oceanica), and the inshore or coast herring
{forma tcenensis), which has a larger eye in proportion to its length
than the ocean herring.
HERRING FISHERY OF CANADA 41
, „. Experts have found fhat the concentric rings on the
Seasonal Rings f , ^ . , • i i • ^u i, *
of Growth scales of fishes correspond with their growth, but
in Scales j^j. Hjort, in his study of the west coast Norwegian
herring, found a great variation in the rate of growth, the most rapid
being in May, June and July, while growth frequently ceases in winter.
Hence, when examined under the microscope, broader bands, called
summer lines, are seen on the scale, while the winter rings appear as
sharp lines or ridges. Thus the rings or zones of growth on the scale
show, not only the number of seasons passed by each fish since it was
hatched, but also the rate of growth during the several periods. An
instrument has been devised by which the scale is shown enlarged,
and tangents, drawn parallel to each other and extending to a lateral
perpendicular, enable the length of the fish to be drawn proportionately
for each period of growth.
^ ., „. The methods adopted and the results are beyond ques-
of Norwegian tion. In Norway, these methods showed that the
Hemng young fry undergoing development in the ova, laid
on the sandy bottom of the inshore banks off the west coast, escape
soon from the eggs and are then carried northward along the coast by
the Gulf stream. They spread all along the extensive range of the
coast, and, without question, these small fish undergo further develop-
ment in northern waters. In the autumn, when they are 8 to 10
centimetres (3-2 to 4 inches) in length, and two- thirds of a year old,
they begin to make their appearance in the seines. At New Year,
they reach a size of 12 to 15 centimetres (4-8 to 6 inches). These are
the small herring which are caught along the whole Norwegian coast.
In the third year they develop an abundance of fat, and remain in
this state, mainly in the summer and autumn, till the genital organs
develop. This begins from the third year, but, usually, in the fourth
or fifth year in the south, and in the fifth and sixth year in the north.
The mature individuals then separate from the immature, ' fat '
herring, and begin to migrate southwards along the coast till they
reach the schools of mature, large herring, with which they intermingle.
Among these many different sizes of herring, from
of Adult the young fry up to the mature and oldest fish, we find
Schools several groups, differing either in biological respects,
or in regard to habitat and manner of life. It is therefore impossible
with herring to make at any one place, or at any one time, a selection
from the individuals in the sea, sufficiently representative to reveal
42 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
accurate conditions as to the composition of the mass. In each catch
we find individuals, which may be representative with regard to size
and age of the biological group, i.e., the mature herring, to which
they belong, but not to the whole stock of herrings. It is necessary,
therefore, to take many samples from different schools of fish at dif-
ferent places, endeavouring to combine the resulting observations, so
as to form, as it were, a complete picture. Moreover, it is in some
respects impossible to find any standard by which to judge of the
respective quantitative values of the different groups, even though it
may be possible accurately to determine the composition in point of
size of each separate group. The investigations of the different
biological groups of herring have shown, however, that repeated study
from season to season can give a most valuable general idea of the
variations and fluctuations in the preponderance of the different ages
of year-classes within the different groups, e.g., within the ' fat '
herring and spring herring groups.
The combined study of the statistics of the fisheries, the catches
of the fishermen, and the fluctuation with regard to the year-classes,
in the most important groups of herrings, have proved sufficient to
demonstrate that the cause of variations in the fisheries is to be found
in the great fluctuations in the number of individuals occurring in the
larvae and fry developed in the different years — fluctuations, that is to
say, in the year-classes.
Present State of Knowledge in Canada
Seoarat ^ comparison of normal scales of the different types
Schools may of Canadian herring, shows a marked difference in
Mingle ^^|.g ^,.^1 nianner of growth. Most marked is the
difference between the Newfoundland herring and the Magdalen
Island herring. This circumstance is very important, as both these
types occur in the gulf of St. Lawrence, though not in precisely the
same areas of that sea. Among the Magdalen Island herrings, a
few individuals were found showing a growth very similar to that of
the Newfoundland herring, and their scales were so characteristic that
they revealed themselves most clearly. In those areas of the sea,
where two or more very diflferent types of herrings meet or inter-
mingle, it may be possible, therefore, to ascertain the extent of the
intermingling between the different schools, and the areas of distribu-
tion and migration of the different types. The gulf of St. Lawrence
seems to provide the most excellent conditions for investigations of
this kind.
HERRING FISHERY OF CANADA 43
The results of Dr. Hjort's investigations are an im-
Europeanand portant addition to our knowledge. The interesting
Canadian series, or systems of types, which have been determined
by the investigations in Europe, have been proved by
him to have, on the western side of the Atlantic, a close parallel, both
with regard to racial characters and rate of growth. This addition to
our knowledge justifies a few remarks regarding the conditions under
which the different types live.
The Irish and the Nova Scotian herrings — distinguished by their
excessive growth, their spawning in the autumn, their more numerous
keel scales — both belong to the open Atlantic waters, these waters being
marked by a high salinity and more limited changes in temperature
during the different seasons.
The Norwegian and Newfoundland herrings, it must be noted,
also belong to the open sea, but the water is of less sahnity and is
mixed with cold, fresh water from the land or from the Arctic. They
live under a more marked boreal climate and amidst a typical boreal
fauna. The difference between summer and winter is very marked
in their surroundings, both with regard to temperature and biological
conditions.
The southern portion of the gulf of St. Lawrence corresponds to
some extent with the conditions in the North sea on the Dogger Bank
area, whose temperature is high in summer and low in winter, though
never so low as in Canadian waters. The samples of spring herring
from the west coast of Newfoundland are in several respects, in the
characteristics of their growth, very much like the Norwegian herrings.
We should, therefore, also expect a similar composition with regard
to age.
On the west coast of Newfoundland, herrings are caught in the
spring, in the summer and in the autumn. The spring herrings are
large, with mature roe and milt; they are the spawning schools and
correspond to the Norwegian spring herrings. In the gulf of St.
Lawrence the herring spawning season seems to be in May, that is,
about two months later than on the Norwegian west coast. In the
summer some inshore fishing goes on in the bays. The catch consists,
according to fishermen, of smaller herring, which are used as bait
only. The autumn fishing is a very important one, large herring
schools approaching the coast and entering the bays. These herring
are large, with the sexual organs developing. They correspond per-
fectly with the ' large ' herring, which are caught in Norway late in
the autumn.
44 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
The herring of the Magdalen islands live in the southern portion
of the gulf of St. Lawrence, where the fresh water from the river
St. Lawrence lowers the salinity, where the temperature in summer is
high, in winter very low, and where the water is shallow over the
many ' banks.'
The Norwegian and Newfoundland herring, which correspond so
much in their rate of growth, may also reach their maturity at about
the same age. If this be so, it must further be supposed that the
spawning schools off the Newfoundland coasts, in some years, must
consist of large numbers of smaller and younger, four-, five-, and
six-year-old fish, which to a great extent must go through the fisher-
men's nets and thus escape being caught. The Newfoundland herring,
secured during the investigation, consisted of samples from the spring
and autumn schools, all of which are large mature fish.
Sorineand '^^ investigations in 1914, which were, on the whole,
Fall Herring confirmed in 1915, showed that there is a marked dif-
in Canada ference between the spring spawners of the gulf of St.
Lawrence, Northumberland strait, the Magdalen islands and the west
coast of Newfoundland, and the fall herring obtained in the open
Atlantic waters off Cape Breton and Nova Scotia. This difference
was well known to experienced men engaged in the Atlantic herring
fishery, as they caught spring spawners everywhere in the Gulf, and
fall spawners off the open Atlantic coast. The fishermen recognized
an imaginary line drawn in an easterly direction through a point on
the coast of Cape Breton, near the entrance to the Gulf. North of this
line all the herring are declared to be spring spawners, and south of
the line the oceanic types are fall spawners, but there are known to
exist also local spring spawning schools of coast herring.
Ba,vofFund '^^^ last-named occur in the bay of Fundy and
and West Nova around the coasts of western Nova Scotia. Gilpin,
Scotia Herring however, long ago, discovered spawning herring in May
as well as in September and October. Herring first appeared in
Digby basin about the last of March or the first of April, and spawned
a month later. By the 20th May they had left the Basin. On the
Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Gilpin observed shore herring, about
eleven inches in length, early in March and spawning in September
and October. It is curious that this corresponds to conditions in the
North sea, where coast herring spawn in spring and oceanic herring
on the outer banks {e.g., the Dogger bank) in the autumn. It has
also been noted that the northern spring spawners have fewer keel
scales (averaging 12.5) than the southern fall spawners (averaging
HERRING FISHERY OF CANADA 45
13 to 14), and it is also important to note that the herring on the
west coast of Newfoundland have the highest number of vertebrae,
namely 56.83 on the average.
The samples of Atlantic Coast (Nova Scotia) herring, taken in the
autumn of 1914, proved to be young herring 3 to 5 years old, mainly
4 years old in the Halifax Harbour specimens, while the larger series
taken outside ranged from 5 to 13 years old, most of them 7, 9 and 10
years old, fewer 8 and 11 years old, a few 5 and 6 years old, and very
few (1 per cent) 12 to 13 years old.
A study of samples of herring from the southern
G^lfHerring Portion of the gulf of St. Lawrence in May, 1914,
shows many more year-classes than in the Newfound-
land schools. The four- to five-year-old herring are most numerous,
though fish occur 6 to 10, and even up to 17 years old. No single
year-class, however, prevails, i.e., not one comprising half the individ-
uals of the whole series under examination. The ten-year-old
herrings, so prominent in the Newfoundland schools, are very uncom-
mon amongst the herring from the southern portion of the Gulf.
On the other hand, there is a marked preponderance of the eleven-
year-old herrings amongst these Gulf herring. No similarity exists,
with regard to the predominance of certain year-classes, between the
Newfoundland and the Magdalen Island herrings, just as there is no
correspondence, in this respect, between the herrings of the Norwegian
coast and those around the British Isles. These different types live,
each of them, under special conditions, not only as regards their growth,
but also as regards the renewal of their stock. The Magdalen Island
herring have also this in common with the North Sea herring, that the
fluctuations in the year-classes are smaller than in the Norwegian and
the Newfoundland types.
Between the two samples, from the Magdalen islands and from
Northumberland strait, there is an interesting difference. The
Magdalen Islands sample consists of older individuals than that from
the inshore Northumberland strait. It will be necessary to investigate
this more closely and to ascertain if this diflference is due to the method
of fishing or to some peculiarity in their life-history.
Dr. Hjort's material contained no sample of younger, immature
herring, from the southern area of the Gulf. It is of interest to note
that Mr. J. J. Cowie has drawn attention to the occurrence of schools
of younger herring in the Gulf, which he compares with the Scotch
' matjes ' or fat herring. From his investigations of their growth it
may be anticipated that the smaller and younger herring of this type
46 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
must be very similar to the young North Sea herring, and the indica-
tions given by Mr. Cowie will therefore be of the greatest interest for
further investigation.
., , While, therefore, there are striking parallels between
Dominant Year- our herring and the North Sea herring, the marked
Classes dominance of definite year-classes has not yet been
established beyond doubt, and researches continued through a series
of years can alone demonstrate the presence, or absence, of such domin-
ance as Dr. Hjort found in Norway, where from 1908 to 1914, the
catches were composed very largely of fish hatched in 1904. These
fish, four years old, preponderated in 1908, and again, as five-, six-,
seven-, eight-, nine- and ten-year-olds in the years from 1909 to 1914,
inclusive.
The spawning areas, the resorts of the young fish and
PoLt"'" ^'^^'^ migrations, the determination of the age and
Awaiting composition of the local runs of herring, coastal and
Determination ^jggp ^^^^ ^^^ ^jjg discovery of the ' fat ' or immature
though nearly adult, herring, in the vast schools in which they must
occur somewhere off our shores, are the points of chief practical
moment. Future work will afford this information and the develop-
ment of a vast herring industry will, in my opinion, inevitably follow
the acquisition of this knowledge.
Unutilized Fisheries Resources of Canada
BY
Prof. E. E. Prince, LL.D., D.Sc, F.R.S.C.
Dominion Commissioner of Fisheries, Ottawa
MR. CHAIRMAN and Gentlemen: I may claim for the subject
upon which I am to speak that it is a very large one althou.gh
I shall have to treat it in a somewhat sketchy and fragmentary way.
Many of the readers of papers before this Commission have also
explained that their subject was a large one and I fear that it is a
disability that attaches to most fishery questions. They all seem to
expand and become large questions. But this matter of the unutilized
fishery resources of Canada is one which seems to grow the more you
look into it. I promise you this morning that I shall be very condensed
and brief in my remarks.
It is not necessary to point out to the members of the
High Value Commission of Conservation that the utilizing of
waste products as a source of wealth has expanded in
many industries to such an extent that in some cases the by-products
or waste materials have proved more profitable and important than the
original product of the industry. In a paper before the Commission
in January, Dr. Haanel made reference to coal tar which, he said, had
for many years been regarded as a waste product, but on which has
been founded one of the largest and most profitable industries in
Germany, the manufacture of aniline dyes. Germany, as in so many
cases, utilized the discovery of a Lancashire man. Dr. Grace Calvert,
who was the first to find these wonderful dye products in coal tar, and
I have an interesting little pamphlet published by him in Manchester,
I think, in 1845, upon this subject. That discovery has led, as you all
know, not only to one industry but to a series of valuable industries,
the production not only of colours but scents and flavours used in
the manufacture of candies and confections, glycerine and creo-
sote, as well as a variety of oiher products. These have been the
result of Dr. Calvert's discovery in regard to that waste product, coal
tar, which was used for forty or fifty years simply as a hot cement for
holding together paving stones in the street. Our sawdust waste has
47
48 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
been almost criminal, for it has not only ruined the rivers and injured
fish life but it has thrown away material which, to give one example,
could have produced ethyl alcohol of high proof at a very low rate,
one-third the cost of the production of alcohol from grain.
-., .- . It seems to me the time has arrived when we should
Classification . , , , .
of Unutilized P^Y attention to the waste products of our waters and
Aquatic turn them to profitable account. My subject does not
only refer to fish, but to all the products of the sea
and of our waters generally, which may be turned to profitable account,
but which have not hitherto been utilized. These products may be
separated under three headings: first, aquatic products at present
utilized but of which the value could be vastly increased by better
handhng; second, aquatic products which are recognized as utilizable
but which are not yet turned to account; and third, aquatic products
whose value has not been recognized generally as of any importance.
The terrible war now raging has called attention to the subject of turn-
ing to account all our resources, and fish products and food products
generally are likely to realize very much enhanced prices as they
become scarcer, so that we ought to take into account all the possibili-
ties of our aquatic industries.
Reorganization of Herring Industry
I should like to say a word or two about the herring and may say
first that the so-called lake herring are of course not herring at all. It
was suggested a few years ago that a Scottish herring industry might
be inaugurated upon the Great lakes. That, of course, is impossible
because the so-called lake herring are really a small species of white-
fish and wholly unsuited to the Scottish herring methods. The herring
industry of the British Isles is one of very great importance. The
Scottish herring industry in 1912 reported a catch of 250,000 tons
which brought no less than $10,438,770 or about one-third the total
value of our whole Canadian fisheries. As Dominion Commissioner
of Fisheries I have felt for many years the paramount importance of
reorganizing our herring fisheries in Canada on the lines of the British
and Scottish industries and many of you know that I have had some-
thing to do with the bringing out of Mr. Cowie, in accordance with
a plan which was cordially approved by the Minister of Marine. He
brought out a steam herring drifter and crew, with a staff of girls for
cleaning, selecting and packing the herring. Most of you know the
result of Mr. Cowie's work.
UNUTILIZED FISHERIES RESOURCES 49
Canadian It has been claimed that the Canadian herring could
Qo^'af *^ not realize anything like the price of the Scotch and
British Norwegian fish and it was said among fishing people
that the Canadian herring were not the right quality in their fresh
condition to make the best herring, so that you could not expect them to
rank alongside the Scottish herring. But Mr. Cowie proved abundantly
that the Canadian herring when properly handled, would realize the
same price as the Scotch herring and instead of bringing $2.25 to $5.00
a barrel they could bring $10.00 to $11.00. Indeed, I believe Mr.
Cowie got $15.00 a barrel for some herring he put up. AUhough the
experiment was somewhat limited, yet, as Mr. Cowie claimed in his
report of 1905, ten barrels put up properly and proving the quality of the
fish are as good as a thousand in demonstrating why Canadian herring
have not had the repute they should have had in the markets, owing
to the careless and unscientific methods of curing and want of knowl-
edge as to how to place the herring in the market. That our herrings
are excellent is proved by the fact that, at the present moment,
important men from Philadelphia, Chicago, and other great
centres — I met them the other day in Halifax — are in the Mari-
time provinces anxious to see these fish of ours put up in the proper
way and are prepared to help in the packing of them. Some Philadel-
phia firms are now packing our herring in the Scottish style and
I met an important Chicago buyer the other day who told me that
he was prepared to give an order for 50,000 barrels of Scotch her-
ring from Canada. I hardly like to mention the price, but $25.00 a
barrel was mentioned as possible for the best Scotch herring just now
in Chicago. That is like a fairy story now, when we think of former
prices prevailing. The main causes of this inferior reputation of our
herring are, first, wrong methods of fishing, the fish being taken inshore
when in poor condition instead of outside; second, inefficient handling
by fishermen, the scales being knocked oflf and the fish spoiled; third,
the curing of the catches by the fishermen themselves which is an unsat-
isfactory method; fourth, the absence of selection of the fish when
packed, poor grading and handling generally, resulting in an inferior
product; fifth, the inferior barrels or packages that are used, and the
lack of care of the fluid or pickle, which often escapes and leaves the
herring dry or, at any rate, much deteriorated.
Improved Meth- '^^^ cures for these difficulties I need hardly enumer-
ods of Handling ate. They are that drift nets should be used with the
Hemng proper mesh, so that fat, non-spawning herring which
are not yet quite mature, or full, hard-roed herring should be captured
50 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
when they are in the outer waters, when they are in the deep sea, and
the fishermen should hand over their catches to curers. They should
be brought in as rapidly as possible, as few hours as possible elapsing
between the capture and the landing, and the fish should be carefully
and properly graded and selected. A recognized quality or kind of salt
should be used, and the package or barrel should be substantial, tight
and well made. But, as Mr. Cowie is to deal with this subject, I need
say no more about that. I can only point out that we have in Canada
been wasting our sea-herring resources and the waste is deplorable,
for no country in the world possesses such a rich herring harvest as is
to be found in the waters of Canada. The British Columbia coast
abounds even more wonderfully than the Atlantic coast in herring, and
the use of these fish has been such that they have realized the poorest
price. Great quantities, of course, have been used for bait. In British
Columbia, the Japanese have dry-salted them and exported them to
markets in China and Japan, yielding very poor returns. I regard it
as a criminal waste of a fine fish product. The remedy for this is to
enter systematically upon the proper curing and handling of herring
according to the methods adopted in Europe. That the herring is a
valuable product I need hardly say. One hardly realizes how import-
ant it is as a food, but Prof. Hopkins of the University of Cambridge
has recently pointed out that the sea herrings of the North Sea contain
18-6 per cent of protein and 3-44 per cent of fat. Fresh, lean beef
contains 22-4 per cent of protein and 4 per cent of fat, so you see how
well the herring compare even with fresh, lean beef. Here is a case,
then, where it is open to us to utilize in a better way a product that we
all recognize as of value.
Various Fish whose Value is Ignored
Tunny or ^"^ there are some fish which occur on our shores
Horse- whose value has been comparatively ignored. Many
mac ere years ago, during an early tour as Commissioner of
Fisheries, I called attention to the waste of the fish called the tunny or
tuna, sometimes called the horse-mackerel. I remember at Yarmouth,
Nova Scotia, in 1894, seeing a number of these fish thrown on the
beach rotting. These were fine specimens of the tuna, some three
hundred or four hundred pounds in weight. At various points on the
coast I saw these fish thrown away. When I landed finally at Gaspe
the first thing that greeted me was the odour of decaying tuna on the
beach. No one acquainted with the fisheries, say, of the Mediterranean,
would believe that such a thing was possible, that a fine fish like the
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UNUTILIZED FISHERIES RESOURCES 51
horse-mackerel was being thrown away in that fashion. I might quote
from a great authority, M. Pierre Lemy, who is a large merchant in
Paris engaged in the prepared food business, and he said that, after the
sardine, which is a prime product in France, the tuna is the fish which
is most important as a preserved product. I need not go into the way
in which these fish are utilized, but it is sufficient to say that there are
several kinds of these fish, the large horse-mackerel, a closely allied
species called the bonito and several varieties which have now obtained
a market in the United States. Our men are shipping these
horse-mackerel, which are really very good eating, and I noticed in a
trade paper the other day that there is an upward tendency in the
prices for this fish. In 1902, one fish trap at Canso took, in a few
weeks, over 40 of these fine fish.
.„ ^ . There is another fish which, fortunately, is now receiv-
Profit in . , , 1 /- , » r
Sword-fish '"S attention, namely the sword-fish. A few years ago
such a thing as sword-fish fishery was unknown on our
coast. But men began to realize that these fish were in our waters.
There is now a special fleet of sword-fish boats engaged in capturing
these fish, and this has proved a most profitable industry. In August
last year the sword-fish was so plentiful off the Cape Breton coast,
especially early in August, that at Ingonish, in Cape Breton island,
eighty of these fish were caught. Some boats took from five to twenty-
five and they brought from three to four cents a pound from the fish
buyer. These fish ranged from 300 pounds to 400 pounds in weight
and one was caught inside the Outer Flarbour buoy at Sydney, which
weighed 565 pounds. At four cents a pound that is quite a return for
a fisherman. In Boston or New York, if you want a bit of sword-fish,
you have to pay twenty to twenty-five cents a pound. I had some in
Boston and it was most excellent. I have known six hundred or
seven hundred of these fish to be landed in one day at the fish wharf
in Boston and a great quantity of these were from Canada. It is a
very paying industry and shows how fish like that can be neglected for
many years but now yield such ample returns.
I shall not refer to the sturgeon as there is a paper on
Sturgeon inland fisheries, but it is hardly credible that a few
years ago I saw sturgeon thrown upon the beach on
the St. John river for manure, whereas now it is one of our most
valued fish and brings very great returns to our fishermen. I know
that, in some cases, good lake sturgeon have brought fishermen as much
as a good-sized cow would bring to a farmer. As much as 30c per lb.
S2 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
has been recently paid for sturgeon in the New York markets, and
the weight ranges from 20 up to 100 pounds.
Then there is a fish, which is not at all utilized, called
The Wolf-fish ^.j^ wolf-fish or sea-cat. There are two forms of this
or Sea-cat
fish, Anarhichas lupus and A. latifrons, the latter the
more northerly form. The fish run from fifteen to fifty pounds in
weight, a not exactly eel-like but long fish, quite big and heavy, with
perfectly white flesh, whiter than halibut, flaky and delicious. I remem-
ber thirty years ago a Scotch fisherman telling me that he had eaten it
and it was the best fish that swam. No one who has eaten it will deny
that it is very superior. Great quantities of this are caught on our
coast and thrown away. I was at Clark Harbour, Nova Scotia, and
saw a number of these lying on the wharf, as they were considered
absolutely of no value. They are exceedingly good fish, and in the
British market — which is the most particular market there is — the
wolf-fish is now being sold, although the head is removed and I
fancy it is called a very superior cod.
Respecting the angler or goose-fish, it is also a very ugly
or Goose-fish fish, sometimes four or five feet in length. The tail
portion, which is solid flesh, is very good. Deprived of
the head it also has been placed in recent years on the London market.
It brings a good price and is regarded as an excellent fish.
The skate is another fish which is caught veiy plenti-
Skat^s" W°'^ fully by our fishermen but has never been utilized until
recently. I know that one Digby fisherman last year
shipped 30,000 pounds of skates' wings to the United States and there
is a demand for more.
In regard to this utilization of these lesser-known fish
Mcrthejvof-eels °'' ^^^ "°^ valued, I may say that the staff at the bio-
logical station at St. Andrews, New Brunswick, have
for the last two or three seasons been trying on the mess table all kinds
of fish and you would be astonished at the result in the case of some
fish that people threw away and did not regard as edible at all. There
is one fish called the rock-eel or mother-of-eels, a greenish eel-like ani-
mal. It is viviparous, that is, produces its young alive, and is alto-
gether a peculiar fish. A large one may weigh a couple of pounds. We
found that the rock-eel {Zoarces) had white flesh of splendid flavour
and our staff declared it one of the best fish they had had on the
table. That is a fish that could be utilized; there are great quantities
along the shores and it is a product the food value of which has not
been realized at all.
UNUTILIZED FISHERIES RESOURCES S3
There is also a great waste of roes or eggs. When fish
Waste are cleaned, the entrails, including the ovaries or eggs,
are thrown away. Apart from the sturgeon, which pro-
duces the high-priced caviare, the eggs of fishes have not, speaking gen-
erally, been of any market value in this country. They are not only
a most nutritious and excellent food but they are also of importance
and value in other ways. They are put up as rogue for the French
sardine industry and there was quite a demand, as long as the great
sardine industry was in a prosperous condition, for this rogue, which is
really the salted, packed eggs of such fish as the cod, haddock, pollock,
hake, the other well-known fish. It is used as a lure scattered in the
sea to attract and collect the wandering schools of sardines. The roes
are removed entire, packed solid and tightly in barrels after being
salted, and bring quite a good price.
The Menace of the Dog-fish
And now I come to rather an important subject, namely the dog-
fish. The utilization of this fish has formed a subject for very fre-
quent discussion. These fish are found in swarms off our Atlantic and
Pacific coasts. They roam the seas like packs of wolves and destroy
everything in the shape of fish and fishing gear ; they are altogether a
serious menace. The Caraquet fishermen in New Brunswick, in 1903,
estimated their loss from dog-fish at $80,000 for one season and in Bos-
ton harbour in 1904 the loss to gear and destroyed fish was not less
than $10,000. Very frequently our fishermen have to cease operations
on account of the large numbers of dog-fish coming in and taking the
bait, biting the fish off the hooks and making holes in the net with
their sharp teeth.
Government ^*^ encourage the destruction of these fish the Govem-
Reduction ment built some reduction works a few years ago.
Works Three of these are operated by the Department of the
Naval Service. The object of this was to make the dog-fish into fer-
tilizer or guano, and they have done so, but the difficulties in connection
with this are, first, that the supply is widely scattered and it is rather
costly to collect ; second, the supplies are erratic and uncertain, some-
times there is great abundance of dog-fish and sometimes they are
scarce ; then, third, there is a lack of technically trained men to con-
duct the reduction works. You cannot make the best of waste material
unless you have men trained to turn it to account, but the reduction
works have certainly got rid of quite a large number of dog-fish.
Fishermen have brought them into these works at Canso, at Ship-
54 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
pigan and at Clark Harbour, and in a report which a Committee of
the Advisory Fishery Board is at the present moment preparing and
which will be sent to members of this Commission, you will see the
facts in regard to the amount of dog-fish destroyed and the result of
the operations of the reduction works in ten years. I do not know that
I need refer in detail to the method in which these reduction works are
carried on. The returns from the sale of fertilizer and of oil are only
about half the cost of operation, so that the enterprise is not operated
at a profit. The raw material is brought by the fishermen directly to
the works or collected by agents who get a certain percentage for
collecting the fish, or by the Department's own collecting boats, and
the fish are dumped on to the wharf at each factory. The fish are
first cut open and the livers removed. These are kept separate and
oil is produced from them. Permit me to read a brief description of
the further processes through which the fish are passed before being
made into fertilizer.
Description of Dog-fish Reduction Plant
The dog-fish reduction plant installed by the Canadian Government
at the three fertilizer works in the Maritime provinces passes the fish
through three processes:
(1) Cooking or digesting
(2) Pressing
(3) Drying
The cooker consists of a horizontal stationary steel cylinder with a
feed hopper at the anterior end, and a discharge at the other end. A
hollow steel shaft passes through the axis of the cylinder, which is sup-
ported by bearings attached to the head of the cylinder, carrying a
special conveyor, rotating and moving the material continuously through
the cooker. Radial arms project from the shaft in a spiral arrangement
so that the material is tossed about, and carried slowly through to the
other end. The central hollow shaft within the cylinder is perforated
between the turns of the spiral and steam is blown out into the material
at these points, so that the cooking is thoroughly done. The hollow
shaft is rotated slowly by means of spur-gears, sprocket-wheels or
other mechanical gear. The cooked material, having reached the fur-
ther end of the cylinder, passes into a continuous screw-press by which
any liquid remaining after the cooking process is removed. A central
hollow shaft in the press carries a tapering screw mounted upon it and
this, rotating inside a close-fitting slatted steel casing with an adjust-
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UNUTILIZED FISHERIES RESOURCES 55
able cone, located at the discharge end of the casing, passes the material
out of the press. The hollow screw shaft is provided with special coni-
cal perforations permitting steam to mingle with the material while it
is being pressed. The steam not only heats the material but keeps it
soft and thus permits more easy separation of the Hquids from the solid
material.
Heavy worm-gearing rotates the main shaft and the thrusts from
the screw and the worm are taken up by carefully designed bearings
and thrust-collars. A conveyor carries the pressed and cooked material
to the drier, which is a hollow steel cylinder mechanically revolving. A
series of parallel steel tubes arranged in the form of a ring, and with a
central open, horizontal space, rotates inside the cylinder around with
it. These tubes are supplied at one end with steam for drying, and in
order to throw the material about and expose it to the hot tubes, a num-
ber of radial shelves project along the entire inner surface of the
cylinder. These shelves not only scatter the wet material over the
tubes, but carry it as it dries towards the discharge end, where it leaves
the machine through a special exit in the steel shell. The water in the
shape of vapour, arising from the wet material during its progress, is
drawn off by a large vapour-flue placed in the feed end of the machine.
It will be seen from this brief description that the whole process is
automatic and it can be accommodated in a rough wooden shed. An
engine and boiler are, of course, necessary and as a rule a conveying
apparatus is added, thus reducing the amount of manual labour to a
minimum. The fuel used may be either gas, coal or oil, and the final
product is what is called granulated fish-scrap, from which most of
the liquid and oil have been extracted. The oil is treated separately and,
if the material is fresh, is of excellent quality and much in demand. It
will be seen that, apart from the fish-scrap and oil, no other products
result from this process. The production of glue is a somewhat tech-
nical matter, and requires special expert skill to extract. As a rule,
about eight tons of raw material are required to produce one ton of
scrap and 8 to 12 gallons of oil may be produced from a ton of raw
dog-fish.
Products Obtained from Dog-fish
The reduction plant was manufactured by the Amer-
and Oil ''-^" Process Company and has been found very
successful. Each plant can handle thirty tons of raw
material. The fishermen are paid $4.00 a ton for dog-fish. That is a
rather high price but they will not bring the fish in for less. They are
paid $2.00 a ton for other fish offal. An analysis of the scrap pro-
56 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
duced by the reduction works shows it to be an excellent fertilizer for
agricultural purposes. It is a coarse, powdery material of dark brown
colour and can readily be sold for $30.00 to $35.00 a ton. The oil is
sold at from ten cents to thirty cents per gallon although it might
readily realize forty cents per gallon. The oil varies in quantity and
quality very much. These are points into which I shall not enter in
detail here. The best oil is a very clear, pure liquid, not unpleasing to
sight and smell and, I beheve, chemically, it is equal to to the best
cod-liver oil.
pjgjj Some attempt has been made to produce fish glue from
Glue fish waste of this kind, but hitherto it has been found
that the production of glue involves too much technical
knowledge and too many highly paid officers. That it can be manufac-
tured at a profit has been demonstrated by the success of the Russia
glue works at Gloucester. These glue works were started by two men,
very humble men, some years ago; they bought fish skins and fish
heads and have manufactured glue and fertilizer and such a success
has their venture been, that the company which they organized has
become a very prosperous company, with a large yield. When I was
in the works the other day, they were of about ten times the extent
they were a few years ago and they cannot adequately supply the
demand for their product. This demand is created by the excellence of
their glue. There is quite an opening in regard to fish-glue products.
We waste an enormous amount of material, which would produce fish
glue, on the Banks and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence fisheries, and the
amount per annum would startle anybody. The fish waste is now
simply dumped into the sea.
Vast numbers of eggs are available when dog-fish are
^r Tanning^ ^^^"^ treated at the reduction works. The dog-fish
produces living young, but the eggs are contained
inside the body and are about the size of small hen eggs. You see
tens of thousands of them thrown around the wharves of the reduc-
tion works. It has been found that leather tanned with dog-fish eggs
becomes almost like chamois. They are a most excellent material for
use in the tanning process, so that here we have again another valuable
and unutilized resource.
Dog-fish ^ know that dog-fish have been dealt with experiment-
Undesirable ally as a food product. A few years ago a fish com-
as ood p^jjy jj^ Halifax canned a quantity of dog-fish and sold
them under the name of ocean whitefish. The flavour is quite good
and they have been pronounced something like halibut in flavour with
UNUTlLlZED FISHERIES RESOURCES 57
a slight reminiscence of the lobster. But an investigation recently
carried on by a distinguished bio-chemist in Canada has shown that
they are so rich in uric products that they cannot be recommended as
a food. Their flesh soon becomes offensive on account of the large
amount of urea in the tissues.
U f ■ Ch ^^' Robertson: May I ask Prof. Prince a question?
against Reduc- If the amount of money paid for the dog-fish, two
tion Works cents a pound, was left out of account, would the
business be carried on clear of expense?
Prof. Prince : I think it would, I think it would then clear ex-
penses.
Dr. Robertson : Would it not be fair to treat that as a bounty for
the destruction of the fish rather than as the price of the product?
Prof. Prince: It is rather unfair to charge the reduction works
with some of the charges made against them. So when I say that
the returns are only half the cost, that is what is shown by the official
figures in the Auditor General's report, but our Committee will point
out that some of the charges against the reduction works are unfair,
that they should be looked upon as a bounty for the destruction of a
menace. I hope the Committee's report may be of some interest
because the operation of these works, about which there has been a
great deal of prejudice, is fully explained. It has, in fact, been
emphatically stated that they would be closed down as not being a
paying enterprise.
Miscellaneous Aquatic Products
Fish Powder ^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ which are at present not utilized
for Feeding could be made, as in Japan, into fish powder and either
Caule"^ used for human food for making soup, etc., or for
cattle feed. Most of you know how excellent has
been the result of feeding fish powder to pigs and cattle. It has not
affected the flesh and has proved to be exceedingly good fattening
material. I have some reports here of experiments at Buenos Ayres,
and also I think in India or some other country, where fish powder
has been prepared from the inferior fish, which was ground up into a
powder and used as feed in this way. The production of desiccated
material like that, which will keep well and can be marketed easily, is
a line of utilization which is well worth following up.
58 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
I shall close by reference to one or two other matters.
The Abalone j think that there is quite an opening in the utilization
of shell-fish. There are many shell-fish which are not
used on the British Columbia coast. For instance, there is the abalone
or ear-shell. The dried flesh of this creature is in great demand
amongst the Chinese and is said to sell at about $300 per ton. An
industry has been started but it has not been organized properly and
the shells have not been utilized. London alone imports about one
hundred tons per annum of those shells from Japan, paying, I under-
stand, $50 per ton, and we could send them from British Columbia
just as well.
-^ There are nearly twenty different kinds of shell-
Unutilized fish which are not utilized at the present time and
Shell-fish which could be readily turned to account. Japan, for
instance, has used razor-shell clams for export to China in a boiled
and dried condition. Two or three shell-fish like the oyster, clam and
pecten or scallop are used, but shell-fish like the mussel and periwinkle
have not been used to any great extent, although periwinkles are in
great demand in large cities and one firm in Digby has been sending
car shipments of them to Chicago and realizing a very good price.
In the fresh waters we have quite a number of shells.
Pearls from Many of our rivers produce large fresh-water clams
Fresh-water which are of great value for button manufacture. In
the Grand river 150 tons have been obtained in a year
by the fishermen. Canada could also produce a large amount of pearls.
A great number of our streams abound in pearl-mussels. American
visitors in Cape Breton and Labrador have found extremely valuable
pearls by systematic fishing for fresh-water pearl-mussels. I know of
one very excellent pearl, of a lovely pink colour, which was obtained
in Cape Breton. The fisherman received $10 but, later, $250 was paid
for it in New York. There is one stream in British Columbia which
is called Pearl-mussel river (Lakelse) on account of the large number
of these shell-fish which it contains. It abounds with mussels of a
pearly character and I have no doubt these could be turned to economic
account.
Crayfish or ^ have also found, and I have mentioned it in oflficial
Fresh-water reports, that our crayfish in the fresh-water streams
Lobster should be more utilized. The Ottawa, Rideau and most
of the interior streams abound in the fresh-water lobster, for which a
market could be found in some of the large cities in the United States.
The ecrevisse in France is an extreme delicacy and in London and New
York it is regarded as a scarce but valuable addition to the menu.
UNUTILIZED FISHERIES RESOURCES 59
They are found in so many of our interior rivers that I am satisfied a
market could be created. At certain times of the year the crayfish
produce two Httle calcareous bodies in the first part of the stomach;
they are called ' crab's eyes ' or gastroliths. These hard bodies, like
lime buttons, about half an inch in diameter, are supposed to be pro-
duced before the creature sheds its shell and the gastroliths are
assumed to be the limey matter which is to help form the new shell, so
that every year when the shell is shed the gastroliths are produced in
the stomach of the crayfish. They have long been used in China and
Japan as medicine and realize a very high price. I have had inquiries
from different Japanese officials as to whether these ' crab's eyes '
could be obtained in Canada and, if they could be, they would realize
a very high price in the Japanese market.
The question of the utilization of whales, porpoises,
Whales, sea-lions, etc., is an important one. We have too long
Walruses, etc. .... ,
allowed our American friends to go mto our northern
waters and utilize these valuable products. Considerable fortunes have
been made from Canadian whales and walruses by enterprising in-
truders. I remember many years ago some American boats coming
into Hudson bay and carrying off many tons of valuable walrus ivory
and I noticed the other day that a boat came into Seattle from Nome,
Alaska, after two very successful cruises in our northern waters. She
reported that on her first cruise she secured 837 walruses, and on her
second, 516. These produce a valuable ivory and oil and their hides are
of considerable value, too. I am quite satisfied that these fisheries are
carried on in our own Canadian waters and that they probably centre
at Herschel island and make trips from there just as on the east they
make excursions from some place like iMarble island in Hudson bay.
I often think we might have listened to the advice of Sir John Schultz
who, thirty years ago, said our Arctic waters would yet prove to be the
last habitat of those most valuable Arctic animals, the right whale and
the walrus, and that some effort should be made to prevent their being
entirely destroyed.
Potash and ^ ^^^ intended saying a word or two about the kelp
Iodine industry but that is a special subject and I had better
from Kelp ig^^g jj ^^^^ ^i^g jjgpj ^f Agriculture have been
carrying on some experiments with kelp, from which potash and
other valuable products are extracted, and I will only give you one or
two facts which I think are well worth notice before I sit down. It
is in regard to the value of the kelp industry as a source of potassium
chloride. Processor Cameron of Manitoba university has carried on a
60 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
research under the Biological Board and his estimate is that from the
shores of British Columbia, which are well clothed with the two kinds
of kelp, the bull-head kelp or Nereocystis, and the giant or great kelp,
the Macrocystis, a harvest could be gathered of probably 235,000 tons
of a value of $11,000,000 per year at $50 per ton. The yield of iodine
from this would be about 950 tons, and would be valued at $3,500,000
at $38.75 a ton. He estimates that our kelp industry on the British
Columbia coast ought to bring in, if properly utilized, $15,000,000 per
annum. These estimates are based upon the price of potassium
chloride and iodine before the war. Potassium chloride, which was
quoted at $38 per ton in July, 1914, is practically unobtainable, though
nominally quoted at $400 to $500 per ton. Iodine has also advanced
from $4.00 in 1914 to $4.75 at the present time. In addition, the
refuse could be utilized as a valuable fertilizer.
There is also a vast number of sea-mosses or
Ornamental zoophytes. Japan has harvested these. They are sold
Zoophytes ■ , , • . , , -, , ,
as air plants, because it is popularly said that they grow
without having water, that they flourish on the air. As a matter of
fact they are dried skeletons of a kind of coral, or rather hydroids.
They are found both on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Microscopic
colonies of animals live on the branching stems, which they build
out of horny and limey matter. Japan has shipped hundreds of tons
of these air plants or dried hydroid zoophytes for ornamental purposes
and I know that some years ago the United States imported probably
$50,000 worth from Germany which had been prepared and dyed and
sent over for ornamental purposes. Originally, they are of a v.'hite or
brownish colour. It seems to me that along our shores the younger
people could carry on some of these industries. Perhaps the men
might not feel inclined to go around collecting material like that, but
in many countries the families of the fishermen are helping and, if
attention were directed to possible industries of that nature, quite a
few enterprises could be carried on in the collection of sea-mosses for
the markets which demand them.
There are other unutilized products which I might refer to, but I
think I have said enough to indicate that our seas, although wonder-
fully productive, might be made still more productive if we realized
how many resources have not yet been developed.
Hon. a. E. Arsenault : With reference to the dog-fish, if it is very
prolific — is the reduction plant going to serve any purpose. For com-
parison, take lobsters. Notwithstanding that they have been caught
UNUTILIZED FISHERIES RESOURCES 61
in such large quantities and caught in season and out of season, there
are still great quantities of them and they seem to be as common as
ever. Will this reduction plant lessen the number of dog-fish? If
it is not decreasing the number of dog-fish in our waters it cannot be
serving a useful purpose. Are there any statistics of show that these
plants have reduced the number of these fish?
Prop. Prince: The dog-fish is not really a very productive fish. It
produces from six to eight or ten young at a time and the best
authorities are of opinion that it does not reproduce more than three
times a year, which would give us, say, thirty young per annum for
each female. That is a very small production of young among fish.
But each of these is so well provided and can look after itself so well
that there is practically no loss and a female lobster producing from
10,000,000 to 30,000,000 young every year may not produce thirty
adults. The destruction of young lobsters is so great, so many fish
feed on them, and the percentage of loss is so enormous, that the result
of the production of the female lobster is probably not very much in
excess of the production of a single female dog-fish. Therefore, in
considering whether the reduction works are doing any good, one must
take into account that they destroy so many females every year, and
that thus they are destroying so many parents for the future. In the
report of the Advisory Board's Committee we estimate the number
of dog-fish that the works have probably exterminated. Personally, I
do not think the reduction works will solve the whole dog-fish ques-
tion. A few years ago the Dept. of Marine and Fisheries published
a report on the dog-fish pest, and I gave eight or ten suggestions
as to how the dog-fish plague might be met. I would like to see all
those methods tried together that we might have some assault made
upon this terrible enemy.
The works, so far as they go, must have done some good, and,
under a better system, they can do far more. I should say that in my
report on the dog-fish I did not suggest reduction works. I suggested
a number of other methods. I proposed that we should have a dozen
patrol boats along the Atlantic coast with ten to thirty men on each
and that these boats should be employed night and day in capturing
all the dog-fish they could. The men could be employed for a short
time. The dog-fish come on in great hordes for a short time and then
disappear, and one of my suggestions was that the patrol boats might
be employed like a fleet making war upon these enemies. I made
other suggestions and should like to see them all tried.
Mr. Feilding: How far has the production of fish meal been
attempted in Canada? I am rather interested in that particular
62 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
branch of the fish trade, because some ten or fifteen years ago I was
engaged with Herr Jaffe, head of the German Hanoverian fisheries, in
investigating methods of utilizing the fish waste at Wilhelmshaven and
other places in Germany. They have developed an enormous industry
in the creation of fish meal. I was the first man to take it up in Eng-
land. It was a fish food for fish-culture establishments. About fifteen
years ago I recommended Dr. Hugh Smith and Mr. Ravenal and two or
three of the United States fish culturists to experiment with it, and I
believe they did. The dog-biscuit manufacturers, including Spratt'sand
other well-known firms took it up. Then it was taken up by the
pig-food manufacturers to replace tankage. We know the cost of
tankage in this country is very high, and the average farmer is rather
frightened of it. Fish meal can be put on the market a good deal
cheaper and, I think, is of the same, if not higher, protein value and
probably of better oil value. The possibility of its tainting the flesh has
been urged, but I am rather inclined to think that it does not do so, if
properly mixed with other materials and treated only as a concentrate.
The great problem we found in Germany in connection with the treat-
ment of fish offals was that there was a stage in the drying when we
found our protein value disappearing. Therefore there is, no doubt,
a good deal of practical knowledge to be acquired in that direction.
I would like to know how far experiments have been conducted here,
so that I may gain an idea to what extent they may be used by farmers
in stock-raising.
Prof. Princb : In reply to Mr. Feilding I may say that there has been
really no systematic attempt to produce fish meal in Canada. Two
experimental efiforts were made ten or twelve years ago. I instructed
certain hatchery officers to procure the flesh of a number of suckers,
an inferior kind of fish found in some of our rivers and to produce a
dried material, powdered, for the purpose of feeding fry. Some of
this meal was used at the Restigouche hatchery, on the famous salmon
river of that name, and I believe it was a brilliant success. The officer
there, an able man, well calculated to carry out the experiment success-
fully, reported that the fish seemed to flourish on it and he thought it
better than liver to feed to the young fry when they were being reared
to the fingerling stage. Recently an experiment was made at the
reduction works to produce fish meal from cod and other fish, but the
lack of technical knowledge will probably prevent success in that par-
ticular case. I examined some of the fish meal produced and could
not regard it as satisfactory. With these two exceptions the fish-meal
industry has not been developed at all in Canada.
