DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES,

58
commenced on the 24th of October, and was completed on the 10th of November,
and the parent fish were liberated without any loss. Daring the summer our nets
have been cut twice by evil disposed persons during the night, and the rope that
holds the two nets for the salt water pond has been cut also. No doubt it was done
with the intention to let the parent salmon go. It was found out just in time by the
Eight watchman to prevent a loss. That rope has been replaced by a wire ono
Repairs to the ilatchery.
During the summer I had the building cleaned; twelve new troughs and a new
tank were procured to replace old ones in the second flat; and temporary repairs
were done all over the building. I had the building inspected by a competent man,
who is a good expert in building houses and constructing wharves. He says the
tipper part of the building is still good; it requires that part of the foundation
removeu that is exposed to moisture; that part always in the water is still good.
There is wanting a new pine goor, shingles to cover a part of the building, and the
wall on the side of the wharf must be repaired and filled up with saw.dnst. With
such repairs the hatchery will be safe for a good many years to come, and the
estimated cost for doing the whole work complete amounts to the sum of $500
covering the painting to the inside and outside of the building. We require for next
sping a new net for the salt water pond.
improvements in the Saguenay SaimonF isheries.
It is difficult to give a correct idea of the anglers' catch in the salmon rivers is..
my district. The anglers always come too late for the best fly fishing season, and
o not fish the waters as they ought. The St. John River has only been fished two
days by the proprietor, John Price, Esq., who caught 18 salmon in that time. It is the
semo with the River AMars which also belongs principally to Mr. Price. I said in a
former part of my report that there was an increase of salmon in my district. I will
now explain it: from 1886, the first year of my taking charge of the Tadoussac
hatchery there were 14,'90 lbs. of salmon taken in nets; in 1887, last year, the Do.
partment issued twenty salmon fishing lisenses; their return was l6,70 lbs. of salmon
taken. This season of 1888, fifteen licenses were issued but only thirteen of these
were fishing and we have a retufn of 24,000 lbs. for this season. This is certainly a
steady increase for the last three years. The great increase of young salmon in the
rivers, where salmon fry have been planted for the past number of years, is an un
mistakable sign that this benefit is due certainly in part to the Tadoussao hatchery,
for the reason that, where the salmon fry are from this hatchery, planted in the
streams which empty into the Saguenay, they have a better chance to escape the
enormous quantity of trout found elsewhere. I learn from Mr. Napoleon Gauthior,
a local guardian, that he often examines the breeding grounds in the St. Margaret
River and the spawn beds are covered with trout, he caught some of them and found
them full of salmon eggs. It is for that reason that I prefer the planting of fry in
lakes were trout are not found. Mr. Jerry Maker, who has a brush fishery, just
below the cove where the brook from the Mowat's Lake runs out, told me ho caught
a great number of young salmon there; he says they must come down from the
lake above, because it is the first time this thing has happened. From the very great
numbers of young salmon observed by every one going along the lake, a groat quan.
tity will go out every year, as long as we continue to plant fry in it. In leaving the
lake they are of a good size to care for themselves. Smelts in large numbers
have been noticed many times last summer round the wharf in Ha! Ha! Bay, by Capt.
Lecours, of the steamer "St. Lawrence," and by Capt. Bareas, of the steamer
Union," and by hundreds of other persons. They were young salmon coming out
from the River AMars, in which stream salmon fry have been planted every year.
The number of grilse coming around the hatchery cove, and the female salmon
which have been seen, by hundreds of people, waiting, during three months, at the
iron gate of the pond which is the place wheie they, no doubt, passed out to the St.