Smith's Canadian gazetteer - ElectricCanadian.com
Smith's Canadian gazetteer - ElectricCanadian.com
Smith's Canadian gazetteer - ElectricCanadian.com
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240<br />
are aTmnally taken and salted, a large portion of -which ir, exported to the United<br />
States. There are also pike, of large size; pickerel; three varieties of bass;<br />
maskelonge, a magnificent tish; cat-fish; suckers; percli; and occasionally eels;<br />
and in most of the rivers and mill streams m;iy be found the speckled trout. In<br />
the St. Lawrence, and rivers runuing into Lake Ontario, large quantities of fine<br />
salmon have formerly been taken during the migration of the fish in the spring<br />
and autumn. In the river Credit, in particular, a ^vaggon load has frequently<br />
been taken by two or three persons in one night; but for the last two or three<br />
seasons the fish have almost dv.'SL'rted the streams running into Lake Ontario,<br />
the reason of which is supjiosed to be, the great number of dams erected across<br />
them, for the purpose of securing a supply of water for the grist and saw mills,<br />
which have much increased in number within a few years, and the immense<br />
quantity of saw-dust which is consequently constantly floating down them. It<br />
being considered desirable to preserve the salmon if po-sible, and prevent their<br />
being altogether exterminated or driven from the lake, an act was passed, which<br />
provides as follows:<br />
"That from and after the passing of this act, it shall not be lawful for any<br />
person or persons at any time between the tenth day of September in any year,<br />
and the first day of March in the succeeding year, to take, catch or kill any<br />
salmon or sahnon fry, in any manner whatsoever.<br />
" That it shall not be lawful lor any person or persons at any time to take,<br />
catch or kill in any manner, in any district in Upper Canada, any salmon or<br />
salmon fry nearer the mouth of any of the rivers or creeks emptying into Lake<br />
Ontario or the Bay of Quinte, than two hundred yards, or witliin two hundred<br />
yards up from the mouth of any such river or creek as aforesaid ; Provided<br />
always, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to prevent the taking<br />
of salmon with a seine or net at any place along the shores of Lake Ontario<br />
between the first daj^ of February and the first day of August.<br />
'•<br />
That it shall not be lawful for any person or persons to take, catch or kill,<br />
or to attempt to take, catch or kill any fish whatsoever, in any river or creek<br />
within Upper Canada, by torch or fire light within one hundred yards of any<br />
mill which may now or hereafter be ei'ected on any such river or creek as<br />
aforesaid.<br />
" That from and after the passing of this act, it shall not be lawful for any<br />
person or persons to buy, receive or have in his or their possession, under any<br />
pretence whatever, any salmon taken or caught during the peruid in which<br />
persons are hereby prohibited from taking or attempting to take or catch salmon<br />
within Upper Canada ; and the proof that any salmon was not so tiken or<br />
caught, shall lie on the person or persons in whose possession any such salmon<br />
shall be found.<br />
" That if any person or persons shall be convicted of any offence against this<br />
act, before any one or more of her Majesty's justices of the peace within the<br />
district in which the ofience shall have been <strong>com</strong>mitted, upon the oath of one<br />
or more credible witness or witnesses, such person or persons shall upon conviction,<br />
as aforesaid, forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding ten pounds, nor<br />
less than five shillings, for the first offence, at the discretion of the justice or<br />
justices before whom such conviction shall be had, with all reasonable costs both<br />
before and after conviction ; and for every sid)sequent offence of a like nature,<br />
the sum of five pounds, with costs as afortsaid ;<br />
and upon any such conviction,<br />
it shall be lawful for the said justice or justices before whom such conviction<br />
shall have been made, to issue his or their warrant of distress against the goods<br />
and chattels of the offender or offenders."<br />
Two varieties of turtle are pleniiful in the rivers and ponds—the <strong>com</strong>mon and<br />
the snapping turtle. The ^'orth Ann riean porcupine should not be forgotten,<br />
it is considerftbly smaller than the South American porcupine, and the quills<br />
are both shorter and more sleiuler ; they are naturally of an opaque white; and<br />
the Indians dje them of many beautiful cohurs, and use them extensively iu<br />
oruamentaJ work.
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