UNUTILIZED FISHERIES RESOURCES 63
Mr- Feilding : There is a plant at Wick in the north of Scotland
where they make a most agreeable foodstuff for human use called
' Marvis.' At one time it had a large market for making fish soups
and soufflees and anything you could make with fish meal. I used it
and it was most agreeable and useful stuff to have; it would keep
almost indefinitely, you could transport it anywhere, it was palatable
and its protein value was high. The heads, tails, and what you might
call the offal, including the vertebral columns, were removed.
Mr. Cowie: One reason for the industry not being developed in
Canada lies in the fact that, until recently, the fish business has been
practically a salt-fish one. The fish have been headed and gutted and
split out at sea, whereas at Wick the ' Marvis ' was made chiefly from
the fresh cod head, etc. But, on this side of the Atlantic, until com-
paratively recent years, all of that material has been disposed of at sea.
Mr. White : Are the dog-fish treated in the reduction works
caught systematically or are they caught incidentally to the other
fishing ?
Prof. Prince : In both ways, but the major portion of the dog-fish
have been caught systematically by fishermen going out for them.
The main reason for this is that, when they are around, other fishing
ceases. Still, a number have been brought in that were caught by
fishermen when fishing for other fish. The price paid, $4.00 a ton,
proves sufficient remuneration to induce them to go fishing systemati-
cally for them.
Mr. White : Could you not pay a lower rate and have the fisher-
men throw them overboard without their taking them to the reduction
works ?
Proe. Prince : That is one of the suggestions in my report, not to
trouble about the reduction works. The main object is to get rid of
the dog-fish. But the idea prevails that the fish should be turned to
some useful account. A Minister of the Crown told me that the fish
ought not to be wasted but should be made into food. He was so
strong on that point that it was one of the principal reasons why I had
Prof. Macallum of Toronto make a laboratory analysis of the dog-fish
flesh to ascertain its nature. Unfortunately, his report is not yet
published and possibly I gave information about the presence of urea
prematurely, but that is one of the things he found in his researches.
The extermination of the fish is the main object, to be attained by any
means whatever, and possibly the plan of catching the fish and dumping
them overboard after killing them is well worth trying.
64 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Mr. White: It would seem to be more economical than running
the reduction works at a loss.
Mr. Feilding : It would pollute the waters.
Prof. Prince: A good many hundred tons of offal are thrown in
now and a few more would not hurt.
Mr. Cowie : Was it the idea when the works were started to dem-
onstrate that they could be made to pay?
Prof. Prince : The people who supplied the machinery laid great
stress on that.
Dr. Jones: I suppose there might be some difficulty when paying
a bounty to the fishermen, in keeping an account of the number they
had killed.
Prof. Prince : That is one trouble. I suggested that the tail might
be kept as you cannot imitate it. We gave a bounty on the killing
of seals and the nose of the seal was to be considered a proof of killing
but we found that noses were ingeniously manufactured.
Dr. Jones : The same thing used to be true of wolves.
Government Inspection and Branding of Fish
BY
J. J. CowiE
Of the Department of the Naval Service, Ottawa
MR. CHAIRMAN and Gentlemen: As the Committee desires to
emphasize the economic side of that portion of the programme
devoted to fisheries subjects, and having been invited to address you
on the question of curing, grading, branding and preparing fish for
market, I propose to tell you something respecting the Act* which came
into operation in the course of this year and which provides for the
inspection and branding of fish such as are cured in pickle and packed
and marketed in tight barrels.
Pickl d fish While the fresh-fish and smoked-fish business of
Industry not Canada has grown greatly in recent years, the pickled-
Improving fjgj^ industry, particularly the herring and mackerel
branches of it, has gone from bad to worse. This condition is not due
to the salt-fish business being shouldered out of existence on the coast
by the growing fresh-fish business. On the contrary, there are many
parts of our coast that are so far removed from easy and quick trans-
portation facilities, that the people there must necessarily continue to
preserve their fish by salting, drying, or some such means. Neither
is this condition due to any lack of demand for fish such as mackerel
and herring in a salted condition, for, notwithstanding that the importa-
tion from Canada has not held its own in the United States, our prin-
cipal market, that from Europe has rapidly increased.
Good Quality -'^?^'"' *^ lessening importation from Canada is not
and Abundance due to any decrease in the abundance of these fish,
Fish^"^*^^" especially of herring, in our waters; neither is it due
to inferiority in the quality of the raw material. Only
the other day one of the largest importers of salt mackerel in the
United States told me that the quality of our fall mackerel, especially
those taken around the Magdalen islands. Prince Edward Island and
*The Fish Inspection Act, 4-S George V, chap. 45. See Appendix IV.
65
66 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Cape Breton, is, without doubt, superior to that of Norwegian mackerel,
and, so far as herring are concerned, from my own experience I can
assure you that there are certain seasons of the year when the quahty
of our herring is equally as good as the quality of those on the other
side of the Atlantic; and, yet, the price paid for European herring in
the United States is, generally speaking, more than double that paid
for Canadian herring, while Norwegian mackerel always command a
much higher price than Canadian mackerel in the same market.
What, then, is the cause of this discouraging condition
Badf '^Packed' °^ °"'' ^""^^^ '" ^^^^^ products? The answer is to be
found in the fact that both Dutch and British herring
and Norwegian mackerel are cured and graded with the utmost care
and packed in well-made, standardized packages, capable of with-
standing rough usage during transportation across the ocean, and
retaining the preservative pickle until the product is placed in the hands
of the buyer; while Canadian pickled fish have, hitherto, been care-
lessly cured and packed in slim, leaky packages, such as produce rusty,
bitter fish that are unfit for food.
The Fish Inspection Act, 1914
Recognizing this fact and realizing the necessity for taking steps
to have this state of affairs changed, Hon. J. D. Hazen, Minister of
the Department of which I have the honour to be an official, ordered
the preparation of the Act to which! have referred, and secured its
passage through Parliament.
This Act, then, applies to salted mackerel, herring,
of Aa^*'°" alewives or gaspereaux, and salmon, and to the pack-
ages in which such fish are marketed. The Act aims
at bringing into general use a strong, well-made barrel of a standard
size; also it aims at raising the general standard of curing and grading
the fish, so that the cured product may be traded in with confidence,
to the benefit and profit of producer, dealer and consumer.
Method of Inspection is not compulsory under the Act ; fishermen
Carrying out and packers must decide for themselves whether they
Inspection gj^^jj niake use of the Government brand or not. To
those who apply for it, the inspection is entirely free of charge.
To carry out the provisions of the Act, a staff of competent inspec-
tors has been appointed. This staff, to begin with, had necessarily to
be a small one, as the extent to which the brand might be made use of
during the first year could not be predicted. Each inspector has been
c
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be
a
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a
be
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its
3
INSPECTION AND BRANDING OF FISH 67
given a district over which he is required to travel and act in the
capacity of an advisor or instructor, in addition to acting as inspector
of the fish when cured.
Inspection must be carried out at the place where the fish have been
packed and while the original packer is still in possession of them. It
is held that improvement in curing can only be brought about by bring-
ing the inspecting officer and the packer into direct contact in this way.
When inspection has been applied for, it is carried out in a very
thorough manner, and if, as a result of his inspection, the inspecting
officer is satisfied that the fish are properly graded and are packed in
barrels that conform to the standard called for by the regulations, he
brands on the side of each barrel, with a hot iron, a mark in the
form of a crown. This crown will show the grade and quality of the
fish, the year of packing and a letter representing the name of the
inspecting officer.
Branding a ^^^^> '^^ ™^y t>e asked, how do we expect to improve
Mark of the seemingly hopeless condition of the pickled-fish
business without compulsory inspection ? The answer
is that, by rigidly enforcing the regulations when fish are submitted for
inspection, the brand will become such a guarantee of quality to the
trade that the packer who makes use of it will find his branded fish
in demand, while the fish of his neighbour, who hesitates to put them
under inspection, will be neglected ; and so, in due course, all packers
and dealers will become anxious to have the Government brand on
their fish.
Besides inspecting and branding the fish, the Department is adver-
tising the brand throughout the United States as well as in our own
country ; in other words, is letting it be known amongst dealers and
consumers exactly what this brand stands for, as a mark of quality,
and what is being done in order to produce a high-grade article.
Regulations Regulations which take the form of detailed instruc-
Give Detailed tions for the guidance of inspecting officers, coopers
and packers, as to the construction and capacity of
barrels and the quality, curing and packing of the fish, have been
printed, and copies distributed all over the coast. The Regulations
define the thickness and quality of the staves and heading to be used
in barrel-making, the length of the staves, the diameter of the ends
and bilge of the barrel, and the manner in which the barrel is to be
hooped; they also define the quahty and size of the various grades
of fish and the manner in which they should be cured and packed, if
68 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
intended for the brand. In short, officers, coopers and packers are
told clearly and precisely what to do and how to do it.
In addition to distributing copies of the regulations,
Meetings of public meetings were held last winter and spring at
Padke™Hew'^ practically all fishing centres on the Atlantic coast
from Gaspe to the bay of Fundy, at which I made
clear to fishermen and packers the aims and objects of the x'Xct and
the manner in which they would have to handle their fish in order to
secure the Government brand; also, of course, the inspecting officers,
in their travels over their respective districts, are carrying on an
educational work.
Notwithstanding all this, while fishermen and packers freely admit
that beneficial results will ultimately follow the institution of this
system of inspection and branding, it is not anticipated that at the
beginning many will be induced to pay the higher price of the regula-
tion barrel that is required to secure the brand, unless they have some
assurance that they will be repaid for the extra cost.
_, .. ^ The work of persuading fishermen to pack their fish
Cooperation .,,.. , rr ■ ,
of Dealers m accordance with this Act can be most effectively
Desirable accomplished by the dealers and buyers of the cured
product; and, as inspection and branding will directly benefit such
dealers and buyers, an appeal has been made to them to cooperate with
the Department in its efforts to improve the business, by recognizing
the better quality of branded fish, and by intimating to shippers and
consigners that they are prepared to pay more for branded than for
unbranded goods.
We do not expect to perform a miracle in a year's time by means
of the Act; much work of a missionary or educational nature remains
to be done. Improvement will come but slowly at first but, with the
expansion of knowledge as to the value and utility of the brand, I am
perfectly confident that the pickled-fish business under this system
will be greatly extended in the near future, and that better prices than
have ruled in the past, will be obtained.
The Act and its provisions have been highly commended, not only
by the trade in Canada, but by many of the large importers in the
United States who handle Canadian pickled fish.
A number of barrels bearing the Government brand will be on the
market this year, and there can be no doubt that the high standard of
these branded fish will so satisfy the buyers, that a greater and more
general demand for inspection will take place next year.
INSPECTION AND BRANDING OF FISH 69
Mr. White: To what extent has The Pish Inspection Act been
taken advantage of so far?
Mr. Cowie: Beyond what I have said, that a number of barrels
have been put on the market I could not tell you. Of course the season
is not yet finished and the Minister would want to have all that infor-
mation in his hands first before I could give it out.* Several hundred
barrels are on the market this year. The Act has only been in opera-
tion since the month of May.
Dr. Murray: Mr. S. Y. Wilson, a large fish dealer of Halifax,
spoke about the dilatoriness of the fish packers of Nova Scotia in
taking advantage of this Inspection Act and having their goods prop-
erly inspected and branded. Of course, he said, it was not a com-
pulsory thing, and apparently they were very shy about doing it. Yet
they seemed to feel that they were not putting up the fish in a proper
manner. In line with what both Prof. Prince and Mr. Cowie have said
with regard to diflference in prices obtained for Scotch herring and
that obtained by our Nova Scotia dealers, he mentioned an incident
that occurred in Nova Scotia last summer. A dealer in Guysborough
county had employed a Scotchman who was well acquainted with the
Scotch fish industry. The dealer proposed to pack his herring in the
old-fashioned Nova Scotia style, but was persuaded by his employee
to adopt the Scotch method. He got proper barrels after the good
Scotch fa.shion and put up the fish in the regular Scotch way, with the
result that he has sold some six hundred barrels to a Chicago firm for
$11 a barrel f.o.b. Nova Scotia. At the same time, herring put up in
the old way were selling from $4 to $4.50 a barrel. I understand that
Mr. Wilson himself proposes to put up some two thousand barrels
next summer in the modern way.
Mr. Cowie : In that connection I might say to Dr. Murray that
this firm at Goldboro, in Guysborough county, who took up this mat-
ter of curing last summer, really thought of it in the preceding autumn
when I was going around the coast. They then appealed to me to find
someone capable of taking hold of this part of their business. I secured
this man for them and told them what they should do.
Dr. Murray : The result seems to have been very satisfactory.
*0n March IS, 1916, Hon. J. D. Hazen stated in the House of Commons
that, during the year 1915, the number of barrels of pickled fish inspected by the
Government officers was 1,328, and the number branded 1,211. The distribu-
tion of these was as follows : St. John, N.B., district, 899 inspected and
branded; Miramichi and Caraquet district, 319 inspected, 302 branded; Halifax
district, 10 inspected and branded; Prince Edward Island district, 100 inspected,
none branded.— Sec Hansard, March 15, 1916, p. 18S6.
70 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Dr. Jones: A little demonstration work?
Mr. Cowie: Yes.
Dr. Robertson : I rise to ask a question and to make a sugges-
tion. Among the undeveloped resources of our coast, certainly, is the
ability of the fishermen themselves. The organization of the handling
of fish has heretofore been by commercial men and almost entirely
for profit. That is not sufficient. I rise to ask whether you and your
Committee next summer could not have about three sessions at good
fishing spots, so as to bring us in contact with the fishermen. If you
could even teach twenty fishermen of ability the proper method of
handling their fish, those twenty men could, in the course of a few
years, achieve great things. Our work is admirable in a meeting of
this kind, but I think a summer session of this Committee at three
selected places, with two or three really good addresses, to the fisher-
men, telling them first-hand the things they could never learn from
reading, would help to develop that undeveloped resource. That is
the main work of this Commission, the long-distance view, to get hold
of these fellows and to instruct them practically.
Oyster Culture in Prince Edward Island
BY '
Hon. a. E. Arsenault
Member of Executive Council, Prince Edward Island
THAT oysters have existed in the bays and rivers of Prince Edward
Island from pre-historic times is amply proved by the large and
deep deposits of oyster shells found, especially in Malpeque* and St.
Peter bays, and which, in places, are over thirty-five feet deep. This
mussel-mud, as it is called, is a very valuable fertilizer and, up to two
years ago, the immense shell-mud deposits of St. Peter bay were prac-
tically untouched, as the only means of obtaining the mud was by horse-
power dredges which can only operate on ice in winter time, and, as this
tay does not freeze over, the dredges cannot operate on it. Last year,
however, the Provincial Government constructed a self-loading and
-unloading steam clam dredge, which successfully operated during the
past summer, lifting from nine to ten carloads of shell-mud per day.
History of Oyster Industry in P.E.I.
Oysters Used It is a tradition among the French Acadian people,
and^o'obtahi "^^^ ^^^""^ ^^^ ^""^^ settlers of Malpeque, a village on
Lime the shore of Malpeque bay, that eighty to one hundred
years ago oysters were so plentiful in this bay that, as there was no
market for them, large quantities of live oysters were fished and spread
over the land as fertilizer. The shells were also burnt for the lime
they produced. This practice depleted the beds to such an extent
that, in 1825, a Provincial statute was enacted prohibiting for seven
years, not only the burning of oysters for lime, but their export as
well. At the end of the seven years the burning of oysters was made
illegal and, in 1840, the exportation of oysters was prohibited for
another seven years.
Close Seasons '^^^ ^^^^ ^*^* providing for a close season for oysters
and Leasing was passed in 1864 and forbade the fishing, selling or
Instituted having in possession from June 1st to September 1st
in each year. In 1865, an act was passed to enable leasing in certain
♦Locally known as Richmond bay.
71
5
72 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
bays and rivers of the Province. This act does not seem to "have pro-
duced much result, but, in 1872, a grant of oyster bottom in the narrows
in Prince county was issued to William H. Pope. After passing
through the hands of several owner.? these areas came into the posses-
sion of John Richards, and, for the last seven or eight years, they have
been owned by Sharp Brothers, who have made a notable success of
oyster cultivation. About twenty years ago, another grant of five or
six acres on Bentinck cove in Malpeque bay was issued by the Pro-
vincial Government to George Inman. This lease was afterwards
ratified by the Federal Government and is now owned by the Standard
Cup Oyster Co., Ltd.
Arrangement In each of these cases the ground leased contained nat-
Dominionand "''^^ oyster beds. In 1906, an attempt at leasing on
the Provinces a large scale was made by the Provincial Government
but, owing to the differences between the provinces and the Dominion
respecting jurisdiction, this attempt was abandoned. In 1912, an agree-
ment was arrived at between the Dominion and the provinces by
which the latter acquired the sole right to lease and to retain the
rentals. Under this arrangement an extensive survey of the bays and
rivers of the Island was made by the Provincial Engineer. The first
and principal survey was that of Malpeque bay, which contains approxi-
mately 30,000 acres. The survey indicates the nature of the bottom,
whether sand, mud or oyster bed. As a concession to the fishermen,
all the ground where oyster beds, whether extinct or alive, were found,
was declared to be reserved from lease. Of the total area, about one-
half is reserved as containing live oyster beds. The balance, some
14,700 acres, was thrown open for leasing and, up to the present time,
over 5,000 acres have been leased.
M th d f Each lease granted has been duly registered at the
Recording registry office in Charlottetown and duplicates of the
Leases leases of areas in Prince county are deposited in the
registry office at Summerside. Four plans of the surveyed areas have
been prepared and separate index books and abstract books of the plots
or quarter-plots set forth in each of these plans have been compiled.
In the index books, each plot leased is numbered with a number cor-
responding to that marked in the respective plans.
In the abstract books each lease, with all essential particulars re-
garding same, is duly registered. This mode of registration in separate
books gives the searcher a quick insight into the titles and conditions of
each, and prevents any intermixture of plots or uncertain or indefinite
idea concerning any area or lease. The numbers on the plan show
OYSTER CULTURE IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND 73
each particular plot and no other; the corresponding numbers in the
books refer to that particular plot and to no other.
Oyster During the summer of 1913, a beginning was made in
by Private *he cultivation of their grounds by eight different corn-
Companies panies. About 2,500 barrels of oysters were imported
from the United States. These oysters varied in size from year-olds,
a half-inch in diameter, to four-year-olds four inches in diameter. By
the end of the year it was found that the smaller sizes had made an
excellent growth, while the larger ones had not thriven nearly so well.
As much of the ground leased consisted of sand or mud-bottom, the
conditions for growth were doubtless not as good as they would have
been on natural beds. With a view to getting a set of spat, shells were
put out by different companies in July and August, and, that they might
obtain these shells, three depleted beds in the reserved grounds were
staked out for that purpose.
Some companies had a fairly good catch of spat last year, but it is
too early, as yet, to determine this year's catch. The seed oysters
planted last year and the year before have shown good growth, but it
has been demonstrated that it is useless to import mature American
oysters, as three-fourths of them die, and those that survive do not
seem to lose the coppery taste, which is peculiar to these oysters.
Sales of mature American oysters, which had been in our waters for
two seasons, were made to Montreal dealers but did not meet with a
very good reception. During the present season no seed oysters appear
to have been imported and practically no planting has been done.
Cultch has been put down on a small scale by only a few companies
and, as I said before, it is yet too early to determine results.
Drawbacks to Oyster Cultivation
Some of the causes that have militated against the industry are the
following :
1. Scarcity of capital;
2. Lack of confidence by the investing public in a new enterprise ;
3. The doubtful quality of a great part of the bottom available ;
4. The difficulty of preventing poaching;
5. The losses caused by the destructive star-fish;
6. The difficulty of obtaining managers with sufficient knowledge
and experience.
74 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
No doubt the war has had a great deal to do with
Scarcity of discouraging investors who were previously willing to
take shares in oyster companies. At a time when so
many industries are seriously affected, very few people care to venture
capital in an enterprise which, so far as Prince Edward Island is con-
cerned, has yet to be proved remunerative.
The opposition of the fishermen and their friends to
Fishermen ° ^^^ industry has been another factor with which the
planters have had to contend. Although I firmly be-
lieve that, eventually, the planting of leased areas will be beneficial to
the fishermen, as it will have the effect of re-stocking the pubHc beds,
still it is hard to impress the general public with this idea.
Again, as any person may with impunity carry a drag
of Poaching '" his motor boat, no action can be instituted unless
such person is actually caught in the act of dragging.
In spite of watchmen, leased areas have been frequently despoiled and
detection has been difficult and, in most cases, impossible, as the
inhabitants near the shores do not care to give evidence against their
neighbours. The Government patrol boats are so few and have so
much other work that they can do very little in the way of protection
and it is to be feared that, unless sufficient protection can be afforded,
a number of the companies will clean up their areas and go out of
business.
Destruction '^^^ star-fish is largely responsible for the depletion
Caused by of Malpeque bay and it is one of the worst enemies
Star-fish ^j^^^^ ^j^^ private companies have to combat. They do
all they can to keep their planted beds swept but, as the leased areas
form a very small portion of the bay and, as little is done towards
keeping the public areas free from star-fish, the little that the com-
panies can do towards the destruction of this pest is to no purpose.
Whilst dealing with the star-fish problem I would like to quote
from the first report submitted by Prof. A. D. Robertson, who, for the
last two summers, has been engaged upon biological work in
Malpeque bay. Dealing with the presence of the oyster's enemies
Prof. Robertson says:
" Star-fish (Asterias vulgaris, Verrill) are abundant now in
Malpeque bay. A few years ago they were a curiosity. They con-
stitute one of the worst enemies of the oyster in this bay. They are
found in all parts of it, but are particularly abundant on the oyster
grounds around Curtain islands and in the Big bay. The Government
steamer the Ostrea, under Capt. Kemp, did good work during the sum-
OYSTER CULTURE IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND 75
mer star-fishing on the beds to the west of Curtain island and in the
Big bay. He was assisted during the month of June by Government
patrol boats D and B. Some of the oyster companies also did service
in this line. Both Government and oyster companies should pursue
this line of work much more vigorously."
" The most destructive enemy the oyster has, however, is man.
Oyster poaching goes on almost unheeded. The oyster poacher and
the man who buys from him should be severely dealt with. Efficient
protective legislation effectively and impartially enforced appears to be
an essential if the oyster industry is to advance in Malpeque bay."
That some remedy must be found, and found quickly, if the oyster
industry of Prince Edward Island is to be revived, is undisputed.
The Provincial Government is willing to act but, as the public areas
are under Federal control, must have the cooperation of the Federal
Dept. of Fisheries. A number of good power boats fitted with proper
appliances for star-fish sweeping would go a long way towards curing
the trouble, as these boats would be available, not only for this purpose,
but would be a protection against poachers as well.
General Considerations
g • 't f '^^^ Malpeque Bay oyster is indisputably the best in
Malpeque the world and the market for this bivalve is practi-
Oysters ^.^jjy unlimited. The bulk of oysters sold to-day as
Malpeques are not really such. I have here with me a few Malpeque
as well as American oysters and river oysters and shall be glad to
exhibit them for the inspection of the Committee.
Proposed ^* ^^^ httn suggested that, if nothing can be done
Recall of towards the encouragement of oyster leasing, the Pro-
Leases vincial Government should cancel all leases granted
and operate Malpeque bay with a view to preserving the oyster beds
lying therein in the interest of the fishermen and, incidentally, of the
Province. The bay might be divided into districts or divisions, of
which only certain ones could be fished each season. This would
enable the young oysters in the other areas to grow and, thus, do much
to preserve the industry. The spat and small oysters would be given
a rest period in which to grow on certain sections and thus after three
or four years become commercially available. This is a matter which
will require much thought and attention and I would invite the discus-
sion of the Committee on the subject.
1(> COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Proeress Notwithstanding the disadvantages and difficulties set
may be out herein, oyster cuUivation in Prince Edward Island
Expected j^^g made progress and if, from a financial standpoint,
the companies have not, up to the present, made oyster cultivation a
success, it is chiefly owing to the obstacles I have mentioned. \Vhen
these are removed I am satisfied that great strides will be made in
oyster propagation in Prince Edward Island.
Mr. Daniels: What are the evidences of an extinct oyster bed?
Mr. ArsEnault: The evidence is that you find the shells but no
live oysters. Experience has shown that we committed an error.
We leased large areas of ground that were practically valueless be-
cause the bottom was unsuitable for oyster culture, as it consisted of
mud and shifting sand. Certain companies got some good ground.
The Standard Cup Oyster Company, which has 1,400 acres under
lease, got some very good bottom. Another company, the Malpeque,
which leased 1,000 acres, has also some good ground, but the bulk of
it is of the mud-bottom kind. Notwithstanding these difficulties, I
have no doubt that these companies would have been more successful
were it not for (I) poaching, and (2) the prevalence of star-fish.
Malpeque bay contains 30,000 acres ; it is about five miles by eight and
you can well understand that it is a difficult matter for private owners,
especially where there are only a few of them, to protect their beds.
It has frequently happened that, after putting down their oysters, the
major part of them have been stolen. As to the star-fish, the year
before last the Ostrea and another patrol boat did some sweeping and
did very good work while so employed. Unfortunately, they were only
at it for a month or six weeks and, this year, nothing was done except
by the companies. You might say that the duty of sweeping for star-
fish lies with the companies, but, where you have large areas under
Dominion jurisdiction, it is of very little use for the private companies
to sweep their beds when the other portions are infested.
These have been the two great difficulties that the companies have
had to contend with and they are difficulties that we propose taking
up with the Dominion Government. You might say : Why not leave
those beds that, at present, are non-productive? That is certainly
what should be done because, in the case of an already built-up bed, the
only thing to do is to clean it oflf and plant oysters or to put down
cultch and catch spat. Here (exhibiting sample) is a genuine speci-
men of the well-known Malpeque. This oyster was taken out of
OYSTER CULTURE IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND 11
Grand river and replanted on the private areas. You can see that the
growth made each year is about half an inch. Ordinarily, that oyster
would grow long and slim but, having been planted in a hard bed, it
has acquired a better shape.
I have here a Cape Cod oyster very similar to our Malpeque. It
was imported and spent about a year on a bed in Bedeque bay.
Dr. Robertson : How does the flavour compare with that of the
Malpeque ?
Mr. Arsenault: It is not as good but I believe that in another
year it would have acquired a better flavour. Perhaps a connoisseur
would say that the flavour was not as good, that it still has some of
the coppery taste peculiar to the American oyster, but it has improved
wonderfully in quality since it was laid down.
Mr. Daniels : How much growth has it made ?
Mr. Arsenault: About an inch in a year. Here (exhibiting
specimen) is a sample of a Grand River oyster. It has a good flavour
but has had the disadvantage of being grown in mud. The oyster
always tries to get its mouth to the water and, being imbedded in mud,
it grows long in order to get its mouth up into the water. It has a
thin shell that breaks easily, so that the oyster loses the water and dies.
For that reason it is not desirable for market.
Dr. Robertson : Have you tried transplanting small oysters less
than a year old into Malpeque bay ?
Mr. Arsenault : Yes. They did very well. I showed you some from
Grand river which, if left in their natural habitat, would grow like this.
Here (producing sample) you see a cluster of mud oysters. Eight
spats caught on that same shell and, growing in the mud, they slowly
grew out to this length, but they are not marketable.
There are three things that Prince Edward Island has to do in
order to make a success of oyster culture. It has, first, to provide
that companies which have leased large areas must get within their
large areas some good ground, some of the ground that is now
reserved, where all they will have to do is to clean the bottom and
plant their oysters. That is necessary in order to encourage these
companies and give them an opportunity to expand. Second, better
protection must be afforded. This is a matter in which the Dominion
should assist, because the protection of the fisheries comes within
their jurisdiction. Third, something must be done for the destruction
of the star-fish. If these three things could be accomplished, the
78 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
success of the industry would be assured. If not, there will be very
little encouragement to go into oyster cultivation.
Mr. Daniels: Of course in the Island your hope has been to get
a revenue from oysters. In Nova Scotia we have had exactly the
same hope, but I suppose we had better abandon that and turn the
oyster over to the Dominion.
Mr. Arsenault: I would not say that yet. What we would like
the Dominion to do is to give assistance in the way of protection and
the destruction of the star-fish. If they will do that, we will take care
of the industry.
Me. CowiE : Do you think the method adopted by Captain Kemp
in 1914 was successful in combating the star-fish pest?
Mr. Arsenault: Yes, certainly. But they were not properly
equipped.
Mr. CowiE: It was only a temporary arrangement but, if my
memory serves me correctly, they caught something like 160,000 star-
fish in the short time they were at it.
Mr. Arsenault : Yes.
Mr. Cowie: You think, if the operations were continued, they
would largely control the star-fish?
Mr. Arsenault: There is no question about it and, if they were
properly equipped, they would be twice as effective. One boat has the
steam hoisting gear which is necessary in order to throw the sweeper
over. It is necessary to lift the sweeper with steam power and there
should be a hot-water vat in which to plunge it and get rid of the star-
fish. To remove them by hand is very slow. These government boats
do not do much in the summer and, if they were employed in this way,
they would serve a double purpose, the destruction of the star-fish and
the protection of the bays from poachers.
Proe. Prince: Were the lectures by Dr. Nelson on oyster culture of
any benefit to the men? The Biological Board sent an expert around
the Island to address them and I fancy the fishermen were not very
enthusiastic about it.
Mr. Arsenault: Of course Dr. Nelson's lecture was more or less
technical. It was simply about the history of the oyster and its forma-
tion and food. So far as the planters were concerned, it was not
practical. First, somebody should instruct the planters respecting
OYSTER CULTURE IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND 79
oyster culture; second, the fishermen should be shown the benefit of
oyster culture and how, ultimately, it would benefit them because, if
you could make the planting successful, spat from the beds would
spread, thus restocking other areas.
Mr. Williamson : Has Prof. Prince considered the possibility of
planting pearl oysters in Canadian waters? When I was connected
with the pearl fisheries in South America, Prof. Carmody came there
for three months from Trinidad. Perhaps you are aware that there
is only one pearl fishery on this continent and that is off the Venezuelan
coast. I wrote Prof. Carmody and asked him if he thought the pearl
bacilli could be brought to Canada and used to infect certain beds
here. He said he did not think so because the water would be too
cold. But, even if the water were too cold on the east coast, it might
not be so on the Pacific. It would be a very valuable resource if it
could be introduced. In fact, when I was connected with the pearl
fisheries, we got a lease of water off the island of Grenada. We took
oysters from the Venezuelan coast and put them in a bed off the
Grenada coast so that the British Empire could have a pearl industry.
This lease was the last document that Joseph Chamberlain signed,
before giving up the Colonial secretaryship.
Prof. Prince : The oyster fisherman occasionally finds pearls in
the oysters but they are valueless. The nacreous layer, which is
essential for the production of the pearl, is absent from the edible
oyster, consequently, I am afraid there is no hope of a pearl industry
amongst these oysters. Perhaps we might have a pearl industry in our
fresh waters. Valuable pearls are not infrequent in our fresh-water
clams.
With respect to the introduction of American oysters, I once
ordered a barrel or two from the Island and they were sent to me as
Island oysters, but they were all American oysters and had the flavour
of the American oyster. The Prince Edward Island oyster is, with-
out exception, the most delicious in the world. Next to it I think the
New Zealand oyster, especially the rock oyster, is the best. But
these Prince Edward Island oysters have taken first place in the world
for flavour and there is no danger of disease on the Island beds, such
as is a serious cause of trouble in American and European beds. I
have been on American beds and, after seeing what is brought up, you
wonder that anyone would eat any of these oysters. Fortunately our
own beds are free from that danger.
With respect to the star-fish trouble I do not know that I can
accept Mr. Arsenault's statement that the patrol boats have nothing to
80 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
do. When I want anything done in my own way, I am always told
that they have too much to do, but I am sure the Dominion Government
will do what they can to remove this pest. The increase in the star-
fish is a thing which has progressed and assumed serious dimensions
in recent years. The method of destroying them is very simple; all
that is necessary is to drag a mass of tow or rope across the bottom
and the star-fish stick to it. The killing of them is important. Fisher-
men have too often taken a star-fish and have torn him in four or five
pieces to destroy him. As a matter of fact, every fragment became a
separate star-fish, so the fishermen in their anger were practically
propagating the very pest they wanted to eradicate.
I should like to emphasize what Mr. Arsenault said about the
so-called barren bottoms which were once oyster beds. I think it is
desirable that they should be leased to parties who carry on oyster
culture. I suppose the Prince Edward Island authorities know some-
thing about what is going on in Connecticut. They could not do better
than follow the Connecticut method of leasing and the method of
carrying on operations in the United States.
Me. Arsenault: The planters have abandoned altogether the
idea of bringing over mature American oysters. After this the only
oysters that will be imported will be the small sea oysters, one year old,
because they find it is useless to bring the others. Most of them die
and those that live do not lose their coppery taste.
Conservation of Canada's Inland Fisheries
BY
J. B. Feilding
Technical Adviser, Ontario Department of Game and Fisheries
AS an observer of this country's natural resources it has often
struck me, when I have heard conservation preached in connec-
tion with resources, that those using the expression do not fully
appreciate the full and true meaning of the term, as applied to the
economic animal world.
If we refer to Murray's dictionary we find the term
Definition of " conservation " defined as " preservation from
Conservation , ■ „ „ ■ ... ,. . „
destruction, preservation of existing conditions.
Neither of these definitions fully expresses the term " conservation "
as we mean it to be applied in connection with our fisheries of to-day.
The best definition of the term is " the application of common
sense, after careful study, to common problems for the common good,
in order to perpetuate the usefulness of a natural economic product."
That is the definite interpretation of conservation as I propose to deal
with it to-day.
- ^ The first thine that arises in one's mind when setting
Importance r „ ... .
of Natural out to follow up a policy of conservation, as just
Balance defined, is that all-important factor, natural balance.
In the vegetable kingdom the cultivation of an economic product
does not disturb the balance of nature to any great extent. In the
animal kingdom, as a rule, this disturbance is the all-important factor
when taking into consideration the true conservation of any undomes-
ticated member of it.
Now we know there are several well-defined natural laws, which
must be studied by those whose duty it is to advise on the conservation
of animal life. Prof. Wallace once stated that no unbalanced deficiency
in the animal kingdom can ever reach any conspicuous magnitude
without making itself felt at the very first step, through rendering
existence difficult and extinction almost a certainty. It follows from
this that no derangement of the natural balance of fish life, in a certain
81
K COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
defined area of water, can take place without seriously endangering^
one or more indigenous species within that same area.
Another natural law, which we must bear in mind, is that the
greater or less fecundity of an animal bears little or no relationship
to abundance or scarcity in nature, but that abundance or scarcity is
governed rather by periodical deficiency in quality or quantity of food,
and powers of offence and defence. As an example let me point out
that our lake trout (Cristivomer namaycush) deposits from 300 to 500
ova per pound of her weight while, on the other hand, the whitefish
(Coregonus dupeiformis) deposits about 1,300 ova per pound of her
weight. We cannot claim that the defenceless whitefish is increasing
in proportion to her ova production in our waters.
Factors Affecting Natural Balance
The chief factors affecting this natural balance in our inland waters
are as follows:
(1) We have the enforcement of regulations arising from legisla-
tion affecting netting and angling and which have often brought about
artificial conditions. The intentions of the framers of these regula-
tions are obviously good, but the anticipated results are by no means
often achieved.
yS (2) We have pollution, both mechanical and chemical.
>c;^ (3) Artificial obstructions frequently hinder or prevent the free
passage of fish and thus affect the numbers on the spawning beds.
(4) Artificial incubation is sometimes extremely beneficial, some-
times the very contrary, depending largely on the amount of initial
study undertaken of the area to be treated, previous to planting.
(5) The correlation of the various aquatic creatures to one another
may be disturbed by the extraction or introduction of one or more
species of fish in a defined area of water without compensation by
natural or artificial means.
(6) There is an intimate relationship between fish and their animal
food supply, which, again, is dependent on subaquatic plant life and
this, in its turn, is affected by the geological formation of the soil.
With your permission, I should like to deal shortly
Effects of ^j^j^ g^(.j^ q£ these six factors in rotation, with the
Legislation , . ... ■ rr
object of pomtmg out its effect on conservation.
In the first case, let us take the effect of legislation. The intention,
broadly speaking, is to frame legislation prohibiting any one from
disturbing fish during the period Nature ordains they should reproduce
their species.
CONSERVATION OF INLAND FISHERIES 83
It is not fully appreciated that, taking the same species of fish as
an example, the natural periods of gravidity vary under different local
influences, such as temperature, food supply and environment. Thus
it is surely improper to enact legislation enforcing an artificial so-called
close season without due consideration of these factors. The remedy
is not far to find. Would it not be possible to divide our country, so
far as fishery administration is concerned, into watersheds where con-
ditions are nearly akin? This would surely be more advantageous to
the fish than the present method of having a universal close time over
a whole province.
Let me give as examples only two instances of these varying
periods in the province of Ontario. On the west shore of the Saugeen
or Bruce peninsula the lake trout (Cristivomer) comes on the " redds "
a fortnight earlier than it does on the southeast shores of Georgian
bay. Again, in lake Nipigon, the speckled trout becomes gravid
neirly a month later than it does in the river flowing out of it.
Now let us look into the question of legislation affecting the mesh
of nets and its relation to conservation. In framing regulations
governing the size of the mesh in a net, the framers have or should
have two points before them. First, they must allow the mesh to
liberate all immature fish. I go further than this, and say they should
allow every fish the opportunity to reproduce its species at least once.
Secondly, they should insist, if possible, on the use of a mesh that will
certainly trap aged fish that have become a menace to the fishery.
To illustrate my meaning I would say that it is stated that, in
certain waters of this province, it is impossible to catch by means of a
net, the large lake trout that have become a menace to other fish in
the district. Why is this so? Is it not because the fishermen have
become wedded to a four-inch mesh? Would it not be possible to
regulate this otherwise in order to catch thtse cannibal fish during the
most suitable period for getting them? Fish culturists would like
to have those large fish caught, for as brood stock they are not so
valuable as the more vigorous, medium-sized fish.
^ „ . The next factor affecting conservation is pollutions
Pollution, , ,.*,.,. ^, . ,
Mechanical of two types, that is, mechanical and chemical.
and Chemical jy^. Townsend of the New York aquarium has said
that all our fish commissioners of experience are agreed that the
decrease in the supply of our food fishes is traceable more to pollution
than to any other cause and that, further, stream pollution is going on
at a rate proportionate to the increase in population and the develop-
ment of manufactures. The condition would not be so serious in
84 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
effect, had not the flow of streams lessened through deforestation,
followed by higher temperatures, loss of free oxygen, and consequently
the decrease or total banishment of salmonoids. There is, it seems to
me, no moral nor legal justification for pollution of water, even though
we are anxious to stimulate the introduction of new manufactures,
which are invariably followed by their discharging of foreign effluents.
So long as this continues it is useless expending money on artificial
incubation in such affected waters.
Under the head of mechanical pollutions — those that interfere with
the natural life and habits of fish — we have the waste from saw-mills
and tanneries, the cinders from tugs, steamers, etc. We all know
their effect on fish, their ova, their spawning beds and their food, so
dilation on the subject is unnecessary.
By chemical pollution I mean those effluents that change the
natural composition of the water in which fish live. This form of
pollution is by far the most serious, because it is not so easily detected,
and the process of destruction is often slower. Chemical pollutions
are of two classes, those actually toxic to vertebrate and invertebrate
life, and those that contain septic bacteria aerobic in character.
Amongst the industrial effluents comprising the former class so
often met with in this country are the effluents from pulp mills, gas
works, galvanizing plants and similar industries. Most of these efflu-
ents are acid in character. Probably they do not affect the water so
as to change blue litmus paper on immediate introduction. But what
I want to emphasize is that the slightest trace of acid in water will
invariably destroy fish sooner or later. It is a well-established fact
that fish can only live in water slightly alkaline.
The pollution referred to in the second class is seldom anything
else but domestic or municipal sewage. To fish, their ova, their food
and especially to the pearl-shell mussels from which our buttons are
made, the damage wrought by this effluent is far more serious than is
realized. Medical officers of health will often pass an effluent as
harmless after it has passed through perhaps an anaerobic tank or
gravel filter, forgetting the eflfect of the aerobic bacteria as reducing
agents of the free oxygen content, so necessary to subaquatic animal
life. It is said that should water fall below one third of its natural
average saturation of free oxygen fish life cannot exist. This latter
varies with water temperature of course. Further, as a result of the
discharge of domestic sewage, I have often seen serious outbreaks of
furunculosis amongst adult fish.
There is only'one way of checking the damage done to our fisheries
by pollution, and that is by giving our fisheries officials power to act
CONSERVATION OF INLAND FISHERIES 85
independently of the departments of public health, in whose hands I
believe all matters pertaining to factory effluents are placed. These
latter consider only human life and ignore fish and other aquatic
creatures.
So much for pollution. Now let me for a few
S^Rivers'""^ moments call your attention to another obstacle to
conservation, that of obstruction to the free passage
of fish when going to, or coming from, their spawning and feeding
grounds. Nothing appears to me to be easier in a new country, where
riparian and vested interests are only just commencing to be acquired,
than to frame legislation to prevent this new trouble. We have
already excellent laws demanding fish passes where dams are erected,
but these laws do not appear to be always put into force or, when they
are, the constructor of the dam is left to erect the fish-pass in any way
he thinks fit. It is often due to the fact that the erection of the dam
is not reported to the Fisheries Department. What is the result.^
Some of these fish-passes might be useful, if dry, for assisting hens
to go to roost, others might be useful for aerating water in substitution
for soda water. In any case the requirements of the fish appear to
be seldom considered. In fact, the basic principle of fish-pass con-
struction is entirely overlooked. Surely the time has arrived when
the Fisheries authorities should deal with these matters themselves,
and compel any constructor of a mill-dam to erect a pass according
to approved designs, and also to maintain it so long as the dam is in
existence. In my opinion no dam or weir should be permitted without
a license being issued by the Fisheries Department, and such license
should contain the necessary contract with reference to the building
and maintaining of the fish-pass. The effects of such obstructions on
a river are many, but the chief results are isolation of the spawning-
grounds and crowded " redds," the latter a very serious menace to
natural incubation.
I need not deal further with this subject but will
Artificial proceed to the effect of artificial incubation on con-
Incubation ^
servation. I do not wish to touch too prominently on the
benefits of the artificial stimulation of conservation, for that is outside
my subject in this address. What I wish to touch upon principally,
is the often injurious effect of artificial incubation on our fisheries
when not administered with considerable forethought and knowledge.
The basic principle of artificial fish culture should be to correct the
natural balance disturbed by artificial agencies. In fish culture we
are apt to look on the side which superficially seems to be the right
one, but we quite overlook the result on natural balance, to which I
S6 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
have previously referred. If we are to utilize the waters to their
fullest limit, we must know more than we generally do of the available
food supply of the fish, the breeding habits, the distribution or range
of species, the enemies, the diseases ; in short we must understand the
cycle of the fish's life from the ovum to death and its correlation to
all other subaquatic life occupying the same area of water. The pro-
fessional fish culturist is much handicapped by want of data obtained
by research, so that he cannot be expected, even if highly trained, to
do good work. Surely the farming of livestock on land is a diffi-
cult enough study, if success is to be obtained. How much more,
then, is expected of a man who has to farm livestock in an element
different to that in which he himself has to live? Research must be
carried on to assist fish-culture just as it does to assist agriculture.
In view of the vast potential value of our waters, this point cannot be
urged too strongly.
Another point we have to realize is that, under natural conditions, a
very small proportion of the ova of certain salmonoids, for instance,
is ever impregnated, so we must bear in mind that, when one species
is being artificially incubated, the others should also be maintained in
the same proportion — not primarily in numbers but in proportion to
their food supply, their abilities in offence and defence and their
adaptability to the surrounding waters. Take as an example one fish
only, the whitefish, and see how far artificial incubation affects the
conservation of this fish.
On an average for every pound weight of the female fish there
are 13,000 ova in her ova sacs. Therefore, a 2^ to 3 lb. fish should
produce approximately 35,000 ova. Incubation takes place over a
period of from 125 to 150 days according to the temperature of the
water used. However, under natural conditions the whitefish, unlike,
I believe, all other salmonoidse, do not always pair off. Hence there
is little chance of universal impregnation of the ova. But let us
assume that one per cent of the total ova is fertilized ; that would be
350 ova per pair. Of these 350 ova many, we expect, would be lost
to predatory fish, silt and other causes. From Downing's observa-
tions, an average of 11 fish may be expected as the result of natural
incubation. Now artificial influences, that is, netting, accounts for the
extraction from the waters of all this. Consequently, if the whitefish is
to be kept as part of our fauna and further provide occupation for
fishermen and food for the people, some stimulation or assistance to
nature must be given in the form of fish culture. This is what we
are wholly depending on to-day in lake Erie, for instance. In this case,
artificial incubation aims to redress the balance that man has disturbed.
Trout from Tusket, N.S.
Cleaning Sea-mosses or Zoophytes for Market
CONSERVATION OF INLAND FISHERIES 87
_ , . I come now to the question of the correlation of the
of Aquatic various animals to one another, e.g., as food and
Animals feeder, enemy and friend, host and parasite. We
must have ever before us the law governing the survival of the fittest,
and if that species which man takes from the water is not of the
" fittest " in a biological sense, woe to those species that remain, for
in all probability the species abstracted assisted in maintaining the
balance and allowed all others to gain their necessary living.
