BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 115 



steadily increasing in numbers, I believe the hatching and planting of 

 the young is a success, and the cause of the increase." 



Charles Joles, of Erie, a gill-net fisherman, says: "I fish gill-nets off 

 Elk Creek. Cannot say how many whitefish I caught in the different 

 years, but know I caught more in 1884 than in any season for several 

 years. I attribute the gain to the planting of young fish at the upper 

 end of the lake. I am satisfied that were it not for this whitefish would 

 become so scarce that it would not pay to fish for them." 



Rudolph Sifield, of North Bass Island, says : " I fish with pound-nets 

 and own some gill-nets, but would willingly put the latter in a pile and 

 burn them if gill-net fishing could be prohibited. Gill-nets are a great 

 detriment to natural propagation, as they are set on the reefs in spawn- 

 ing time, right where the fish go to breed, and the schools are broken up 

 or driven off entirely, and the eggs are then deposited in the mud and 

 never hatch. Good results may now be seen from fish planting, but 

 the business has not been carried on long enough nor on a sufficient 

 scale to tell what it will do in the long run." 



Simon Fox, of North Bass, gives his opinion thus : " Have been in 

 the fishing business for years, and until the past season never believed 

 there would be any results from the planting of young fish. Now I 

 am fully convinced that good results are to be seen, and if it is con- 

 tinued great results will follow." 



Jasper Snide, of North Bass, says : " Our twine caught a few more 

 whitefish in 1884 than in 1883, and I think we should have done still 

 better but for the unfavorable fishing weather, it being so still that the 

 fish remained on the reefs beyond our nets continuously until we got 

 those heavy blows, which drove them off entirely. Formerly I did not 

 have any faith in the planting of young whitefish, but am now sure 

 we can see good results. We now catch a great many of a smaller 

 class of fish which we never did before the planting was commenced; 

 and if the stock had not been kept up in some other than the natural 

 way they must have decreased in numbers, and we cannot see that they 

 have for a few years." 



George Axtell, of North Bass, states : " Whitefish are increasing in 

 numbers all the time, at least this is true of my own nets, and I feel 

 certain that it is owing to the planting of young fish from the hatch- 

 eries. Last fall I caught numbers of small whitefish, such as I never 

 before saw caught in gill-nets." 



William Axtell, practical fisherman, of North Bass, says : " I know 

 that the planting of young fish is a great help to the fishing industry. 

 Would like to see more hatcheries put up — enough to take care of all 

 the eggs that could be taken." 



Eugene McFall, clerk of the steamer Jay Cooke, freight and passenger 

 boat plying between the slands and Sandusky, says : "I think there 

 is an increase in the catc i iof whitefish, and I suppose the planting must 

 account for it. We canied from the islands in 1883 about 132,000 



