Fishing Island Boat Tours

The islands are rich in folklore and history that include aboriginal people, white settlers and early mariners. Originally the lands of the Objibway people, the Saugeen Islands were acquired by the Crown in 1885 following the signing of the Manitowaning Treaty and the Oliphant Treaty. It was reported that the schools of herring, whitefish and lake trout were so thick in the islands in the early 1800’s that shoals of fish could be sighted from a lookout’s perch in a tree as the fish made way to the natural channels through the islands. When Captain Alexander MacGregor made Main Station the base of his fishing operation in 1834 he secured a contract with a Detroit fishing company for 3000 barrels or more of fish per year. This early abundance of fish was largely depleted by the 1850’s. The rocky shores and reefs along the Fishing Islands were well known as treacherous to mariners. The remains of vessels lost still dot the region and are visible. Long grooves in rock left by retreating glaciers 10,000 years ago can be seen on Lake Huron’s bottom. Limestone pavements on shore appear pitted, the product of chemical weathering.