Let me give a very simple example of the disturbance of the bal-
ance in this manner. There are large quantities of burbot, or what
the fishermen call variously ling, lawyers or eel-pouts, caught when
lifting whitefish. Why are not these voracious fish in every case
destroyed? Or even purposely netted for? Are they not in many
waters gaining the upper hand? Do we not see shoals of these fish
constantly hovering on whitefish spawning grounds, clearing every liv-
ing thing around them? This fish is left because fishermen are too
lazy to bring it to shore, and until they are compelled they will not
do so.
The balance may also be affected by the introduction as well as by
the abstraction of a certain species. We have an example of this in
Ontario, in the introduction of the carp. This fish, where it has be-
come established, has appropriated certain. waters and has driven out
certain other fish, such as the pike-perch or yellow pickerel and the
bass. This disturbance is not due to any cannibal habits of the carp,
but simply to its pecuhar mode of feeding.
Relationship Lastly, I come to the problems arising out of the rela-
Plant Life tionship between fish, their animal food, subaquatic
and Soils plant life and soil geology. We all know that there
are only two sources of food, whether it be for subaquatic life or other-
wise, namely, soil and the air, but no animal can derive direct benefit
from either. The plant must intervene in order to convert the primi-
tive sources into the necessary protein, carbohydrates, fats and min-
eral salts necessary to animal life. This inter-relation of the animal,
vegetable and mineral kingdoms is a study of absorbing interest, as
anyone who knows anything of animal husbandry will readily agree.
As one of the interesting examples I may mention the almost cer-
tain association of speckled trout with a stream originating in and flow-
ing through the Carboniferous limestone and similar formations, for in
such a stream, you are certain to find large quantities of univalve mol-
luscs of the snail family {Physa and Lymnaea). The soil conditions
of these formations suit certain plant life, which in turn is best adapted
6
88 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
to certain aniinal food, both molluscan and crustacean, on which the
speckled trout thrives.
Regulations Shouuj bb Based on Biological Research
The foregoing are the various causes that may disturb the bal-
ance of nature in lakes and streams. The only remedies that can be
applied to these particular disturbances are legislation and artificial
incubation. Both must be guided by facts obtained by biological re-
search. We must not jump to conclusions. No farmer who expects
satisfactory results ignores the work of the biologist and chemist.
Scientific facts have to be faced nowadays. The farmer knows, for
example, that he can extract free nitrogen from the air and introduce
it into the soil by the impregnation of leguminous plants with bacilli.
The fish culturist knows he can assist the introduction of free oxygen
into water by means of certain subaquatic vegetation. The farmer
also knows what is likely to make good brood stock, and so should the
fish culturist. Indiscriminate mating of unsuitable parents can only
operate detrimentally. With an intelligent policy of artificial incuba-
tion, fishery conservation in its truest sense should not be difficult if
taken in hand seriously before it is too late. Fishery administration
does not or should not only consist of carefully drawn up regulations
without biological study as a fundamental basis of them. Is it not
axiomatic that it is its duty to cause our waters, large and varied as
they are, to produce the maximum of human food possible, keeping
always before it the fact that the demand on our fisheries will increase
year by year. Especially so, as our inland fish are the only really fresh
fish we in Ontario and the Central provinces can ever expect to get.
Importance of Inland Fisheries
We must not consider that because our inland fisheries are not at
present an important factor in our commercial life that they will not
be some day, and that in the near future. You have only to look at
the map to see the enormous area in Ontario alone lying dormant
under water, much indeed in districts where agriculture would not be
profitable. Look at the districts of Algoma, Thunder Bay, and Kenora.
I do not think that the land in these districts above water would raise
on an average more than from five to seven pounds of beef or mutton
to the acre per annum. There is much water in that same area that
in my opinion might produce anything from 100 to 250 lbs. of fish per
acre per annum. That feature is important.
CONSERVATION OF INLAND FISHERIES 89
Let me say in conclusion and without hesitation that much valu-
able work has been and is being done by the various federal and
provincial fishery staffs and great credit is due to our provincial
inland fishery departments for recognizing the great work before them.
They have many difficulties in front of them, but are making the best of
their available material. Now, however, we have reached a stage
when we must pause and consider the best way to direct our energies
along more scientific and along progressive lines.
Recommendations
Will you let me further in conclusion, with all respect, as an earnest
student of economic ichthyology, offer the following suggestions as
arising out of my address.
First : It appears essential that a fisheries department should carry
on its administration in full cooperation and sympathy with the fishing
industry. At the same time we must carry out a resolute policy based
on scientific and practical knowledge, duly acquired.
Second : It appears to be necessary to establish some central insti-
tute where all parties interested in our fisheries can meet and gain
information. Exhibits should be ever before all inquirers to educate
them along progressive lines and to push our Canadian fishing inter-
ests. Educational exhibits should consist of exhibits of food fishes,
dried and desiccated fish, fish oil, fish glue, fish manure, fish made into
pig, poultry, and dog foods, pearl-button mussels, nets, boats and
general fishing devices. The institute should be a centre where know-
ledge can be collected from all parts of the world, in order to at least
raise fishing interests to the level of agricultural interests. Like Dr.
Robertson, I am a strong believer in illustrated bulletins.
Third: Would it not be advisable to establish subordinate fishery
administrative districts within each province to collect and regelate
the many local peculiarities above referred to?
Fourth : Would it not be valuable to establish fishery associations
in each district, such to consist of persons elected by the netting and
angling interests, together with the Government officers of that dis-
trict, to discuss and recommend to the central authority or provincial
department methods of improvement and stimulation of the fisheries in
their own district? Such associations might also include cooperative
agencies for commercial purposes, that is, for the purchase and sale
of goods connected with the industry in the district.
Fifth: That we have established a biological station for the parti-
cular study of our inland waters appears to me to be essential. Con-
90 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
nected therewith should be an experimental plant for research along
economic chemical lines for the investigation of the utilization of fishery
wastes. I believe much of this offal contains from eight to fifteen per
cent of oil and up to 60 per cent of protein, both valuable commodities
in the economy of this country.
Sixth : Would it not be of considerable value to the administration
of fisheries in this country if there were a non-political organization,
such as a Canadian Fisheries Society formed on the lines of the Ameri-
can Fisheries Society, the Japanese Fisheries Society, or the Salmon
and Trout Association of England?
Seventh: The formation of a central school of instruction, which,
I believe, was recommended by the International Fisheries Commission,
would be extremely valuable, in order that the Government executive
staff might be able to gain instruction in such subjects as fisheries law,
applied zoology, botany, chemistry, fisheries technology with labora-
tory work and practice, elementary embryology and bacteriology, the
use of the microscope and other allied subjects.
Eighth: Would it not assist conservation if there were an inde-
pendent act of Parliament framed, such as a Fisheries Pollution Act,
under which fisheries departments could protect their interests apart
from the machinery of the public health acts?
Ninth: Would it not be well to enact legislation making all per-
sons obstructing the free passage of water obtain a license from the
provincial fisheries department ?
With these remarks I will terminate my address, but in doing so,
must apologize for saying much that has been said before. My
excuse for repetition is the old one, that if you hit a nail often, how-
ever lightly, it will eventually be driven home. Though I have made
ichthyology a life study, I am still a student, for the more I learn
about fishes, the more there is still in front of me to learn.
Hon. O. T. Daniels: I am moved to say that I have been im-
mensely charmed by these excellent papers to which I have listened
in relation to this subject- The practical side is the question of how
the information should be carried to the fishermen. I suppose that is
a work to be carried out by the Department of Fisheries and these
excellent men who have addressed us, or some of them. I presume they
are devoting themselves to that subject, how to carry the information
to the fishermen in the different provinces of Canada.
CONSERVATION OF INLAND FISHERIES 91
Prof. Prince: I should feel very remiss if I did not express my deep
gratitude to Mr. Feilding for the very excellent paper which he has
read to us. It contains a large amount of food for thought and some
of the suggestions are of a very practical nature indeed. The question
of artificial fish culture — and he speaks with authority, because his life
has been devoted so greatly to that — is one of immense importance.
He realizes that there are conditions in Canada which are some-
what peculiar and which have acted rather as deterrents to a pro-
gressive policy, especially on our Great lakes. We have always, in all
efforts to do any work on the Great lakes in the way of improving
the fisheries and conserving the game, been confronted by the im-
portant fact that half of the waters are in the United States, and
any work of an effective character must be done in unison with the
states which carry on the fishery industries just across the imaginary
line. That has always been a difficulty, but we have had hopes of
overcoming it. I worked with Prof. Starr Jordan on the International
Commission on that line for some years, but we have been disappointed
and I hope that Mr. Feilding may be more fortunate and get some
of the states to cooperate with him with good effect.
If I grasped his argument with regard to close season aright, it
was that close seasons should vary very much to meet local conditions ;
that such a thing as a uniform close season for whitefish or trout or
pickerel might be unwise. To my mind the object of a close season
is not to preserve every breeding fish, but to preserve or protect sufifi-
cient breeding fish to keep up the supply and, if that can be done by a
season which covers a sort of average of breeding fish, it accomplishes
its object. Take the grey trout, of which some breed a month later
than others. If the close season in force covers sufficient breeding
trout, then a number of them may be caught and destroyed without
harm to the fisheries. In the case of the great lake trout, to which
Mr. Feilding has referred, it has a close season which certainly does
not fit the precise period of breeding, it only covers it partially. I have
always claimed that the close season was sufficient for the lake trout
and it has held its own sufficiently to enable very profitable business
to be carried on, while in the case of other fish, like the whitefish, there
has been a decline. Mr. Feilding struck the right note when he pointed
out how it was that the whitefish were falling off, although they have
a close season which seems to cover the whole period of their breeding.
The question of breeding and close season seems to me to depend upon
the kind of fish you wish to protect. A shorter close season would be
more effective for some kinds of fish than for other kinds.
92 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
In regard to the organization of a Fisheries Society and a Fisheries
Institute, such suggestions have occurred to us many times, but they
have not appeared to take any very practical shape. I hope Mr. Feild-
ing will start the ball rolling again and that a Fisheries Society
and also a Fisheries Institute will be established in Canada, perhaps
in connection with the Conservation Commission. I wish to thank per-
sonally Mr. Feilding for his exceedingly valuable contribution.
Mr. Feilding : May I explain one or two things. In my remarks
in respect to the close season I was not criticizing the actual periods laid
down by the law, but calling attention to the fact that close seasons
have an influence on conservation and therefore, when close seasons
are provided, that point would naturally be one of the prominent
points to consider. I may say that I have done very little work on the
Great lakes. What we in Ontario are considering at the moment
is the utilization of the vast areas of what we wrongly term inland
waters, namely the lesser lakes of our great north-western sections,
such as Algoma and Thunder Bay ; nearer, we have lake Simcoe, which
is producing practically nothing at the moment. It ought to be a
highly productive lake. I feel confident it can produce something
once a biological survey has been made. It is useless to pour one
particular kind of fish into a lake when we find the water is not suit-
able. We have before us an example at Manitou lake, Manitoulin
island. It was leased to a syndicate to cultivate whitefish many years
ago. It has been a failure from the start up to the present time. I
visited it a few weeks ago and looked into it carefully during the
short time at my disposal. They do not get any of the big bow-
backed whitefish, Coregonus alba, introduced from lake Erie, there;
only a small type of C. clupeiformis is caught. Manitou lake is not
suited to the production of large commercial whitefish. So, let us
consider, before we concentrate our energies on improving these
waters, what fish are most suitable to them. That is really the point I
wish to bring out. We want to conserve these lesser waters of which
we have sole control and which are not being interfered with or
participated in by the United States.
Prohibition of the Sale of Game
BY
Frederick K. Vreeland
Of the Campfire Club of North America, New York, N.Y.
MR. CHAIRMAN and Gentlemen : I thank you on my own be-
half and on behalf of the Campfire Club of North America for
the privilege of appearing before you this afternoon. This courtesy
is particularly appreciated because it indicates to us that you realize
and appreciate the objects that we are working for. We feel that the
wild life of the North American continent knows no geographical
boundary and our interests are to protect the common heritage of all
the people, wherever it is found, and the only way to do that to the
fullest extent is by international cooperation. So it is peculiarly gratify-
ing to us to see the spirit of cooperation that is enunciated by your
Commission.
„ „ There are several points from which we can view this
Game Now . _ . ,
too Scarce question of game protection. There is the sentimental
for Food viewpoint. Here is a heritage that is given to us
from nature. We are the custodians of it and it is our duty to guard
it. Then there is the view of the sportsman who claims the right to a
legitimate amount of sport in killing the animals. And finally, there
is the value of the game as an economic asset. But, from whatever
standpoint we look at the question, we are forced to the conclusion
that the time has passed when wild game was a legitimate part of our
food supply, excepting in a very few very remote sections- We may
not like to accept that principle, but it is not a question of theory, it
is a question of cold, hard, inexorable fact, and I will just point to a
few of those facts to make clear my viewpoint.
Diminution in Big Game
When our ancestors came to this continent, we fell heirs to a heri-
tage of natural resources probably unequalled elsewhere, the whole
continent teeming with wild life, now over ninety per cent gone. The
bison, which once roamed in countless thousands, is now extinct ex-
93
94 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
cept for a little remnant still in a wild state near Great Slave lake and a
few herds in national reserves. The next in order for extinction is
the prong-horned antelope. In the United States there are practically
no antelope left outside protected areas and there is no state in the
Union where killing is permitted. They are making their last stand in
the plains of southern Canada, and Saskatchewan and Alberta have
recently passed laws prohibiting their killing. This is a matter for
congratulation, but it is to be feared it is -too late; the antelope is
peculiarly intolerant of approaching civilization and, I fear, is doomed
to follow the bison.
_ Then there is the mountain sheep, which once extended
Present . . . . , , , , , , , r
Scarcity of m its various species throughout the whole length or
Big-horn (-j^g Rockies, from the Arctic ocean to Mexico. The
most noteworthy species, the big-horn, does not exist to-day in the
United States except in protected areas, with the single exception of
Wyoming, where, unfortunately, killing is still permitted. It is pleasing
to note that in Canada you have taken precautions for preserving the
big-horn. You have two splendid parks which will ensure the per-
petuation of the species, but it must be remembered that the big-
horn sheep is the most highly-prized trophy of the sportsman in
the North American continent, and the whole world of sportsmen
has its eye on the little tract in the Brazeau country and in the moun-
tains north of Yellowhead pass to which they must go to get
trophies. In spite of that, some people of Alberta during recent
years considered themselves terribly aggrieved because they were pre-
vented by the enlargement of the Park from going up into the moun-
tains and getting sheep for meat when they wanted them. Taking a
sheep as worth $10 to $15 to a settler for meat, compare that with
the figures given you ($1,000*) as to the value of that animal, even
from the straight business viewpoint, when sought after by visiting
sportsmen. The argument is irresistible. These people are not rascals,
they simply do not realize the situation ; they need education.
-, ^ . As to the goat, it is in a much better state because it
Mountain . ,.,,.,, , , ...
Goat Easy is not so highly prized, but, nevertheless, it is in serious
*° ^'^^ danger, particularly because it is so easy to get, once
one has climbed up to where it lives. It is not as shy and crafty as
the sheep and, when the mountains are opened up, it will not survive
very long. There is only one portion of the United States where hunt-
ing of the goat is permitted, namely, in Idaho and Washington, and,
even there, it ought to be stopped.
*See page 150. .
CciMMISStON.OF Co
Two Stoney Indians with Eleven Heads of Big-horn Sheep
PROHIBITION OF THE SALE OF GAME 95
_. The moose once ranged over the whole of our north-
Decrease , XT T.,- 1 1
Among eastern woods. Now, Minnesota is the only state in
^°°^* the United States where there are enough moose to be
killed, and there are not very many there. In the state of Maine,
which has had perhaps the most thorough and best enforced game laws
with regard to moose of any of our states, a close season was put
in eflfect last year, for the simple reason that there are too many
hunters. Along the southern frontier of Canada where the country
is brought under development, and where the moose once roamed
in thousands, you will now seldom find enough moose to make it worth
while to hunt them. It is worth while in New Brunswick, because
there they have been thoroughly protected. They are scarce even in
many outlying districts as, for instance, the Peace River valley, until
recently regarded as remote but now thrown open to settlement. In
1912, the Beaver Indians were half starved, because they could not get
enough meat to keep them alive, and one band of Indians travelled 150
miles up on the Liard river to hunt moose. Yet Rod and Gun in
Canada printed a communication entitled, " Game in the Peace River
Country Unlimited," which drew a glowing picture of moose, deer
and antelope roaming the woods in countless numbers. Where did the
writer ever see an antelope roaming the woods? It shows that people
do not realize the peril confronting our animals.
Scattered ^^^' ^^^'-^ once ranged the eastern portion of the con-
Remnants tinent, are making their last stand in the Yellowstone
of Elk park and are surviving there simply because they are
fed hay in the winter time. They used to range in considerable num-
bers in Canada, but they are now practically gone, only a few scat-
tered remnants being left.
-, .. . You have already heard something about the caribou.
Precarious It is gone in the United States* ; there are a few
^*^** of them left in New Brunswick, more in New-
foundland, and, in the great barren-lands country, there are still
large numbers of them, but even there they are threatened with
extinction. Last season I was in the mountains of British Col-
umbia, one of the particular objects of my trip being to
get some specimens of the mountain caribou for the United
States National Museum. We travelled six weeks before we
*A few individuals were recently reported in Maine, having probably
strayed over from New Brunswick; but such sporadic appearances, if authen-
tic, only serve to emphasize the disappearance of the animal from regions
where it once abounded.
96 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
came to a place where there were enough caribou to justify killing.
I said to my companion, an old mountain man, who had been in the
Fraser River country for eighteen years: Is there not some nearer
place to get them so as to avoid carrying them this long distance ? He
answered that, until the railway came through, the Tonikwa moun-
tains, just north of the Fraser river, were the best caribou range in the
whole country but were no good now, that he would not advise me to
depend on getting one there. Probably at this very moment there are
men hunting caribou in the Tonikwa mountains and selling them to
the railway men. I could give you names, but I do not think I ought
to do so. My informant is a resident there, and he states that, if it
were known that he had told, it would go hard with him among his
neighbours. So you see our big game are in a very precarious state.
Dangers Threatening Wild Fowl
Turn to the wild fowl. Passenger pigeons once covered the sky
and made it black with their countless numbers. In 1857, the Senate
of the state of Ohio instructed a committee to investigate the propriety
of protecting the wild pigeons. The committee reported that there
was no need of protection, that they were in such countless numbers
that they could not possibly be exterminated. The last passenger
pigeon died last year in the Cincinnati zoological park at the age of
twenty-two years. The Eskimo curlew, another example, is abso-
lutely extinct. A bulletin of the United States Department of Agri-
culture says with regard to this question that the golden plover, the
willet and the black-necked stilt are in order for extinction very soon.
I wonder how many of you gentlemen have ever seen one of these
birds outside a museum; yet they used to breed in Canada in very
large numbers. The Labrador duck is another extinct species, and I
might mention numerous others that are in very grave danger. The
prairie chicken is very much in need of protection or it, too, will be
exterminated. Recently, I was talking to a man from Saskatchewan
who said that the prairie chicken is being killed by gopher poison.
That is the viewpoint of the ardent sportsmen ; it is not gopher poison
that is killing the prairie chicken. The simple fact is that it lives in
the open, it is a large bird, a conspicuous mark for the gunner, and it
cannot stand the slaughter.
„ ^. I do not think it necessary to go further to demon-
Remote Dis- , , " . . ,
tricts Being strate my proposition that the time is passed when
Made Accessible yf[\^ game was a legitimate part of our food supply,
except in a very few very remote districts — ^and it must be borne in
PROHIBITION OF THE SALE OF GAME 97
mind that these remote districts are fast ceasing to be remote. Perhaps
you will say that this relates to the United States, that Canada is in a
better state than that. W'ell, happily your conditions are very much bet-
ter than in the United States, but the difference is only one of degree.
You have great areas that have not yet been brought under development
and exploitation. But they are being developed. In those newly devel-
oped regions you are going through the same experience that we had in
the United States and the result will inevitably be the same, unless you
take steps to preserve your wild life. Travel by the Canadian Pacific
railway from the Atlantic to the Pacific. See how much is left of the
former forest belt that is really fit to be inhabited by wild animals.
How many moose and caribou and other specimens of wild game will
you find in that area? The question brings its own reply. Now you
have the National Transcontinental and Canadian Northern lines just
opened up. Last year the regions they run through were remote;
they are no longer remote to-day. The Pullman car has brought them
to your door. You have a railway now to the Peace river. Next year
there will be another railway through to McMurray, connecting with
the steamboats plying on the lower Athabaska, Slave and Mackenzie
rivers, and the whole Mackenzie basin will at once cease to be remote.
You are constructing a line to Hudson bay and then that vast territory
will be thrown of)en. So the situation is critical and it requires imme-
diate action.
p ■ ■ There are several causes of the depletion of our wild
the Greatest life, the natural encroachment of civilization, disease
Danger ^J^^ accident, the killing by sportsmen and the use of
game for food. We cannot prevent dangers due to the encroachment
of civilization nor can we do much to prevent the ravages of disease
and weather, but we can limit the destruction caused by sportsmen, and
that problem is being well handled. The most potent cause of them
all, however, is the use of game for food. It is almost a truism that
the very best way to exterminate any species of wild life is to put a
price upon its head. As long as there are dealers in game you will find
men who will kill it in spite of anything you may do to the contrary.
Before the Act prohibiting the sale of game was passed in New York
state, one dealer in New York city admitted that he sold 1,000,000 wild
birds for food each year.
What is the remedy? When the cause is well known
B"' d'^*Art ^^^ remedy follows almost as a matter of course. The
two agencies that have done more than anything else
for protecting the wild life of the United States are the Migratory
98 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Bird Act giving us uniform seasons for killing, and the laws prohibit-
ing the sale of game*. We now have laws prohibiting the sale of all
or part of the protected game in forty-seven out of forty-eight states,
and, in thirty-five states, the laws cover practically all the protected
species. These laws are having a most admirable effect. The game,
which was formerly diminishing at an alarming rate, is beginning to
increase. We get reports from our field agents all over the country,
telling us that ducks are breeding on the ponds in the Middle West in
a way they have not done for many years. On the feeding grounds on
the Atlantic coast, especially Currituck sound, Narragansett bay and
Great South bay, the ducks are appearing in very much greater num-
bers. An interesting result of these laws is that the birds are trying to
winter in places where they never thought of wintering before, Cayuga
lake and lake Champlain in New York, and some of them had a hard
time of it because of the cold weather and ice conditions. It shows how
quickly birds respond when they are protected. This cutting-off of
the market for game has eliminated fully one-half of the killing.
Cutting Off the Market for Game
The pot-hunter, as you know, is not covered by the ordinary restric-
tions of the sportsman ; you cannot govern him by bag limits or by the
ordinary restrictive measures. If the bag limit prevents him from mar-
keting all he kills, he calls in " his sisters and his cousins and his aunts "
and each one of them markets the limit. It is only by cutting off
his market that this slaughter can be stopped. I do not know what
the figures are with regard to Canada, but your hotels must be
using great quantities of game. When I was in Edmonton this
autumn, there were wild ducks on the table d'hote bill of fare. When
such a novelty appears, everybody orders it, and that means that
every day they appear on the menu several hundreds of wild birds
are sacrificed. The dining cars are using great quantities of game.
Unless we stop all these causes of destruction, game will inevitably
be carried rapidly towards extinction.
Hunting for Food Creates Scarcity
Just as an example of the difference between sections where game
is killed under restrictions and sections where it is killed for food, com-
pare New Brunswick with the Peace River country. New Brunswick
*The constitutionality of the Migratory Bird Act has been questioned
and is now before the U.S. Supreme Court for determination but, whatever the
outcome, the no-sale-of-game laws will continue their effective work.
o
■c
5
'i
z
3
Q
PROHIBITION OF THE SALE OF GAME 99
has been the Mecca of the sportsman for years, and the shooting has
been so well regulated that the moose have held their own and there
is still a plentiful supply there. Out in the Peace River country, where
I suppose you could count on your fingers the number of sportsmen
who have ever hunted, the Indians are half starved for lack of meat.
Respecting the demand of the cities, I think it needs no argument that
that ought to be stopped. But consider also the remote sections where
they are using big game to feed railway construction crews and to feed
the settlers who are going into the country. The game cannot stand that.
Raising Game in Captivity
Of course, when you propose laws prohibiting the sale of game
you have some opposition, especially from the dealers. Let me tell
you an interesting fact. When the law prohibiting the sale of game
was proposed in New York state, the pot-hunters fought it like tigers.
The hotel men did not fight it. The President of the New York Hotel
Dealers' Association came out boldly and said that he would not oppose
the measure provided some means were worked out whereby they
could use game raised in captivity. In working out the problem, we
provided that, for a very small license fee, those who wished to raise
game in captivity could have the Government's sanction, and that the
birds so raised would be tagged officially by a game guardian and sold
only under those tags. In that way a new industry of some importance
is being built up and those who feel that they must have a taste of
wild game to satisfy an appetite that is already jaded by over-indul-
gence, can get it. As to form, the law which we consider the model
in the United States is that in force in the state of New York, known
as the Hornaday-Bayne law, which was devised by Director Hornaday,
of the New York Zoological park, who was at that time Chairman of
our Conservation Committee, and was put through the legislature by
Senator Bayne.
Let me repeat, in closing, that, in considering this question, you
must take account not only of the problem of the cities but also of the
remote districts like the Peace River country. If the game is not
protected it will very soon be exterminated by being hunted for food.
I would like to call your attention to Dr. Hornaday's book entitled "Our
Vanishing Wild Life," which contains a great deal of very useful infor-
mation. I would Hke to add that, if, at any time, the Campfire Club can
be of any service in cooperating with you, you have only to call on
us and we shall consider it an honour.
The Big Game of the Canadian Rockies
A Practical Method for its Preservation
BY
W. N. Millar, B.S., M.F.
Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto
BETWEEN the eastern or Hudson Bay slope of the Rockies and
the western or Pacific slope, there is not only a marked difference
in flora, particularly tree flora, but also some differences in fauna both
as to species, comparative abundance, range and local distribution.
Further, there is the difference in governmental control, the Pacific
slope being entirely under the Provincial Government of British Colum-
bia and the Alberta slope partly under the Dominion and partly under
the Alberta government. This paper deals directly with the conditions
existing on the East slope — the portion with which the writer is more
familiar — and only incidentally with the West slope.
Big Game of the Rockies
Few, if any, sections of the same area in North America have as
many species of large game animals as has the East slope. In the por-
tion lying between the International boundary, 49° N. latitude, and
the Athabaska river, 53° N., there are found no less than 7 species
of large herbivorous game animals, 5 species of large carnivorous
animals and at least a dozen important fur-bearing animals. With
the single exception of the prairie wolf or coyote, all the large
herbivorous and carnivorous animals of this region are properly con-
sidered big game. It is true that some of the latter class are looked
upon as dangerous, predatory animals, and, under certain circumstances,
this view is correct, but the extermination of even such animals as
these needs to be directed with some degree of care. The mere fact
that an animal, such as the grizzly bear, will kill stock in one portion
of a province is no reason for bringing about its extermination in all
portions, including those where no stock exists for it to prey upon.
100
BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 101
The large herbivorous game animals of the Rockies are :
1. Big-horn Sheep (Ovis ca>iodensis)
2. Mountain Goat {Oreamnos montanus)
3. Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemiottus)
4. White-tail Deer (Odocoilcus americanus ttuicrourus)
5. Moose (Akes americanus)
6. Elk (Cervus canadensis)
7. Caribou (Rangifer montanus)
The large carnivorous animals are :
1. Grizzly Bear (Ursus horribilis)
2. Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
3. Timber Wolf (Canis nubilis)
4. Mountain Lion or Cougar (Felis concolor)
5. Prairie Wolf or Coyote (Canis latrans)
The fur-bearing animals include the beaver, lynx, marten, mink,
skunk, wolverine, and various others of less importance.
Description of the Important Game
The first animal in importance, from the sportsman's
Big-horn viewpoint, is the Rocky Mountain big-horn. No finer
trophy exists in America than the head of the big-
horn sheep, and no other animal, with the possible exception of the
elk, has been hunted more assiduously or with more disastrous results.
Although there are six species of mountain sheep in America, the
big-horn originally had the widest range, being found from Mexico to
the Peace river and westward almost to the Pacific. Because of its
unusual development of horn, it has been the most sought after by
hunters. As a consequence, it has almost disappeared from the
United States and can now be nowhere legally hunted in any state
in the Union. It has also decreased very greatly in numbers in the
only two provinces of Canada where it occurs, namely Alberta and
British Columbia. The writer's study of the game situation in the
Alberta Rockies included the taking of a census of the mountain sheep
which, however imperfect it is recognized to be, is nevertheless based
upon the very best available knowledge and is at least interesting as an
indication of present conditions. The estimates were made by seven
of the best guides and hunters in the mountains and checked by the
writer and the two game guardians who have the widest knowledge of
conditions. The following are the number of big-horn sheep believed
to be in the region under discussion:
102 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Locality Not more Not less
than than
International boundary to Crowsnest pass 1000 500
Crowsnest pass to Rocky Mountains park 800 400
Rocky Mountains park 700 500
Rocky Mountains park to head of Athabaska river 450 200
Athabaska drainage 250 75
Brazeau drainage 200 100
Total 3400 1775
Since the big-horn is found throughout a greater range in British
Columbia than in Alberta, it seems probable that there are many more
in the former province. Still it must be recognized that good sheep
country in British Columbia is limited in extent, while a large portion
of the Alberta Rockies affords suitable range. The latest available
estimate of mountain sheep in the States, where it is considered nearly
extinct, is 6,300 head.
The range preferred by the big-horn on the East slope is quite
distinctive in character. Throughout the Rockies there are wide belts
of shale or shaly hmestone interbedded with the pure limestone forma-
tions. On the surface these softer shaly layers are often miles in
width, being, of course, parallel to the trend of the ranges and, from
their composition, weather out more rapidly, forming broad trough-like
valleys, long, rounded ridges and extended slopes above timber-line.
These slopes are covered with a low, thick growth of small alpine
shrubs and herbaceous plants and form the favourite grazing ground
of the mountain sheep. Often the innumerable short valleys that cut
back into the ranges will terminate in a perpendicular rock wall, at
the base of which a long talus slope will show many patches of shrubs
and herbaceous plants. Such sites are favourite haunts of the big-
horn, which, if undisturbed, will sometimes remain for days quietly
browsing over a few acres of mountain meadow. On the first sign of
danger, the band will retreat to the cliffs, up which they climb with
the greatest ease, to disappear among the peaks and basins of the higher
summits. The mountain sheep is not, however, a rock-loving animal.
It can, when necessary, climb the most tremendous cliffs with ease and
certainty, but prefers to graze among the high alpine slopes above
timber-line below the towering rock pinnacles that form the numerous
ranges of the Rocky mountains. The pictures frequently seen of big-
horn poised on the rim of a stupendous wall of rock, gazing off across
a wide-spreading valley, are quite true to life, but, as a general rule in
the Rockies, the rear side of such a wall is a long, grassy slope, up
which it is often by no means difficult to take a train of pack horses.
Head of Big-horn Sheep
Head of Moose
BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 103
To the big-game hunter, the pursuit of the mountain sheep is prob-
ably the most fascinating of all sports. Not only do the regions in
which it is found make a powerful appeal to the imagination, but the
great care needed to avoid being seen in this open country, the scram-
bles among snow-covered pinnacles to get within range, the long, dif-
ficult shots sometimes necessary, all combine to make the hunting of
the big-horn the foremost sport in the western mountains. It will,
indeed, be a calamity if this striking and characteristic animal is
allowed to disappear from the Canadian Rockies.
Next in importance, though least in numbers among
^ 95 the Rocky Mountain big game, is the American elk or
wapiti. Here we have an animal, one of the largest
of North American fauna, which once ranged nearly the entire con-
tinent in millions, now reduced so greatly that it has become pos-
sible to take a reasonably accurate census of its numbers. From
Mexico to the Peace river and from the Pacific to the Atlantic, be-
tween the St. Lawrence and the coast of South Carolina, was once the
home of the wapiti. To-day, a few scattered bands along the Rockies
between Colorado and the Brazeau river and some isolated herds in
the forests of northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, comprise the
entire wild elk left in North America. Probably the total does not
exceed 60,000 head, less than 5,000 of which are found in Canada. In
the Rockies the following is believed to be a very close estimate:
Locality Not more Not less
than than
Oldman River drainage 300 ISO
Highwood River drainage SO 20
Brazeau River drainage 15 S
Total 36S 175
Of these, the insignificant remnant in the valley of the Brazeau is
the last of the original elk herds of Alberta. Those now found in
the south are British Columbia elk that have migrated to the East slope
since the inauguration of a closed season on elk in Alberta some five
or six years ago. Originally an animal of the open plains and park-like
forests, the elk has now become almost exclusively a forest-dwelling
animal, but still avoids the swamps, muskegs and dense tangles of the
northern forests and keeps more to the open pine ridges, the dry
meadows and poplar groves in Manitoba and Saskatchewan and to
the mountain glades and open, lodgepole pine forests on the East slope.
Elk are grazing animals. They live principally on grass, weeds
and low brush, such as small poplar, birch and willows. This depend-
T
104 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
ence upon grass and weed range and the inability to subsist on browse
alone introduces some important elements into the problem of the
permanent protection of elk which are not prominent in relation to
the other big game of the Rockies.
The elk is the largest round-horned deer in the world and, except
in the Yellowstone park and possibly in Alberta and British Columbia,
where closed seasons have been established just in time, it is rapidly
following in the wake of the buffalo and antelope. Only very drastic
measures taken at once will save the elk from total extermination in
Canada.
The mule deer is the largest game animal commonly
Mule Deer called deer. It is found throughout the Canadian Rock-
ies and also across northern Alberta and Saskatchewan
into northern Manitoba. The range of the mule deer had not been no-
ticeably restricted, but its numbers have undoubtedly been very greatly
reduced. Unlike the white-tail deer, the mule deer has an almost
insatiable curiosity, and this trait has contributed considerably to its
decline. When alarmed, a white-tail deer will generally make away
from the source of danger and put all the country possible between
itself and its enemy. The mule deer, on the other hand, will quite
frequently circle around so as to get another look and by taking
advantage of this characteristic it is often possible to shoot a deer
which otherwise might have escaped. Moreover, the mule deer as
found in the Rockies is essentially an open-ground animal. The dry,
open grassy valleys which border most of the rivers and creeks, the
grass-covered south slopes, and the park-like country with a scattering
growth of pine and poplar are the favourite haunts of this deer. It
is this preference for a dry, park country that has enabled the mule
deer to spread across the northern prairies into Manitoba, while in
the States it is not found east of the Rockies. A striking characteristic
of the mule deer is its ability to climb. In this respect it is not far
behind the big-horn, and in many places in the mountains these deer
are found in the high alpine meadows grazing along the borders of the
forests in somewhat the same situations as those in which the big-horn
occurs.
Closely allied to the mule deer, but differing markedly
White-tail j^ j^j^g branching of the horns and in many of its habits,
is the white-tail or Virginian deer. This is the most
widely distributed game animal in North America. It is not by any
means common, as yet, in the Canadian Rockies, but is increasing and,
judging from experience in other regions, it should be able to hold its
BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 105
own under reasonable game laws, without any special measures of
protection.
The largest of all deer, the moose, is similarly in little
Moose danger of extinction at present. The moose is not a
characteristic mountain animal. It is an animal of the
great northern forest, is never found out on dry, open plains, but is
essentially a forest animal, and is particularly at home in dense coni-
ferous forests which are interspersed with muskegs, sloughs and grass-
bordered lakes and ponds. As an element in the fauna of the Canadian
Rockies, it is of very little importance. Moose are found over a large
part of British Columbia, becoming more abundant in the north, and
occur on the East slope in fair abundance north of the Clearwater
river. In the south, only a very few are known to range across the
boundary from the Glacier National park. The moose is a browsing
animal, and, where abundant, is very destructive to forests. It has
few natural enemies and can generally find an abundance of food, so
that, although it is not a very difficult animal to hunt, it is not likely
to disappear rapidly, even in those sections where it is almost the only
big game available. Further, the experience of Maine and New
Brunswick demonstrate the ease with which moose, with reasonable
protection, may be maintained in large numbers in suitable regions.
The most abundant of all the big game of the Canadian
Mountain Rockies is probably the mountain goat. This is an
animal of such striking peculiarity of appearance and
habits, and so unique among the big game of the world that anything
threatening the existence of the species should be viewed with the
utmost concern. Fortunately, the immediate future of the Rocky
Mountain goat in Canada presents no reason for alarm, but the great
diminution that has taken place in this species over the whole of its
former range in the States proves that it is not safe against destruction
because of any characteristic of its own. The mountain goat has,
however, several characteristics that favour a long and successful
resistance to extermination in the Canadian Rockies. In the first
place, the mountains of British Columbia are its natural home and
the region of its greatest abundance. It occurs throughout the entire
province and northward through Alaska, almost to the Arctic ocean. It
is everywhere present along the East slope in numbers that it would be
difficult to estimate, but certainly well up in the thousands. Although
quite frequently confused in the popular mind with the mountain
sheep, the goat has nothing in common with the sheep as regards
appearance and very little as regards habits or range. It is found
106 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
usually far above timber-line on the edge of perpetual ice and snow
and only occasionally descends to the timber along the valleys in cross-
ing from one range to another or in search of salt. The favourite
range of the goat appears to be the rocky talus slopes and the bare
exposed ridges of shale where there is a sparse growth of grass and
weeds among the boulders and loose rock. In such localities it is
seldom far from the crags and inaccessible peaks to which it retreats
when alarmed. The mountain goat is a stupid animal. Whatever may
be its characteristics in regions where it has become scarce, it is cer-
tainly not a difficult animal to kill in the East Slope region, providing
the hunter is a fairly expert mountaineer. Goats are quite easily
seen before the snow falls because of their white coat and do not
appear to be specially keen-sighted. Moreover, even though they see
the hunter, they will generally wait till he approaches quite close
before seeking safety in flight. The goat seems to be quite confident
of his ability to climb where he is secure from pursuit and does not
appear to realize man's ability to strike at a distance. The compara-
tive remoteness of its range, the worthlessness of its hide, the small
esteem in which it is held either as a trophy or as a source of
meat, and the abundance, hitherto, of other more desirable and more
easily obtained big game have all contributed to save the goat
from the rapid dechne in numbers that has befallen most of the other
big game of the Rockies. Should any of these factors cease to be a
source of protection, there can be little doubt that the goat will very
rapidly disappear. For the immediate future its position is quite
secure, but it is very easy to predict what will happen if certain exist-
ing dangers to the sheep and mule deer of the Rockies are not curbed
before these animals become scarce.
The mountain caribou is distinctly a British Columbia
Canbou animal, and its food habits are such that it does not
find the East slope very generally suited to its require-
ments. Caribou are found either in dense, moist forests, where they
frequent the smaH marshy beaver meadows, or on open moss-covered
hillsides above timber-line, or in the far north. The extreme southern
end of their range is in northern Idaho, where the high mountain
beaver meadows near the edge of timber seem to be their favourite
haunt. They are essentially northern animals, are able to subsist
under very severe weather conditions, and are much more abundant
in the Alberta Rockies north of the Athabaska than south of it. The
occurrence of caribou on the East slope south of 53° is limited to the
west side of the Athabaska river from the Miette south to Fortress
■'^^:)mii-<Misi-^ ih^f^'^ ' V-^ ,' ^f.
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BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 107
lake. Ten years ago they were much more numerous and were found
well down the Athabaska below the present site of Jasper park, but
they have been very much reduced, and at present it is doubtful if any
remain throughout the year on the Alberta side, as it seems generally
agreed among guides of that region that the whole band winters in
British Columbia.
Among the carnivorous animals of the Rockies the
Grizzly grizzly bear is easily the most important though not
the most numerous. This animal occurs throughout
the East Slope region, but is everywhere very scarce. Its principal
home is in British Columbia, in the Selkirk mountains and between
the Selkirks and the Rockies. On the Alberta side it is probably most
abundant in the neighbourhood of mount Robson, but I have seen
grizzlies or evidence of their presence south of the Crowsnest, in the
Highwood and Kananaskis valleys, at Pipestone pass, the headwaters
of the North Saskatchewan, the South Brazeau and Pembina valleys
and in several places along the upper Athabaska.
The most advanced legislation with regard to the grizzly is the
closed season and the special bear license required by the law of
British Columbia. This eflfort to protect the grizzly is a recognition
of the fact that the grizzly bear is not always a pest that should be
exterminated, but, except in a stock country, is a perfectly harmless
animal under ordinary circumstances and one that may be made a
source of very considerable revenue.
The black bear is very much more common in the
Black Bear Alberta Rockies than the grizzly. It is found practi-
cally everywhere throughout the mountains and,
although nowhere particularly abundant, yet seems to be able to hold
its own under present conditions. The efforts for the protection of
the black bear should be directed toward preventing any ill-advised
bounty legislation and perhaps toward the establishment of a closed
season when the fur is not prime.
Of all the big game of the mountains, the cougar or
Cougar mountain lion has probably the least savoury reputa-
tion. Fortunately, it is a comparatively rare animal
on the East slope, though common enough in parts of British Columbia.
Cougar are rarely seen on the east side of the mountains, but a few
have been killed in the Rocky Mountains park and adjacent to it on
the south side. It is hard to consider this animal anything but a
dangerous pest. It is undoubtedly a source of much damage to stock
108 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
and of probably still greater injury to game, especially deer. In the
excessive snows of the west slope, the cougar finds little difficulty in
killing a deer and, as it has a dislike for frozen meat and very seldom
eats more than a very small portion of a deer while it is still warm,
its usual practice is to kill a fresh deer for every meal. Probably
a deer every two days through the winter is the kill of each full-grown
cougar.
Both species of wolves, the timber wolf and the
Wolves coyote, are found in the Rockies. The former is very
rare south of the Athabaska and not abundant north
of it. The latter is very common everywhere. Neither seem to
warrant protection, while the timber wolf is undoubtedly a dangerous,
predatory animal and should be exterminated.
S mm f "^ ^^^y brief summary of the present status of the
the Present Rocky Mountain big game would be as follows :
Situation j'YiQ mountain sheep has declined from former abimd-
ance to a condition that promises early extinction outside the game
preserves. Probably not over 3,500 sheep remain on the East slope.
The elk, after being reduced to less than two score head, have
begun to increase and to re-establish themselves by migration from
British Columbia. This is due to the closed season, which must be
retained for a number of years and perhaps indefinitely unless other
provision is made.
The mule deer is much more abundant than the sheep, but is also
decreasing rapidly. It will need special protection at no distant date.
The white-tail deer is increasing slowly. It can probably continue
to do so if the present situation is not adversely disturbed.
The moose is slowly decreasing and, under present conditions, will,
in time, disappear from the East slope. It is not an important element
in the mountain fauna.
The mountain goat exists in great numbers. It is probably in-
creasing at the present time. Danger to the mountain goat is in
the future, but its rapid extermination, once it is hunted for meat, is a
foregone conclusion.
The grizzly bear is rare, but probably no more so than at any
previous time. It is not extensively hunted, but would increase if
given some measure of protection.
The black bear is fairly abundant and holding its own or only very
slowly decreasing.
The cougar is rare and the timber wolf almost non-existent, while
the prairie wolf is very abundant. All three are noxious animals,
dangerous both to domestic stock and game and should be destroyed.
BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 109
Fur-bearing animals are, on the whole, very scarce, except perhaps
the lynx. Mink and marten occur in a few places in fair numbers;
beaver, once almost extinct, are becoming numerous under protection.
Other animals occur only sparingly.
Principles Underlying Game Protection
It may rightly be asked : " What is a proper public attitude toward
the wild game of the country?" Some confusion exists in the public
mind, and a great deal of talking to no purpose is indulged in, which
might perhaps be avoided by the formulation of a few guiding
principles. The following are suggested:
1. The first duty of the country is to its people, not to its wild
game. If the presence of large wild game interferes with or prevents
the establishment of successful homes, it must be destroyed. Perhaps
one might go so far as to say that this game should be utilized, so far
as is within reason, in assisting in the maintenance of the pioneer homes
on the edge of settlement. At any rate we hope the time will never
come in Canada when deer parks and game preserves are considered
of more value than the people of the country, and we see no reason
why the same attitude should not be held in regard to those regions
where the game is already established but the homes are not.
2. In a strictly agricultural .section, or a region of intensive cultiva-
tion, large wild game animals are distinctly out of place, particularly
such animals as buflfalo, elk or antelope. This applies to much of our
prairie farm belt.
3. In an agricultural region where there are numerous woodlots,
areas of broken or rocky timbered lands, and hill slopes suitable only
for pastures or forests, large game such as the native deer may easily
be maintained in the midst of a dense population without detriment
to anyone. This applies to most of our eastern farm sections and to
the whole of the northern prairie country along the edge of the great
northern forests.
4. In a grazing region, large grazing game animals, such as elk
and buffalo, cannot be successfully maintained on the same land as
domestic stock, especially sheep, without coming into competition with
it for the available range. This applies to our western grazing lands
both on the Great plains and in the British Columbia interior plateau
country.
5. After all possible agricultural or grazing lands are removed from
consideration, there still remains in Canada, more than half, perhaps
no COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
three- fourths, of the entire country which can never be cultivated or
ranged successfully. All of this land, even the desolate Arctic wastes
of the barren grounds, is suitable for the production of wild game and
fur-bearing animals.
