The sturgeon fishery has witnessed a great development recently, and has much greater possibilities before it. This fish became com mercially valuable in Canada, first on the Saint John River, N. B., in 1880, when 602,500 pounds were shipped to New York. In four years the catch fell to 126,000 poundS, and in 1895 barely 27,000 pounds were secured; but in Lake of the Woods, and on the Great Lakes, and above all, in the illimitable waters of Mani toba, the Northwest and British Columbia, the sturgeon fishery has received a great im petus during the last five or six years. In 1902 the yield of sturgeon was valued at $173,315, as compared with $90,000 20 years ago. Canada, in the opinion of some authorities, is now one of the chief producers of •caviare,' which formerly brought 10 cents to 15 cents per pound, and now sells in the cleaned, partly pre pared condition at 90 cents to $1 per pound. Catfish and similar species, as well as eels and coarse fish generally, formerly little valued, are now in demand, bringing to the fisherman from $750,000 to $1,000,000 per annum.
Fishing For the encouragement of the Atlantic deep-sea fisheries a bounty sys tem is carried out, the fund for which ($4,490,882) was provided by the Halifax Award, 1877. The bounties paid annually to vessel-owners, vessel-fishermen and boat-fisher men amount to about $160,000.
Government An important adjunct to the natural reproduction of fish aidedby close seasons, size, limits, etc., is the artificial culture of fish. Sixty-four hatcheries are in operation. The output of fry in 1916 amounted to 1,624,924,254 and included Atlan tic and Pacific salmon, lake trout, brook trout, whitefish, pickerel, or dore, lobsters, etc. Sev eral of the provincial governments also aid in fish-culture to a limited extent.
Scientific Stations.— Three scientific bio logical stations are maintained by the govern ment for the study and solution of fishery problems. One is situated at Saint Andrews, N. B., another at Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, and the other at Departure Bay, B. C The staff at all three institutions consists of pro fessors and specialists from Canadian uni versities.
Bait Freezers and Guano Works, In order to meet the needs of deep-sea fisher men, who suffer much from irregular supplies of bait, the Canadian government assists in the building and maintenance of bait-freezers at convenient and suitable ports. The incursions of hordes of destructive dogfish and the injury to the fisheries resulting from the dumping of fish offal in the sea have moved the govern ment to start fish waste reduction works at various localities on the coast. Under govern
ment management these works purchase dog fish, cod-heads, etc., and convert them into guano and fish oiL Inspection and Branding of Pickled Fish. — In June 1914, the Dominion government an act to provide for the inspection and branding of pickled fish, such as mackerel, herring, alewives and salmon. The object of the act is to bring into use a strong, well-made barrel of a standard size for marketing such fish in; also to raise the standard of curing and grading the fish, so that the cured article may secure the confidence of dealers Sand consum ers at home and abroad and be traded in with advantage to the producer and dealer alike. A staff of competent inspectors carry out the provisions of the act, and if they find the fish cured and graded in accordance with the act, and packed in barrels that are of the standard size and make, a mark in the form of a crown is branded on the side of each barrel of fish so conforming to the act. The brand shows the grade and kind of fish contained in the bar rel. It is expected that the pickled fish trade will be greatly extended and its value en hanced by means of this system of inspection.
Inspection of Fish A sys tematic inspection of all lobster, salmon and other fish canneries is maintained by officers of the Fisheries Department for the purpose of ensuring that the various kinds of fish and shell-fish are canned under proper sanitary con ditions, and to prevent the canning of unsound fish.
Fisheries Protection A fleet of 45 vessels of various kinds patrols the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the inland lakes for the protection and regulation of the fisheries.
Central For the adminis tration of fishery affairs a special government Department of Marine and Fisheries was cre ated at Confederation (1867) under a minister of the Crown. A deputy minister and a large staff of inside and outside officials carry out the administrative duties which fall to the Fed eral authorities. Statistics of the quantities and kinds of fish landed in all parts of Can ada are carefully collected by officials of the department and published first in the form of a monthly bulletin and afterward in the form of an annual detailed report. The Dominion ex penditure on fisheries, including fisheries pro tection, amounts to nearly $1,500,000 annually.