The Common Whitefish 



platform, the number being somewhat larger in the spring than 

 in the fall, but at no time great enough to make their capture 

 a question for serious consideration. Nothing is definitely known 

 regarding the general distribution and habits of the young, but 

 they are supposed to remain chiefly in the deep waters of the 

 lake. Many are reported to be taken in the herring gillnets in 

 that region, and also in the poundnets on some parts of both 

 the north and south shore, but the men actually concerned in 

 those fisheries deny that the quantity is ever excessive. The 

 subject is important and should he further investigated. 



As far as known the habits of the common whitefish in 

 other lakes do not differ from those of Lake Erie, and the de- 

 crease in the catch in other waters has been proportionally great. 



The spawning habits of whitefish confined in pens have been 

 observed. The fish rise to the surface, occasionally in pairs, 

 sometimes, but rarely, in trios of i female and 2 males, the 

 female emitting a quantity of spawn at each rise. The males, 

 always the smaller fish, persistently follow the female and dis- 

 charge milt at the same time the eggs are emitted. 



Whitefish reach maturity in the 3d or 4th year. A full- 

 grown individual deposits from 10,000 to 75,000 eggs, depend- 

 ing on the fish's size. A rule for determining the approximate 

 spawning capacity is to allow about 10,000 eggs for each pound 

 of the fish's weight. The eggs are ^ of an inch in diameter, 

 and 36,000 make a fluid quart. 



In nature the eggs of the whitefish are subjected to the at- 

 attacks of many enemies for nearly 5 months. The mud-puppy, 

 commonly known as "lizard" or "water-dog" by the people 

 along the lakes, is especially destructive. During the month of 

 January, 1897, many of these animals were pumped up with the 

 water supply of the Put-in-Bay station. The stomachs of a con- 

 siderable number of them contained whitefish and cisco eggs, 

 the contents of i stomach being 288 whitefish eggs and 4 cisco 

 eggs. 



Another voracious destroyer of whitefish eggs is the common 

 yellow perch f/Y/vj Jhrccsccns). The deck of a boat has been 

 covered with the eggs of the whitefish and cisco pressed out of 

 the stomachs of perch taken from gillnets the last of November 

 on the reefs, where they had gone to feed on the eggs. 



The various smaller CyprinLLr and some other fishes, craw- 



128 