6. Wild game can be made to yield a very considerable revenue,
if maintained in sufficient numbers and variety to attract sportsmen
who are able and willing to pay for the privilege of hunting. This is
fully demonstrated in Maine and New Brunswick.
7. Deer and other large game may be established and maintained in
any region where there is suitable range, regardless of the density of
the population, providing there are proper laws backed up by proper
public sentiment. This is proved by the experience of Connecticut
and other densely populated New England states.
8. In certain regions, notable especially for their scenic attractions,
to which tourists may be attracted, the game has an aesthetic value
that far surpasses its value as an object of the chase, and in such
regions the propriety of extra restrictions is generally unquestionable.
Applying these principles to the Canadian Rockies, we find there a
region almost devoid of agricultural possibilities, with valuable, though
limited, grazing lands, stocked with one of the most varied big game
faunas of North America, and possessing a wealth of mountain
scenery, of rivers and waterfalls, lakes and glaciers, snow fields and
unclimbed peaks unrivalled in America, if not in the world. Whether
as an attraction to the big game hunter who finds here more species of
big game than in any similar area on the continent, or as an attraction
to the tourist and mountain climber, who must inevitably find this the
most wonderful mountain playground in America, the game of the
Canadian Rockies has a value as a national resource that can scarcely
be exaggerated, and to let any of its numerous species be exterminated
would be an act of extreme folly.
Enemies of the Western Game
It, therefore, becomes of some importance to study
Agents of ^j^j^ ^^j.g ^^le factors that threaten the big game of
this mountain region. Big game is destroyed by three
principal agents. These are: (a) Natural causes, such as disease,
predatory animals, accidents, combats or unfavourable climatic
conditions.
(b) Disturbance of the breeding grounds and interference with
natural range, especially the fencing up of the winter range of grazing
animals.
(c) Hunting.
BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 111
All wild animals are liable to destruction by natural causes and
there is little reason to think that the advent of settlement has any
material influence on these factors. Even though predatory animals
are greatly reduced, there are certain diseases and some insect pests
introduced by settlement that may tend to offset the smaller mortality
resulting from the elimination of the natural enemies of the herbivorous
animals.
Disturbance of game on breeding grounds and breaking up of
winter range may have a very destructive effect, but is more or less
an unavoidable accompaniment of settlement and commercial exploita-
tion, and must be provided for in any project for the conservation of
game.
Hunting, alone of these destructive agents, is, on the one hand,
directly responsible for the decrease in game and, on the other, wholly
within the power of the nation to control without conflicting with any
fundamental rights. This brings us naturally to a consideration of
the kind of hunting and the class of hunters found in the western
game country, especially the Rocky mountains. Briefly, there are three
principal classes.
1. Transient big-game hunters from outside the mountains.
2. Residents of local communities, mostly coal-mining villages.
3. Stoney Indians.
The first are a minor element in the problem. The
Big-game decline in the more characteristic big game of this
region has resulted in a corresponding decrease in
hunting parties from far distant places. No doubt there has been an
increase in the number of hunters from nearby localities, but except
in the immediate vicinity of the transcontinental railways, it is very
seldom that a party is encountered even during the hunting season.
Moreover, nearly all such hunters have a reasonable regard for the
game laws which, if enforced as successfully against all classes, would
make a remarkable change in conditions.
The resident miners are a much more difficult class.
Miners They are mostly Europeans with no very great respect
for the law, except as they see it embodied in force in
the person of a Northwest Mounted policeman. But the police,
although ex officio game wardens, are few in number and have other
duties that largely prevent them from taking an important part in game
protection. On the entire East slope, outside the Parks, there are only
five policemen, and none of these ever gets away from the villages in
112 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
which they are stationed, except on special detail work. On the other
hand, there is a mining population of fully 10,000 people and, with a
population of this size and nature, with the irregularity of employment
and the labour troubles that have marked this industry, it is to be
expected that there will be little regard for the game laws
where such settlements exist. As a consequence, most of the min-
ing settlements are now surrounded by a wide belt of country in
which all forms of big game have become extinct. Fortunately, there
is little tendency to range more than about 25 miles from the camps,
so that the total damage is, as yet, not very considerable.
Finally, and most important of all, we have the Stoney
Stoney Indians. This is a hunting tribe of mountain Indians
Indians °
who have a reservation in the foothills west of
Calgary, but range the Rockies from the Crowsnest pass to the
Brazeau river. This tribe numbers between 400 and 600 individuals.
Their reservation contains no land of much agricultural value, but is
a very good stock range. It is by no means utilized to capacity, for
a large part of the tribe is constantly scattered throughout the moun-
tains on hunting expeditions, and at least one-seventh reside continu-
ously off the reservation, mostly on the Kootenay plains along the
North Saskatchewan river, some 150 miles by trail from their agency.
Until 1st June, 1914, there were no real restrictions whatever upon
the killing of big game by these Indians throughout the year and, as
yet, the legal restrictions that were then imposed have had no actual
application. The Stoneys are not amenable to the Alberta game laws
unless made so by specific proclamation of the Federal Department
of Indian Affairs. On assuming the administration of the Rocky
Mountains Forest reserve, the Forestry Branch found that the only
game laws that applied to the Stoneys permitted the killing of all the
game required for food throughout the year and six head of any big
game in addition. Immediate representations were made, which
resulted in the proclamation of 1st June, 1914, by which the Stoneys
were made amenable to the present Alberta Game Act.
The real situation is that we have here a tribe of from 400 to 600
individuals living practically in an aboriginal state. Game has always
been their main source of food supply, and they are particularly
skillful in securing it. No restrictions have ever been placed upon them
in the matter of hunting at will, but they are shrewd enough to know
that any flaunting of their continual inroads upon the game would
result in serious objections from the local white population. As a con-
sequence, while continuing to kill without restraint, they endeavour
BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 113
to do so secretly and, except in the more remote portions of the moun-
tains and during the hunting season, they destroy all evidence of the
presence of game around their camps.
Wild meat, however, with a little flour, sugar and tea, continues
to form the entire ration of the Stoney. To supply from 400 to 600
people with a daily ration composed largely of meat requires the killing
of a large number of animals. The writer was fortunately able to get
a very fair check upon the meat consumption of the Stoneys a few
years ago, and found a large group had an average daily consumption
for a period of three months of Zy^ pounds per person. If this figure
is extended to the entire tribe, it is a simple matter to determine that
about 3,500 head of game per annum would be required. Probably
the annual slaughter is not less than 2,000 head, of which about one
third is sheep and the rest deer and moose. In the 1913 hunting
season the writer visited 8 Stoney hunting camps, and in these alone
found that nearly 100 head of sheep had been killed in addition to
numerous deer. During the same period our forest officers visited
6 or 8 additional camps and found about an equal number of sheep
with many deer, 5 elk, some moose and bear and, in one camp, we
afterwards ascertained that 25 sheep, all ewes and lambs, had been
surrounded in a blind valley and completely exterminated.
^ It is not alone the large numbers of game killed annu-
Destruc- n i t r. i • .
tiveness ^^'y t)y the btoneys that constitutes the menace to the
of Stoney big game of the Rockies, but equally important is their
method of hunting. To the Stoney, there are two
kinds of cattle, that with a brand on it, which belongs to the white
man, and that without a brand, the wild game of the mountains, which
belongs to the Stoney. The Stoney usually chooses the easiest method
of rounding up his wild cattle. This means the killing of game regard-
less of age or sex, the extermination of whole bands of sheep or elk
whenever possible, the killing of moose when yarded up in the winter,
the use of dogs and the making of drives in which the whole camp,
men, women and children participate, the slaughter of game at all
seasons of the year and its constant harrying and disturbance
regardless of season.
What are the results of these conditions? There is a strong
probability that the five elk killed by the Wesley band of Stoneys in
1913 were the last remnant of the original countless elk herds of the
Alberta Rockies. Already the big-horn sheep is so reduced in numbers
that the date of its extermination also is within a measurable dis-
tance. Moose have been reduced to one third of their former
114 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
range and are slowly being eliminated; deer are fairly numerous in
places, but it is strikingly noticeable that these places are those that
have been relatively inaccessible because of blocking of trails by
windfalls and forest fires. Goats alone are on the increase, but it is
a well-known fact that the Stoneys scarcely ever hunt the goat, so
that this fact merely serves to prove our contention that the alarming
decrease of game in the Canadian Rockies is due principally to the
unrestrained hunting at all seasons of the year by these Indians.
There are, however, other evidence's that support this view. In
four sections of the mountains, the activities of the Stoneys have been
curbed. These are the portion south of the Crowsnest pass, the
present Rocky Mountains park and the Red Deer valley north of it,
the Athabaska valley, and the north side of the Brazeau river. In the
south country the Stoneys have been driven out by the Provincial
game warden, Mr. Riviere, and in spite of a very large mining popu-
lation, and an increase in both local and foreign hunters, there has been
a very notable increase in all kinds of game. This is especially true
of sheep, while nearly all the elk in the Rockies are in this section.
Rocky Mountains park and the Red Deer valley have been created
a game preserve and are patrolled by the Parks Branch of the
Dominion Government. There is a very good stocking of game in this
area, principally sheep, goats and mule deer, but no elk or moose. Of
course, all hunting is prohibited, so that this increase is not due solely
to the restrictions placed on the Stoneys, as it is in the south.
The Athabaska valley was largely denuded of game by the resident
Indians and the locators and builders of the Grand Trunk Pacific.
Since the Indians have been removed from the region, although hunt-
ing has been permitted, an increase of game has been noted, the most
striking of which is the return of the caribou, which had been exter-
minated before the advent of the railroad.
The strip of country lying along the north side of the Brazeau has
been comparatively immune from excessive hunting because it was a
more or less neutral belt between the Beavers and Iroquois from the
north and the Stoneys from the south. This resulted in a remarkable
increase in deer and moose, and in the survival of the elk, but this con-
dition is now threatened by the inroads of the Stoneys who have ex-
hausted more accessible regions and, from the base established on the
Kootenay plains, are hunting in the Brazeau valley. Unquestionably,
therefore, there can be no hope entertained for the Rocky Mountain
big game until these Indians are compelled to observe the game laws.
Group ol Stones Indians with Heads of Big-horn Sheep
Stoney Indian Encampment
BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES US
Methods of Game Preservation
Game Laws
For the preservation of game, two principal methods
and Game are employed. These are:
Preserves ^^-j 'p^g establishment of game laws which restrict the
season of hunting, the number, age and sex that may be killed; the
requiring of licenses, often graded so as to discourage non-resident
hunters; the prohibition of the use of unfair hunting methods such
as dogging, hunting on snow or using automatic guns; the restriction
or prohibition of the sale of game, etc.
(b) The establishment of game preserves or game refuges where
all hunting is prohibited at all times of the year.
All the provinces have game laws and, with some minor modifi-
cations, they would all be fairly satisfactory and doubtless accomplish
excellent results if adequate machinery for their enforcement were
provided.
Nearly all the provinces have game preserves. The four western
provinces have all adopted a game preserve policy, with, however, some
important dififerences in method.
In Manitoba, specially designated portions of the Dominion Forest
reserves have been constituted game preserves. This is an excellent
method and one employed also in various States. Its complete success
depends upon the care and knowledge with which the boundaries are
established, the thoroughness with which they are marked on the
ground, and the degree of protection afforded by the regulations for
these preserves and the officers employed to enforce them.
In Saskatchewan, the Game Act automatically makes all forest
reserves game preserves. This is a very faulty method. Forest
reserves are not selected nor are their boundaries established with
game preservation as their object. The principles upon which forest
reserves are created have little in common with the principles that
should govern the establishment of a game preserve, and the method
employed in Saskatchewan is wholly negative in character, amounts
simply to a shifting of responsibility and, only by the merest accident,
could it result in the creation of really adequate game preserves.
Moreover, in spite of failure to administer those already established,
it promises to result in the establishment of a great deal larger area
of game preserves than there is any justification for.
In Alberta, a similar negative policy of shirking responsibility for
direct action has been adopted. The Alberta Act makes all Dominion
parks created by the Dominion Government, game preserves. This is
not quite so objectionable as the Saskatchewan system, but it has some
116 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
special objectionable features of its own due to the fact that parks,
like forest reserves, have many important functions other than that of
game preservation, and making game preservation dependent upon the
creation of parks is a serious handicap to the proper utilization of the
natural resources of the province, as well as to the preservation of the
game.
The Manitoba system is unquestionably the best. Perhaps there
are, in Saskatchewan and Alberta, reasons for the policy adopted that
do not appear upon the surface. Whatever the reasons, however, it
is unquestionable that these provinces should alter their present Game
Acts so as to make the creation of game preserves a matter of straight-
forward positive action by the parties upon whom the responsibility
for game preservation rests, instead of shifting it on to the Federal
Government, which has no constitutional authority with regard to
provincial game. Aforeover, complicating the problem by involving it
with other conservation policies, to which it has little or no direct
relation, should be avoided. Game preserves should be created not
with the idea of obtaining some political or other irrelevant advantage,
but solely for the benefit of the game itself and the numerous interests
dependent upon it.
In British Columbia, as in Manitoba, the province assumes the
responsibility for the creation of its own game preserves. Several
have been established where there seemed to be some special need, but,
while British Columbia has some very commendable features in its
game laws, neither in the establishment nor in the maintenance of game
preserves is it, as yet, in a leading position.
Gam P Since game preservation in all the western provinces
Forest Reserves is more or less involved with the Dominion Forest
and Parks reserves and Dominion parks, it becomes desirable to
understand the nature and functions of these three forms of special
reservations. It must be obvious that each has distinctive functions
and, although these functions are not all of them necessarily antag-
onistic, nevertheless some of them are, and there is absolutely no
warrant for assuming that the establishment of one form of reserva-
tion qualifies it to serve in the capacity of either of the others. This
whole subject would be the better for some clear thinking and a few
definitions, and for action based upon reason rather than upon impulse.
A game preserve is a block of land set apart because of special
suitability for the protection and propagation of wild game, for the
purpose of furnishing a place of refuge where game shall be allowed
to breed and increase unmolested, and is administered under regulations
designed specifically to promote this purpose.
BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 117
A forest reserve is a block of land either timbered or non-timbered
set apart for the purpose of producing timber upon a commercial basis,
and having a greater value for timber production than for any other
purpose.
A park is a block of land which, because of some special features,
such as scenic attractions, natural wonders or ancient monuments, has
been set aside for the purpose of affording a place of public resort, a
pleasure ground for the people.
Soecial Game These are distinct functions, easily definable, recog-
Preserves a nizable by everyone and, although expert advice may
Necessity j^g required in determining what lands are actually
suitable for these various purposes and are not more suitable for some
other use, nevertheless, if these definitions are kept in mind, no diffi-
culty need be experienced in deciding which one of the three forms of
reservation any given section is most suitable for. It then becomes
only a matter of deciding upon the extent of the reservations for which
the Government is willing to become responsible. Were this simple,
direct policy adopted, we should not have the present complications
between various governments and government departments, whereby
we have the spectacle of parks created in order to make game preserves,
game preserves made out of forest reserves, which were created with-
out a thought of suitability for game refuges, parks turned into forest
reserves only to be turned back into parks ; and, meanwhile, the
Stoney and the pot-hunter and the unemployed miner continue to
take their toll from the game without let or hindrance. The solu-
tion is perfectly simple. Create game preserves for the sole pur-
pose of game preservation, unhampered by considerations of forest
or park values. Then, either organize a special game protection
staff for the administration of these preserves or, if it is found
that they are largely within forest reserves or parks, let the Branch
having previous jurisdiction over the land assume responsibility for
the game protection and organize its own special staff for that purpose.
It may rightly be asked, " Why, if we have suitable game laws, are
special game preserves required at all?" The answer is that game
laws, to be eflfective, must be enforced, and the simple fact is that they
very seldom are. In this they do not differ materially from other
prohibitory legislation, which does not carry with its violation a feel-
ing of moral guiltiness. Most men who have any feeling on the subject
are quite willing to support the game laws in the abstract, but it is
remarkable how little effect abstract considerations have on them when
a big buck steps out in front of them during the closed season. More
118 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
serious, however, than game law violations is the question as to whether
we really have suitable game laws. The suitability depends largely
upon the point of view. As a matter of fact, game laws are mostly
designed not to ensure a permanent, unchanging supply of game, but
to ensure to each citizen his fair quota of what game there is in the
country. Consequently, although as the population increases, game
laws are made more stringent, experience proves that, until all the
game has been hunted out of existence, few communities ever come to
look upon game from any other standpoint than that of the hunter.
Then, they adopt permanent closed seasons, in other words, make the
whole province into a game preserve and, if the possibilities of game
restoration have not all disappeared, the country may again become
restocked regardless of the density of the population.
As regards interest in game protection, citizens may be divided into
three classes :
1. A small but highly influential minority composed of hunters,
dealers in sporting goods, guides and others having a direct personal
interest in game, who have practically exclusive control of the making
and amending of game laws.
2. A very small and not very effective minority that is interested in
game not as an object of the chase, but seeks for various reasons to
shape the game laws so as to retain the game undiminished.
3. A very large majority which never hunts, has no interest in
hunting or anything pertaining to it, and is normally indifferent to
game legislation, but inclined to favour restrictions or can at least be
depended upon not to oppose restrictive legislation.
As a matter of practical politics it is out of the question to make
the radical changes in game laws that would be required to retain the
game in the face of an advancing settlement and rapidly growing
population. By the creation of game preserves in all parts of the
country, it will, however, be possible to accomplish two important
things :
1. Maintain a supply of game for a much longer period than is
probable without game preserves.
2. Maintain a nucleus in a wild state from which the country may
be restocked when the large class that is now indifferent to the fate
of the game comes to have a positive sentiment in favour of game
preservation. That such a change of sentiment is inevitable we have
the abundant evidence of other peoples to prove.
Briefly, it can be said that the game preserve is essential to prevent
the extermination of many species of our large game animals in various
I
-IfS^-^t;^*^,
Commission of Conservation
Buffaloes in Buffalo Park, near Wainwright, Alta.
Elk in Buffalo Park, Alta.
BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 119
sections of the country. While it is not demanded by any large body
of citizens, it is, on the other hand, not opposed. It, therefore, lies
wholly with our governments to decide whether they will be guided by
experience and take the steps necessary to ensure game for the future,
or whether they will neglect to do so and allow our game in the
Rocky mountains to meet the fate of the buffalo and antelope of the
prairies, of the elk of Ontario and Alberta, and of the sheep, grizzly
bear, goats and caribou of the Northwestern states.
Qualifications ^^ order to fulfil the purposes of a game presei ve, it
Required by a is necessary that the area selected have certain special
Game Preserve qualifications. These may be briefly stated as follows :
1. Suitable range for all the large animals which the preserve is
designed to serve, including both winter and summer range.
This requirement is too obvious to warrant any discussion.
2. A minimum of commercial assets such as coal, oil or other
minerals, which require the estabUshment of permanent settlement for
their development.
The fewer people there are in a game preserv , the less likelihood
there is of violations of the regulations, the less disturbance there will
be to the game and the more rapid will be its natural increase.
3. A minimum of land valuable for grazing domestic stock, which
has been preempted by stock raisers or is primarily valuable for stock
range.
With enormous areas which have no value as grazing lands, it
should seldom be necessary to interfere with legitimate stock-raising in
order to establish a game preserve. No areas whose value as grazing
lands has been proved by beneficial use should be included in game
preserves.
4. No railway lines or probabilities of future railway construction.
Railways are in the same category as permanent settlements. They
introduce undesirable complications in administration.
5. Natural boundaries conforming to well-marked topographic
features of the country which are readily determined and, more par-
ticularly, which act as natural barriers to ingress and egress, and thus
facilitate guarding against trespass.
We constantly see game preserves created which have but few of
these primary qualifications. This is due either to the attaching of the
game preserve to some other form of reservation, such as a forest
reserve or park, or to failure to make a thorough examination of the
area with these requirements in view. Most frequently do we see the
fifth requirement, that of natural boundaries, disregarded. In fact,
until 1911, there was not a game preserve in the West having such
8
120 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
boundaries, and, as yet, there are only a very few. In the prairie
sections it is difficult to conform to this requirement, but not so in the
mountains. Preserves may be created on the East slope with practi-
cally their entire boundary on topographic lines, and it is only necessary
to decide what lines form the most desirable boundary. Two
topographic features may be selected, rivers and mountain ranges.
The value of these natural boundaries lies (1) in being plainly
delineated, and (2) in forming barriers to entrance into the preserve.
For the first purpose, there is but little choice between them. For the
second, mountain ranges are vastly superior. There are only three non-
fordable rivers in the Alberta Rockies. These are the North Saskatche-
wan, the Athabaska and the Smoky. By " non-fordable " is meant that
they can only be forded at well defined points. All of them can, of
course, be crossed at the regular fords at any but flood stages. All
the other rivers may be crossed practically anywhere except during
floods, and then may be forded at numerous points. As a real barrier
to ingress, there is not over 75 miles of river in the Rockies that has
any value for a game preserve boundary. Stream line boundaries are
an intolerable nuisance if actually maintained, especially in such a
region as the Rockies, where all the main routes of travel follow the
rivers and where it is frequently necessary to swing back and forth
across the rivers a dozen or more times a day. They are not only a
nuisance to the casual traveler, but also to the big game hunter whose
wounded deer or elk or moose escapes across the river into the game
preserve, to the game guardian who is condemned to watch 50 miles
of creek bed that a man can wade across, and to those responsible
for fire protection on adjacent lands, who must keep a fire ranger
stationed over half a valley when he might just as well be guarding the
whole of it.
The mountain ranges are in quite a different category. None of
these may be crossed except at certain well-defined passes. The main
crest, for instance, has only 15 practicable passes between the Inter-
national boundary and the Yellowhead in a distance along the range
of 450 miles; or an average of one every thirty miles. Some of the
secondary ranges are quite as inaccessible. For instance, the range
east of Maligne lake, part of which formerly was the boundary of
Jasper park, is inaccessible for 45 miles of its length.
jj j^ Having in view the principles previously stated, the
Mountain Forestry Branch of the Dept. of the Interior made
Game Preserves ^ careful examination of the entire East slope south
of the Athabaska river, as well as a detailed study of the Rocky
BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 121
Mountain big game and its requirements, and, as a result of this
study, has delineated four proposed game preserves, which con-
form to these requirements as nearly as it is possible to do so.
Three of these preserves are contiguous to the three mountain parks.
The total area of proposed preserves is 2,260,000 acres, or about one-
sixth of the Rocky Mountain Forest reserve. These preserves are
all selected because they form the natural range and breeding grounds
of one or more of the big game of the East slope. None of
them contain all the species found on the slope, but most contain a
majority. In all cases, both winter and summer range inside the
preserve has been assured; there is a minimum of known or probable
mineral deposits, very little grazing land suitable for domestic stock
and, although there is considerable timber, it is not considered that the
harvesting of timber under forest regulations is detrimental to the
interests of a game preserve. None of these preserves is crossed by
any line of railway or is likely to be, and, in all cases, natural boun-
daries have been selected which constitute almost insuperable barriers
to ingress and egress. The object of the boundary delineation was to
select lines having as few gateways as possible, and also to retain all
around the preserves a buffer strip of forest reserve or park. This
has been accomplished with almost complete success. In addition, the
preserves are well distributed along the East slope, so that they serve
all portions, and there are large areas of forest adjacent to the preserves
where the overflow from them may be hunted without endangering
the preserve itself.
Game Preserve Administration
The practical difficulties which confront a force of game guardians
are very frequently overlooked in the establishment of game preserves
by governing bodies, who look to others to assume responsibility for
this protection, or when preserves are created as the result of non-
official representation by parties interested in game preservation but
inexperienced in the administration of restrictive regulations over
large areas of land. In outlining a game preserve policy for the
Rocky mountains, the Forestry Branch has drawn not only on its
detailed knowledge of natural conditions in the Rockies and of the big
game of the mountains, but also upon its fund of experience in the
administration of large areas of forest reserves, and has outlined a
complete plan for the efficient guarding of these proposed preserves.
The two principal elements in this plan are (1) the
F<fr"str^^B h P''°hibiting of firearms of any kind within the pre-
serves, and (2) the establishing of a special force of
game guardians who shall have no other duties and who shall be
122 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Stationed largely at the natural gateways to these preserves rather than
attempt to protect them by patrol. The character of the boundaries and
the general situation of the preserves as previously described, makes
this a wholly feasible project and guarantees an efficiency of protection
that can be secured in no other way. This force will give its entire
time to game protection and will assist in fire protection only as an
incidental part of its main duty. All other forms of administrative
activity on the preserves, such as the construction and maintenance
of roads, trails, telephones, cabins and other permanent improvements,
the regulation of timber cutting, the detection and control of forest
fires, the making of surveys and forest studies, the regulation of occu-
pation, etc., will be handled by the regular reserve staff. Except
that stock grazing, which is inconsistent with the purpose of the game
preserve, will be prohibited, there need be no interference with the
full utilization of all the natural resources of these preserves. The
cutting of timber, the development of mines and the establishment of
summer resorts can be permitted. This liberality is possible without
injury to the preserves because of the proposed rule barring guns and
the small probability of any detrimental use on a large scale ensured by
the character of the areas selected for preserve purposes. In order
to ensure close cooperation between the Forestry Branch and the Parks
Branch officials, it is absolutely necessary that the two administrative
forces be under the same supervisory officers. Thus the federal game
guardians on preserves located in forest reserves should be directly
under the forest reserve supervisors and those on Dominion parks
should be under the park superintendent. This would avoid all
chances of conflict of authority, ensure protection for the game, produce
the permanent improvements necessary for the most efficient work,
and secure for the administrative staff a considerable amount of
valuable assistance in the work of fire protection and of guarding
against trespass.
The total cost of ensuring thoroughly adequate game protection on
the 2j4 million acres of game preserve proposed under this plan would
be $16,000 per annum, or 0.7 cent per acre. Included in this, there
would be, of course, a large gain in fire protection on the same
area, the value of which it is difficult to estimate. One inspector and
six permanent game guardians would be required, supplemented by 12
assistants for periods of from three to nine months. A great deal, of
course, would depend on the character and qualifications of the men
selected for this work. Before everything else, the appointment of
local residents for political reasons should be avoided. The char-
BIG GAME OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 123
acter of the work would justify the organization of a uniformed
force on military lines. The position is wholly different from that of
the forest ranger. The duties of the game guardian are primarily
police duties and police methods of organization and control would
probably ensure the most efficient results.
The writer's interest in this plan arises from the fact that he
directed the work of collecting the information upon which it is
based and personally examined the proposed preserves and wrote the
report of the project. If put into operation, it would not only prevent
absolutely the extermination of any of the Rocky Mountain big game,
but, if combined with a suppression of the Stoney Indians, would en-
sure a permanent supply of big game of all species in the Rockies. Not
only should it appeal to those who wish the game preserved for its own
sake, but it should also appeal to the big-game hunters and to all the
interests connected with them.
_, .^11 The suppression of the Stoney Indian is the more diffi-
the Stoney cult project. The Dept. of Indian Affairs, the Pro-
Indians vincial Game Guardian, the Mounted Police, and the
Forestry Branch have none of them evinced an eagerness to under-
take this duty. Primarily, it belongs to the Provincial Game Guardian,
and now that the Stoney has been placed under the Alberta Game Act,
the action of the Provincial officials is awaited with some interest. The
probabilities of controlling this tribe are, however, remote and much
more certain results can be obtained through the establishment of game
preserves that are closed to all hunting at all times. The Indian
problem will no doubt ultimately solve itself through the operation of
natural causes. In the meantime, something effective must be done
in the Rockies if the distinctive game of this region is not to be allowed
to disappear.
The plan proposed by the Forestry Branch promises the maximum
protection at the minimum of expense. It is based upon accurate
knowledge and not upon hearsay. It is, in fact, the first comprehensive
survey of so large an area that has ever been made on so intensive a
scale in America. Last August, H. S. Graves, Chief Forester, U. S.
Forest Service, announced that a similar study is being made in the
United States National Forests.
The preserves, as outlined, are all game preserves, not a small
nucleus of game preserves surrounded by a huge area of land which
makes an effective appearance on the map but has very little influence
on the census of the game population. Such preserves are extremely
harmful to the interest of true game preservation, in that they are
124 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
wholly deceptive and lead to an unwarranted feeling of security on the
part of those interested in game preservation but not familiar with
actual field conditions. The game preserves proposed by the Forestry
Branch are not intended as show places. They have been deliberately
placed at a distance from the main transcontinental railways in order to
promote their effectiveness. There are plenty of parks wherein the
tourists who stay close to the railways can see all the game they wish.
The parks are all rightly game preserves, in spite of many obvious
handicaps. These proposed game preserves are of a different type, and
whether or not it is practicable to control the Stoneys outside the pre-
serves, it is certainly practicable to prevent them getting into these
preserves with guns.
Summary
The following measures are necessary for the successful preserva-
tion of the big game of the four western provinces :
1. A modification of the Saskatchewan game preserve f>olicy along
the lines followed in Manitoba, namely, a delineation of game preserves
within forest reserves as a result of special study of conditions, in-
stead of a blanket creation of all forest reserves into game preserves.
2. A modification of the Alberta Game Act so as to permit the
establishment of game preserves without the necessity of creating them
Dominion parks.
3. The establishment in Alberta of the game preserve system
recommended by the Dominion Forestry Branch and the extension of
the same detailed study of the game situation to the region lying north
of 53° N. latitude.
4. The establishment of a similar game preserve system in the more
settled portions of British Columbia, and especially the strengthening
of the inadequate force of game guardians on those already created.
5. The establishment of an adequate antelope park by the Dominion
Government somewhere in southern Alberta or Saskatchewan on the
lines of the buffalo park at Wainwright.*
6. The placing of a complete closed season on elk in Manitoba and
Saskatchewan, and the reduction of the bag limit in Alberta from two
sheep and two goats to one of each.
7. Cooperation of all forces interested in an effort to compel the
Stoneys to observe the game laws of the province of Alberta.
*Steps have been taken towards this end. See page 130.
Game Preservation in Dominion Parks
BY
F. H. H. Williamson
Dominion Parks Branch, Dept. of the Interior
THE Dominion parks in Canada, which are maintained as wild-hfe
sanctuaries, include an area of 7,927 square miles — upwards of
5,(XX),000 acres — nearly equal to one-half the total area of Switzerland,
almost as large as Belgium and nearly one thousand square miles
greater than the area of Wales. Jasper park alone, which includes
4,400 square miles, is larger than Montenegro and almost twice the
size of Prince Edward Island. Within this great area no trap may
be set, no gun may be fired; within these boundaries all wild animals
live as free from danger as they did before the advent of man. The
fenced enclosures, Buffalo and Elk Island parks, respectively, situated
at Wainwright and at Lamont, Alta., comprise 176 square miles.
Buffal d Buffalo park was created to contain the Government
Elk Island herd of buffalo, secured in 1907 and 1909, from Michel
Parks Pqj^ Pablo, of Montana. In six years, this herd —
which at the time of purchase was the largest herd on this continent —
has increased from 709 to over 2,000 head. Elk Island park, a small
reservation, 16 square miles in extent, contains 50 elk, for the protec-
tion of which it was originally established, but it now contains, in addi-
tion, about 100 buffalo, 40 moose and 80 mule deer. In these two
parks protection consists chiefly in vigilant effort to protect the ani-
mals from disease and enemies, and to maintain the type at a high
standard. The danger from prairie fires is also one which has to be
constantly guarded against. Both parks are protected by double strips
of ploughed guard, one inside and one outside the park fence, which
are ploughed once each season or, if the season is very dry, twice. As
the perimeter of Buffalo park is about 76 miles, its fire guards neces-
sitate several hundred miles of ploughing.
Guardi Those charged with the care of the animals
against have to be continually on the alert to avoid
Disease ^jjg possibility of an outbreak of disease. When
the epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease broke out about a
125
126 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
year ago in Chicago, the Chief of the Animal Division immediately
reported that the Canadian herds were liable to contract this disease,
since the infection can be carried very readily by human beings. As
a consequence, both parks were immediately closed to visitors and
remained closed until all danger of infection was past. In 1912, when
the fatal disease known as haemhorragic septicaemia broke out among
the buffalo in the United States Yellowstone park, steps were immedi-
ately taken to protect the Canadian herd. The officials in charge of
the herds were fully instructed respecting necessary preventive meas-
ures and the steps to be taken if signs of the disease appeared. As a
result, there has been no serious illness of any kind among the buffalo.
„ . It is an interesting fact that, while these two parks
Sanctuaries were set aside primarily for the protection of buffalo,
for Small Game moose and elk, they are becoming sanctuaries for all
kinds of bird life and for various small animals. The superintendents
report that wild life quickly recognized that within these enclosures it
was safe, and large numbers resort there to breed. Feathered game
is especially plentiful and, on the shores of the lakes that supply fresh
water for the buffalo, thousands of wild ducks and even geese are
making their homes. Last year the Superintendent of Buffalo park, in
his annual report, said : " A great many true sportsmen have already
recognized this valuable protection to the feathered game and the
overflow this year has afforded them an ample supply for their guns."
This bears out the assertion of Dr. Hornaday that all that is necessary
is to create the reserve and protect it, that the birds will discover its
existence in a very short time and will resort there in numbers to
breed.
In the great open parks of the Rockies, the system
Systeni of q£ protection followed is necessarily different, but it
is meeting with similar success. The main feature
of the policy adopted there is a system of interlacing trails extending
from the park headquarters to the outlying boundaries, with game
wardens' cabins placed at strategic points and linked up by telephone.
Each warden patrols a certain number of trails, covering them every
few days, and passing the nights in the comfortable little cabins which
also serve to store sets of fire-fighting tools.
The Parks Regulations require that all guns and firearms brought
within the boundaries must be sealed by a Government officer and all
unsealed firearms are liable to confiscation. In addition, all parties
travelling through the park are compelled to register at the office of
the superintendent, and to declare their intended routes of travel. This
Big-horn Sheep in Rocky Mountains Park, close to Banff
Group of Big-horn Sheep, near Banff, Alta.
GAME PRESERVATION IN DOMINION PARKS 127
makes it possible to notify the game wardens, who patrol the trails
in question, that such parties will be travelling in that direction at a
particular time. The wardens are then on the alert and are enabled
to follow them up, visit their camps and search for evidence of infrac-
tions of the law. It is very difficult for an offender to escape detection
by the trained game warden. Recently, a number of hunters left Banff,
in Rocky Mountains park, to hunt big game on the British Columbia
side of the mountains. The warden in charge of the trail along which
they travelled inspected their vacated camps two days after they had
left the park and found they had cached two goat heads, evidently
intending to pick them up on their return. The warden immediately
followed them ; later, they were brought to Banff, tried before the resi-
dent magistrate, convicted and fined. The maximum penalty for killing
game in the parks provides for the confiscation of the entire outfit,
pack-horses, ponies, guns and camp equipment and, in a case recently
tried in Banff, when this penalty was enforced, the property confiscated
amounted to over $1,000. Convictions such as these have convinced
old-time hunters and residents of the park that the Department in-
tends to enforce the Parks Regulations without respect of persons.
Increase in '^'^^ results of this protective policy are seen on every
Numbers of hand. Five years ago, the big-horn sheep and the
Animals Rocky Mountain goat, which are approaching exter-
mination in the United States, had almost disappeared from the Rocky
Mountains park; now, they are to be found within a mile of Banff
itself. You can hardly travel along the automobile road from Banff
to Castle, without running into a flock of 30 or more. There are
several herds of goats up the Spray river, about 10 miles from Banff
and, from the Canadian Pacific Railway hotel there, with the aid of
field glasses, goats can frequently be seen on the slopes of mount
Rundle, about a mile away.
Deer, which a few years ago were seldom seen by the visitor to
the parks, are now to be found everywhere. They roam the streets
of Banff, nose around the back doors, and sometimes eat from the
hands of the residents. The same increase in numbers is noticeable in
all other forms of wild life. The black bear is frequently seen on the
outskirts of Banff, and the grizzly is occasionally reported; red fox,
wolverine, marten, lynx, mink, grouse and partridge are seen in abun-
dance. Dr. Hornaday says it took the wild animals in Yellowstone
park about five years to ascertain that it was safe to trust themselves
within rifle-shot of man, but, in Rocky Mountains park, they appear
to have been more intelligent, for they found out in less than three.
128 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Those in charge of the parks have been able to realize the truth of
Dr. Hornaday's assertion that : " There is not a single wild mammal
or bird species now living that can not or does not quickly recognize
protection, and take advantage of it."
The daily diaries kept by the game wardens furnish probably the
best sources of evidence in this regard. From the Rocky Mountains
park, one warden reports "Numbers of deer in BanflE town tame enough
to feed at house door," while others mention seeing quantities of wild
fowl, especially partridges, as well as numerous sheep and deer, 90
sheep having been seen in one flock. From Jasper park, it is reported
that sheep are becoming so tame as to be in danger of being caught
by trains, that partridges are very plentiful and beavers and swans
increasing. A warden in Waterton Lakes park states that he saw
in one day 33 deer, of which 11 were big black-tail deer, while
another speaks of seeing sheep in bands of 15 to 20.
Waterton Lakes park, increased in area a.t the same
L^Vs Park *''"*^ ^^ Jasper park in June, 1914, from ISyi square
miles to 423 square miles, is in the heart of one of
the finest game districts in the Rockies and abounds with grouse, part-
ridges, pheasants, ptarmigan, grey geese, ducks and prairie chickens.
Black bears, grizzlies, mountain goats and sheep are numerous.
Before this park was increased in area, a two-mile strip of unpro-
tected territory lay between it and the United States Glacier park on
the south. With the United States sanctuary on the one hand and
Waterton Lakes park on the other, one can realize what a hunters'
paradise this strip was prior to that date. United States authorities,
the Campfire Club of America and others, interested in the protection
of wild life, had pointed out the dangerous nature of such a condition
of affairs for years. As our park has been extended to the boundary,
there now exists a great international sanctuary, the first of its kind,
of over 1,800 square miles in area, in which the wild life of that portion
of the Rockies enjoys absolute protection.
The Parks Branch maintains a staff of permanent game
Duties of wardens but, whenever circumstances demand it, this
is increased by the appointment of temporary war-
dens. In addition to their other duties, the game wardens are charged
with the destruction of noxious or predatory animals and are allowed
to carry a gun for this purpose. Formerly, the game in Rocky Moun-
tains park suffered severely from the attacks of coyotes, which existed
there in great numbers, but, owing to the energetic measures adopted
GAME PRESERVATION IN DOMINION PARKS 129
by the wardens, this source of danger is being kept down. The keep-
ing of dogs in the townsites is not encouraged. A heavy license is
required and no dogs are allowed to run at large. At present the Parks
Branch proposes to inaugurate a vigorous policy with regard to cats.
Anybody who heard Mr. Saunders' address* will realize the importance
of this proposed measure. Dr. Hornaday has stated that cats destroy
many millions of very valuable birds each year. In the state of Massa-
chusetts alone it has been calculated that they are responsible for the
death of at least 700,000 birds.
The Dominion Forest Reserves and Parks Act, passed in 1911, re-
duced the parks in area and, between the old and new boundaries of
Rocky Mountains park, left a district of about 3,000 square miles. To
continue the protection afforded prior to the Act, the Minister ordered
that, during the open season in Alberta, the park wardens patrol this
area also and protect the game from the bands of Indians and others
who make it their custom to go into the mountains at this season of
the year.
Preservation The most important new work, which has been under-
?/ *^* , , taken by the Branch during the past two years, is,
Antelope perhaps, the measures taken to preserve the prong-
horned antelope. This beautiful and curious little animal, which is
as graceful as the deer and can outstrip the swiftest greyhound, is now
in imminent danger of extinction. In former times it was found in
great numbers over most of the western half of this continent, its
range extending from Manitoba to the foothills and from Mexico to
the far north. Mr. Thompson-Seton estimates that, at the time of
the first settlements in the west, the habitat of this animal covered
nearly 2,000,000 square miles and he places the number of antelope
at that time at about 10 to every square mile. That means that, half a
century ago, there were some 20,000,000 antelopes on the continent.
He estimated that, in 1900, there were probably less than 100,000 living,
at least half of which were in Mexico. Since that date, records from
the United States show the numbers have decreased to half what they
were then, so it is evident that, within a comparatively short time, it
will be exterminated. In 1912, Hornaday estimated they might last
20 years, but recent reports make it doubtful if, in so far as Canada
is concerned, even this can be looked for. The chief difficulty encoun-
tered in trying to afford protection to this little animal lies in its own
nature. It is delicate, capricious and easily upset. It is so sensitive
to shock that, as Hornaday says, it dies literally " at the drop of a hat."
"See page 155.
130 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
During the past few years, several attempts were made to breed
antelope in Buffalo park, but met with practically no success. Although
given every attention and the food to which they were supposed to be
accustomed, all died. The Superintendent reported that he considered
this was due to the fact that the antelope never fully recovered from
the shock of capture and, after repeated failures, he recommended that
the attempts should be discontinued. It was then decided to attempt
to preserve this animal by creating carefully selected reserves at a
considerable distance from each other, and containing within their
respective areas all the necessary plant growth required by antelope,
together with good winter and summer pastures, thus affording both
shelter and feed the year round. In the selection of these reserves the
services of Mr. Thompson-Seton, the eminent naturalist, were secured
by the Department. With Mr. Maxwell Graham, Chief of the Animal
Division of the Parks Branch, he made a personal inspection of a
number of possible areas throughout the West. Finally, three areas
were set aside as reserves for antelope, one in Alberta and two in Sas-
katchewan, and it is hoped that, by devoting special study to the needs
of the animals and their possible diseases, success may be assured.
Early last spring, the Northwest Mounted Police notified the
Branch that there was a herd of antelope near Foremost, Alberta. Mr.
Maxwell Graham was successful in enclosing with a fence about 12
miles in length, a herd discovered near the junction of two deep coulees
in Southern Alberta. The land was mostly unsettled and all of it
unfitted for agriculture. Broken by numerous ravines, containing all
the vegetation needed by the antelope, such as sage brush, cactus, and
antelope grass, as well as water of an alkaline nature, no better selection
for an all-year-round reserve could be asked for.
When the discovery of the herd was made, the time of year — early
spring — forbade any idea of attempting to drive and corral the ante-
lope. The Dept. of the Interior decided to construct around the eight
sections where the antelope were situated, an antelope-proof fence.
With considerable difficulty, owing to the nature of the ground, the
sections have been efficiently fenced and there are now 42 antelope
within the enclosure.
Further, by means of wing-trap devices on two sides of the reserve,
it is expected that other antelope now in the near vicinity will also be
secured. These devices have been approved by Mr. Ernest Thompson-
Seton and others in a position to judge of their value.
To perpetuate the species, we have thus a nucleus herd, in an
enclosed reserve eminently suited to it, and have, therefore, great
GAME PRESERVATION IN DOMINION PARKS 131
hopes of a success as complete as that obtained in the preservation of
the buffalo.
_ ,. Action has also been taken by the Branch in the crea-
of Bird tion of more bird sanctuaries throughout Canada.
Sanctuaries ^he United States now boasts some 65 bird sanctu-
aries, but Canada, which is the breeding place for hundreds of varieties
of bird life, possesses only one. This is a reserve set aside in 1887
for the protection of wild fowl in the neighbourhood of Long lake,
Sask. The islands and shores of this lake have long been favourite
breeding grounds for many varieties of wild fowl and it is interesting
to observe that, so long ago as 1887, the Government recognized the
importance of protecting bird life.
A large number of areas were recently visited by a parks officer
who has reported tentatively as to their suitability for bird sanctuaries
and, pending further investigation, 23 areas, 12 in Saskatchewan and
11 in Alberta, have been reserved by the Department. It is expected
that the majority of these and others which may be selected, will be
declared bird sanctuaries and will be properly protected and patrolled.
P .. Respecting the proposed bird reservation on point
on Point Pelee, this spot — the most southerly point in Ontario
Pelee — jj^g j^j^g {^^^^ ^ favourite bird resort. It is in the
direct line of migration and thousands of birds of numerous species
visit it in their migratory flights. In addition, owing to its southerly
situation, many species, unknown elsewhere in Canada, have been
found there. This point of land is already the property of the Crown,
under the administration of the Ordnance Lands Branch of the Dept.
of the Interior. Unfortunately, much of the coast line has been dis-
posed of to summer residents and others, but enough still remains to
establish an effective bird sanctuary. The Minister has already
approved the principle of the Parks Branch taking over this area and
administering it as a Dominion park. To bring it under our protective
regulations, all that remains, therefore, is the transfer of adminis-
tration from the one Branch to the other and an Order in Council
proclaiming it a Dominion park.
Convention The Parks Branch has been asked to report, as was
Mierator^* also this Commission and the Dept. of Agriculture, on
Birds the proposed convention between Great Britain and
the United States respecting the protection of migratory birds. All
the provinces of the Dominion, whose cooperation is essential to the
success of such a convention, were asked for their opinion regarding
the proposed treaty. Favourable replies as to the principle were
132 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
received from all the provinces, exception being taken to a few details
by two of them. An Order in Council* was thereupon passed advising
the Governor General to inform the United States Government that
the Canadian Government is favourably disposed towards the con-
clusion of the proposed treaty. The ratification of this treaty will
undoubtedly mean a very long step towards an adequate bird protective
scheme embracing the whole Dominion.
™.. , _. There are two other questions which have already
or Wood received the sympathetic consideration of this Com-
Buffalo mission. The first of these is the preservation of the
wild bison. This animal, commonly known as the wood buffalo,
represents the last of the wild herds of this continent. It inhabits
the district lying between the Peace and the Slave rivers and westward
in the direction of the Caribou mountains. Its numbers are vari-
ously estimated at from 300 to 500 head, but all authorities agree that
it is apparently diminishing in numbers. This animal probably repre-
sents the finest species of bison now existent. It is larger, darker
and hardier than the plains buffalo, which is the species forming
the Government herd at Wainwright. Outside of the interest which
it excites, the Parks Branch, which does not at present exercise any
administration over the herd, is anxious to secure its protection also
because it appears to offer an unequalled source from which the
Government herd may be replenished. One of the important ques-
tions continually confronting those in charge of the Canadian buffalo
is the maintenance of the herd at a high standard.
Although the danger is far from imminent, there is a tendency
wherever wild animals are restricted in range and where inbreeding
necessarily occurs, for the type to deteriorate. In the case of the
buffalo at Wainwright, the result of this may become manifest in, say,
15 years when, at the present rate of increase, the herd may number
20,000 individuals. If, however, there is from time to time an infusion
of new and vigorous blood into the herd, there is little danger of
deterioration. Unfortunately, there are, however, very few sources
available from which pure, vigorous, unrelated stock can be secured
and there is apparently no source so desirable as the wood bison of
the north.
At present the wood bison ranges in scattered bands over an
immense and remote territory, preyed upon by wolves, white trappers
and possibly Indians, and no proper protection is afforded it, such as it
*See page 141.
GAME PRESERVATION IN DOMINION PARKS 133
would receive enclosed in a natural range and brought under a pre-
servatory administration. It is believed that adequate protection can
only be afforded by centrahzing the herds and driving them down into
some locality where they can be confined within a restricted area, an
area where proper patrols can be established, where game regulations
may be enforced, and where energetic steps may be taken to lessen
the menace from wolves. The selection of a suitable area for a reserve
of this nature is now engaging the attention of the Branch.
I may add that the creation of a sanctuary for the
id
Caribou
Woodland ^jj^ bison will provide an opportunity to protect
another native species, which is also in danger, namely,
the woodland caribou. The range of the wood bison coincides in part
with that of the woodland caribou and the creation of a reserve in this
district would serve the double purpose of affording much needed
protection to both.
Sanctuaries ^" addition, this whole territory abounds with fur-
for Fur- bearing animals. In the opinion of Thompson-Seton
Bearers jj. jg ^ better fur country than Algonquin park and
such a reserve would become a sanctuary which would add consider-
ably to the conservation of our natural resources by the production of
valuable fur-breeding animals, which should have sanctuaries provided
similar to those for other beneficent animals and birds.
It is judged impracticable to confine fur-bearing animals in small
enclosures for many years, unless the quahty of the stock is maintained
by infusion of new blood periodically, which, in the case of most fur-
bearers, will necessitate open ranges or sanctuaries from which to
obtain the new wild stock. The Parks Branch has recommended,
therefore, the establishment of large sanctuaries for fur-bearing
animals in the Northwest Territories and in Northern Ontario and
Quebec. The overflow from such preserves would provide hunters
and trappers with an adequate and never-ending supply of pelts and
the fur industry of Canada would, again, become one of its chief
sources of wealth.
Vigorous steps have been taken recently by the Parks
WolvM °^ Branch to protect the game in the Northwest Terri-
tories by destroying the principal destroyer of the
beneficent wild hfe — the wolf. The Parks Branch, which administers
the Dominion wolf bounty in the Northwest Territories, recommended
the extension of the comparatively small area within which a Dominion
bounty of $20 has for some years been paid. This bounty is now paid
134 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
on wolves which are killed anywhere within the Northwest Territories,
an Order in Council to this effect being passed last August. .
■n , The protection of musk-oxen is one which has already
Recommenda- ^ n o i-
tions for Pre- been brought to your attention by Mr. Stefansson
serving Fauna ^,^(j your Chairman has already made valuable recom-
mendations respecting their conservation. Below are the recommen-
dations contained in a report prepared by Mr. Maxwell Graham for
the Society for the Preservation of the Fauna of the Empire; the
Chairman of the Society has concurred in them and has expressed
the hope that action will shortly be taken:
(1) "A close season for a number of years, during which no one
but Indians, explorers and travellers may kill musk-oxen and then for
food only. If during this period any musk-ox skins are offered for
sale the same should be confiscated and the person so offering the
skins should be severely dealt with.
(2) " When an open season is allowed for musk-oxen, hunting
these animals with dogs should be absolutely prohibited, for the reason
that when dogs are used the musk-oxen will, as with wolves, stand at
bay. This habit of theirs is taken advantage of by skin hunters and
others, these people shooting the animals down as they might cattle
in a pen.
(3) " No skins should be sold or exported unless tagged by a
government official, who would periodically inspect all musk-ox skins
stored at Hudson's Bay or other trading posts, his duty being to
confiscate all skins which were plainly not prime, and hence not taken
when in season, and to see that all skins legally obtained were tagged
with a numbered metal tag or label, bearing on it the year's date of
such tagging.
(4) " The establishment at different selected locations within the
proper range of the musk-ox, of absolute sanctuaries, wherein not only
musk-oxen but caribou, as well as fur-bearers, might thrive and
multiply."
The report also recommended:
" That customs officers at Herschel island examine all vessels and
be empowered to confiscate any musk-ox skins illegally obtained from
the natives, while such vessels are wintering in their proximity."
And a further extract states:
" In order to still further safeguard the interests of the natives and
of the musk-oxen, I would advise that the government supply to the
natives up-to-date wolf traps, which might later be paid for either in
wolf pelts or money obtained for the same."
Reindeer at Athabaska Landing, in Transit to Fort Smith
Jamieson Lake, Buffalo Park
GAME PRESERVATION IN DOMINION PARKS 135
The question of the introduction of reindeer into our
Introduction £^j. north as a means of opening up the mineral
resources of the Yulcon territory and other portions
of the Canadian hinterland, is also one which has been referred to the
Parks Branch for report, and they have recommended that, when future
attempts are made to introduce this valuable animal into our northern
country, the Labrador herd be not looked to as a possible source of
supply. Apparently, these reindeer are too small and too light for use
as a means of transportation. It is stated that they are smaller than
our barren-land caribou, which are about one third smaller than our
grey woodland caribou. Dr. Grenfell has stated that his reindeer,
which came from Norway, are too small. He admits that good dog-
teams can out-travel his deer and says he hopes to get new stock to
improve his herd.
The United States herd in Alaska, however, appears to offer a type
admirably suited to our requirements. Originally, this herd was made
up of 200 of the finest and largest of the Tunguse variety of Siberian
reindeer and about 1,000 large and hardy Russian animak. The
type which has been developed is, in consequence, a larger and stronger
one and, therefore, one much better adapted for transportation pur-
poses than the Labrador herd. In addition, the Alaska reindeer are
now acclimatized and, if transplanted to Canada, would probably meet
no new or adverse conditions. Before the experiment is made, how-
ever, it will be necessary to ascertain whether reindeer moss is pro-
curable in the districts in which it is proposed to establish herds and,
also, whether it will be possible, during the fly season, to transfer the
reindeer to mountainous regions where they will be free from insect
pests — their deadly enemies.
As the Alaskan authorities have gained, by costly experiments, much
experience in the management of their herds, the Parks Branch
recommended :
(1) That it should be ascertained whether the United States
Government would be willing to dispose of a number of its reindeer in
Alaska to the Canadian authorities.
(2) That, if the United States Government were willing, a special
officer be sent from Canada to Alaska to thoroughly investigate condi-
tions on the ground.
(3) That no action be taken as to the definite location of the herd
or cognate matters until all possible information with respect to the
Alaskan experiments has been secured.
136 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Later, if thought desirable, steps might be taken to secure a herd
from Siberia, as the Tunguse variety is apparently so superior to all
other reindeer, but it would seem that the first step should be along the
lines followed in Alaska.
The tourist and recreational values of game are other
Xf-l'^'r^^r considerations in which the Parks Branch is particu-
Wild Life
larly interested. As to the first, tourists delight in
observing the wild animals running free in the Parks and this attrac-
tion is worth almost as much to the country as is the scenery; in fact,
the wild life in our national parks has to-day become a part of the
scenery, so numerous and tame have the wild creatures become. As
to the second, the first necessity in Canada, to-day, is the conservation
of human efficiency. More than ever after this war we must look
forward to building up and maintaining a virile, hardy and intrepid
race, and to do this we must not get too far away from primitive
conditions of life. The instinct of the hunter is one of the oldest and
deepest of the race ; there is, for the ordinary man, no stronger lure to
the out-of-doors than this. In Canada, it will be possible, for a time,
to satisfy this instinct without great trouble. But the time will
inevitably come, as it has already come to a great part of the United
States, when there will be no game for the poor man to shoot. In
that country, sportsmen, despairing of assistance from the Federal
Government in the protection of game, are planning for a system of
private preserves where wealthy individuals will be able to enjoy
hunting. This is but a return to the methods of the older countries
where the game is reserved for the enjoyment of the few. If large
areas of the barren rocky tracts in northern Ontario and Quebec and
in the Northwest were set apart and placed under the same sort of
protection as is afforded in a private preserve, it would be possible,
not only to secure a large revenue by the imposition of a small license
fee and from the disposal of pelts from fur-bearing animals, but pro-
vision would also be made for meeting a natural recreational demand,
a demand which should be provided because it tends to make happier
and healthier and, therefore, better citizens of our people.
Prof. Prince: What is the experience in regard to the preserva-
tion of bears? I have always maintained that the black bear of Canada
is not destructive. On investigating a case of alleged destruction of
sheep by a bear in Gaspe, it was found that the culprit was a man,
who had spread the fragments around to hide his crime, so that the
bears were looked on as the offenders.
GAME PRESERVATION IN DOMINION PARKS 137
Mr. Williamson: So far as the Dominion parks are concerned
we have not had very much trouble with bears. Of course, we do
not have many of them but last summer the Alpine Club at Banff
was visited by them. They pulled down the water pipes and got into
the cellar and ate up a quantity of provisions. The Club complained
and we sent up wardens who shot the bears. I believe they do destroy
sheep and other stock, but we have very few stock in the parks and are
not troubled with black bears or grizzlies. If they become too
mischievous, we shoot them.
Dr. Robertson : They seem to have some boy-like Hallowe'en
proclivities but that is not a shootable offence.
Prof. Prince: In the case of the Alpine Club, I think it is to the
credit of the bears that they found the things to eat. The bears are not
to be blamed, but rather the men. I regard the bear as the clown of the
woods, as Hornaday defines him. It is ungracious on our part to
unnecessarily destroy him, but, at the same time, we should prevent
him destroying property.
I never saw more magnificent skins than the grizzlies, etc., that
were brought into Edmonton twenty years ago from the present Jasper
park. It is a pleasure to find such efficient protection of game. In
past years we have heard a great deal about the successful preservation
of game in the United States and I have often felt a little critical
about some of the published reports. I visited Yellowstone park
fifteen years ago, when it was alleged in the London Times that the
buffalo were being preserved there and that the example of the Yel-
lowstone Park authorities should be followed elsewhere. At that very
time, wholesale slaughter was going on and two fresh heads were
offered me at the town of Livingston on the outskirts of the park.
We can trust our Canadian officials and the fact that the herd of
buffalo has increased shows that the work is being well done. The
increase is marvellous and reflects great credit on the Department hav-
ing charge of this work.
The reference to the prong-horn antelope touches a soft spot in
my heart because I have seen them, in the course of years, diminishing
very rapidly. It is a rare thing now to see a prong-horn on the
prairie at all, whereas a few years ago this beautiful, graceful animal
was often seen. I hope that every measure is being taken to preserve
it. It is not only a beautiful game animal but is, in many respects,
unique.
When I first went to Manitoba there were tracks, just like the old
138 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
buffalo trails, beaten by the great herds of elk, and, now, there remains
hardly a single head. In Vancouver island, also, a herd used to ream
near Cameron lake between Nanaimo and Alberni, and I fear every
one of these has been shot in the last eight or ten years. If, in these
sanctuaries, the elk is being successfully conserved, that is a creditable
achievement.
The Indians, of course, are a difficulty. But for the little pro-
tection afforded, the wood buffalo would have been exterminated ere
this. It is a magnificent animal, much finer than even the prairie
buffalo. I think the Victoria museum has a fine specimen.
Are not the caribou up the Skeena as large as the Tunguse? I
have one or two heads from the Skeena which must have been magnifi-
cent animals.
Mr. Williamson : The black rsountain caribou are not as big as
the Siberian caribou. I do not think we have in this country any
animal to equal the Siberian Tunguse.
Dr. Hewitt: Sir Clifford Sifton remarked that one of the objects
of this Commission is to bring together various divergent elements
working along similar lines. For instance, it seems to me that this
Commission might assist in promoting the cooperation of the Forestry
Branch and of the Dominion Parks Branch in game preservation.
There would be much more unity of purpose, and therefore of success,
if the work were brought more together under one head and if a
Branch, which is essentially engaged in forestry preservation, were
willing to delegate the duties of game preservation to a Branch which
has an efficient staff engaged for that purpose. I was very pleased to
hear from Mr. Williamson of the formation of bird sanctuaries and
I have, therefore, to correct the mistaken views which I derived from
other sources. But there is some ground for my making such a
mistake, as the Parks authorities keep their activities so dark. Those
of us who are working hard to obtain bird sanctuaries should cer-
tainly be the first people to hear that such refuges have been set apart.
Under whose authority will these bird sanctuaries be administered and
in what way?
Mr. Williamson : The bird sanctuaries which we have established
are simply reserves. As the Dept. of the Interior controls Dominion
lands in the West, it can reserve any areas it wishes, and we take
advantage of this to have certain areas reserved. Many of them may
be unsuitable for bird sanctuaries, as in the case of lakes which dry
up during summer.
GAME PRESERVATION IN DOMINION PARKS 139
Dr. Hewitt: Who inspected them?
Mr. Williamson: Col. Maynard Rogers, the Superintendent of
Jasper park, inspected quite a number in the summer of 1914. He
recommended their reservation pending an authoritative inspection by
some one conversant with bird conditions.
Dr. Hewitt: You would not regard them as established
sanctuaries ?
Mr. Williamson : No, simply reserves. They are reserved from
all entry.
Dr. Hewitt: There is no warden?
Mr. Williamson : Not yet. In fact there has not been a warden
on the one reserved in 1887, at Long lake, Saskatchewan, although the
birds there are safe from any molestation.
Mr. Feilding: As an officer of the Ontario Government I must
say I have been extremely interested to hear this address of Mr. Wil-
liamson's on the game parks of this country.
Reverting to the question of bears that Prof. Prince has brought
up, I may say that I have recently finished a tour of fishing inspection
in northern Haliburton. I never saw a place more infested with
bears, due, I think, very largely to the fact that there are enormous
patches of berries, principally raspberries, on which the bears hve.
Settlers, fire rangers and others who travel in that country, state that
the bears have never been known to do any harm to sheep or cattle.
There is a large section of that country which might be easily set
aside for the protection of bears, because it has no agricultural value
and is apparently of very little value. I have never seen elsewhere
in Canada — either here or in the far West — such numbers of moose
and deer as there are there. They seem to be increasing rapidly and,
moreover, it appeared to me to be a district very easy to protect.
There are only two ways into it, both of them very difficult, and it
does not seem to be in any way attractive for the settler. It is sur-
prising to find such scenery in a province like Ontario, which is
generally looked upon as a fairly flat couatry. We are d&ing our best
to protect the speckled-trout streams there, which we have discovered
are fairly good and need protection. I hope, also, that we shall be
able to protect the mammals of that district.
Dr. Robertson : Would it not be a better argument to obtain both
Government monetary and public support for the parks and the preser-
140 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
vation of game to cite the reasons resting on hunting with a camera
rather than hunting with a gun? The argument about the hunting
appears to me as too ancient to be of use in coming years. Ottawa is
a great headquarters for men who hunt. There is not one person
in a thousand in Ottawa who has any chance to hunt with a gun
and, of that number, at least four out of five are not quite safe
companions with a gun. I gathered from Mr. Williamson's paper
that no such argument was needed for the maintenance of our buffalo
parks; no one wants to go hunting with a gun for buffalo any more.
No such arguments can be used for the antelope. If we encourage
hunting with a camera and discourage hunting with a gun, we shall
not be any less courageous or resourceful. Canada ought to be a bird
sanctuary from ocean to ocean, so far as guns are concerned. I know
no feathered creature that any man is entitled to shoot with a gun
in these days.
Dr. Hewitt: It will be a sanctuary so far as insectivorous birds
are concerned.
Dr. Robertson : That is by I think if we put it on this humane
and not less enterprising plane to the public and the Govemm.ent we
should perhaps achieve more. I put Mr. Williamson on his mettle;
would he rather hunt with a gun or with a camera ?
Conservation of Birds and Mammals in Canada
BY
C. Gordon Hewitt, D.Sc, F.R.S.C, C.M.Z.S.
Dominion Entomologist, Ottawa
MR. CHAIRMAN and Gentlemen : I have a number of matters
of interest which I would like to bring to the attention of the
Commission in connection with conservation of birds and mammals
in Canada.
Protection of Birds
Treaty with First of all, I wish to refer to the question of the
Migratory protection of birds. This Commission has been devot-
Birds ing its attention to the conservation of our game and
migratory birds and, some time ago, invited Mr. Haskell here to
discuss the question of an International Convention with the United
States to cover the protection of the migratory birds. The United
States Government passed a Federal Act providing for the protection
of migratory birds, both game and insectivorous, and, as many of
those birds had their breeding places in Canada, it was very desirable,
and indeed necessary, in order to carry out the objects they had in
view, to obtain the cooperation of Canada. Consequently, they sub-
mitted this matter to the Canadian Government and it has been under
the consideration of the Dept. of Agriculture, the Commission of
Conservation and the Dept. of the Interior. I am very glad to be able
to read to you this afternoon the Order in Council which the Govern-
ment passed this summer, dealing with this matter. I think, if I read
the whole Order in Council, it will explain the matter better than if I
simply referred briefly to the essential portion of it. The Order in
Council passed on 31st May, 1915, is as follows:
" The Committee of the Privy Council have had before them a
report from the Secretary of State for External Affairs, dated 6th
May, 1915, representing that he has had under consideration a
despatch to Your Royal Highness from His Majesty's Ambassador at
Washington, (No. 36), dated 24th February, 1914, enclosing a draft
of a Convention between Great Britain and the United States for the
protection of migratory birds in the United States and Canada, put
forward by the United States Government.
141
142 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
" The Minister observes that it is proposed to accomplish the pur-
pose of the Convention by the estabhshment of close seasons common
to the two countries. The hunting of game birds would be permitted
for a period of three and a half months in each year, with the excep-
tion of certain species, for which special close periods of ten and of
five years, respectively, are provided. The hunting of other birds, to
which the Treaty applies, would be entirely prohibited, except for
scientific or breeding purposes.
" The Minister submits that, as the matters dealt with in the pro-
posed Convention are more immediately of provincial concern, he
caused the views of the several provincial Governments to be invited
thereon.
" Replies have been received from all the provinces, showing that
they unanimously approve the principle of the proposed Convention,
the majority of them, indeed, having already enacted legislation for
the purposes aimed at. British Columbia, however, is unwilling to
accept the proposed close season for ducks, geese and other game
birds as provided in Article 2, or the provisions of Articles 3 and 4 in
so far as they would restrict the killing of cranes, swans, curlews and
wood ducks. It is willing that continuous protection should be
extended to insectivorous and other migratory non-game birds, and
that the shooting of ducks, such as mallards, widgeon, pintails, teal and
all other sporting ducks, but not of geese of any kind, should be
restricted to the season between September 1st and February 1st.
Nova Scotia desires that the open season for plover and other shore
birds .should be extended so as to include the latter half of August.
" The Minister states that the subject has further been under the
consideration of the Departments of the Interior and of Agriculture
and also of the Commission of Conservation, and that there is a
general concurrence of opinion that the protection of these birds,
which is important, especially in the case of insectivorous birds, on
economic grounds, and harmonizes with a widely growing sentiment
of the desirability of conserving the creations of Nature, should be
ensured, and to this end that a Convention for the purpose should be
concluded with the United States.
" It is not believed that the objections raised by British Columbia
and Nova Scotia should present an insuperable difficulty. A fuller
explanation of the considerations which influenced the framing of the
provisions to which exception is taken might suffice to remove them,
or further discussion might lead to a compromise.
" The Committee concur in the foregoing and, on the recommenda-
tion of the Secretary of State for External Affairs, advise that Your
Royal Highness may be pleased to request His Majesty's Ambassador
at Washington to inform the United States Government that the
Canadian Government is favourably disposed towards the conclusion
of the proposed Treaty and to communicate for their consideration the
views herein set forth."
I think that this is one of the most satisfactory achievements, to
the consummation of which this Commission has given its active sup-
CONSERVATION OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS 143
port and assistance, and I cannot conceive anything now that will
prove an obstacle to the conclusion of an International Treaty between
the United States and Canada to provide for the protection of
migratory birds.
It might be well if I referred briefly to the provisions
United States q£ United States regulations for the protection of
Regulations ,,-t-,,at
migratory birds under their Federal Act. In order to
carry out their regulations, they have divided the country into a breed-
ing zone and a wintering zone, and all regulations in regard to open
seasons are framed in accordance with these two zones. Their regu-
lations also take into account the migratory routes along the Missouri,
the Mississippi and the Ohio rivers, along which the protection of
birds travelling to their nesting places has been declared ; no shooting
of birds along these routes is allowed between January 1 and October
31. The object of the regulations, of course, is to reduce the open
seasons, which have been very diverse in different states, to within
reasonable limits, to give the sportsmen their opportunities at the best
season of- the year, but to give the birds the benefit of any doubt, and I
think the regulations succeed pretty well. The legislation is designed
to prohibit the shooting of migratory birds in spring and between
sunset and sunrise, to make the seasons approximately equal in length
in different parts of the country and to limit the seasons dwring which
the birds may be shot to a maximum of from two months to three
and a half months. The various classes of birds are defined and the
regulations are framed according to these classes and according to the
season. A close season for five years has been declared on certain
migratory game birds, particularly shore birds. All this, of course,
refers chiefly to the game birds. In regard to insectivorous birds, the
protection of which is ensured absolutely — that is, they are not allowed
to be shot at any time — they include the following : bobolinks, catbirds,
chickadees, cuckoos, flycatchers, grosbeaks, humming-birds, kinglets,
martins, meadow larks, night-hawks or bull-bats, nuthatches, orioles,
robins, shrikes, swallows, swifts, tanagers, titmice, thrushes, vireos,
warblers, waxwings, whippoorwills, wood-peckers, wrens, and all other
perching birds which feed entirely or chiefly on insects. Of course,
it is to be expected that, when this Treaty is concluded, Dominion
regulations along similar lines will be required. These will be very
valuable because they will strengthen the hands of the provinces, all
of which have regulations of some kind or other dealing with the
protection of birds, but all of which do not appear to enforce those
regulations to the fullest possible extent.
144 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
gj . . An idea, indicating the necessity of this further pro-
of Birds for tection, occurred to me only the other day. As you
Plumage know, the importation into Canada of plumage, other
than osti-ich feathers and those of domestic fowls, that is, the plumage
which ladies are accustomed to use in their hats, particularly the
ospreys or aigrettes, has been prohibited since last January. Unless
we take stringent action, this embargo on foreign plumage will un-
doubtedly lead in this country to the killing of valuable native birds.
Only the other day, in an electric car, I happened to look down at the
hat of a lady in front of me and imagine my disgust to see the skins
of two chickadees, one of our most beautiful, most useful and most
widely distributed birds, 70 per cent of whose food consists of injurious
insects; those beautiful and useful native birds had been sacrificed
simply to satisfy the thoughtless and wanton craze of fashion. There-
fore, it will be necessary for us to take further steps to assist the
provinces in carrying out their legislation.
The Commission has also been dealing with the sub-
Bird Sane- jgj,j Qf ]jjj.(j sanctuaries. At the last meeting the
question was brought up and very forcibly set forth
by Dr. Clarke,* and something has been done since then in the matter,
particularly on the St. Lawrence and in the Gulf. We hope that
this campaign will proceed further and that the Commission will not
stop until they have secured satisfactory and concrete results from
their efforts. When we think that in this country we have hardly a
single good bird sanctuary or reservation, and when we remember
that our neighbours to the south of the line have sixty-five sanctuaries
entirely devoted to the protection of birds, I think it is time we should
take effective action, if we are going to wear the halo of righteousness
that we are so fond of bestowing on ourselves. I will only say this,
that if there should be any tendency on the part of any of the
authorities to devote less attention at the present time to such subjects
as this or any other conservation question, on account of the war, we
must do all we can to prevent such neglect. The conservation of
birds, especially insectivorous birds, is more pressing than ever before.
If we are going in for increased production — and that is one of the
slogans of the various Departments of Agriculture — we cannot accom-
plish that purpose to the best advantage without increased protection
of birds, because, as everyone knows, they are one of the most im-
portant factors in controlling insect pests and therefore in securing
increased production. In the matter of education, very satisfactory
♦See Sixth Annual Report, Commission of Conservation, p. 108.
CONSERVATION OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS 146
work has been carried on through the efforts of the Departments of
Agriculture and of Mines, through Mr. Taverner in the Geological
Survey, and also by the recently formed Canadian Society for the
Protection of Birds.
Protection oi' Mammals
Animals in Turning now to the question of the protection of
Dominion mammals, I will refer briefly to the present state of
"■"^^ affairs. We can group our chief wild mammals into
three groups, those which are under protection in Dominion or pro-
vincial parks, those which are under protection on the forest reserves
and those, in the Northwest Territories, which are not so protected.
The welfare of the animals in the Dominion parks is very well looked
after; 1 think we ought to feel perfectly well satisfied that, under the
present administration, game protection is receiving the attention it
deserves. That, at least, has been my impression in visiting some of
the more important parks. I was particularly impressed with the
buffalo park at Wainwright, Alberta, one of the most interesting of
our national parks. There we have a park of 160 square miles entirely
devoted to the keeping of this herd of buffalo, which is practically all"
that is left of this formerly widely-spread and very typical North
American mammal, and the conditions there are such as to indicate the
fact that things are going well. The herd was purchased in 1907
from Michel Don Pablo, of Missoula, Mont., and then numbered
about 750. It has now increased to about 2,000 and it is one of the
most inspiring sights one can imagine to ride or drive out on this
reserve and see the buffalo, as in the old days, grazing in herds here
and there.
No Danger "^^^ question has been asked as to whether there might
from In- not be some danger of the animals in-breeding, that
reedKig j^^ whether the breed might not become degenerate.
I do not think that is likely to occur there. For one thing, the animals
are under their normal climatic and environmental conditions. Every-
thing is favourable in that respect. If you take animals out of their
natural environment, and then interbreed them, you will get bad
effects from in-breeding, but under normal conditions like those at
Wainwright, we should not have any bad effects. We can safely
assume that from experience in other cases. About 1865, a few red
deer were introduced into the North island of New Zealand. One
buck and two does were introduced; they have multiplied until now,
I understand, there are over ten thousand head of deer in that island
and they are doing wonderfully well. On Lambay, one of the islands
146 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
of the Irish sea, only about a square mile in extent, two or three fallow
deer were introduced some years ago ; they have increased and formed
a herd there and, according to the owner of the island, you could not
imagine a finer, stronger herd of animals, yet it has been entirely
developed by in-breeding. Therefore, in the light of the knowledge
of those cases, I do not think there is much to fear regarding the bison
or bufifalo decreasing in virility in our Wainwright park.
. . . . The Dominion and provincial parks are known, of
Forest course, to most of you and I will not deal with the
Reserves others. On the forest reserves, the game is protected
in some cases by the Dominion Government. The Dept. of the Interior
has forest reserves in the Prairie provinces. In Manitoba the Pro-
vincial Government has declared game refuges in the Riding Mountain,
the Turtle Mountain and the Spruce Woods reserves. In Saskatche-
wan the Provincial Government has declared game reserves, or
refuges as they call them, in the Beaver Hills, the Pines, Moose Moun-
tain and Porcupine No. 2 forest reserves. The animals in these
reserves, while they are not quite on the same footing as regards pro-
tection as those in the Dominion parks, are, nevertheless, protected as
much as is possible under the circumstances. They are not protected
as much as they should be, as I found out by actual investigation, but
that is largely due to local difficulties and to the men who are put
in charge.
Coming finally to the third class — the game in the
of^ CanW Northwest Territories— this is regulated by the North-
west Game Act, which is administered by the Dept. of
the Interior, and I understand that this Act is now undergoing some
very necessary revision. We need in that north country a much more
vigorous policy than we have at present, especially a policy that will
actually carry out the law as it is set forth in our Act. I will refer
particularly to one case, namely, that of the caribou, which this Com-
mission has had under consideration for some time. Stefansson, who
is a very ardent advocate of the rights of the Eskimo, and who con-
sequently became an equally ardent advocate of the necessity of better
protection of the caribou in that northern country, has noted and
called our attention to the serious conditions in the north in regard to
caribou. The people have rather regarded the caribou as occurring
in herds of millions and, when you begin to think of millions, you are
liable to assume the impossibility of extermination. As a matter of
fact, the caribou has been totally exterminated in some localities.
When this question of the preservation and protection of the caribou
Big-horn Sheep at Vermilion Lakes, Alta.
5'EPVATION
Deer in Rocky Mountains Park, Alta.
CONSERVATION OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS 147
was under our consideration, I had a letter from Dr. H. W. Henshaw,
Chief of the Biological Survey of the United States Dept. of Agricul-
ture, which is charged with the preservation of game in the National
Reserves in the United States. I was discussing with him the general
question of the preservation of the caribou in Alaska and northern
Canada and, replying on the 21st July, 1914, to my request for his
opinions on certain matters, he said in part :
" I consider it very important for the preservation of the caribou
that the females should be permanently protected. It is a well-known
fact that caribou are now extinct in considerable areas in North
America where formerly they were common, and that their numbers
are still steadily decreasing, while the area they inhabit is also becoming
more and more restricted. With the advance of settlements in the
north this process of extermination is certain to continue and even be
hastened, and it appears to me that it would be most unwise not to
protect the females at all times, since an open season for the females
would simply add another factor to hasten the extinction of the species.
Caribou are among the most easily exterminated of all our large game
animals and the greatest care must be exercised to prevent their
extinction in the not distant future."
The Commission has been taking up this question of the protection
of caribou and hopes to secure that protection along certain lines,
chiefly by the absolute protection of females and by limiting the
number of hides coming out of the country. I shall not speak further
on the caribou beyond mentioning the necessity of its maintenance for
the benefit of the people in that northern country. As you know, it
furnishes the chief material for clothing for the Eskimo and the people
in the north country and also, in certain seasons of the year, their
chief means of subsistence. Therefore, to our northern people, whose
presence is necessary in those northerly territories, apart from phil-
anthrepic reasons, the caribou is an essential animal and it seems to
us that when a Government is willing to spend money on the importa-
tion of a foreign species of caribou, the reindeer, it is really worth
while protecting our native reindeer, the caribou, which, while not
domesticated in the same way as the ordinary species, is more suitable
for a number of purposes.
Proposed ^^^^ musk-ox is another animal which is being exter-
Reserve for minated in certain parts of the Arctic. This reduction
Musk-oxen j^^^g been described in Stefansson's reports and in
reports from the Royal Northwest Mounted Police. It is sought
very diligently by pelt hunters and so-called sportsmen who are fond
of shooting it, because the musk-ox is an animal that neither fights
148 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
nor runs away, so it is not difficult to shoot it and get a good head and
a robe. Of all mammals it is probably one of the most stupid in the way
of not taking care of itself. No doubt its solitary life and the absence
of enemies with firearms in previous years have led to that, but these
characteristics lead to very speedy extermination and I have recom-
mended, as one of the best means of preventing the total extermination
of this animal, the declaration of at least a portion of Victoria island an
absolute reserve for musk-ox and the prohibition of any killing of these
animals there. If that were done, it would serve to ensure the food
of the Eskimo who remain in that part of the country, and be a source
of fur of increasing value, as from time to time it might spread out
into other regions where its numbers were decreasing.
Moreover, protection is needed in the Northwest for the white
fox which is there becoming gradually reduced in numbers. It is not
provided for in the Northwest Game Act and it has been suggested
by us that a close season be also given to this animal.
Protection for There is one thing that I should like to mention before
Sentimental closing and that is the general need of educating peo-
Reasons pjg jjj regard to the necessity of protecting these
animals, as one might say, from a sentimental point of view. Take,
particularly, the case of the buffalo at Wainwright. While it is con-
ceivable that under certain conditions there might be some commercial
return from them, that is not primarily the object of the Wainwright
reserve, which is to preserve the buffalo from extermination. In this
material age the majority of people look at things from a material
standpoint and questions are likely to be asked as to why this money
is being spent, why this large tract of land is being withheld from
settlement and allowed to be roamed over by a lot of wild animals.
It is against that sentiment that this Commission has sharply to set
its face and to carry out its campaign of education in order to make
the people realize that we have a duty to perform in preserving these
relics of a former fauna in our country. It is our duty to generations
yet to come, who would blame us if they found that we had allowed
this fauna to become extinct and to disappear forever when it was in
our power to preserve it.
Those of us who have had to study the question of the gradual
extinction of mammals will appreciate that point of view. The average
man on the street does not, but he soon appreciates it if it is explained
to him in the proper way, and that is one of the important lines of
work that this Commission will have to continue. We cannot speak
once and then be silent. We must continue to preach this gospel and
CONSERVATION OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS 149
impress upon the people of Canada that, once an animal is exter-
minated, it cannot be regained and the nation is the poorer in those
resources which increase our happiness, improve our health and add
to our material prosperity.
Mr. Vreeland: Speaking for the Campfire Club of North
America, I want to express my extreme gratification at the facts that
Dr. Hewitt has presented to us to-day, especially regarding the Migra-
tory Bird Act. In the United States that is a thing for which we have
been fighting for a great many years and we believe that that Act,
backed by the laws for prohibiting the sale of game, has done more
for the preservation of the remnants of our wild life than any other
measures. It is highly gratifying to know that Canada is preparing
to take part in an international agreement, because really this matter
can only be handled in an international way. Before we had this law
in the United States, people in New York asked us what was the use
of protecting ducks when they were going to be shot in New Jersey,
and the people in New Jersey said the same thing with regard to New
York. Only last summer, when out in British Columbia pleading for
the protection of ducks and geese, they said to me : What is the use of
protecting them in Canada when they will be shot in the United States.
The answer to that is that we are protecting them in the United States
and this international treaty, if it is carried through, will give us a
uniform series of laws for all North America.
With regard to prohibiting the importation of plumage, we had the
same problem of the menace to native birds when we passed similar
laws, and the way we overcame the difficulty was to pass State laws
making the sale of plumage illegal. In New York state, which is the
principal market for plumage, we have this provision : " No part of the
plumage, skin or body of any bird protected by this section or of any
birds coming from without the state, whether belonging to the same
or a different species from that native to the state of New York, pro-
vided such bird belongs to the same family as those protected by this
article " — thereby providing against misrepresentation — " shall be sold
or be in possession for sale." The penalty is $25 for each bird. As
a result of that, the New York Conservation Commission recently
raided a mail-order house in New York and confiscated 1,200 aigrette
plumes, which at $25 apiece makes a heavy fine. If you protect the
centres where the plumage is sold, the battle is practically won.
Mr. White : During the past summer, the Commission has made
representations respecting the further protection of game of all kinds,
ISO COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
more particularly migratory game, in Canada. The protection of
game is entirely under the provincial governments and the ratification
of a Migratory Bird convention by Great Britain and the United States
must be preceded by such action on the part ©f the provinces — if they
have not already taken it — as will bring their laws into line with the
provisions of the proposed convention.
In the three Prairie provinces, all matters affecting game come
under the Minister of Agriculture and, furthermore, all game legisla-
tion is referred to their Committee on Agriculture. Last August, I
interviewed Hon. Mr. Winkler, Minister of Agriculture for Manitoba,
and the Chief Game Warden, Mr. Barber. My reception by Mr.
Winkler was all that could be desired and he expressed himself as
thoroughly in accord with us regarding the necessity and advisability
of having the required legislation, and offered to do all he could to
forward our aims and objects. In Saskatchewan I saw Hon. Mr.
Motherwell, the Minister of Agriculture, and in Alberta, I saw Hon.
Mr. Marshall, the Minister, and Mr. Craig, the Deputy Minister. In
the three provinces all professed themselves as being willing to do all
they could to forward our objects and to assist us and, so far as
possible, to bring their laws into line.
In British Columbia I was less fortunte because Mr. Bryan Williams,
the Chief Game Warden, does not see eye to eye with us in all respects.
Hon. Mr. Bowser, Attorney General, has offered to do what he can
and Mr. Williams said he would go as far as was possible, considering
the state of public opinion in that province.
That, in brief, was the result of my interviews with these four
Provincial governments and, considering the way in which game pro-
tection is regarded by most people, it was highly satisfactory. One of
the most important things we have now left to do is to comply with
the request of the four Provincial governments that, about January 1st,
we submit our proposals to them. They will then do what they can
to pass the desired legislation.
In my recent trip to the West, I advanced exclusively the material
aspect of the case. The Chief Game Warden of British Columbia
stated that, had it not been for the sportsmen who went into northern
British Columbia, some of the people in the smaller villages there
would have had a very hard time indeed. Owing to the financial
depression they were left with practically nothing. All the mines were
closed down, and he said that his investigations show that the average
sportsman coming from the United States and going into British
Columbia to get moose, spent on an average $1,000 per moose and, in
the case of one village, Telegraph Creek, he estimated that these
CONSERVATION OF BIRDS AND MAMMALS 151
sportsmen had left in that vicinity in the neighbourhood of $18,000 —
a very important item in a very small village.
Two or three stories will illustrate the attitude of some people in
regard to game protection. A farmer who resided on the shore of Shoal
lake, in Manitoba, rowed a visitor to an island in the lake. As soon
as the farmer saw the hundreds of pelicans on the island, he was much
surprised and announced his intention to return in a few days to kill
them and feed them to his swine. Another was the story of a farmer
in Alberta who was arrested and heavily fined for killing a moose to
furnish food for his dogs. Still another was that, in Alberta last year,
253 moose were killed south of latitude 55°. In addition to that
number, there were those that were killed and not recorded and, also,
the hundreds that were killed north of that latitude. This is sufficient
to show that, unless that magnificent animal receives proper protection,
it will soon become virtually extinct in the province of Alberta.
10
Bird Protection in Canada
BY
W. E. Saunders,
Of the Mcllwraith Ornithological Club, London, Ont.
MR. CHAIRMAN, ladies and gentlemen: Birds, in common with
all wild life, are reproducing annually in excessive numbers
and the amount of that excess is governed by the amount of destruc-
tion that takes place in the individual species under consideration. As
a general rule it may be stated that the total annual death-rate corre-
sponds almost exactly with the annual rate of increase. When it is
considered that the annual rate of increase in common birds, such as
the robin, is perhaps two, three, or even five hundred per cent, it
follows that the annual death-rate is the same. Were it not so, an
enormous increase in the number of these species would take place
until eventually they would themselves check their increase by their
very abundance. This destruction takes place in very many ways.
The birds migrate, covering thousands of miles, exposing themselves
to very great dangers, often fatal. The conditions which perhaps we
ought to consider this afternoon are the other fatal conditions to the
birds, exclusive of migration, because with migration the Commission
of Conservation has and can have very little to do, most of the migra-
tion taking place out of the territory under its purview.
.ffisthetic While we have in the past given very great considera-
ofBird*"" tion and thought to the economic side of bird protection.
Protection yet the aesthetic side is equally worthy, perhaps even
more worthy, of consideration than the economic side. A compara-
tively small proportion of the population is interested personally in
birds from the economic side, while there is a large and rapidly
increasing number of the residents of Canada and of the civilized
world who are taking great interest in the study of bird life, and this
study is of very great benefit to the individual as well as to the nation
at large. It has a refining influence upon the student and yields an
amount of enjoyment which I hesitate to estimate, because it is such a
personal matter with me. To one who has made a life-long study of
birds, it is a very pleasant thing to go into the country and meet at
152
BIRD PROTECTION IN CANADA 153
every turn friends whom one knows ; it is like going down Sparks street
and meeting all one's most pleasant acquaintances in one afternoon.
J. ti ti Probably every bird is capable of partial domestica-
of Humming- tion while in the wild state. I was very much interested
^^^^^ a couple of years ago at a meeting of the American
Ornithologists' Union in a paper by Miss Sherman on The Taming of
the Wild Humming-bird. I suppose the small size of the humming-
bird and its almost insect-like character had given me the feeling that
it was incapable of domestication or of knowing its friends but she
demonstrated that she had domesticated them to some extent. She
actually tamed them so that they came and buzzed around her head
for food. She began with bottles of syrup hidden in the base of a
gaudy artificial flower ; from that she progressed to the bare bottle and
the humming-birds came most freely; they quite expected the syrup
and promptly demanded it from her if the bottle were found at any
time empty.
Jack Miner's From the humming-bird perhaps the longest step we
wurwild"*^ can take is to the wild goose, one of the wildest as
Geese well as largest of our birds. Jack Miner at Kingsville
has the most spectacular demonstration every year on his farm of the
possibility of temporary domestication of this bird. One morn-
ing last April, 1,000 wild geese came to his farm, all of which lit
within 150 yards of his house. Many of them — by actual count 425
geese — were in the small enclosure right in front of his dining-room
window. I went into the enclosure with him and found it quite
possible to walk to within fifteen or twenty feet of the nearest goose;
but, when those geese were out on the lake, two miles distant, it was
exceedingly difficult to get a boat within half a mile of them. In one
case, they knew absolutely they were on safe ground and in the other
case they suspected danger, because man is a dangerous animal. To
them, however, the man who goes around Jack Miner's place is safe and,
therefore, they are not in the least alarmed. It seems that the birds
have methods of communication, not only between members of their
own species, but with others, because one day during last year's migra-
tion, while the geese were visiting Miner's place, on four different
occasions flocks of wild swans flew over, apparently to see if these
stories the geese were telling about the safety and pleasant conditions
on Miner's farm were true. But while the swans found they were
apparently true, because the geese were down in the ponds on the farm,
they felt like the farmer who, seeing the giraffe at a menagerie, said :
" There ain't no such animal." The swans looked at the geese and
154 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
said: "It looks safe but cannot be" — and went away. And now
Miner's ambition for next year is to have some swans there in order
to assure these wild fellows that it really is all right on his farm.
Perhaps I might take it upon myself to urge upon the members of the
Committee on Fisheries and Game that probably the most spectacular
demonstration of protection that you can see on the continent of North
America is at Jack Miner's place in Kingsville any day in April while
the geese are there. They come in March and leave in May and the
number is limited only by the amount of corn that Miner, who is not a
very wealthy man, can afford to feed them. During the migration sea-
son last year I believe he fed them about three hundred bushels of com.
That does not cost a great deal of money, but then he is giving it to
wild geese and for the benefit of the country at large. I am not sure
that in any year I have spent out of my own pocket the value of three
hundred bushels of corn for the benefit of the country at large. Of
course, Mr. Miner gets personal enjoyment out of it, or he would not
do it, and his work with the geese has resulted in an entire change of
condition in his township. In the old days the geese were common all
over that country. Settlement banished them and twenty years ago
there were none. When he began his experiments about twelve or
fifteen years ago, he obtained a few domesticated Canada geese and kept
them in an enclosure, hoping to lure wild geese to visit him annually,
but he had the tame ones there for a number of years before the wild
ones came. Eventually they did come, seventeen visiting him the first
year. The next year there were thirty, then one hundred and fifty, then
five hundred in the fourth year, and after that Miner said he could not
count them, that: he had about " five acres " of geese the year following.
It is all very well for a person to talk about quantities of wild geese,
but nothing is so convincing as to see them for yourself and if the
members of the Committee could spare the time to visit Kingsville
next April, I am sure they would be impressed with the value of even
individual effort, though much more could be accomplished if the
matter were handled on a little larger scale. On Miner's farm there
are two ponds, one, thirty-five yards across, the other, thirty by fifty or
sixty, yet they accommodated between 1,000 and 1,500 wild geese last
spring.
„ Coming down to smaller things, the protection of the
of Birds ordinary birds around the home, it is not often that
near Home ^g ^.^j^ ggj. figyj-es that are exact and reliable. In fact,
not very many people have tried or have made serious effort to encour-
age the birds and increase their numbers. But I was told the other
day about what seemed to me to be really a very spectacular result.
BIRD PROTECTION IN CANADA 155
A family, residing in the summer on a little island, about three-quarters
of an acre, in the Rideau lakes, had one or two cats. A visitor there
induced his friends to leave the cats at home. Then he began to put
up nesting boxes to attract the tree swallows, and they came at the
first invitation. Up to 1915, he never got enough boxes up on that
island to accommodate the swallows who came. But this year he got up
a few more boxes than were needed, and, in seventeen boxes, he had
fifteen pairs of swallows on an island that formerly had two cats and
five pairs of birds. In addition he had three pairs of orioles, two pairs
each of five other species and one pair each of five others, a total in
five years of thirty-three nesting pairs on three-quarters of an acre
from a beginning of five pairs. I think that was a very creditable
result indeed.
Of course one great help to him was banishing the
of'ca™*^*'^*"*^^ *^^^^' '^^^ '^^^' ^ ^'^'"'^' ^°^^^ ^^'""ly ""d^r the jurisdic-
tion of the Conservation Commission. I wish it came
legally under such jurisdiction and that the Commission would appoint
me Cat Ranger. If that were done I can assure you the number of
cats would suffer a very serious diminution every year because, as
you know, every cat spends most of its time in an effort to kill. It
kills not only the mice but every bird it can possibly catch and, as I
look at it, each insectivorous bird killed by a cat is worth more than
the cat itself. I have proved that there are some uses for cats. Buried
under apple trees I have eaten them as apples, buried under rose bushes
I have picked them in the form of roses. That is a very satisfactory
way of disposing of cats. While we have the semi-wild domestic cat
we cannot have a very serious increase in birds and I think it is a fair
subject for the Conservation Commission to take up.
Ducks There are some very interesting possibilities in the
Nesting in way of bird protection in the Northwest, particularly
i^ney .^jjj^ regard to the birds whose nesting places are in
holes in hollow trees. One such, the American golden-eye, has nested
for four years in the chimney of the residence of Mr. R. B. Price,
Camrose, Alberta. Mr. Price knows when the birds are hatched
because the duck then sits on top of the chimney and waits for the
youngsters to climb up and project themselves over the edge, to roll
down the roof and bang on the ground, which never seems to hurt them
at all. In 1915, however, the humanitarian instincts of the neighbours
got the better of them and they carried the little fellows down in a hat.
I have been urging Mr. Price to put up another dummy chimney in the
hope of getting two pairs of birds, and in the meantime I have heard
that his experience has been duplicated in Saskatchewan.
156 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
T, ,. Then we come to the matter of bird sanctuaries. Some
Pelicans
Resent birds do not like people to make a fuss about them and
Interference j^at refers particularly to large wild birds on whom
human friendship is suddenly thrust. I had a remarkable experience
along that line in Alberta. On a small island in Miquelon lake, twelve
miles north of Camrose, there were two hundred breeding pairs of
white pelicans. The pelican, a bird about the size of an eagle, is not
accustomed to human interference. I visited the island with a friend
and saw these two hundred nests but the birds left the island before we
landed and did not return for about an hour or two after we left. My
companion was an enthusiastic ornithologist and bird protectionist and
his next door neighbour was the local M.L-A. Through his influence
that island was declared a bird reserve and the nearest farmer a game
warden, his duty being to see that the birds were not molested. He
visited the island practically every day and the birds resented it so
much that, since that year, there has not been a pelican on the island.
That shows that we must be careful in our attitude towards some of
the wild birds.
E t mi ti ^^ North America it has been the habit to await prac-
Imminentin tical extermination before anything is done for the
some Cases ^jj^j things, either animals or birds, with the excep-
tion of the game which is so highly thought of by the hunter. In
fact there has been so little done for birds that, in the United States,
practical extermination has actually taken place in the case of some
birds. There are some birds that really require immediate assistance
and, if one ventures to make a prophecy, it must not be considered as
exact in terms of years. We can never tell when the last of a species
is with us and, though a species that seems to be in danger of extinction
may remain in fair numbers for years without apparent diminution, it
may then come to a time when it practically drops out of existence all
at once, as did the Labrador ducks, which became extinct about 1865
from no known cause. It is surmised by ornithologists that they were
few in numbers, that they had a restricted summer habitat and that in
the fatal year a tribe of Indians visited this summer home and killed,
as they always do, everything they could — in fact as they need to do,
because in that northern country they must subsist on the wild things
— and thus the last of the Labrador ducks were destroyed.
.„ ^ Now we have a bird in Ontario which is just about in
Danger to , i ^ . -,
the Caspian that condition, namely, the Caspian tern. It is the
"^^"^ largest of the terns. These terns are large birds with
sharp-pointed wings, and closely related to the gulls. They dart down
BIRD PROTECTION IN CANADA 157
for their fish rather than settle on dead things as the gulls do. I
believe there is only one breeding place in Eastern Canada where the
Caspian tern exists in any numbers and that is an island near Parry
Sound. There are one or two breeding grounds in Michigan and
these are all that are known in the Great Lakes district. It formerly
nested in the gulf of St. Lawrence and Taverner tells me it is still there
in small numbers ; but so far as he learned there is no large breeding
ground of the bird in that district. So all we need practically to
exterminate the Caspian tern in Eastern Canada is to have a band of
fishermen, for instance, settle on a Parry Sound island beside the breed-
ing ground, or perhaps on that island itself, and feed on the eggs for
one summer. If there is no natural increase that summer, they will
return possibly one-third of their former number, perhaps go to
some other island and they are well on the way to extinction the
moment they begin to move around and leave their ancestral domain.
Of course, that teni is of no very great value to man so far as we
know. We have other terns and other gulls, but I am sure I do not
need to argue with the members of the Commission and the ladies and
gentlemen present as to the desirability of preserving every form of
wild Hfe we have. We cannot afford, for many considerations, to
allow any of them to become extinct.
Value of Bird Sanctuaries
Not only small, but large birds should be encouraged and we should
endeavour to increase their number by means of reserves and sanc-
tuaries. Remember, for instance, the little bird sanctuary I referred
to in the Rideau lakes, where in five years there was an increase from
five pairs of birds to thirty-three pairs, from a summer population of
ten to sixty-six. That shows the possibilities. All over this country
are such islands, particularly in the West. There, ducks are such a
prominent feature in the landscape and such an important article of
food that the islands in the various lakes should be reserved. I think
the Committee could not use its influence to better advantage than in
endeavouring to back up the efforts of those of us who have been
trying to get such areas set aside as bird sanctuaries, and I am sure
that a word from the Committee would be of more influence than a
long letter from a private citizen. I have tried these long letters and,
so far as I know, they have had no influence. I am one of many who
have tried to effect changes in existing conditions and am accustomed
to disappointment and defeat, but if, backed by his own conscience,
each one sticks to his guns, eventually perhaps he will win out.
158 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
p. Perhaps I might suggest a few conspicuous places that
Suggested as might with very great advantage be made bird reserves.
Sanctuaries j„ ^j^g g^jf ^f g^ Lawrence, we have the Perce rock
and Bonaventure island. With regard to the latter, I believe some
steps are already under way towards making it a preserve. There are
also the Bird rocks of Magdalen islands. Perce rock and Bird rocks
are the only North American nesting grounds of the gannet or solan
goose, a large, white bird the size of a goose. It feeds on fish of no
economic importance and, even if it took a percentage of valuable fish,
we could not afiford to have it destroyed. These islands are the summer
homes of many other species and are desirable bird sanctuaries from
many points of view.
In other portions of the gulf of St. Lawrence we meet a rather
peculiar condition of afifairs. We are accustomed in Canada to look
upon ourselves as a people who get our living either from the soil or
from manufactures, and we are perhaps inclined to overlook the fact
that some parts of our Dominion are still wild and depend upon wild
life. The inhabitants of the north shore of the St. Lawrence, fisher-
men, half-breeds and Indians, are largely dependent on birds for meat.
Unless something is done in the way of protection among the islands
scattered along our shores, there is danger that the absence of birds may
render the whole area uninhabitable, so that the fishing population
would have to migrate in there in the spring and come out again in
the autumn.
Then there is the consideration of the reservation of marshy areas.
They lend themselves to reservation purposes readily because we do not
value them highly for anything else. Point Pelee, for instance, con-
tains a large marsh capable of forming an overflow point for game such
as ducks, and it is also the most northern breeding ground of several
North American species that have reached their limit of latitude. There
are more of some varieties of birds found on point Pelee than in all
the rest of Ontario put together.
Large Birds Attr.nct Hunters
The apparently irresistible impulse of every sportsman to kill every-
thing that is big always saddens me. Torrey puts the case in a nutshell
when he says: " Czars and rare birds pay the price." He should have
said " large birds," because most people do not know the rare birds,
but the man with a gun is always anxious to shoot something large.
For years I have been urging the Ontario Government to give the
large birds special protection but have had the reformer's usual exper-
BIRD PROTECTION IN CANADA 159
ience. The result was full of disappointment and defeat, but not
discouragement, and I still hope that, before it is too late, some of the
larger birds, such as the fish hawk, will be protected. These birds
formerly nested along lake Erie and probably on lake Huron. They
still nest in Algonquin park and probably in Muskoka but the shores
of lakes Erie, Ontario and Huron are destitute of them. My brother
informs me that they are common also along the Columbia river, be-
tween its source and Golden. Are we going to sit by and witness their
extermination in that district?
The bald eagle formerly nested along every large lake
Diminution ^^^ ^jgQ probably beside every medium-sized lake a
among Eagles , ... ^ , ,. . . , , . , t
few miles m extent. In the district with which 1 am
personally familiar, lake Erie south of London, there was a nest
about every five miles. Now there is a nest about every thirty
miles. About five-sixths of the eagles have been killed off. The
eagle is not an injurious bird and, during the summer holidays,
every person enjoys the sight of one of these large birds soaring above.
In August, going from Ottawa to Kingston on the Rideau river I saw
one fish hawk, but not an eagle, yet it was formerly a common resident
along all lakes the size of Rideau lakes. Some years ago I questioned
an Essex County farmer regarding an eagle's nest across the road
from his place and asked what his experience had been with these
birds. He said his neighbour thought he ought to have them killed
off, because they were so hard on chickens, but he said : " They never
touch any of mine and I am the nearest." Other people have had the
same experience. The eagles pick up dead fish, etc. They are really
scavengers and, if they have any economic value, it is as scavengers.
But the aesthetic value of the eagle is considerable. Everyone likes to
see them and, when a man with a gun kills one, he takes away from
the country, from you and from me, our rights in that bird, and almost
invariably he throws it on the waste heap.
The great blue heron is another species in the same
Danger to the category. It used to nest in communities and, while
Blue Heron ^ •' . . ;
It does yet to a certain extent, the communities are
very small. There is one heronry near London with about twenty odd
nests. How it has escaped so long I do not know, because we have so
many irresponsible people who do not think, whose impulse is to
slaughter and who go out with -22 rifles into a heronry just to see how
many herons they can kill. Then, of course, the eggs rot or the young
starve to death. It is the privilege of the members of this Committee
to inaugurate a system that will prevent that sort of thing occurring in
160 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
the future. I do not see why it should not be possible through your
influence to have the provincial governments declare such places as
heronries bird sanctuaries where guns would not be allowed, where
special penalties would be enforced on any person going with a gun.
As a rule the few places in which these heronries now exist are places
where the neighbours are favourable to the birds because, if that were
not so, they would not have lasted nearly so long.
I am sorry that the subject of bird protection has been so wide that
I have not been able to enter much into details. May I assure you
that if I or the Mcllwraith Ornithological Club of London, which in
a way I represent in this bird campaign, can be of any service to the
Commission at any time, we shall be only too pleased, and I sincerely
hope the members of the Fisheries and Game Committee will feel it
within the scope of their activities to urge upon local governments the
importance of this matter of bird protection. Feeling as I do that,
while the economic side of the question is of value, the aesthetic side
really is of considerably more value, I wish to emphasize the fact that
the combined value of the two aspects is very great indeed.
Dr. Murray: Mr. Saunders' paper strikes me as having been
of quite unusual interest and I hope we shall have the pleasure of
hearing him in this Committee many times hereafter. He has
brought forward many good points for the Committee to take into
consideration and among the ideas that have been put forward this
afternoon there is one that seems to me to be eminently practical. The
Commission of Conservation should in some cases constitute itself into
a Committee of Extermination; in order to secure the preservation of
the birds, we shall have to secure the extermination of the domestic
cat. Mr. Millar left me with the impression that, in order to secure
the preservation of game in the western provinces, we should have to
secure the extermination of the Stoney Indians. I do not know
exactly what the arguments against that might be and what force
might attach to them ; he intimated that that was something we might
look for in the natural order of things.
I noticed that both Mr. Millar and Mr. Vreeland complimented the
province of New Brunswick very highly in certain respects and have
given it quite a good advertisement in the matter of moose and other
game. I should also like to call attention to the fact that in Nova
Scotia there is a good field for the sportsman who wishes to get moose,
and that caribou, which have become almost extinct in all other parts
of the Dominion, are still to be found in small numbers in portions of
Nova Scotia and that they are being carefully preserved.
Silver Fox Raising in Captivity
BY
Hon. a. E. Arsenault
Member of the Executive Council, Prince Edward Island
SOME twenty-five years ago, Hon. Charles Dalton began experi-
menting in raising silver foxes in captivity, but at first met with
little success. After some years, however, the knowledge then ac-
quired enabled him and a few others, who had been let into the secret,
to acquire considerable wealth from the sale of the pelts of domesti-
cated foxes.
„. , In 1910, one rancher sold three pairs of silver foxes,
Phenomenal !,^, , , ,,■ r r . i i
Rise in and, m 1911, the sellmg of foxes as breeders became
Prices general. The price of live foxes rose from year to
year until, in the latter part of 1913, sales of young foxes were made
at prices ranging from $13,000 to $17,000 per pair and for tested
breeders from $20,000 to $30,000 per pair.
In the meantime, enterprising speculators did quite a business in
the importation and sale of foxes from Newfoundland, Labrador,
Western Canada and Alaska and, in a number of cases, these foxes
or their offspring were afterwards resold as pure-bred Prince Edward
Island foxes.
It was realized by many of those interested in the
Registration propagation and preservation of the pure-bred Island
Provided for ^^^ ^^^^ something should be done to prevent or make
difficuh the sale of imported foxes as Island-bred. Accordingly, at a
meeting of fox men, a committee of fifteen was appointed to draft
legislation providing for registration of foxes. This committee met in
Charlottetown and, after full consideration and discussion and after
hearing evidence, drafted a bill* which, with a few amendments, was
enacted into law by the Provincial Parliament in the spring of 1915.
This bill met with opposition from a considerable number of
ranchers, with the result that classification of foxes was made compul-
sory only to members joining the Silver Black Fox Breeders'
Association.
*A copy of this bill will be found in Appendix I.
161
162 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
At first, very few breeders took advantage of this opportunity, but,
when in the summer and autumn of 1915 it became apparent that little
business could be done except by persons whose foxes were registered,
there was a rush on the part of breeders to register their stock. The
form of registration includes the marking and identification of the
foxes, and is very complete.*
The result arising from this registration and enrolment cannot but
be beneficial as it will prevent the selling of foxes for other than what
they really are, and will thus restore confidence to the investing public.
It will also to a great extent check, if not prevent, the flotation of wild-
cat companies and otherwise place the fox industry on a sound basis.
Although it was felt that the war would have a bad effect on the
fox-farming industry by limiting the market for furs and lowering the
price of fox pelts, it is a remarkable fact that fox skins offered for
sale this year have realized handsome prices, some skins realizing from
$500 to $2,000 each. This has to a great extent restored confidence in
the industry and has tended to bolster up the price of live foxes.
With care and good management the Silver Black Fox Breeders'
Association of Prince Edward Island will accomplish a great work
and will elevate the raising of foxes in captivity to the rank of a great
industry.
Mr. Daniels: Does this deal with pedigreed foxes?
Mr. Arsenault : The registration requires : the name of the ani-
mal, the sex, when whelped and where bred, the markings, malforma-
tions, if any; the number of pups in the litter that the animal came
from, and detailed information as to present and previous ownership.
In order to identify the foxes, they have a system of marking which
is simply a tattoo in the ear. They have an instrument which tattoos
the name, the year of birth and the number, so that the fox can be iden-
tified wherever it is found, even when the pelt is marketed. The result
will be that, when pelts come to the market you can trace the origin of
the pelt and, if it has brought a good price, it will increase the value
of the stock.
Dr. Robertson : Is the tattooing a necessary part of the procedure
of obtaining registration ?
Mr. Arsenault: Yes. It is essential and makes a record. In
that way there will be no chance of practising any deception as to the
♦See Appendices II and III.
SILVER FOX RAISING IN CAPTIVITY 163
i
quality of the fox, because the association will trace and verify the
facts set out in the application for registration. While the war has
had an effect on the pelt market, at a sale of 137 miscellaneous pelts,
some wild and some domestic, an average price of $330 was obtained
within the last few weeks, on the Montreal market. There have been
very few pelts marketed in Prince Edward Island in prime condition.
The only pelts marketed were those where an animal was killed by its
mate, and perhaps badly cut up, or where it died out of season, at a
time when the pelt was not in its best condition. This year, however,
there will be a number of animals killed and the result will be anxiously
awaited.
The price of foxes at present is from $4,000 to $5,000 a pair, which
is a very reasonable figure, and it is to be hoped that in the future
there will not be any such over-speculation as has occurred in the past.
Resolutions
T the session of the Committee held on the afternoon of Tuesday,
November 2nd, 1915, the following resolutions were agreed to:
Moved by Hon. O. T. Daniels, seconded by Dr. Jas. W. Robertson:
RESOLVED, that the Committee commends very earnestly to the
Dominion and Provincial authorities who are charged with the con-
servation and improvement of Canadian fisheries, the question of pro-
viding opportunities for vocational education suitable for those
employed in the industry; and,
RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Committee most respectfully
recommends the institution, as soon as practicable, of simple Demon-
stration Stations, the employment of competent travelling instructors
and the distribution of well-illustrated bulletins dealing with the
practical problems arising from fishery occupations.
Moved by Hon. A. E. Arsenault, seconded by Dr. Howard Murray :
WHEREAS, the Committee heartily approves the efforts now being
made for the preservation of North American migrating birds, some
of which are seriously threatened with extinction, and learns with
satisfaction the attitude of the Provincial Governments in this connec-
tion; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the good offices of the Dominion Government be
solicited to negotiate a Treaty between Great Britain and the United
States, for the purpose of securing more effective protection for the
birds which pass from one country to another.
Moved by Dr. Howard Murray, seconded by Dr. Jas. W. Rob-
ertson :
RESOLVED, that the Committee learns with satisfaction of the
action of the Department of Fisheries, in increasing the number of
whitefish fry planted in the Great Lakes and hopes that the number
may be increased to that suggested as sufficient by the best authorities,
namely, 20,000 per square mile of whitefish area.
164
APPENDIX I
An Act to Incorporate the " Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association
of Prince Edward Island "
(Assented to April 24th, 1915.)
BE IT ENACTED by the Lieutenant Governor and Legislative Assembly of
the Province of Prince Edward Island, as follows : —
1. This Act shall be cited as the "Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association
Act."
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the expression " Asso-
ciation " means the Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association of Prince Edward
Island.
3. The Association shall have for its object the encouragement,
BocUtion development and regulation among its members of the Silver
Black Fox Industry of Prince Edward Island.
(a) By keeping a record of the breeding and origin of all foxes held
in captivity by members of the Association; by collecting, preserving and
publishing data and documents relating to the same.
(6) By establishing standards of breeding and by carrying out a system
of registration for its members.
(c) By adopting means from time to time for the protection of its
members engaged in the propagation and breeding of foxes in compliance
with this Act or any by-laws or regulations thereunder.
(d) By maintaining an efficient inspection among members of the Asso-
ciation, so as to enable the Association to prevent, detect and punish fraud.
(e) By compiling statistics of the industry and furnishing official and
authentic information in regard thereto.
(/) By exercising an oversight of the personnel and of the finances of
all fox companies incorporated or to be incorporated in this Province that
are or become members of the Association.
(g) And for these purposes to have power to make all needful con-
tracts and agreements.
4. The said Association may acquire, purchase, hold, possess
fociaHon' ^' 2"'' enjoy any real or personal estate within this Province or may
sell, lease, mortgage or dispose of same for the benefit of the Asso-
ciation, and it may have the power to sue and be sued.
5. John E. B. McCready, E. Rigg Brow, Richard E. Spillet,
C°M^ '"' Chester McLure, Waldron B. Prowse, James A. Johnson, William
B. Hayes, Joseph W. Callbeck, Albert C. Saunders, Frederick L.
Rogers, John D. Mclntyre, William H. Prowse, W. Leith Poole, J. Frank Sterns,
James D. Stewart, William E. Cameron and all others who may become mem-
bers of the Association to be by this Act created are hereby constituted a body
politic and corporate by the name of " Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association
of Prince Edward Island," and by that name shall have all the general powers
and privileges incident to a corporation by the Act of the General Assembly
of this Island entitled " An Act Relating to Corporate Bodies " and the amend-
ments thereto.
165
166 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
6. Membership in the Association shall consist of individuals,
Membership partnerships, voluntary associations and incorporated companies
who are owners of foxes registered or enrolled in the Association
provided they have conformed to all the regulations of this Act and its by-laws
and amendments.
7. There shall be a general meeting of the Association held
D?rectorB annually in Charlottetown on the first Tuesday after the fifteenth
day of February, and at the first annual meeting a Board of
Directors shall be chosen, consisting of fifteen members of the Association, duly
qualified to act as such, five of whom shall be residents of Queen's County, five
of King's County and five of Prince County. At the first annual meeting five
directors shall be elected for a term of three years, five for a term of two years
and the remaining five for one year. At each subsequent annual meeting five
directors shall be elected for a term of three years, and also such additional
directors as may be necessary to fill vacancies on the Board for the remainder
of the terms of the directors resigning, dying, becoming incapacitated, or ceasing
to be residents of this Province.
8. The directors shall appoint from their own number a Presi-
Assocaation '^^"* ^"<^ three Vice-Presidents, one for Queen's, Prince and
King's Counties, respectively, and an Executive Committee of
seven members, of whom the President shall be one. The Directors shall also
appoint a Secretary and Treasurer who shall ex officio be members of the
Association, and all other necessary officers. The same person may be Secretary
and Treasurer of the Association.
. 9. At least two weeks' previous notice of such meeting with
Meeting' f"" particulars as to place, hour and date shall be given by the
Secretary of the Association by advertisement in such newspapers
published in Prince Edward Island as the Executive may suggest.
10. The Secretary of the Association shall annually on or
Statement before the 8th day of February in each year, furnish and provide
a full, true, correct and complete statement of all receipts and
disbursements of the Association up to and including the 31st of December next
preceding, and submit the same to the members thereof by mailing a copy
thereof to each member of the Association.
Offloers to H. Jn the event of an election of directors or officers of the
SucceSsorsAp- Association not being held at the time and place provided for
pointed under the authority herein, then the persons in office at the time
when such election should have been legally held, shall continue to be the officers
of the Association until their successors are legally appointed. And in the
event of the annual meeting not being for any reason held on the day appointed,
or the non-election of directors or officers as aforesaid, the directors shall call
a special meeting of the Association within sixty days thereafter, of which
special meeting at least two weeks' notice shall be given in the manner provided
in Section 9 of this Act and at such meeting the election of directors and officers
shall take place, and all such business as may be transacted at an annual meeting
may be transacted at this meeting.
. 12. A director of the Association may, by giving thirty days'
DirectMs"" ° notice in writing to the President or Secretary of the Association,
resign from office, and in the case of a director of the Associa-
tion dying, becoming incapacitated, resigning office, ceasing to be a resident of
this Province or failing to attend two consecutive meetings without cause shown
satisfactory to the Board, it shall be the duty of the directors to appoint a
person to fill the office until the next annual meeting of the person so resigning,
dying, becoming incapacitated, ceasing to be a resident of this Province or
failing to attend two consecutive meetings without cause shown satisfactory to
the Board.
FOX BREEDERS' ASSOCIATION 167
13. The Executive, of whom four shall form a quorum, shall
Quorum have full power to transact and manage the business of the Asso-
ciation in all matters, and all revenue and other moneys due to
the Association shall be collected by them and such as may be necessary expended
under their direction subject, nevertheless, to the by-laws and regulations of the
Association and subject in all cases to an appeal to the Board of Directors.
14. The directors shall cause all the foxes owned by members
a'nd'l'nspec'or of the Association to be registered or enrolled as provided for in
the by-laws of the Association and may appoint a competent
inspector whose duties shall be such as are provided for in the by-laws.
15. The following persons, naraelv, John E. B. McCready,
D^Jaira*' E. Rigg Brow, Richard E. Spillet, Chester McClure, Waldron B.
Prowse, James A. Johnson, William B. Hayes, Joseph W. Call-
beck, Albert C. Saunders, Frederick L. Rogers, John D. Mclntyre, William H.
Prowse, W. Leith Poole, J. Frank Sterns, James D. Stewart, shall constitute the
first Board of Directors and shall continue in office until their successors are
appointed.
16. The Association is hereby empowered to list foxes and fox
Sales Board pelts for its members and to establish a Sales Board for fox
pelts through its head office, subject to the order of the Executive
and as provided for in its by-laws and regulations.
17. Non-residents of the Province who are owners and breeders
Non-resfdents °^ Silver Black Foxes may become members of the Association,
subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, provided they
conform to its rules and regulations, and pay towards its maintenance as provided
for in the by-laws.
18. The Executive is hereby empowered to impose fines and
Penaures penalties on members or officers of the Association for infractions
of any of its rules, regulations or by-laws or for any fraudulent
act, for such amount or amounts as it may deem proper, and in the case of fines
the members or officers so fined shall stand suspended from the date of the
imposition of same until payment is made or judgment is reversed by the Board
of Directors.
p . . 19. The directors may for misconduct or for the infraction of
Mis-*condact ^"y °^ ^^^ rules, regulations, or by-laws of the Association, sus-
pend or expel, or after expulsion, re-instate any of the officers or
members of the Association.
Power to Ob- 20. The Association is hereby empowered to obtain any infor-
tfon ■''''°"°*' mation that may be considered necessary regarding the breeding
and pedigree of foxes, capitalization, cost of equipping and main-
taining ranch, of any incorporated company, voluntary association, partnership or
individual, being members of the Association, owning and breeding foxes, and
all such information when not given voluntarily or to the satisfaction of the
Executive of the Association, may be obtained by the Executive summoning such"
persons as may be desired, to appear before them at a place and date to be named
in the summons, to give evidence under oath touching such matters under con-
sideration. Failure to answer such summons or to give evidence may be punished
by fines, suspensions or expulsions.
21. From and after the date of the passing of this Act mem-
Membership" bership will be granted in the Association for good and valid
reasons only to any company, voluntary association, partnership
or individual, that has not submitted a copy of its prospectus to the Executive
of the Association before offering the capital stock for public subscription. The
Executive, before giving a certificate of approval to the prospectus must satisfy
itself that all representations regarding the finances of the company, ownership
168 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
of property, number of foxes on hand or to be purchased, are correct, that the
company is not over-capitalized and that the promoters or the Provisional
Directors are men of acceptable reputation and character. After the certificate
of approval is obtained and incorporation granted, no changes may be made in
the prospectus or in the carrying out of its provisions, without the approval of
the Executive of the Association, to whom application shall be made, in which
are fully set forth the proposed changes, and any parties making such changes
and neglecting to conform with those provisions shall, on proof of such, forfeit
their right to become members of the Association. All members making future
fox stock flotations must also conform with the conditions of this Section.
22. The Association, or any of its officers, shall not be liable
of"AB*ociatfoii ^°^ ^"y action in any Court of Law or Equity in this Province
at the suit of any person, firm or corporation for any loss or
damage they may have sustained by virtue of any bona-fide act done in pur-
suance of this Act, its by-laws or regulations; and for any action so brought,
the defendant or defendants may plead the general issue and give this Act and
the special matter in evidence.
Association 23. The Association shall have the right of declining to register
may Decline or enrol pedigrees or to register transfers of ownership when in
to Register ^^^ opinion of the Executive the application for registration or
enrolment or transfer is not in accordance with facts and where there is just
cause or reason it may cancel the registration or enrolment of any fox already
accepted and registered.
24. Any member of the Association who shall be found guilty
Deception etc °^ ''"^ misrepresentation, deception or fraud in relation to the
registry of animals in the Herd or Enrolment Books of the
Association shall forfeit all his privileges in the Association and shall be debarred
from further registry or transfer of any foxes during the pleasure of the
Association.
Directors' 25. The directors may, from time to time, make, alter, vary, or
Powers "" repeal by-laws to regulate, prescribe and establish.
(o) The appointment, duties, functions, and removal of all officers,
agents and servants of the Association, the security to be given by them
and their remuneration, the manner of making records and all forms and
certificates required for use by the Secretary or other officers of the
Association.
(b) The time at which, and place where, the meetings of the Associa-
tion shall be held, the calling of the meetings of directors, the requirements
as to officers and the procedure in all things at all meetings.
(c) The mode or manner of admission of members and the fees
chargeable (if any).
(d) A system whereby all foxes owned by members in or outside of
the Province may be registered and enrolled, and the fees chargeable for
same.
(e) And generally all such by-laws as may be deemed necessary for
the more effectually carrying out the objects and purposes of this Act,
and the management of the business of the Association; provided always
that all by-laws or any alteration or repeal thereof shall only continue in
force until the first following annual meeting of the Association, unless
the same are approved by a majority vote at such meeting.
26. Notwithstanding anything contained in the " County Courts
Connfy *Co»rt Amendment Act, 1878," limiting its jurisdiction either as to the
subject matter to be litigated or as to the amount of the claim,
any one or more shareholders of any incorporated fox company (provided it is
FOX BREEDERS' ASSOCIATION 169
a member of the Association) representing in the aggregate ten per cent of the
total paid-up capital of such company, if dissatisfied with the sum charged or
submitted by the directors or voted for at a meeting of the shareholders, for the
keep of the ranch and the management and running expenses of such company
including any compensation voted for the directors, may, within sixty days after
meeting of shareholders at which such charges were submitted, apply by written
petition to the judge of the County Court of the county wherein such company
has its ranch or chief place of business, which petition shall contain the names
and addresses of the directors of the company, the date of such meeting, the
amount of the paid-up capital of such company and the proportion of such
capital owned by the applicants, the amount of the charges for keep and man-
agement submitted or voted, and the grounds of objection thereto, and shall be
signed by the applicants and verified by the affidavit of one of them.
27. On such petition being presented, the Judge of such Court
Coun^T^'oourt "^^^ make an order requiring the directors of such company, or
such of them as may reside within the Province, to appear before
him at a time and place to be named in such order and to give full and detailed
particulars of the keep of such ranch and the cost thereof and of the manage-
ment and running expenses of such company, and show cause why such amount
of such charges should not be settled or fixed by such Judge,
28. Such orders may be served on the directors in the same
Serving Order "lann^'' 3s summonses issued out of the County Court are served
on defendants and ten clear days shall elapse between the service
of such order and the return thereof.
Procedure on 29. The Judge on return of such order, shall inquire into.
Return of ascertain, examine and investigate the charges and expenses con-
'''"*"^ nected with the management of such company and the mainten-
ance of the ranch, and, for such purpose, shall hear and examine under oath,
all such witnesses and evidence bearing on the petition as may be produced
before him either by the petitioners or the directors; and the directors are
required to produce before the Judge on such. return all the books of the com-
pany and all the papers and vouchers referring to the business of the company
which are in their possession or custody or under their control.
30. The Judge, having heard such parties, their witnesses and
Judge's Award evidence, shall fix and determine in a summary manner the sum
or amount which he may consider right and just to allow for the
management and running expenses of such company and the keep and mainten-
ance of its ranch for the period complained of, and the sum or amount fixed
and determined shall be the proper charge for such management and the directors
will render themselves personally liable to the company for paying out of its
funds any greater or larger sum, notwithstanding such greater or larger amount
may have been voted at a meeting of the company's shareholders and a suit for
the recovery of such greater or larger amount may be commenced and prosecuted
by any shareholder in the name of the company in any Court in this Province
having jurisdiction.
Procedure on 31. If the directors do not attend upon the return of such
of'Sirectors"'^'' summons, the Judge may, if he sees fit, on proof of service pro-
ceed ex parte and on the evidence submitted before him by the
petitioners hear and examine the matter of the petition and fix and settle on
such evidence the sum which he may consider right and just to allow for the
management and running expenses of such company and the keep and mainten-
ance of its ranch for the period complained of and the sum or amount so fixed
and determined shall be the proper charge for such management and the
provisions contained in the preceding section for the recovery from the directors
shall be considered as applicable to this section.
170 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Manner of ^^- '^'''^ proceedings before the Judge of such Court shall be
Carrying on carried on as nearly as may be in the same manner as an ordinary
ProceedinBs gyjj within the jurisdiction of the Court and subpoenas ad testi-
dicandum and duces tecum commanding the attendance as a witness of any
person who is within the Province, may be issued in the usual manner out of
Court.
Application of •'•'• The powers of amendment conferred by the County Court
County Court Act in proceeding in the County Court shall apply to all procecd-
•*^<=* ings under this Act.
34. The Judge may from time to time adjourn the hearing of
o/'cas?""'"* ^"'-'^ petition or make any interim or other order that he deems
just.
Feea
35. The fees for witnesses shall be the same as in the County
Court.
36. The Judge may, if he sees fit, award costs to either party
Securing Costs according to the scale of the County Court and every order for
the payment of costs shall be deemed a judgment of the County
Court, and may be enforced against the goods and chattels of the party ordered
to pay in the manner in which judgments of the County Court obtained in any
suit may be enforced.
37. Every witness appearing before the Judge on the return
Court"'' ° °^ f'VLch summons, who refuses without lawful excuse to answer
any question put to him, shall be guilty of contempt of Court and
shall be subject to all process and punishments of such County Court for
contempt.
38. Any party to a proceeding before the Judge of the County
SuprcmeCourt Court, dissatisfied with the judgment of such Judge, shall have
the right to appeal to the Supreme Court.
APPENDIX II
By-laws of the Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association of Prince
Edward Island
Registration and Classification
The rules for classification, registration, and enrolment of all foxes owned
by members of this Association, shall be as follows :
SECTION 1
The Prince Edward Island Standard Bred Silver Black Fox Register
This Association shall open a Register for the registration of native-bred
Prince Edward Island silver black foxes, or for those that meet the require-
ments laid down in the following rules of admission to this Register. This
register shall be known as " The Prince Edward Island Standard Bred Silver
Black Fox Register."
Qualification for Registration
♦Rule 1. For the purpose of establishing a standard of breeding for Prince
Edward Island silver black foxes, any silver black fox bred and held in cap-
tivity in Prince Edward Island prior to June 1st, in the year 1910, shall be
considered foundation stock, and shall be eligible to registry in the Standard
Bred Register, provided that each parent was a true silver black.
Rule 2. Any silver black fox bred in captivity after 1910 shall be eligible to
registry in the Standard Bred Register, provided that the sire and the dam
were mated previous to June 1st, 1910, and produced a litter of pups that are
registered as foundation stock.
Rule 3. Any native Prince Edward Island ranch-bred silver black fox shall
be eligible to registry in the Standard Bred Register, provided that for three
generations all members in both the direct and collateral lines were true silver
blacks.
Rule 4. Any silver black fox shall be eligible to registry in the Standard
Bred Register whose progenitors for three generations were true silver blacks
and whose sire or dam is a Standard Bred registered fox, provided that either
the sire or dam in each mating in the second and third generation is a Standard
Bred registered fox and that for the three generations all members in both
the direct and collateral lines were true silver blacks.
Rule 5. Any silver black fox, whose sire and dam are recorded in the
Standard Bred Register, shall be eligible to Registry in the Standard Bred
Register.
NOTE : — By the term " native Prince Edward Island silver black fox," shall
be understood a silver black fox that is exclusively the descendant of those
foxes native to the Province, or of those that were owned and held in captivity
in the Province, prior to June 1st, 1910.
•A form of application for registration under Rule 1 Is given In Appendix III.
171
172 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
SECTION 2
The Imported Ranch-bred Silver Black Fox Register
This Association shall also open a Register for the registration of ranch-
bred silver black foxes that meet the requirements set down in the following
rules. This Register shall be known as " The Imported Ranch-bred Silver
Black Fox Register."
Qualification for Registration
Rule 1. Any silver black ranch-bred fox, wholly or in part of imported
strains, not eligible for registration in the Standard Class, shall be eligible to
registry in the Imported Ranch-bred Register, provided the parents and the
grandparents are silver black ranch-bred foxes.
Rule 2. Any silver black fox whose sire and dam are recorded in the Im-
ported Ranch-bred Register shall be eligible to registry in the Imported Ranch-
bred Register.
Should it be ascertained that any fox recorded in either the Standard Bred
or the Imported Ranch-bred Registers, ever produced, when mated with a fox
of its own class, offspring showing red or rust, the Register shall cancel the
certificate and expunge the records from the books of the Association.
SECTION 3
Enrolment Book
An Enrolment Book shall be kept, in which shall be recorded the age, sex,
present and previous ownership, identification mark, place of birth, description
and breeding, if known, of all foxes owned by members other than those regis-
tered in either of the two Registers of the Association.
APPENDIX III.
The Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association of Prince Edward Island
STANDARD BRED REGISTER
Rules of Entry
1. (o) For the purpose of establishing a standard of breeding for Prince
Edward Island Silver Black Foxes, any silver black fox bred and held in
captivity in Prince Edward Island prior to June first in the year 1910, shall be
considered FOUNDATION STOCK, and shall be eligible to registry in the
Standard Bred Register, provided that each parent was a true silver black. (6)
Any silver black fox bred in captivity after 1910 shall be eligible to registry in
the Standard Bred Register, provided that the sire and dam were mated previous
to June first, 1910, and produced a litter of pups that are registered as Foundation
Stock, (c) Any native Prince Edward Island ranch-bred silver black fox shall
be eligible to registry in the Standard Bred Register provided that for three
generations all members in both the direct and collateral lines are true silver
blacks, (rf) Any silver black fox shall be eligible to registry in the Standard
Bred Register whose progenitors for three generations are true silver blacks and
whose sire or dam is a Standard Bred Registered fox provided that either the
sire or dam in each mating in the second and third generation each is a Standard
Bred Registered fox and that for the three generations all members in both the
direct and collateral lines are true silver blacks, (e) Any silver black fox whose
sire and dam are recorded in the Standard Bred Register shall be eligible to
registry in the Standard Bred Register.
NOTE A : By the term " Native Prince Edward Island Silver Black Fox,"
shall be understood a silver black fox that is exclusively the descendant of
those foxes native to the Province, or, of those that were owned and held in
captivity in the Province, prior to June first, 1910.
NOTE B : No fox shall be described as silver black whose coat shows red
or rusty hairs.
NOTE C: When registered Sire or Dam is reached give Registration Num-
ber. It will not be necessary to give any further information about the breeding
of registered progenitors. The Registrar shall demand all necessary certificates
of Breeding.
2. Blank forms will be furnished gratuitously to all applicants. The require-
ments of the blanks must be complied with. Nothing will be required that is not
essential and all " Little Things " must be in their place. Applicants should go
no further in filling the blanks than they can substantiate by competent evidence.
All crosses must be clearly established. Any attempt at fraud in the near or
remote crosses will he promptly exposed when detected. When a pedigree is
forwarded that runs into that of an animal already registered, don't fail to refer
to that animal and show the relationship. Three or four good names should be
selected for each animal in the order preferred, and the first one not already
taken will be accepted.
3. The application must be written in ink, and must state : the name and
registered number of the sire and of the dam, if recorded, and any natural
markings and abnormalities. The application must state under what rule the
173
174 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
application is made and must be signed by the breeder if the fox was whelped
his property. If dam was sold after being bred the person owning her when
the fox was whelped must sign application, but transfer of dam is necessary
before owner's signature will be accepted. The owner of sire must certify to
service on transfer form. It shall be sworn and certified to, or affirmed before
an officer authorized to administer oaths. A duly appointed officer of the Asso-
ciation shall, after examination of the fox, affix the identification on the left ear
and fill in the certificate form attached for the purpose.
4. The Breeder of the fox is the owner of the dam at time of mating.
5. The First Owner of a fox is the owner of the dam at time the fox was
whelped.
6. The term Owner may be held to include: Ranch Manager or Ranch Super-
intendent; Board of Directors or Business Manager of Incorporated Companies;
Owner of ranch in which fox was whelped, or individuals with proprietory
rights in the fox.
7. When the sire of the fox offered for entry was not, at the time of service,
owned by the breeder of the animal, the owner of said sire must sign the appli-
cation in the place furnished for the purpose, giving year of mating, with the
name" and record number of sire and name of register in which he is recorded.
8. No application for registration or transfer shall be considered until the
fees are paid, nor any number be assigned to the pedigree until every require-
ment has been complied with.
9. In the case of a change of ownership of an animal, the buyer must obtain
from the seller a certificate of transfer written in ink upon a blank form
procured from the Record Office which will, when returned to the Record Office,
accompanied by the original certificate of registration, be entered upon the
record. The certificate of transfer shall be endorsed on the back of the original
certificate and returned to the applicant. In case of neglect or refusal of the
seller to give a certificate of transfer, the record of transfer may be made on
the written approval of a majority of the Executive Committee on evidence of
the sale and delivery of the animal. Transfers will be required from the first
and succeeding owners to the applicant for entry. If the animal is a female, it
must be stated whether or not she has been served, if served, date of service
must be given with the name and record number of the male, certified to by the
owner, or his authorized agent.
10. In the application for registry of a fox whelped after the year nineteen
hundred and fourteen it shall be stated how many foxes in the litter were reared
to maturity and their sexes and color.
11. When an animal may have been admitted or transferred through misrep-
resentation, or fraud, the Executive Committee shall, on discovery of the same,
declare the entry or transfer void, together with any entries or transfers of
descendants of such animal, and subsequent applications for entry or transfer
dependent on the signature of any person implicated in such fraud shall be
refused.
12. No duplicate certificate shall be issued unless a Statutory Declaration of
applicant before a notary or commissioner is provided, setting forth reasons
why such a certificate is required. Such declaration .shall be made on form
provided.
13. No two foxes shall have the same name. To this end, the right shall
be reserved to change any name when necessary, preserving, however, as far as
practicable, some characteristic of the name given in the application. The word
"Young" or "Old" shall not be used in connection with a name or "1st" as
an affix to a name.
FOX BREEDERS' ASSOCIATION 175
14. In making application for the registration of a pedigree it is understood
that it shall be accepted only on the condition that the particulars as given are
correct, and that if it should be ascertained previous to the publication of the
succeeding volume that these particulars are in any way incorrect, the Association
may, at its discretion, omit the pedigree or publish it in an altered form. It is
further understood that, should the pedigree be published in the Record Book
prior to the discovery of an error, the Association may cancel the entry, or
publish the correction in such a form as the Executive Committee may decide.
It is further understood that the Association is not liable for any loss or damage
that may be sustained through inaccuracy, omission, alteration of a pedigree or
cancellation of an entry.
15. The certificate of registration or transfer shall constitute a receipt for the
fees, but such certificate shall not be binding upon the Association in case of error.
Fees
Registration
(a) Standard Bred Fox $1 SO
(b) Imported Ranch Bred Fox 1 50
(c) Ordinary Enrolment 1 00
Transfers 1 00
Duplicate Certificate 1 50
Membership
For every five pairs, or fraction thereof, up to twenty-five pairs 2 00
For every five pairs, or fraction thereof, over twenty-five pairs 1 00
All fees must accompany the application, and may be sent by Postal
Note, P.O. Money Order, Registered Letter or Express Money Order.
Postage stamps will not be accepted. If remitting by cheque, exchange
must be added.
Address all correspondence and make all fees payable to the Treasurer.
Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association of Prince Edward Island.
176
COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
APPLICATION FORM FOR FOUNDATION STOCK
Under Rule 1
NOTE:
(1) If the person signing the Certificate of Breeding for this application is
not the recorded owner of dam, transfer of dam is required.
(2) If the person signing as owner of service sire is not the recorded owner
of sire, transfer of sire is required.
Standard Bred Register: Number (to be filled in by Registrar)
Application by Address
Made under Rule
Natural Markings Malformation (if any)
Number of pups in litter Male Female.
Bred by
Whelped property of
2nd Owner
Date of sale to second owner.
3rd Owner
Date of sale to third owner..,
Also all other owners down to present with Post Office Address
Post Office
Province
SIRE No DAM No.
Bred by Bred by
Whelped property of Whelped property of
When whelped When whelped
2nd owner 2nd owner
Date of sale to 2nd Date of sale to 2nd
Present owner Present owner
Date of sale to present Date of sale to present
Colour Markings Colour Markings
FOX BREEDERS' ASSOCIATION 177
CERTIFICATE OF BREEDING
of Fox to be Registered
I/WE HEREBY CERTIFY that the male No. (if any) was
mated with the female No. (if any) in the year and that
they were both true Silver Black fo.xes; that from this mating male and
female pups were reared to maturity, that they were whelped the property
of and that the fox, for which application is hereby made,
is one of this litter.
Breeder
.Owner of Sire
{The owner of sire and dam at the
time of mating must sign here.
Date 19....
CERTIFICATE OF BREEDING OF SIRE
I/WE HEREBY CERTIFY that the male No was bred by
me/us at and was whelped the property of and that he was
descended from native Prince Edward Island foxes; or, that he was imported
from in the year and purchased from
Address , and that he was a true Silver Black fox.
Breeder
Importer
Date 19....
CERTIFICATE OF BREEDING OF DAM
I/WE HEREBY CERTIFY that the female No was bred by
me/us at , and was whelped the property of that she was
descended from native Prince Edward Island foxes; or, that she was imported
from in the year , and purchased from
-\ddres.s and that she was a true Silver Black Fox.
Breeder
Importer
Date 19
178
COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
I hereby declare that the foregoing pedigree is, to the best of my knowledge
and belief, true, that I have taken all available means to satisfy myself that it is
correct, that I have omitted no fact known to me relative to the pedigree of
the above-named fox, and that I make this Solemn Declaration conscientiously
believing it to be true, and knowing that it is of the same force and effect as if
made under oath and by virtue of The Canada Evidence Act.
Sign here
Owner of dam when fox was whelped.
(In case of death legal representa-
tives must sign.)
Declared before me at.
this .
day of 19.
A Commissioner, Notary Public, or J. P.
In consideration of the certificate to be issued and delivered to me in pur-
suance of this application, I hereby agree that I will deliver the same up to the
Registrar of the Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association upon demand, and will,
in case of sale of the above-named fox, execute a transfer of sale to the pur-
chaser in the form prescribed by the said Association, and thereupon deliver the
said Certificate with said transfer so executed to the Registrar, or to the pur-
chaser, as the case may require. It is further agreed that the certificate shall
always be the property of the Association and subject to its control and direction
at any time.
Signed Applicant
I certify that I have examined the above described fox, that the description
is correct, that the age is apparently correct, and that I have placed the following
identification on the left ear, viz :
Signed Registrar
APPENDIX IV
LEITH NAUTICAL COLLEGE
Leith Nautical College, Edinburgh, Scotland, was opened on the 4th February,
1903. It is wholly devoted to technical instruction in subjects directly connected
with the sea. It is a three-storey structure, plain but handsome, situated within
the Docks, the front being in the broad business street called Commercial Street,
near the railway termini and the tram cars.
It has well-equipped physical and mechanical laboratories and excellent class-
rooms, well supplied with appliances for every branch of nautical education,
special care having been taken in the physical laboratory to provide for experi-
mental work in magnetism and electricity in regard to their seafaring applica-
tions, matters in which every modern ship-master and officer should be expert;
and, in the mechanical laboratory, for the teaching of seamanship, mechanical
testing, and shipbuilding.
The teaching arrangements are framed to suit the needs of the migratory
seafaring community. Students can enter at any time, and attend for long
periods or for recurring short periods, as may be convenient to them.
The programme of instruction is as follows : — •
(0) Preparation for the Board of Trade Examinations;
(6) Higher Nautical Education, including Naval Architecture and Marine
Engineering ;
(f) Elementary and Special Nautical Instruction;
(d) Radio-Telegraphy (Wireless Telegraphy).
The Elementarj' and Special Nautical Instruction (c) is on the following
lines : —
(a) Special classes for fishermen, in fishermen's navigation, weather
knowledge, knotting and splicing and rigger's work, and a short
course of ship surgery and medicine.
(6) Courses of instruction to Teachers in the fishing and smaller sea
ports.
(c) A short course of popular evening lectures on nautical sub.'ecl<^.
(d) A short course of elementary navigation, and rope knotting and
splicing, for boys who will shortly go to sea. Boys who are going
to sea should come to the Nautical College, for a period not exceed-
ing six months, for this specialized instruction. This will make
the teaching on board, by the ship-master, easier and plea.santer, as
they will not be altogether ignorant of the subject when they join,
and so will be likely to get much more benefit from any teaching
given them on board.
Apart from fishermen's classes carried on in the College, arrangements have
been made for similar classes being carried on in outlying fishing ports. Part
of the instruction is usually given by one of the day schools' teachers of the
locality. The College sends a special instructor to undertake such part of the
teaching as the day schools' teacher cannot give.
179
180 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
TECHNICAL SCHOOL FOR FISHERMEN, GRIMSBY
A technical school for fishermen, carried on at the Fisherlads' Institute, has
been established at Grimsby, England, the admission being free to all men and
boys engaged on fishing vessels. The nature of the instruction given may be
inferred from a resolution of the Education Committee, of the 25th February,
1907: That the instruction at present be confined to navigation, seamanship, net-
making and mending, and conducted in a similar manner to the classes estab-
lished in Hull.
During the year, 1913-1914, 893 students attended the school for short
courses, the average daily attendance being 66. The majority of the students
take the courses in navigation, although the instruction in braiding and mending
of nets, wire splicing and knotting is not the least valuable part of the educa-
tion given. Prizes are offered in all subjects and, so keen is the competition,
that successful first candidates often score very close to a possible. The Insti-
tute boasts of turning out the first actual going-to-sea fisherman to pass the
Special Compass Syllabus. For this examination a good knowledge of the
laws of terrestrial magnetism is required, a knowledge and application of the
rules in spherical trigonometry, and a practical demonstration of the method of
compensating for the deviations of the compass. The excellent results attained
in this and other lines are a tribute to the intelligence and enthusiasm of the
fishermen.
The class in net-mending, as well as other classes, has suffered lately in
attendance on account of the War but, no doubt, on the cessation of hostilities,
renewed interest will be taken in this branch of fishermen's instruction.
APPENDIX V
An Act to provide for the Inspection and Branding of Pickled Fish
(4-5 George V, chap. 45, assented to 12th June, 1914)
H
IS Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House
of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows : —
1. This Act may be cited as The Fish Inspection Act.
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires : —
(a) "Minister" means the Minister of Marine and Fisheries;
(6) "Department" means the Department of Marine and Fisheries;
(c) " inspecting officer " means an officer appointed under this Act ;
(d) "regulations" means regulations made under the provisions of this
Act.
3. This Act shall apply to salted herring, alewives, mackerel and salmon, and
the barrels, half-barrels or other packages in which such fish are salted and
marketed : Provided that the Governor in Council may at any time extend any
or all of the provisions of this Act to any other kinds of fish.
4. The Governor in Council may appoint a general inspector and other
officers for the carrying out of the provisions of this Act, and shall fix and
determine the qualifications and duties of such officers.
5. Every inspecting officer appointed for the purpose of this Act shall,
previous to his entering upon the duties of his office, take and subscribe to the
following oath : —
I, of in the county of in the
Province of do swear that I will faithfully and honestly
execute the office and trust committed to me of (name of the office), and that I
will not, either directly or indirectly, engage in or in anywise carry on the
business of trading or dealing in fish barrels or fish during my term of office
as So help me God.
6. The Governor in Council may make such regulations, not inconsistent
with the provisions of this Act, as to him seem necessary for the carrying out
of the provisions hereof. Such regulations shall have the same force and effect
as if herein enacted, and shall take effect from the date mentioned in the regu-
lations, and shall be published in The Canada Gazette.
7. The brand provided by this Act shall not be put on any barrel containing
herring, alewives, mackerel, salmon or any other fish that may hereafter be
brought under the provisions of this Act, or on any half-barrel containing
herring or alewives, unless such fish have been caught, cured and packed by
such persons, in such manner, and under such conditions as may be prescribed
by regulations made by the Governor in Council.
8. The inspection of barrels, half-barrels or other packages, and of the fish
they contain, shall take place at the port or place where such fish may have been
cured and packed : Provided that when curing and packing have been performed
at sea the inspection shall take place at any port of landing in Canada.
181
182 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
9. Any curer or packer of herring, alewives, mackerel or salmon having
cured and packed any or all of such fish for the purpose of obtaining the brand
hereinafter described shall give notice in writing to the nearest inspecting officer,
at his office or residence, of the number of barrels, half-barrels, or other pack-
ages of each of the kinds herein named, or which may hereafter be named,
which he desires to present to the said officer for inspection.
10. The inspecting officer on arrival at the place designated in the afore-
mentioned notice shall require the owner or packer to sign a statutory declara-
tion that the fish presented for inspection were cured and packed in Canada or
on board of a Canadian vessel or boat within the period prescribed for the
various classes of fish by the regulations, and that such fish have been in salt
for such number of days as are prescribed for the different classes thereof in
the regulations.
11. The brand hereinafter described shall not be placed on any barrel, half-
barrel or other package containing cured herring, alewives, mackerel or salmon,
the liquid capacity of which is less than that prescribed in the regulations, and
which barrel, half-barrel or other package is not made and marked in accord-
ance with such regulations.
12. On the presentation of the filled barrels, half-barrels or other packages
to a qualified inspecting officer to be inspected for the brand, such officer shall
open, or cause to be opened, so many of the barrels, half-barrels or other pack-
ages and shall remove therefrom so many of the fish, as may be prescribed by
the regrulations, for the purpose of ascertaining whether such fish are of the
quality represented and otherwise in accordance with the standard for that
particular kind of fish as prescribed by this Act and the regulations.
13. On every barrel of herring, alewives, mackerel or salmon and on every
half-barrel of herring or alewives, which on such inspection as aforesaid shall
be found by the said officer to be in all respects packed in accordance with the
regulations for that particular kind of fish, there shall be branded with a hot
iron, by the inspecting officer, or by his order and in his presence, such mark
or marks as shall be directed by the regulations. Such mark or marks shall
denote the quality of the fish, the year of branding, and the officer by whom or
by whose order and in whose presence the brand has been applied.
14. The Governor in Council may appoint inspecting officers to be commis-
sioners to administer oaths and to take and receive affidavits, declarations and
affirmations for all the purposes of this Act.
15. Any inspecting officer may at any time when herring, alewives, mack-
erel or salmon are being cured, packed or repacked, enter the warehouse or
other packing establishment, or go on board of any vessel or boat where such
curing, packing or repacking is being performed, for the purpose of ascertaining
whether such fish are being cured, packed or repacked, in accordance with this
Act and the regulations.
16. Any person who, without the authority of the inspecting officer, burns,
brands or otherwise marks, or causes to be burnt, branded or otherwise marked,
on any barrel, half-barrel or other package of fish any mark or marks which
by virtue of this Act or the regulations made under it are required to be burnt,
branded or otherwise marked on any barrel, half-barrel or other package of
fish, or any mark so nearly resembling the mark prescribed by this Act or the
regulations as to be calculated to deceive, or who. without lawful authority has
in his possession any instrument such as is used for branding, burning or other-
wise marking on any barrel, half-barrel or other package of fish in accordance
with the provisions of this Act and the regulations, shall be liable to a penalty
of not less than twenty dollars and costs, and in default of payment to imprison-
ment for a term not less than one month, or both, and not more than five
FISH INSPECTION ACT, 1914 183
hundred dollars or six months' imprisonment, or both : Provided that nothing
in this section contained shall'operate so as to prevent any person or firm from
applying to any barrel, half-barrel or other package containing fish of any kind
whatsoever, any private trade mark.
17. Any person who alters, destroys, erases or falsifies any declaration or
other document prescribed for use under the provisions of this Act or under
the regulations shall be liable to a penalty of not less than twenty dollars and
costs, and in default of payment to imprisonment for a term of not less than
two months, or both, and not more than five hundred dollars or six months'
imprisonment, or both.
18. Any person who empties, or partially empties, or causes to be emptied
or partially emptied, any barrel, half-barrel or other package of fish which has
been inspected and branded, in order to put into such barrel, half-barrel or
other package any fish of the same kind or of any other kind, not contained
therein at the time of inspection, or who uses any barrel, half-barrel or other
package which has previous to such use been inspected and branded, without
completely obliterating the brand or marks, shall be liable to a penalty of not
less than one hundred dollars and costs, and in default of payment to imprison-
ment for a term of not less than three months, or both.
19. If any marks branded on any barrel, half-barrel or other package of fish
by any qualified inspecting officer pursuant to this Act, or to the regulations,
are altered or defaced, so long as such barrels, half-barrels or other packages
contain the fish inspected in them, every such barrel, half-barrel or other package
with the fish therein contained shall be forfeited to His Majesty, and may be
seized by any inspecting officer.
20. If any dispute arises between any inspecting officer and the owner,
packer or possessor of any barrels, half-barrels or other packages of cured fish
inspected by said officer, with regard to the quality or condition of such barrels,
half-barrels or other packages or the fish they contain, such dispute shall be
forthwith referred to another inspecting officer whose decision in the premises
shall be final : Provided that no appeal from the inspecting officer's decision
shall be considered in any case where the identity of the article in dispute has
not been preserved.
21. If the opinion of the inspecting officer is confirmed, the travelling ex-
penses of the referee in connection with the re-examination shall be paid by the
owner, packer or possessor of such articles; and if otherwise, by the Department.
22. The Governor in Council may make regulations for the guidance of
inspecting officers re-examining any article, on appeal from the decision of any
other inspecting officer.
23. Any inspecting officer or constable may arrest without a warrant any
person found committing an offence against the provisions of this Act, and
shall forthwith take any person so arrested before a justice of the peace to be
examined and dealt with according to law; a person so arrested shall not be
detained in custody, without the order of a justice of the peace, longer than
twenty-four hours.
24. Any inspecting officer charged with the enforcement of this Act may
enter upon any premises to make examination of any barrel, half-barrel or other
package of fish suspected of being or having been falsely marked or packed in
violation of the provisions of this Act or the regulations, whether such barrel,
half -barrel or other package is on the premises of the owner, or elsewhere.
25. Every offence against this Act, or against any regulation, shall for the
purposes of legal proceedings be deemed to have been committed, and every
184 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
cause of complaint under this Act, or any such regulations, shall be deemed to
have arisen in the place in which it actually was committed, or the place where
it was first discovered by the inspecting officer, or where the defendant resides
or is found.
26. Nothing contained in this Act shall compel any person to present for
inspection any fisli, or barrels, half-barrels or other packages in which they are
contained.
27. This Act shall come into force on the 1st day of May, 1915, but the
officers referred to in this Act may be appointed, and the regulations authorized
by this Act may be made, at any time after the passing of this Act.
28. Except as in this Act otherwise provided, every one who violates any
provision of this Act, or any regulations made under it, shall be liable to a
penalty of not more than five hundred dollars, and in default of payment to
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to both.
29. Every penalty and forfeiture imposed under this Act or under any regu-
lation made under it shall be recoverable and enforceable with costs upon
summary conviction under Part XV of the Criminal Code.
30. Part VII of The Inspection and Sale Act, Revised Statutes of Canada,
1906, chapter 85, Is hereby repealed, except in so far as it relates to the inspection
of fish oils.
Regulations made under The Fish Inspection Act, 1914
Construction and Capacity of Barrels and Half-Barbels
1. The staves and heading of every barrel and half-barrel shall be composed
of well-seasoned close-grained wood of good quality and capable of retaining
pickle.
2. In course of construction, every barrel and half-barrel shall be well fired
so as to admit of the staves being bent to the requisite extent, and the staves
shall not be cracked, broken or patched.
3. The staves of every barrel, when completed, shall be not less than five-
eighths of an inch, and the heading not less than three-fourths of an inch in
thickness; and the staves of every half-barrel when completed, shall be not less
than nine-sixteenths of an inch and the heading not less than five-eighths of an
inch in thickness.
4. The staves of every barrel and half-barrel shall not exceed five inches,
and shall not be less than two inches and one-half inch in breadth at the bilge.
5. The heads of barrels and half-barrels shall be composed of not less than
three pieces and shall be securely fastened with either hardwood or iron dowels.
All heads shall be bevelled one-third outside and two-thirds inside, and shall
fit properly in a clean-cut croze, one-eighth of an inch deep.
6. The chimes shall be one inch in length from the top to the croze.
7. Every barrel and half-barrel shall be hooped in one of the three following
ways, viz. :
(a) entirely with wooden hoops;
(b) partly with wooden hoops and partly with iron hoops;
(c) entirely with iron hoops.
REGULATIONS, FISH INSPECTION ACT, 1914 185
8. Every barrel hooped entirely with wooden hoops shall be full-bound on
both ends, that is, from the quarter to the end.
9. Every barrel hooped partly with, wooden hoops and partly with iron hoops
shall have an iron hoop on each end, two inches wide of wire gauge No. 16 if
of black iron and No. 17 if of galvanized iron, and shall have not less than
three good wooden hoops on each quarter.
10. Every barrel hooped entirely with iron hoops shall have an iron hoop on
each end as defined in Clause 9, and shall have two iron hoops black or galva-
nized on each quarter, one and one-fourth inches wide of wire gauge No. 18,
and there shall be one and one-half inches between the upper and lower quarter
hoops, on each quarter.
11. Every half-barrel hooped partly with wooden hoops and partly with iron
shall have an iron hoop on each end one and one-half inches wide of wire gauge
No. 17 if of black iron and No. 18 if of galvanized iron, and shall have three
good wooden hoops on each quarter.
12. Every half-barrel hooped entirely with iron hoops shall have an iron
hoop on each end as defined in Clause 11, and shall have two iron hoops, black
or galvanized, one inch wide of wire gauge No. 18 on each quarter, and there
shall be one and one-quarter inches between the upper and lower hoops on
each quarter.
13. Every barrel shall have a space of ten inches, and every half-barrel a
space of nine inches across the bilge between the quarter hoops.
14. The wooden hoops on every barrel and half-barrel shall be of sound
hardwood, and be not less than three- fourths of an inch for barrels, and five-
eighths of an inch for half -barrels in breadth at the small end; and each hoop
shall be properly notched, perfectly fitted and firmly driven to its place.
15. Every barrel and half-barrel shall be made perfectly tight and before
they leave the maker's hands he shall bore a hole, three-eighths of an inch in
diameter, through the head of every barrel and half-barrel, and by blowing into
them test their air-tightness. A half pint of weak pickle should be poured into
every barrel and half-barrel before the head is put in, to assist in the detection
of leaks.
16. The staves of every barrel, intended to be filled with cured herring or
alewives shall be twenty-seven inches in length and the heads seventeen inches
in diameter, i.e., a sevcntcen-inch cut head ; every such barrel shall be twenty
inches in diameter at the bilge, outside measurement, and be capable of contain-
ing not less than twenty-two gallons imperial measure.
17. The staves of every half-barrel intended to be filled with cured herring
or alewives shall be twenty-two inches in length, and the heads fourteen inches
in diameter, i.e., a fourteen-incli cut head; and every such half-barrel shall be
seventeen inches in diameter at the bilge, outside measurement ; and be capable
of containing not less than eleven gallons imperial measure.
18. The staves of every barrel, intended to be filled with cured mackerel or
salmon, shall be twenty-nine inches in length and the heads seventeen inches in
diameter i.e., a seventeen-inch cut head ; and every such barrel shall be twenty-
one inches in diameter at the bilge, outside measurement, and be capable of
containing not less than twenty-six gallons imperial measure.
19. The staves of every half-barrel intended to be filled with cured mackerel
or salmon shall be twenty-four inches in length, and the heads fourteen inches
in diameter, i.e., a fourteen-inch cut head; and everv such half-barrel shall be
186 CO INI MISSION OF CONSERVATION
eighteen inches in diameter at the hilge, outside measurement, and every such
half-barrel shall be capable of containing not less than thirteen gallons imperial
measure.
20. The heads of every barrel and half-barrel shall be planed on the outside.
21. On every barrel and half-barrel the name of the maker and the place of
making shall be stamped in small but legible letters in the space between the
upper quarter hoop and the end hoop, on quarter hooped barrels, and close to the
lower hoop on full bound barrels.
22. The capacity of barrels and half-barrels intended for use in curing her-
ring in what is known as the Scottish style, shall be either as defined in the
foregoing clauses, or as defined in Appendix 1.
23. When any curer or packer of herring, alewives, mackerel or salmon has
completely cured and packed any or all of such, for the purpose of obtaining the
brand, he shall give notice in writing to the nearest inspecting officer, at the
office or residence of such officer, of the number of barrels or half-barrels of
each of the kinds of fish herein named which he desires to present to the said
officer for inspection ; and he shall state in such notice the place where inspection
is desired.
24. An inspecting officer, on receipt of such notice as is mentioned in the
foregoing section, shall so govern his movements over his district that the least
possible time shall elapse between the receipt of such notice and the carrying
out of the desired inspection.
25. The inspecting officer, on arrival at the place designated in the afore-
mentioned notice, and before proceeding with the inspection, shall require the
curer or packer to sign, in his presence, a declaration that the fish presented for
inspection were cured and packed in Canada or on board of a Canadian vessel
or boat, within the time herein prescribed for each particular kind ; and that
such fish have been in salt for such number of days as are herein prescribed for
the different kinds thereof.
26. On the outside of the bottom of every barrel and half-barrel presented
for inspection there shall be legibly written with a lead pencil at the time of
packing, the class of fish and the date on which the fish were first put in salt,
as the case may be, in the following manner :
No. 1 No. 2
or
Aug. 10 Sept. 3
27. The name of the packer or owner and the name of the place of packing
shall be legibly stencilled on the outside of the bottom of every barrel and half-
barrel presented for inspection.
28. The barrels and half-barrels presented for inspection shall be laid out
in such a way that the marks on the bottom ends may come at once under the
eye of the inspecting officer.
29. Barrels and half-barrels filled with cured herring, alewives, mackerel or
salmon, and presented for inspection for the brand shall be closely examined
by the inspecting officer, to sec that such barrels and half-barrels are made
strictly in accordance with the regulations; and he shall, if considered necessary,
empty the fish out of at least one barrel and one half-barrel from the lot of
such fish so presented by each packer, and shall test the capacity of at least three
others of each t>pe by calipers, and the inspecting officer may, if he considers
it necessary, weigh the fish from one barrel in each parcel.
REGULATIONS, FISH INSPECTION ACT, 1914 187
30. The minimum number of barrels to be opened for examination by an
inspecting officer shall be as follows :
In parcels of fifty or more barrels or half-barrels, ten per cent shall be
opened and examined.
In parcels of less than fifty barrels or half-barrels, twenty per cent shall be
opened and examined.
31. Inspecting officers are not restricted to the scale mentioned, but, if need
be, shall open as many more barrels or half-barrels as they may deem requisite
to satisfy themselves that the fish are worthy of the brand, for the granting of
which officers will be held responsible to the Department.
32. From any parcel presented for the brand, the inspecting officer alone shall
select and indicate the barrels or half-barrels that are to be examined.
33. In the case of a parcel containing fish cured on different dates, the
inspecting officer, in selecting the barrels or half-barrels to be opened, shall
select some containing fish cured on each of the different dates.
34. The barrels or half-barrels selected for examination shall, as a general
rule, be opened at the bottom end and the head end alternately; that is to say,
if the first barrel examined is opened at the head end, the second shall be
opened at the bottom end, and so on until the whole examination is concluded.
35. From one in every five barrels or half-barrels opened for examination
the inspecting officer shall remove and examine the fish down to the middle of
the barrel or half -barrel; and from each of the remaining barrels or half-
barrels opened, he shall remove and examine the fish down to the lower quarter
hoop of the end opened. In small parcels where fewer than five barrels or
half-barrels are opened, one barrel or half-barrel shall be examined down to the
middle, and the remaining barrels or half-barrels opened shall be examined
down to the lower quarter hoop of the end opened.
36. The inspecting officer, on completion of the examination, shall see that
each barrel or half-barrel which has been opened and examined is filled up with
the same fish which were removed from it — all objectionable ones being excluded,
and replaced by fish conforming to the standard — and headed with proper care.
37. The curer or packer shall be responsible for the coopering and packing
necessitated by the examination.
38. The inspecting officer shall himself remove the fish from the barrels or
half-barrels when conducting the examination.
Method of Curing, P.^cking, Etc., of Herring and Alewives Necess.-krv to
Secure the Brand
39. Herring to be cured round should have the gills and entrails taken clean
away by cutting just below the two upper fins, with a sharp knife, and should
be thoroughly salted into perfectly tight clean receptacles immediately after
being caught.
40. Herring to be cured as split herring should be neatly opened with a sharp
knife, and have the blood scraped from the bone, washed and thoroughly salted
into perfectly tight clean receptacles immediately after being caught.
41. Alewives should be thoroughly salted into perfectly tight clean receptacles
immediately after being caught.
42. Herring and alewives should be well turned over in salt, and as much
of it as possible allowed to stick to each fish before being placed in the afore-
188 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
mentioned receptacles, in order to prevent one fish from stickjng to the other and
becoming discoloured when cured.
43. Herring and alewives shall have been in salt and pickle for not less than
ten free days before being presented for the brand.
44. Herring and alewives should be carefully laid in tiers in the barrels or
half-barrels and each tier uniformly salted and completed with two fish laid
across the heads of those in the tier, and each successive tier laid transversely
to the tier underneath, and the heads of the fish kept close to the sides of the
barrels or half-barrels.
45. Barrels and half-barrels should be soaked in clean water before filling.
46. In finally packing barrels or half-barrels after the fish have been in salt
and pickle not less than ten days fish of the same quality and of the same date
of curing should be used, and every barrel should contain two hundred pounds
and every half-barrel one hundred pounds of fish when completely packed.
47. Barrels and half-barrels after being packed should be immediately headed
up, made perfectly tight, and filled through a bung hole in the centre of the
bilge, with clean pickle made strong enough to float a herring.
48. The fish during the process of curing and handling, and the barrels and
half-barrels after being filled must be carefully protected at all times from the
weather.
49. After barrels and half-barrels have been finally filled, the top quarter
hoops and the chime hoops when of wood should be securely nailed with nails
not exceeding one and one-quarter inches in length.
50. The curing of herring in what is known as the Scottish style for the
brand shall be carried out in the manner described in Appendix I.
Method of Curing, P.\cking, Etc., of Mackerel and Salmon Necessary to
Secltre the Brand
51. Mackerel and salmon should be well split with a sharp knife and should
have the blood removed from the back bone, thoroughly washed in at least
three changes of water, and salted into perfectly tight clean receptacles imme-
diately after being caught.
52. Mackerel and salmon should be well dredged in salt before being packed
in the aforementioned receptacles.
53. In packing, the bottom of the receptacle should be covered with salt, and
the first tier of fish laid thereon with their backs downward, care being taken to
keep the packing level ; when the tier is completed it should be covered with salt.
The second tier should be laid in the same manner, and so on till the barrel
is filled. The top tier should be back up.
54. Mackerel and salmon shall have been in salt and pickle for not less than
twelve free days before being presented for the brand.
55. In finally preparing mackerel and salmon for the brand they shall be
emptied out of the receptacle, washed in pickle, selected in accordance with the
sizes hereinafter mentioned, and weighed into lots which, when packed in a
barrel, would each weigh two hundred pounds, and in a half-barrel, one hun-
dred pounds.
REGULATIONS, FISH INSPECTION ACT, 1914 189
56. The process of repacking mackerel and salmon should be the same as
that of packing in the original receptacles except that a little less salt should
be used. The top tier should be back up.
57. When the repacking is finished the barrels should be headed up and made
perfectly tight, the hoops nailed, as described for herring barrels, and the
barrels filled with clean, strong pickle, through a bung hole in the centre of the
bilge.
Number of Classes and Grades into which Herring Should be Divided, and
THE Requirements for Each in Order to Obtain the Brand
58. There shall be three classes of branded herring, namely: Fat July Her-
ring, Fat August Herring, and Spring and Fall Herring; and there shall be
two grades in each class, namely: Number 1 and Number 2.
59. Herring to be classed as Fat July Herring shall consist of fat herring
taken during the month of July.
60. Herring to be classed as Fat August Herring shall consist of herring
taken during the month of August and early September, before they have
spawned.
61. Herring to be classed as Spring and Fall Herring shall consist of herring
taken during the spring months, including June, and herring taken during the
fall months after the spawning period.
62. Number 1 herring of either of the foregoing classes shall consist of
perfectly sound fish measuring not less than eleven inches from the extremity
of the head to where the flesh and tail meet. They shall be free from rust,
bright in colour, uniformly salted and thoroughly cured.
63. Number 2 herring of either of the foregoing classes shall consist of per-
fectly sound fish measuring not less than nine inches from the extremity of the
head to where the flesh and tail meet. They shall be free from rust, bright in
colour, uniformly salted and thoroughly cured.
Number of Grades into which Alewives Should be Divided, and the Require-
ments FOR Each in Order to Obtain the Brand.
64. There shall be two grades of branded alewives, namely : Number 1 and
Number 2.
*65. Number 1 alewives shall consist of perfectly sound fish, measuring not
less than ten inches from the extremity of the head to where the flesh and tail
meet. They shall be free from rust, bright in colour, uniformly salted and
thoroughly cured.
*66. Number 2 alewives shall consist of perfectly sound fish, measuring not
less than eight inches from the extremity of the head to where the flesh and
tail meet. They shall be free from rust, bright in colour, uniformly salted and
thoroughly cured.
•Sections 65 and 66 have been rescinded by Order in Council, June 2, 1915, and
t!ie following substituted in lieu thereof:
65. Number 1 alewives shall consist o( perfectly sound fish, measuring not less
than nine inches from the extremity of the head to where the flesh and tall meet.
They shall be free from rust, bright in colour, uniformly salted and thoroughly cured.
66. Number 2 alewives shall consist of perfectly sound fish, measuring not less
than seven inches from the extremity of the head to where the flesh and tail meet.
They shall be free from rust, bright in colour, uniformly salted and thoroughly cured.
190 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
67. The brand shall be refused to any class or grade of herring or alewivei
presented for examination if such fish are not packed in barrels or half-barrels
such as are hereinbefore described.
Number of Classes and Grades into which Mackerel Should be Divided, and
THE Requirements for Each, in Order to Obtain the Brand
68. There shall be three classes of branded mackerel : Spring Mackerel,
Summer Mackerel and Fall Mackerel. Spring Mackerel shall be graded as
"Large," "Medium" and "Small." Summer Mackerel as No. 2 and No. 3;
Fall Mackerel as Bloaters, No. i, No. 2 and No. 3.
69. Mackerel to be classed as spring mackerel shall consist of mackerel taken
during the spring and early summer.
70. Mackerel to be classed as summer mackerel shall consist of mackerel
taken during the month of August and early September.
71. Mackerel to be classed as fall mackerel shall consist of fat mackerel
taken during the fall months.
72. Large spring mackerel when finally packed for the brand shall consist
of mackerel not less than IS inches from the extremity of the head to where
the flesh meets the tail (measured down the centre of the fish).
The mackerel shall be properly split and well washed. They shall have all
blood removed, and be regularly packed, uniformly salted and thoroughly
cured.
73. Medium spring mackerel when finally packed for the brand shall consist
of mackerel under 15 inches and not less than 13 inches from the extremity of
the head to where the flesh meets the tail (measured down the centre of the
fish.)
The mackerel shall be properly split and well washed. They shall have all
blood removed and be regularly packed, uniformly salted and thoroughly cured.
74. Small spring mackerel when finally packed for the brand shall consist
of mackerel under 13 inches and not less than 11 inches from the extremity
of the head to where the flesh meets the tail (measured down the centre of the
fish).
The mackerel shall be properly split and well washed. They shall have all
blood removed and be regularly packed, uniformly salted and thoroughly cured.
75. No. 2 summer mackerel when finally packed for the brand shall consist
of mackerel not less than 13 inches from the extremity of the head to where
the flesh meets the tail (measured down the centre of the fish).
The mackerel shall show distinct signs of fat, be properly split and well
washed; they shall have all blood removed and be regularly packed, uniformly
salted and thoroughly cured.
76. No. 3 summer mackerel when finally packed for the brand shall consist
of mackerel under 13 inches, and not less than 11 inches from the extremity of
the head to where the flesh meets the tail (measured down the centre of the
fish).
The mackerel shall show distinct signs of fat, be properly split and v.ell
washed ; they shall have all blood removed and be regularly packed, uniformly
salted and thoroughly cured.
77. Bloaters when finally packed for the brand shall consist of extra fat fall
mackerel, and shall count not more than one hundred fish to a full barrel.
The mackerel shall be properly split, well washed, white in colour, free from
blood .stains, regularly packed, uniformly salted and thoroughly cured.
REGULATIONS, FISH INSPECTION ACT, 1914 191
78. No. 1 fall mackerel when finally packed for the brand shall consist of
fat mackerel not less than 15 inches from the extremity of the head to where
the flesh meets the tail (measured down the centre of the fish).
The mackerel shall be properly split, well washed, white in colour, free from
blood stains, regularly packed, uniformly salted and thoroughly cured.
79. No. 2 fall mackerel, when finally packed for the brand shall consist of fat
mackerel under 15 inches and not less than 13 inches from the extremity of the
head to where the flesh meets the tail (measured down the centre of the fish).
The mackerel shall be properly split, well washed, white in colour, free from
blood stains, regularly packed, uniformly salted and thoroughly cured.
80. No. 3 fall mackerel, when finally packed for the brand shall consist of
fat mackerel under 13 inches and not less than 11 inches from the extremity of
the head to where the flesh meets the tail (measured down the centre of the
fish).
The mackerel shall be properly split, well washed, white in colour, free from
blood stains, regularly packed, uniformly salted and thoroughly cured.
Number or Gr.-vdes into which S.^lmon Should be Divided .\nd the Require-
ments FOR E.^CH in Order to Obtain the Br.\nd
81. There shall be one grade of branded salmon, namely: No. 1.
82. No. 1 salmon when finally packed for the brand shall consist of good,
sound fish, properly split, well washed, free from blood stains, regularly packed,
uniformly salted and thoroughly cured.
83. The brand shall be refused to any class or grade of mackerel or salmon
presented for examination if such fish are not packed in barrels or half-barrels
such as are hereinbefore described.
Method of Deciding Disputes Between Inspecting Officer and Owner
84. In the event of a dispute arising between an inspecting officer and the
owner, packer or possessor of any barrels or half-barrels of cured fish inspected
by the said officer, regarding the quality or condition of such barrels or half-
barrels or the fish they contain, the owner, packer, or possessor may notify an-
other inspecting officer that a re-examination of the articles in dispute is
desired.
85. On receipt of such notification the inspecting officer shall at once pro-
ceed to the place designated and carry out the re-examination with the least
possible loss of time.
86. No re-examination shall be undertaken until the inspecting officer has
satisfied himself as to the identity of the articles in dispute, but no new declara-
tion shall be required.
87. \ re-examination shall be carried out in a manner similar to a first
examination.
88. If the decision of the first inspecting officer is confirmed by the second
inspecting officer, the travelling expenses of the latter in connection with the
re-examination shall be paid by the owner, packer, or possessor of the articles
in dispute; and if otherwise, by the Department.
192 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Description ok Brand and Stencil to be Used, and Method of Applying
THE Same
Every barrel and half-barrel containing cured herring, alewives, mackerel or
salmon, presented to an inspecting officer for inspection shall, if the construction
and capacity of "the barrel or half-barrel and the quality, cure, selection and
packing of the fish contained therein, are, in the opinion of such officer, such
as satisfy the requirements for its particular class and grade :
(a) have branded in his presence, by means of a hot iron, on the bilge, a
crown surrounding the word " Canada," a description of the grade of the fish,
viz: No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 (as the case may be), letters indicating the name
of the inspecting officer, and figures representing the month and the year of
branding ;
(b) have stencilled in his presence, on the head end, a crown surrounding
the word " Canada ", the kind and quality of the fish, letters indicating the name
of the inspecting officer, and figures representing the month and the year of
branding.
In addition to the foregoing all branded mackerel shall have the word
"Spring," "Summer," or "Fall" (as the case may be), branded with a hot
iron below the crown, all branded herring shall have the word "July," "August,"
or "Spring" and "Fall" (as the case may be), branded with a hot iron below
the crown, and all branded herring shall have the word " split " or " round "
(as the case may be), stencilled on the head end below the crown.
Form of Declaration to be Made by Packer or Owner to the Inspecting
Officer Before Inspection, as Called for by Section 25
I
declare that the fish and every part thereof contained in the barrels and half-
barrels now produced for inspection have, to the best of my knowledge and
belief, been caught by British subjects, and cleaned, salted, and packed by British
subjects in Canada or on board of a Canadian vessel or boat, within the time
prescribed in the regulations for each particular kind of fish, and that they have
been in salt for not less than the number of days prescribed in the regula-
tions for such particular kind of fish, and that none of the said fish have
been before this time produced for inspection to any inspecting officer, either
in the same or in different barrels or half-barrels, in order to obtain the official
brand ; and I make this solemn declaration, conscientiously believing it to be
true, and knowing that it is of the same force and effect as if made under oath
by virtue of the Canada Evidence Act.
.Packer or Curer
Declared before me at
the dav of 19.
Inspecting Officer
Herring Cl-red in the Scottish Style
1. The construction of barrels and half-barrels for the Scottish system of
herring curing shall be as defined in clauses 1 to 15 of the main regulations.
2. The capacity of barrels necessary to secure the brand under the Scottish
system of herring curing shall be either twenty-six gallons and two-thirds part
of a gallon imperial measure, and of half-barrels thirteen and one-third part
REGULATIONS, FISH INSPECTION ACT, 1914 193
of a gallon imperial measure, or twenty-two gallons imperial measure and
eleven gallons imperial measure respectively.
Method of Curing, Packing, Etc., of Herring in the Scottish Style Neces-
sary TO Secure the Brand
3. The herring must be perfectly fresh, bright and firm, and should not be
allowed to be exposed to sun or rain.
4. The gills and gut must be taken clean away with a sharp narrow-bladed
knife, by cutting jvist below the two upper fins, leaving the roe or milt in the
fish.
The herring should be separated into three grades during the process of gut-
ting, and be known as " Large Full," " Full," and " Medium Full."
5. " Large Full " shall consist of herring not more than 13 inches and not less
than liyi inches in length from the point of the nose to the tip of the tail, and
showing the roe or milt at the throat when the gut has been extracted.
"Full" shall consist of herring under 11J4 inches but not less than 10%
inches in length, from the point of the nose to the tip of the tail, showing the
roe or milt at the throat when the gut has been extracted.
" Medium Full " shall consist of herring under 1054 inches, but not less than
9}4 inches in length from the point of the nose to the tip of the tail, and show-
ing the roe or milt at the throat when the gut has been extracted.
6. The gutted fish shall be placed in a tub or other suitable receptacle, each
grade separately, and thoroughly turned over in, and mixed with salt.
7. When properly roused the herring shall be lifted from the rousing tub,
allowing as much as possible of the rousing salt to stick to each fish, and
packed in tiers in a barrel or half-barrel. The fish shall be laid back down,
and kept close together, three herring being used to stretch across the tier, one
at each side with their heads to the staves, and one in the centre ; in packing
Grade 1 into half-barrels, two herring may be used to stretch across the tier.
When the tier has been completed two herring shall be placed on their sides,
over the heads of the herring in the tier, with their tails crossed and their backs
next to the staves. In packing Large Fulls into half-barrels one herring may
be placed over the heads of those in the tier. The whole tier shall then be
salted, and the ne.xt tier packed transversely to the one below it, and so on until
the barrel is packed full, each tier being salted separately. The gutting and
packing should take place at the same time, and shall be completed within
twenty-four hours after the fish have been taken from the nets.
8. The quantity of salt which may be used in packing varies according to the
size and condition of the fish. A safeguard is to evenly scatter as much salt
on each tier as will almost cover the bellies of the fish in the tier, Large Fulls
getting a little more than Fulls, and Medium Fulls a little less.
9. On the outside of the bottom of every barrel and half-barrel about to be
filled, there shall be legibly written with a lead pencil, at the time of packing,
the class of fish and the date of curing as for example :
FULL MEDIUM FULL
Aug. 10 Sept. 3
10. On the third day after the original packing the salt will be found to have
dissolved a little and, provided the barrel is not leaky, pickle seen almost up to
the top tier. The herring will al.so be found to have sunk two or three inches
i'i the barrel. On this day, therefore, the space left by the sinking of the her-
194 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
ring in each barrel shall be filled up to the croze, with herring of the same
day's pack and grade, a little salt being added to the herring used in filling up.
The head shall then be put in and made tight, and the barrel laid on its side for
the stated number of days before the final filling up and preparation for market.
11. On the twelfth day, counting from the day of first packing, a bung-hole
shall be made in the side of the barrel, midway between the centre of the bilge
and the lower hoop on the bottom end, the barrel up-ended and the head taken
out. The bung shall then be withdrawn and the pickle run off as far down as
the bung-hole. This pickle should be retained for future use.
The space thus left shall be filled up with herring of the same date of pack-
ing, and of the same grade as is shown by the marks on the bottom.
The packing shall be as before, and the barrel so filled that the top tier shall
be quite flush with the end of the staves.
Three herring shall be laid straight on their backs across the heads of the
herring of the top tier, instead of two on their sides as in the other tiers.
The head shall then be pressed in and made perfectly tight, and as much of
the original pickle as the barrel will take inserted through the bung-hole. This
should leave the top tier slightly flattened, smooth and firm.
Herring used for the second filling up should be washed in pickle and
slightly sprinkled with salt when in the tiers.
If barrels filled with herring lie for some time after being finally filled up,
before shipment to market, they shall be supplied with pickle at least once in
two weeks.
12. The method of notifying inspecting officer, and the method of inspec-
tion of barrels and half-barrels filled in the Scottish style, shall be as described
in clauses 23 to 38 of the main regulations.
APPENDIX VI
Synopsis of the Report on the Otter Trawl Fishery, Submitted to
Congress by the United States Commissioner of Fisheries*
The report on the otter trawl fishery recently submitted to Congress by
the United States Commissioner of Fisheries, sheds much light on a vexed
question which has aroused a very bitter controversy in Eastern Canada. It
merits careful study and consideration from Canadian fisheries authorities.
The Sundry Civil Appropriation acts approved by Congress on August
24th, 1912, authorized the Commissioner of Fisheries " to investigate the method
of fishing known as beam or otter trawling and to report to Congress whether
or not this method of fishing is destructive to the fish species, or is otherwise
harmful or undesirable." The granting of the foregoing authority was con-
sequent upon an agitation against the operations of steam trawlers similar to
that being carried on at the present time by the line fishermen of Nova Scotia.
The points in dispute were substantially the same in both instances. The repre-
sentations against and iii defence of steam trawlers are quoted as follows, in
the form in which they are stated by Commissioner H. M. Smith of the Bureau
of Fisheries, in transmitting the report to the Secretary of Commerce:
" On the one hand it was charged :
(1) That the fishing areas where steam trawlers have already been oper-
ating have become seriously depleted of fish;
(2) That the spawn or eggs of fish are destroved bv the trawl net when
being dragged along the bottom;
(3) That immature fish are taken in very large numbers, which are killed
m the process of capture and are thrown away:
(4) That valuable shellfish are destroyed in large numbers;
(5) That steam trawlers carry on operations at night, as well as in the day-
time, and that, although an effort might be made to keep clear of the ordinary
fisherman's gear during daylight, no such effort would be made in the darkness,
owing to the invisibility of the buoys and other floating marks;
(6) That it is not an uncommon thing for a steam trawler to come close
to ordinary fishing vessels and their dories, and, when the gear of the latter is
in the water and being overhauled, if fish appear plentiful, to sweep around the
spot and, with the trawlnet, carry away the gear with all the fish on the hooks ;
(7) Further, that while steam trawling has been prohibited within the
territorial waters of Canada, such protection affords the inshore fishermen little
protection, as their gear is frequently set even long distances beyond territorial
waters, and it, of course, affords no protection whatever to the " bank " fisher-
men.
" On the other hand it is urged :
(1) That steam trawling is not an unduly destructive method of fishing,
as an evidence of which is the fact that it has been intensively carried on in the
North sea and other European waters for very many years without any diminu-
tion of the fisheries being apparent ;
'See report on The Otter Trawl Fishery, by A. B. Alexander. H. T. Moore and
w. C. Kendall. — United States Bureau of Fisheries, Document No. 186.
195
196 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
(2) That continuous supplies are necessary to meet the demands of the
growing fresh-fish markets, and that, as steam trawling can be carried on in
practically all weathers, it is the only means of providing such continuous
supplies ;
(3) That edible flat fishes, for which there is an ever-growing market, and
which are taken in very limited quantities by hook and line, can be secured in
large quantities by steam trawlers."
Method of Investigation
Little time was lost in organizing the work, Mr. A. B. Alexander directing
the field investigation. Bureau officials, selected for their practical experience
and lack of prejudice, were placed on both otter and line trawlers operating
out of New England ports, supplied with printed forms on which to record
their observations in a very detailed manner and with respect to all phases of
fishing operations. The field investigation, including the observation of 64
trips and 1,633 hauls by otter trawlers, and of 17 trips and 90 sets of trawl
lines by schooners, was completed by December, 1913. The data collected were
handed over to a committee specially appointed to draw up the official report
for Congress. This committee based its conclusions respecting American fishing
grounds wholly upon the material accumulated by the Bureau of Fisheries but.
for comparative purposes and an adequate comprehension of the subject as a
whole, found it necessary to make a very thorough study of the history of
otter-trawling in Great Britain. Statistical evidence from British sources there-
fore occupies an important position in the discussion. The report was com-
pleted and submitted in January of the present year. A very significant state-
ment, occurring in the letter of transmittal from the Bureau Committee to the
Fisheries Commissioner, reads as follows : " When analyzed, the allegations
against trawl-fishing seem to have had their origin in that one economic factor
that has been an ever-present cause of complaint against each and every innova-
tion in fishery methods and appliances in whatever country — competition."
Information Regarding American Fisheries
Otter-trawling is a comparatively new development in American waters.
The first vessel of this type in the American service was operated out of Boston
in 1905 and numerical increase of the fleet was very slow until 1910. Even to-
day, the Boston steam-trawling fleet numbers not more than a dozen vessels
al! told, but it is the rapid increase of the last four years that has caused
apprehension regarding possible depletion of fishing waters. At the same time,
recent years have witnessed a great change in the model and rig of fi.shing
vessels of all types. Without going into detail, these may be roughly divided
first into two classes, liners and otter trawlers. Line fishing itself may be sub-
divided into hand-line and trawl-line fishing, but the distinction has no special
significance with regard to the respective effects of the two methods upon the
continued productivity of fishing-grounds. Lines, whether hauled by hand from
a dory or the deck of a schooner, or set as an extensive trawl-line system of
buoys, ground lines and gangings, are not essentially different either in opera-
tion or effect. They are simply variations of the same system. The otter trawl,
however, introduces an entirely new method. Briefly stated, it consists of a
large, flattened, conical bag which is towed along the bottom of the sea. The
bag or net commonly used is about ISO feet long: the upper edge of the mouth
about 110 and the lower edge 140 feet long. The frontal third of the net has
a mesh 3 inches square, the median section 1% inches square, while the mesh
of the rear or cod end is 1^ inches square. When in motion the net is kept
open laterally by two heavy doors or otter-boards, one at each side, attached
so as to act like kites. The typical trawling vessel is 115 feet in length, of from
248 to 296 gross tons, and equipped with engines of about 450 horsepower. In
fishing, the trawl-net is towed along the bottom of the sea at a rate of from two
to three miles per hour, usually for about lyi hours per haul. As fishing con-
tinues day and night, a steam trawler will average ten or twelve hauls per
twenty-four hours.
OTTER TRAWL FISHERY 197
The foregoing furnishes some slight conception of the innovation in fishing
methods and of the revolution in the organization of the fishing industry that
has been consequent upon the invention of the steam trawl. It represents
modern large scale production as contrasted with small individual enterprise.
Whether it is really efficient and economical in the long run can best be answered
by a consideration of the verdict of the report on each of the points at issue.
Conclusions
(1) The most serious accusation against the steam trawler was that first
enumerated, viz., that the fishing areas where steam trawlers have already been
operating have become seriously depleted of fish. The importance of this
charge was fully realized and, during the course of the investigation, particular
effort was made to secure all possible data in reference to it. The opinion
of the committee on this point, so far as the American waters are concerned,
is decisive. It is clearly expressed as follows : " Considering all the data
available respecting the supply of fish and particularly the haddock, the species
most conspicuous in the catch of the otter trawlers, we can see no evidence
of the depletion of the supply on the fishing grounds frequented by the otter
trawlers. The average catch per trip shows no diminution from that made
prior to the introduction of the steam trawlers." Again, as No. 8 of the con-
clusions, this verdict is endorsed ; " We have been unable to discover from the
examination of official records, extending from 1891 to 1914, any evidence
whatever that the banks frequented by the American otter trawlers are being
depleted of their fishes." Such a finding was to be expected in view of the
recent establishment and relative smallness of the otter-trawl fishery on this
side of the Atlantic. The otter trawl would necessarily be a very efficient
engine of destruction to have made any appreciable effect upon American
fisheries in the short period during which they have been in operation. But
even with respect to the fisheries of the United Kingdom, for which a wealth
of statistical data is available, the committee strictly avoided making any dog-
matic assertion or definite charge regarding the destructive character of the
otter trawl. On the other hand, the committee are in no sense guilty of equivo-
cation ; they have simply refrained from expressing conclusive opinions except
where the evidence was indubitable. This desire to be fair is well exemplified
in the statement referring to the alleged depletion of United Kingdom fisheries.
To quote : " While the statistical information, particularly that contained in
the English reports, is more useful for the purpose than is that pertaining to
our own fishery, it is in recent years only that it is given in sufficient detail.
Proof respecting the depletion of the fisheries, on the contrary, cannot be
deduced. The most possible has been the establishment of more or less strong
presumptions one way or the other." The fisheries considered in this connec-
tion were those of the North sea, Iceland, the White sea and the Faroe islands.
The three most important species taken in these regions are the haddock, cod
and plaice. Without discussing in detail the evidence adduced, the main findings
may be briefly stated. The North sea furnishes the most trustworthy evidence
and the others mentioned are taken into consideration chiefly for purposes of
confirmation. Two features stand out clearly. First, in practically no instance
of importance does the cod show signs of depletion ; in most cases the reverse
is true. Secondly, plaice, the most important of the round fishes, almost
invariably shows a heavy decrease in every respect, the total catch, the average
per unit of effort and the proportion of large fish to the total. Here, the
evidence of overfishing is unmistakable. Regarding haddock, the most important
species of all, the decrease applies to the total catch and the average catch per
unit of effort, which must be considered as the most valuable criteria ; the
decrease in the proportion of large fish is not so apparent. The other fisheries
on the whole confirm the foregoing.
The general situation in the North sea is summarized as follows: "On
whichever basis computed, the average catch of demersal fisheries has decreased
from 1903 to 1912, the average catch of cod has materially increased, while the
yields of haddock and plaice per unit of effort have decreased by over 53 and 37
per cent respectively." These facts comprise the basis for the " more or less
198 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
strong presumptions," that the operations of steam trawlers have had a tendency
to deplete the United Kingdom fisheries.
(2) Much weight has been attached by opponents of the otter trawl to the
charge that the spawn or eggs of fish are destroyed by the trawl-net when
being dragged along the bottom. This accusation is disposed of summarily
by a simple negation and by the statement that " the only destruction of spawn
is that involved in taking spawning fish, and such fish are also taken on hand-
lines on Georges bank at least and by nets along the coast."
(3) The most serious charge of which the otter trawl is convicted, and
the one on which almost entirely the recommendations to limit its operations
are based, is the third enumerated, viz., " that immature fish are taken in very
large numbers, which are killed in the process of capture and are thrown away."
On this point the evidence was plain and the case is clearly stated in the fourth
conclusion : " Otter trawls, as compared with lines, take a much larger pro-
portion of commercial fishes too small to market. From January to May, 3
per cent of the cod and 11 per cent of the haddock, and from June to December,
40 per cent of the cod and 38 per cent of the haddock were unmarketably
small, while the lines caught practically no such fish. These proportions were
fully maintained in the respective classes of vessels fishing at the same season
on the same grounds. These young fish are practically all destroyed."
(4) The accusation that valuable shellfish are destroyed in large numbers
by otter trawlers was passed over without any comment by the committee.
However, from a careful perusal of the report, it would appear that the officials
by whom the investigatory work was conducted found no evidence in support of
the charge.
(5) The report is decisive in expressing the conviction of the committee
that steam trawlers are not guilty of carelessness or intentional damage in
respect to the gear, of line fishermen. On the contrary, the evidence submitted
would indicate that those engaged in steam trawling exercise all possible pre-
caution. A less prominent accusation, namely, that the dragging of the trawl-
net over the floor of the sea causes serious damage to marine life and fish
forage in general, was also proven to be largely fiction. The committee's state-
ment on this point is as follows : " Otter trawls do not seriously disturb the
bottom over which they are fished nor materially denude it of the organisms
which directly and indirectly serve as food for commercial fishes." In regard
to the preceding contention, however, it was pointed out that trawling and line
fishing carried on in pro.ximity results almost inevitably in some unintentional
damage.
(6) Turning to the representations made by the trawling interests in vin-
dication of the otter trawl, the most important claim was to the effect that the
otter trawl is not unduly destructive. The example of European waters, which
have been fished intensively for many years, without any noticeable depletion,
was cited in support of this claim. The North sea and other British fisheries
were a rather unfortunate choice for this purpose. While the evidence from
these fisheries is by no means conclusive, it is nevertheless unmistakably favour-
able to the view that constant steam trawling tends to ultimate depletion of
the fishing grounds.
(7) The trawlers have further claimed the merit of ability to supplement
the present supply of food fish by adding edible species for which a market can
readily be created. There is some foundation for this contention but, as yet.
in actual practice, very little development has been made in America along
these lines. Thus far " sole " has been the only species for which an important
demand has been created and it is well to note that the total weight of " sole " now
marketed annually does not exceed one-third of the weight of the immature
marketable species destroyed by the otter trawls. Moreover, any advantage
that the trawlers possess in this respect is relative, not absolute. As stated
in the report: "Both trawlers and lines catch considerable quantities of edible
species for which they have failed to develop a market."
(8) Finally it was urged on behalf of otter trawling that only by that
method of fishing could continuous supplies be provided for the growing
OTTER TRAWL FISHERY 199
demands of fresh fish markets. The discussion on this point centred around
the trend of prices in recent years. As American evidence is of little value in
this connection English statistics were relied upon almost entirely. These
indicate that prices of fish decreased when the use of the otter trawl first
became general but have recently been following an upward trend until new
high records have been reached. Such a course need occasion very little surprise
or comment; certainly, it affords no basis for conclusions unfavourable to the
otter trawl. While the prices of fish have risen during the last couple of years,
it must be conceded that they have manifested remarkable stability when com-
pared with the range of prices of commodities in general in the last decade.
Recom mbndation s
The conclusions contained in the report appear to have been drawn up
only after the statistical evidence relating to both American and European
fishing grounds had been thoroughly studied. They are submitted with full
and candid recognition that proof of the depletion of American waters is
entirely wanting. On the other hand, careful consideration and unprejudiced
interpretation of English evidence furnishes ample ground for the belief that
otter trawling tends ultimately toward depletion. The main point established
is that the otter trawl captures and destroys an excessive proportion of immature
fish. The effect is not yet apparent on this side of the Atlantic but can reason-
ably be anticipated and should be prevented. To quote from the report : " Our
present information indicates that it is not fishing with the otter trawl, but over-
fishing, which is to be guarded against."
The recommendations, as the conclusions, have been the result of due
consideration of all sides of the case and represent no narrow view of the
problems involved. Four means of lessening the destruction of small fishes
presented themselves, viz. :
. (1) An increase in the size of the meshes of the net;
(2) Absolute prohibition of the use of the otter trawl or similar apparatus;
(3) Restriction of the number of otter trawls;
(4) Restriction of the area on which otter trawls might be used.
The first mentioned was dismissed as being neither feasible nor effective.
Number two, the most drastic proposal, did not appear justified in view of the
fact that it is excessive use of the apparatus that is to be considered. More-
over, it has not yet been determined to what extent the destruction of young
fishes actually injures the fisheries. The obvious and quite sufficient objection
to restriction of the number of trawls is that it opens the way for the creation
of a monopoly.
Restriction of the area for the operation of otter trawls is the recommenda-
tion submitted. This seems in every way the most satisfactory solution. It
combines the merits of localizing any inherent evils appertaining to otter
trawling and of ease of enforcement, with assurance against wasteful methods,,
discrimination and monopoly. The recommendation is stated as follows:
"We, therefore, recommend that the taking of fishes, excepting shell-fishes,
by means of the otter trawl or beam trawl, or any adaptation or modification
of either, or by any other apparatus drawn over the bottom by a vessel in
motion, be prohibited on all bottoms in the Atlantic ocean, outside of territorial
jurisdiction, north of the fortieth degree of north latitude, excepting Georges
bank. South channel, and Nantucket shoals east of the meridian of Sankaty
head on the island of Nantucket."
A final quotation voices the Committee's firm conviction that the whole
problem is one of international character and requires an international solution :
"In conclusion, we emphatically state it to be our opinion that this regulation
will prove futile and an unnecessary imposition on American fi.?hermen unless
Canada particularly, and, possibly, Newfoundland and France will take such
action as will prevent or restrict the use of the trawl on the banks in the
western North Atlantic."
INDEX
Abalone, price paid for 58
Aberdeen, school for fishermen at 33
Aberdeen baddies, exported to Australia 25
Acid effluents, effect on fish life of 84
Adelaide, S. Australia, Scotch baddies sold in 25
Agriculture, Dept. of 59, 131, 141, 142, 145
Agriculture, U. S. Dept. of 96
Aigrettes —
confiscation of 149
embargo on 144
Alaska —
herd of reindeer in 135
importation of foxes from 161
mountain goat in 105
protection of caribou in 147
Alberni, B.C 138
Alberta —
big-horn sheep in 101, 102
caribou in 106, 107
elk in 103, 1 19
excessive killing of moose in 151
game preserves in 115, 116
game protection in 124, 129
jurisdiction of, over game 100
mule deer in 104
antelope park in 124, 130
proposed bird sanctuaries in 131
value of fisheries of 17
Alberta Game Act —
needed modification of 124
placing of Stoney Indians under the 112, 123
Alces americanus 101
Alcohol from sawdust 48
Alewives 66
grades of 189
method of curing 187
Alexander, A. B 195, 196
Algoma district 88, 92
Algonquin park 133
nesting of fish hawks in 159
Alpine Clubhouse, Banff, Alta 137
American Fisheries Society 90
American Process Company 55
Anarkichas 52
Anarler fish 52
Aniline dyes ... A 47
Antelope, prong-horned 94, 109, 129, 137
reserve for 124, 130
.Aquatic animals, correlation of 87
.Arctic ocean 105
Arscnault, Hon. A. E 1, 36. 60, 71, 76, 77, 78, 80, 161, 162, 164
201
202 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
PAGE
Asterias vulgaris 74
Athabaska river 97, 100, 102, 106, 107, 120
Athabaska River valley, game in 107, 114
Atlantic ocean 103
restriction of otter trawling in, proposed 199
Australia, export of fish from Scotland to 25
Bacteria 84
Bait, frequent scarcity of 10
Balance in the animal kingdom 81
factors affecting 82
Banff, Alta.—
abundance of game near 127, 128
damage by bears at 137
Barber, C , 150
Barrels for pickled fish, construction of 184
Barren grounds 110
Barrie, Ont., retailing of fish in 25, 26
Barrow-in-Furness, school for fishermen near 31
Bayne, Senator 99
Bears 100, 101, 107, 108, 127
alleged destructiveness of 136, 137
abundance in Haliburton county, Ont., of black 139
Beaver, in the Rocky mountains 101, 109, 128
Beaver Hills forest reserve, game refuge in 146
Beaver Indians 95, 114
Belgium, comparison of area of, with Dominion parks 125
Bell-Irving & Co 38
Bentinck cove, Malpeque bay, P.E.I 72
Big-horn sheep (See "Sheep, big-horn")
Biological Board of Canada 2, 39, 60, 78
Biological research, relation to fish-culture of 88, 89
Birds-
conservation of 141
desire of hunters to shoot large 158
encouragement of, near home 154
insectivorous 140, 143
migratory 7, 131, 141, 143, 164
slaughter of, for plumage 144
Birds, Canadian Society for the Protection of 145
Bird protection 152
Bird sanctuaries 131, 144, 157
Bison, herd of wild 132
Bjerkam, Dr 40
Bonaventure island, proposed bird sanctuary on 158
Bonito 51
Boston, Mass. —
market for sword-fish in 51
steam trawling from 196
Bowser, Hon. W. J 150
Branding of fish 5, 65. 67, 68
detailed description of 192
Brazeau river 102, 103
northern limit of range of Stoney Indians 112, 114
Brazeau valley, big game in 94, 107, 114
Brazil, trade in codfish with 12
British Columbia —
abalone in, occurrence of 58
abundance of herring in •. 50
big game of , 95, 101, 102, 103. 105, 106, 107
game preserves in 116, 124
INDEX 203
British Columbia — Continued pace
grazing country in 109
jurisdiction of, over game 100
migratory birds in, protection needed for 149
money spent by sportsmen in 150
objections of, to migratory bird treaty 142
value of fisheries of 17
British Isles (See also " United Kingdom ") 20, 23, 48
Bruce (Saugeen) peninsula 83
Buenos Ayres 57
Buffalo 109
Dominion herd of 145
no danger from inbreeding of 145, 146
reasons for preservation of 148
wood 132
Buffalo park —
abundance of small game in 126
area, purpose and situation of 125
attempt to breed antelope in 130
Bulletins, distribution of illustrated 32, 34, 164
Burbot 87
Buttons, manufacture of 58
By-products, value of 47
Byrne, D. J 10, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27
Calgary, Alta 13, 112
Calvert, Dr. Crace 47
Cameron, Prof. A. T. 59
Cameron lake, Vancouver island 138
Campfire Club of North America 93, 99, 128, 149
Camrose, Alta 155, 156
Canada —
breeding grounds of Caspian tern in 157
fish-meal experiments in 62, 63
fox-farming in 161
fur industry of 133
herring fisheries in 37
high quality of herring in 49
importation of reindeer into 135
interest in bird life shown by citizens of 152
number of elk in 103
opportunities for hunting in 136
pickled fish industry in 65
preservation of caribou in 147
proposed schools for fishermen in 32
restrictions on otter trawling by 4, 195, 199
convention re migratory birds between United States and 7
value of fisheries of 17
Canadian Fisheries Association 16, 17
Canadian Fisheries Society, proposed 90
Canadian herring, comparison with European 43
Canadian Northern railway 97
Canadian Pacific railway 97
Canis latrans and C. nubilis 101
Canso, N.S 51, 53
Cape Breton island 51
mackerel from 66
pearl-mussels in 58
Cape Cod oyster 77
Capital, scarcity of 74
Caraquet, N.B : 53, 69
Caribou 95, 101, 106
protection needed for 146
204 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
Caribou — Continued page
value to Eskimo of H7
woodland 133
Caribou mountains 132
Carmody, Prof 79
Carp 87
Castle, Alta 127
Cats, destructiveness of 129, 155
Caviare S3
Cayuga lake 98
Cervus canadensis 101
Chairmen of Committees, importance of 8
Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. Joseph 79
Champlain, lake 98
Charlottetown, P.E.I 72
Chicago, 111. —
foot-and-mouth disease in, outbreak of 126
market for fish in 49, 58
Chickadees, slaughter for plumage of 144
China, utilization of shell-fish in 58, 59
Cincinnati zoological park 96
Clams, fresh-water 58
Clarke, Dr. John M 144
Clark Harbour, N.S 52, 54
Clearwater river 105
Codfish—
not decreasing in North sea 197
taking of immature 198
trade in 12
Collingwood, Ont., fish purchased in 25, 26
Colorado 103
Columbia river, fish-hawks along 159
Commission of Conservation —
consideration of migratory bird treaty by 141, 142
encouragement of fisheries by 18
proposed appointment of fisheries expert for 5
relationship of, to migratory birds 152
to coordinate work of various organizations 7
Connecticut —
deer preservation in 110
leasing of oyster beds in, method of 80
Conservation, definition of, by J. B. Feilding 81
Conservation Commission, New York state 149
Coregonus —
alba 92
clupeiformis 82, 92
Cougar 101, 107, 108
Cowie, J. J 22, 33, 34, 35, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 63, 64, 65, 69, 70, 78
herring investigations bv 38
Coyote " 100, 101, 108, 128
Craig, H. A ISO
Cranes, killing of 142
Crayfish, utilization of 58, 59
Cristivomer namaycush 82, 83
Crowsnest pass 102
grizzly bears in 107
southern limit of range of Stoney Indians 112, 114
Curing of fish S, 65, 187, 188, 192
Curlews 96, 142
Currituck sound 98
Curtain island, Malpeque bay, P.E.I 74
INDEX 205
Dams in rivers, obstruction of fish by 85 90
Daniels, Hon. O. T 1,21,76, jj', 78, ' W,' ■l62,' 164
Dalton, Hon. Charles 161
Deer I' ^' [I' [[]'.'.'.'.'.'.]'.'.'.['.'.'.['.'." 109
abundance near Banff of 127 128
in Haliburton county, Ont .' 139
instances of inbreeding of 145 146
mule or black-tail '.'..'.'.'.'.'.'. ioi,' '104,' 'I'o's, 114,' 128
preservation of, in densely populated districts HO
slaughter of, by cougars " lOg
Virginian or white-tail 101 104 108
Desbarats, G. J ' ' vt
Digby, N.s .'.'.''.';;'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.';'. ti
Digby basin, N.S .................[. 44
Diseases of animals, guarding against 125
Disputes re branding of fish, method of deciding ..............!!!! 191
Dog-fish —
eggs useful for tanning 56
manufacture of oil and fertilizer from .54, 55
prevalence of H 19' 53
price paid for ' ' ' 55
fecundity of ' 61
quality of oil from 56
unfit for food 56 57
Dog-fish reduction works 53 54' 57
Dogger bank '. . 43' 44
Dominion Forest Reserves and Parlis Act .' 129
Dominion jurisdiction over game 100
Donnell, A 4
Ducks —
extinction of Labrador 96_ 156
in Waterton Lakes park .' 128
killing of wood 142
nesting in chimney I55
Dyes, aniline 47
Eagles, diminution of I59
Ear-shell, utilization of 5g
Ecrevisse 5g
Edmonton, Alta 98, 137
Education —
definition of, by Dr. J. W. Robertson 28
vocational 29
Eel-pouts g7
Elk, American 95, 101, 103, i08, 109, 114
absence in Rocky Mountains park of 114
former abundance in Manitoba of 137
near extinction of II3
proposed close season on 124
Elk Island park, statistics re 125
England (See also "United Kingdom") —
export of fish to 16, 22
schools for fishermen in 31
Erie, lake —
disappearance of fish-hawks from 159
whitefish from 86, 92
Eskimo, value of the caribou and musk-ox to 146, 147, 148
Essex county, Ont., eagles in . ._ 159
Europe, importation of pickled fish into United States from 65
European herring, comparison with Canadian 43
Express companies, unsatisfactory service by 14, 21
External Affairs, Secretary of State for 141, 142
206 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
PAGE
Faroe Islands, fisheries of 197
Fauna of the Empire, Society for the Preservation of the 134
Feilding, J. B 25, 27, 32, 35, 61, 63, 64, 81, 91, 92, 139
recommendations of 89
Felts concolor 101
Fertilizer —
from dog-fish 54, 55, 56
from 03'sters 71
Firearms, prohibition in Dominion parks of 121
Fire-guards around Dominion parks 125
Fish-
alleged destruction of spawn of, by trawlers 195, 198
as substitute for meat 16
bad handling of 18, 22
culture of 85, 86
curing of 5, 65, 187, 188, 192
glue from 56
immature, taking of 198
inspection and branding of pickled 65, 181
marketing of 15
passes for 85
powder or meal from 57, 62
refrigeration of 19, 20
relation to plant-life and soils 87
shortage in England of 16, 24
transportation of 13, 14, 20, 21, 24
value as food of 15, 16, 26
Fisheries, Dept of Marine and 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 16, 19, 30, 32, 61, 75, 164, 181
Fisheries, (London, Eng.), Dept. of Agriculture and 16, 21
Fisheries, Game and Fur-bearing Animals, Committee on —
relation to bird protection of 160
resolutions of 3, 4, 5, 164
scope of work of 6
special meetings of 2
Fisheries, Ontario Dept. of Game and 81, 85
Fisheries, United States Bureau of 4, 195
Fisheries —
administration 89
expert, proposed appointment of 5
institutes, proposed 36, 89
Pollution Act, proposed 90
resources, classification of unutilized 48
schools ' 31
value of Canadian 17, 29
Fishery wastes, utilization of 48, 90
Fisherlads' Institute, Grimsby, England 180
Fishermen —
education of 30, 31, 164, 179,, 180
ignorance among 33
importance of occupation of 29
intelligence and prosperity of 35
meetings of 68
opposition of, to oyster culture 36, 74
proposed schools in Canada for 32
Fish Inspection Act, The S, 65, 66, 69, 181
regulations under 67, 184
Fish-packers, declaration to be made by 192
Foremost, Alta., herd of antelope near 130
Forest reserve, definition of 117
Forestry Branch 112, 120, 138
cooperation with Parks Branch by 122
game protection policy of 121, 123, 124
INDEX 207
_ PAGE
Fortress lake, Aha 106
Foster, Sir George 16
Fox, red 127
Foxes, silver black —
identification of 162
prices of V '.'. . . . .161, 163
prices of skins of 162
raising of 161
registration of 161, 171, 173
speculation in 161
Fox farming 7
France —
restriction of otter trawling by, needed 199
schools for fishermen in 31, 34
utilization of tunny in 51
Fraser river 96
Fundy, bay of 40
herring from 44
Fur-bearing animals, proposed sanctuaries for 133
Fur farming 7
Galilee, sea of 29
Game —
aesthetic value of 110
big, of the Rockies 100
enemies of the western 110
in farming sections 109
parks as sanctuaries for small 126
pecuniary value of 94, ISO
prohibition of sale of 93, 97, 98
raising in captivity of 99
restriction of sale of 6
revenue from wild 110
scarcity of 93
Game guardians, establishment of special for<;e of 121
Game laws —
lax enforcement of 117
objects of 115
persons who exercise control over 118
Game preservation —
summary of measures necessary for 124
two principal methods of 115
Game preserves ^ 6
administration of 121
definition of 116
inexpedient in farming sections 109
in the Prairie provinces 115
in the Rocky mountains 120
necessity of special 117
proper places for 109, 110
qualifications required by 119
results to be achieved by 118
utilization of resources of 122
value of natural boundaries for -. 120
Game protection —
attitude of ignorant people towards 151
classification of citizens as to interest in 118
cost of 122
for sentimental reasons 148
principles underlying 109
under provincial jurisdiction in Canada ISO
208 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
X PACE
Game wardens, duties of 128
Gannet, nesting grounds of 158
Gaspe, Que SO, 68
alleged destruction by bears in 136
Gaspereau 66
Gastroliths, peculiar use for 59
Geese-
grey 128
open season in B. C. for 142
wild, on Jack Miner's farm 153, 154
Georges bank, otter trawling to be permitted on 199
Georgian bay 83
planting of whitefish fry in 4, 5
Germany —
exportation of zoophytes from 60
manufacture of aniline dyes in 47
schools for fishermen in 33
utilization of fish waste in 62
Gilpin, observation on Nova Scotia herring by 44
Glacier National park. United States 105, 128
Gloucester, Mass 40, 56
Glue, manufacture from fish-scrap of 55, 56
Goat, mountain 94, 101, 105, 108
detection of illegal hunting of 127
increase in numbers of 1 14, 127
in Rocky Mountains park 114
Goldboro, Guysborough county, N.S 69
Golden, B.C. . . .". 159
Golden-eye, American 155
Goose, nesting ground of solan 158
Goose-fish 52
Grading of fish 5, 189, 190, 191
Graham, Maxwell 130, 134
Grand river, Ont., clams for button manufacture from 58
Grand River oyster 77
Graves, H. S 123
Grazing lands, inexpediency of game preserves in 109
Great Britain (See also " United Kingdom ") 131, ISO, 196
shortage of fish in 26
Great lakes —
fishing industry on 12, 91
whitefish fry planted in 4, 164
Great South bay 98
Grenada Ti
Grenfell, Dr. W. T 135
Grey, Farl 19
Grimsbv. Eng., school for fishermen at 33, 180
Grizzly' bear 100, 101, 107, 108, 127, 137
Grouse 127, 128
Gulf stream 41
Guysborough county, N.S 69
Haanel, Dr. Eugene 47
Haddock —
decrease in North sea of 197
taking of immature 198
Haliburton county, Ont., bears and deer in 139
Halifax, N.S 69
shipping of fish from 13
Halifax harbour, herriiic; from 45
Hazen, Hon. J. D 16. 39, 66. 69
Haskell, Wm. S 141
INDEX 209
PACE
Hawk, threatened extermination of fish 159
Heincke, herring characteristics regarded as important by 40
Henshaw, Dr. H. W., quoted 147
Heron, diminution of blue 159 "
Herring —
bad handling of Canadian 66
classes and grades of 189
curing of 38, 65, 187
distribution of 40
"fat" 37, 38, 45, 46
high quality of Canadian 37, 66
improved methods of handling 49
investigations by Dr. Johan Hjort on 39
mingling of schools of 42
methods of research on ." . 40
prices of 30, 49, 66, 69
Scottish style of curing 49, 192
seasonal rings in scales of 41
Herschel island 59, 134
Hewitt, Dr. C. Gordon 138, 139, 140, 141, 149
Highwood River valley —
elk in 103
grizzly bears in 107
Hjort, Dr. Johan 38, 39, 40, 41, 43, 45, 46
Hopkins, Prof 50
Hornaday, Dr. William T 99, 126, 127, 128, 129, 137
Hornaday-Bayne law 99
Horse-mackerel 50
Hudson Bay railway 97
Humming-birds, domestication of 153
Hunters, classification of Ill
Hunting HO, 111
with a camera 140
Huntsman, A. B 40
Huron, lake —
disappearance of fish-hawks from 159
planting of whitefish fry in 4, 5
Iceland, fisheries of 197
Idaho —
caribou in 106
killing of mountain goats in 94
Incubation of fish, artificial 85, 86
Indian Affairs, Dept. of 112, 123
Ingonish, N.S 51
Inman, George 72
Inspection of fish 5, 65, 181
educational value of 30
not compulsory- 66
Interior. Dept. of the 120, 125. 130, 131, 138, 141, 142, 146
International Fisheries Commission 90, 91
Iodine, prices of 60
Irish herring 43
Iroquois Indians 114
laffe, Herr 62
Japan-
harvesting of zoophytes in 60
making of fish powder in 57
schools for fishermen in 31
utilization of shell-fish in 58, 59
210 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
PAGE
Japanese Fisheries Society 90
Jasper park 107, 120
area of 125
Jones, Dr. C. C 1, 8, 20, 21, 64, 70
Jones, J. Walter 7
Jordan, Prof. Starr 91
Kananaskis River valley, grizzly bears in 107
Kelp, potash and iodine from 59, 60
Kemp, Capt. Ernest 3 74, 78
Kendall, W. C 195
Kenora district 88
Kingston, Ont 159
Kingsville, Ont., wild geese at 153, 154
Kootenay plains, Stoney Indians on the 112, 114
Labrador —
herd of reindeer in 135
importation of foxes from 161
occurrence of pearl-mussels in 58
Lakelse river 58
Lambay, Ireland, fallow deer on 145
Lamont, Alta., game park at 125
Lands, Committee on 9
L' Ardoise, Cape Breton island 40
Law, Rt. Hon. Bonar 16
Leases of oyster beds 72
proposed recall of 75
Lefurgey, A. A 1, 23, 24, 26, 27, 35
Leith Nautical College, Edinburgh, Scotland 179
Lemy, M. Pierre 51
Liard river 95
Lime from oysters 71
Linnaeus 40
Livingston, Mont 137
Lobster, fresh-water 58, 59
Lobsters, fecundity of 61
Lockeport. N.S 40
London, Eng., market for wolf-fish and goose-fish in 52
London, Ont., heronry near 159
Long lake, Sask., bird reservation at 131, 139
Lymnaea 87
Lynx, in the Rocky mountains 101, 109, 127
Macallum, Prof. A, B 63
Macdonald College, addresses to students of 34
Mackenzie river 97
Mackerel —
classes and grades of 190
curing and packing of 65. 66. 188
prices of 30, 66
Macrocystis 60
Magdalen islands —
herring from 40, 42. 44. 45
mackerel from 65
proposed bird sanctuary on 158
Maine, game in 95, 105, 110
Maligne lake, Alta. 120
Mallards, open season in B.C. for 142
Malpeque bay, P.E.I 71, 74, 77
Malpeque Oyster Company 76
Malpeque oysters 75, 76
INDEX 211
PAGE
Mammals, conservation of 141, 145
Manchester, Eng 47
Manitoba —
big game in 103, 104, 137
game preserves in US, 116, 124, 146
prong-horned antelopes m 129
proposed close season on elk in 124
protection of migratory birds in 150
value of fisheries of 17
Manitou lake, Manitoulin island 92
Marble island •. 59
Maritime provinces (See also under names of provinces) —
fox farming in 7
scarcity of fish at inland points in 23
Marshall, Hon. Duncan 150
Marten, in the Rocky mountains 101, 109, 127
Marvis 63
Massachusetts, estimated number of birds killed by cats in 129
Matjes 45
Mavor, Dr. J. W 40
Mcllwraith Ornithological Club 152, 160
McMurray, Alta 97
Meat, fish as substitute for 16
Mediterranean ports, trade in codfish with 12
Melbourne, Scotch finnan baddies sold in 25
Mexico, big game in 101, 103, 129
Michigan, breeding places of Caspian tern in 157
Miette river 106
Migratory Bird Act, United States 97, 149
Millar, W. N 100, 160
Miner, Jack, preservation of wild geese by 153, 154
Minerals. Committee on 9
Miners, hunting by Ill
Mines, Dept. of 145
Mink, in the Rocky mountains 101, 109, 127
Minnesota, moose in 95
Miquelon lake. Alta., pelicans on 156
Miramichi. N.B 69
Mississippi river, route of migratory birds along 143
Missoula. Mont 145
Missouri river, route of migratory birds along 143
Montenegro, area of. compared with Jasper park 125
Montreal. Que 13, 7i, 163
Moore, H. T 195
Moose 95, 101, 105, 108, 113, 114, 139
Moose Mountain forest reserve, game refuge in ^ 146
Mother-of-eels 52
Motherwell. Hon. W. R 150
Mulgrave. N.S.. shipping of fish from 13
Murray, Dr. Howard 1, 5, 69, 160, 164
Muskoka, nesting of fish-hawks in 159
Musk-ox —
preservation of the 134
proposed reserve for 147
Nanaimo, B.C 138
Nantucket shoals, otter trawling to be permitted on 199
Narragansett bay 98
National Transcontinental railway 97
Naval Service, Dept. of the S3, 65
assistance to fish trade by 14
Nelson, Dr., lectures to fishermen by 78
212 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
PAGE
NereocysHs 60
Netherlands, schools for fishermen in 31
New Brunswick —
game of 95, 105, 110
leasing of oyster bottoms in 2
preservation of game in 98, 160
value of fisheries of 17
Newfoundland —
caribou in 95
herring from 39, 42, 43, 44, 45
importation of foxes from 161
restriction of otter trawling by, needed 199
New Jersey, protection of ducks in 149
New Westminster, shipping of halibut from 13
New York city —
confiscation of aigrette plumes in 149
market for fish in 51, 52
New York Conservation Commission 149
New York Hotel Dealers' Association 99
New York state —
prohibition of sale of game in 97
protection of ducks in 149
raising game in captivity in 99
New Zealand —
export of fish from Scotland to 25
introduction of red deer into 145
oysters of 79
Nipigon, lake 83
Nome, Alaska 59
North America, number of elk in 103
North Saskatchewan river 107, 112
North sea —
herring from 39, 45, 46
depletion of fisheries in 197
Northumberland strait —
herring from 40, 44
oyster culture on 2
Norway —
herring fisheries in 37
reindeer imported from 135
Norwegian herring —
life history of 41
similarity of, to Newfoundland type 43, 44
year-classes among 46
Northwestern States, diminution of big game in 119
Northwest Game Act 146, 148
Northwest Mounted Police, Royal Ill, 123, 130, 147
Northwest Territories 133, 145
Nova Scotia 78
curing of herring in 69
herring from 43, 44
leasing of oyster bottoms in 2
moose and caribou in 160
objections of, to migratory bird treaty 142
prosperity of fishermen in 35
value of fisheries of 17
Odocoileus americanus and hemionus 101
Ohio river, route of migratory birds along 143
Ohio, wild pigeons in 96
Oil manufactured from dog-fish 54, 55
Oldman river 103
INDEX 213
Ontario — page
beautiful scenery of 139
disappearance of elk in 1 19
inland fisheries of 88, 92
preserves for fur-bearing animals in 133
value of fisheries of 17
Ontario, lake, disappearance of fish-hawks from 159
Ordnance Lands Branch 131
Oreamnos montanus 101
Ospreys, embargo on 144
Ottawa, Ont 140, 159
Ottawa river, occurrence of crayfish in 58
Otter trawl 11
description of 196
Otter trawling (See also "Trawlers, steam") —
arguments for and against 195
deterioration of fish by 22
method of investigation of 196
recommendations respecting 199
taking of immature fish by 198
Ova, impregnation of fish 86
Ovis canadensis 101
Oyster beds —
extinct , 76
leases of 72
Oyster culture —
drawbacks to 73
in Prince Edward Island 71
prejudices of fishermen against 36, 74
progress in 2
resolution re 3
Oyster fisheries, agreement between Dominion and provinces /e 72
Oysters —
close seasons for 71
importation from United States of 73
Malpeque Bay 75
New Zealand 79
pearl 79
Pablo. Michel Don 145
Pacific ocean 101, 103
Packers, meetings of fish 68
Packing of fish 5, 66, 187, 188, 193
Park, definition of 117
Parks Branch 114, 125, 130, 131, 136, 138
administration of wolf bounty by 133
cooperation with Forestry Branch by 122
recommendations of, re reindeer 135
Parks, Dominion 125
Parrv Sound, Ont., breeding place of Caspian tern near 157
Partfidge 127, 128
Patton. M. J 4, 5
Peace river 101, 103
Peace River valley, game in 95, 99. 132
Pearl-mussel (Lakelse) river 58
Pearl-mussels 58
Pearl oysters .• 79
Pelee. proposed bird reservation on point 131, 158
Pelicans —
on Miquelon lake. Alta 156
on Shoal lake, Man 151
Pembina valley, grizzly bears in 107
Perce rock, proposed bird sanctuary on 158
214 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
. PAGE
Periwinkles, demand for 58
Peter, Saint 29
Pheasant 128
Philadelphia, market for herring in 49
Physa 87
Piel, Eng., school for fishermen at 31
Pigeons, wild 96
Pines forest reserve, game refuge in 146
Pintails, open season in B.C. for 142
Pipestone pass, grizzly bears in 107
Plaice, diminution in North sea of 197
Plover —
golden 96
open season in N.S. for 142
Plumaije, illegal sale of 149
Poaching on oyster beds 74, 76
Pollution of lakes and rivers 83
Pope, William H 72
Porcupine No. 2 forest reserve, game refuge in 146
Potash from kelp 60
Potassium chloride, advance in price of 60
Pot-hunting 6, 97, 98
Prairie chicken 96, 128
Prairie provinces (See also under names of provinces) —
forest reserves in 146
near extinction of buffalo and antelope in 119
Prairie wolf (See "Coyote")
Price, R. B.. golden-eyes nesting in chimney of 155
Prince, Prof. E.E. 9, 18, 24, 25, Z7, 47, 57, 61, 62, 63, 64, 69, 78, 79, 91, 136, 137, 139
Prince Edward Island 69, 76, 77, 80
area of, compared with Jasper park 125
economic condition of fishermen in 35
fishing season in 25
fox farming in 7, 161
leases of oyster bottoms in 2, 72
mackerel from 65
marketing of fox pelts in 163
oyster culture in 72, 74
shipment of fish from 23
Prince Rupert, shipping of halibut from 13
Privy Council, Committee of the 141
Ptarmigan 128
Quebec —
preserves for fur-bearing animals in 133
value of fisheries of 17
Rangifer montanus 101
Ravenal, Mr 62
Razor-shell clam 58
Red Deer valley, game preserve in 114
Refrigeration of fish during transit 13, 16, 19
Reindeer, importation of 135
Resolutions of Committee on Fisheries, Game and Fur-bearing Ani-
mals 3, 4, 5, 164
Restigouche hatchery 62
Retail fish trade 15
Richmond (Malpeque) bay 71
Rideau lakes district, disappearance of eagles from 159
Rideau lakes, private bird sanctuary on island of 155, 157
Rideau river, occurrence of crayfish in 58
Riding Mountain forest reserve, game refuge in 146
Riviere, Mr., Stoney Indians' activities curbed by 114
INDEX 215
PAGE
Robertson, Dr. Jas. W 1, 28, 34, 35, 57, 70, 11, 137, 139, 162, 164
Robertson, Prof. A. D 74
Robson, grizzlies in vicinity of mount 107
Roclc-eel 52
Rocky mountains —
flora and fauna of 100
game preserve administration in 121
scenic attractions of 110
threatened extinction of big game in 119
Rocky Mountains Forest reserve 112, 121
Rocky Mountains park 102, 127, 128
cougar in 107
hunting prohibited in 114
Rod and Gun in Canada 95
Roe, waste of 53
Rogers, Col. Maynard 139
Rogue 53
Royal Northwest Mounted Police (See Northwest Mounted Police)
Rundle, goats on the slopes of mount 127
Russia, growing of poultry in 35
Russian Dept. of Agriculture, bulletins recommended by envoy of 34
St. Andrews, N.B 52
St. John, N.B 69
St. John river, N.B 51
St. Lawrence, gulf of —
breeding grounds of Caspian tern in 157
comparison with North sea 43
"fat" herring in 38
herring from 44
low salinity of 44
oyster farming along shores of 2
sanctuaries for birds in 144, 158
types of herring in 42, 45
St. Lawrence river 103
St. Peter 29
St. Peter bay 71
Salmon 66
export of Pacific 12
grades of branded 191
method of curing of 188
Salmon and Trout Association, England 90
Salmonoids 86
Sankaty head 199
Saskatchewan —
big game in 103, 104
diminution of prairie chicken in 96
golden-eye ducks in 155
game preserves in 115, 116
modification of game preserve policy by, needed 124
proposed antelope park in 124
proposed bird sanctuaries in 131
protection of migratory birds in 150
value of fisheries of 17
Saskatchewan river 120
Saugeen peninsula 83
Saunders. W. E 129, 152, 160
Sawdust waste 47
Schultz, Sir John 59
Scotland, schools for fishermen in 31
Scott, Andrew 31
Sea-cat 52
216 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
PAGt
Sea-mosses 60
Seattle, Wash 59
Selkirk mountains, grizzly bears in 107
Sewage, effect on fish life of 84
Sheep, big-horn or mountain 94, 101, 108, 128
census of 102
increase in numbers of 127
in Rocky Mountains park 114
killing of, by Stoney Indians 113
Sheep, domestic 109
Shell-fish, alleged destruction by trawlers of 195. 198
Shell-mud desposits 71
Sherman, Miss 153
Shippigan, N.B 53
Shoal lake, Man., pelicans on 151
Sifton, Sir Clifford 1, 8. 138
Silver Black Fox Breeders' Association of Prince Edward Island 161, 162
Act respecting 165
by-laws of 171
standard bred register of , 173
Simcoe, lake 92
Skates' wings, demand for 52
Skeena river, caribou near 138
Skunk, in the Rocky mountains 101
Slave river 97
wood buffalo near the 132
Smith, Dr. Hugh 62
Smith, H. M 195
Smoky river 120
South Carolina 103
South channel, otter trawling to be permitted in 199
Spray River valley, mountain goats in 127
Spruce Woods forest reserve, game refuge in 146
Stafford, Dr. Jos 2, 3
Standard Cup Oyster Company 76
Star-fish 74, 76, 80
Stefansson, V 134, 146, 147
Steveston, shipping of halibut from 13
Stilt, black-necked 96
Stock-raising, game preserves not to interfere with 119
Stoney Indians Ill, 114
hunting methods of 113
range of 112
regions not visited by 114
restriction of 112, 123, 124
Storms, interference with fisheries by 11
Sturgeon, value of 51
Suckers, utilization of 62
Summerside, P.E.I 72
Superior, planting of whitefish fry in lake 4
Swallows, encouragement of tree 155
Swans 128, 142, 153
Switzerland, area of, compared with Dominion parks 125
Sword-fish, utilization of 51
Sydney, N.S 51
Tankage 62
Tanning, use of dog-fish eggs for 56
Taverner, P. A 145, 157
Teal, open season in B.C. for 142
Telegraph Creek, B.C., money spent by sportsmen in 150
Tern, Caspian 156
Thompson-Seton, Ernest 129, 130, 133
INDEX 217
PAGE
Thunder Bay district 88, 92
Times, London 137
Tonikwa mountains 96
Toronto, shipping of fish to 13, 14
Torrey, quoted 158
Townsend, Dr 83
Trade and Commerce, Dept. of 17
Transportation of fish 13, 14, 20, 21, 24
Trawlers steam (See also " Otter trawling ") 3, 21, 195
arguments for and against 195
introduction of 10, 11
restrictions on 4, 199
taken by Admiralty 24
Trawling, old method of 10
Trinidad 79
Trout-
breeding season of 83, 91
lake 82
speckled 87, 139
Tunguse reindeer 135, 138
Tunny or tuna 50
Turtle Mountain forest reserve, game refuge in 146
United Kingdom —
export of fish to 16, 22
fisheries of 197, 198
herring industry of 48
proposed migratory bird treaty between U. S. and 131, ISO
quantities of fish consumed in 20, 23
schools for fishermen in 31
shortage of fish in 24
study of otter trawling in 196
United States-
big-horn sheep in 94
Biological Survey of Dept. of Agriculture of 147
bird sanctuaries in 131
control of lake-fishing by firms in , . . . . 12
export of fish to 12
game protection in 97, 137
importation of oysters from 73
importation of zoophytes into 60
jurisdiction over Great lakes 91, 92
limitation of steam trawling by 4, 199
market for pickled fish in 65
moose, elk and caribou in 95
prong-horned antelope in 129
proposed purchase of reindeer from 135
proposed treaty with, re migratory birds 7, 131, 141, 150, 164
protection of migratory birds in 143, 149
survey of national forests of 123
wild iife in, diminution of 6
Ursus amcricanus and U. horribilis 101
Vancouver, shipping of halibut from 13
Vancouver island, elk in 138
Victoria island, proposed reserve for musk-oxen on 148
Vreeland, F. K 93, 149, 160
Wainwright, Alta., buflfalo park at 124, 125. 132, 145, 148
Wales, area of, compared with Dominion parks 125
Wallace, Prof 81
Walruses, utilization of 59
218 COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION
PAGE
Wapiti 103
Wardens, duties of game 12S
Washington, killing of mountain goat in 94
Waterton Lakes park, description of 128
West Indies, trade in codfish with 12
Whales, utilization of 59
White, James 5, 63, 64, 69, 149
Whitefish 82, 86, 91
planting of fry of 4, 164
White sea, fisheries of 197
Whitman Company, Canso, N.S 38
Wick, Scotland 63
Widgeon, open season in B.C. for 142
Wild life-
scarcity in Canada of 6
value of : 136
Wilhelmshaven 62
Willet 96
Willey, Prof 40
Williams, Bryan ISO
Williamson, F. H. H 79, 125, 137, 138, 139, 140
Wilson and Son, Halifax, N.S 38
Wilson, S. Y 69
Winkler, Hon. V 150
Winnipeg, shipping of fish to 13, 14
Wolf—
coyote or prairie 100, 101, 108, 128
timber 101, 108
Wolf-fish 52
Wolverine 101, 127
Wyoming, killing of big-horn sheep permitted in 94
Yarmouth, N.S 50
Yellowhead pass 94, 120
Yellowstone park 127
elk in 95
failure to preserve buffalo in 137
outbreak of haemhorragic septicaemia in 126
Yukon territory, introduction of reindeer into 135
Zoarces 52
Zoophytes, utilization of 60
SK Canada. Commission of
471 Conservation. Committee on
A2A5 Fisheries, Game and .
1916 Fur-bearing Animals ^
Conservation of fish, birds
and game
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