118 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



do some good ; at least, there seems to be an increase in whitefish the 

 past two or three years." 



Simon Schact, of Sandusky, says : " My catch for the past two sea- 

 sons is as follows : 1883, 42 pound-nets, 40 tons whitefish ; 1884, 48 

 pound-nets, 50 tons whitefish. 



" I believe the planting of fry to be a good thing, and the only way 

 the fishing can be kept up. I fear, however, that the way the gill-net- 

 ters are catching them, and going on the breeding grounds and dis- 

 turbing them while spawning, will do more harm than the hatcheries 

 can do good. The fishermen down at Erie and Dunkirk receive the most 

 benefit from the planting, as they fish with gill-nets all summer, and 

 are using smaller-meshed nets every season on purpose to catch the 

 small whitefish." 



Lay Brothers, of Sandusky, say : " Our catch of whitefish for the past 

 two seasons was as follows: 1883, from 20 pound-nets, 16 tons; 1884, 

 from 30 pound-nets, 26 tons. 



" We think it is plain to see that there is a benefit to be derived from 

 the hatcheries, and would like to see as many in operation as there are 

 eggs to fill." 



Dewey & Co., of Toledo, say : " Our catch the past season was rather 

 light. We do not attribute this to a scarcity of whitefish, but to the 

 unfavorable winds that prevailed on our Monroe coast grounds all the 

 fall until a late date; then, just as the fish began to come on, we had 

 two severe blows from the west, which drove the fish from the shore, 

 and they did not come back, or, if they did, we did not get them, as our 

 twine was out. 



" We think the business of planting young fish an excellent thing; 

 can see no reason why it should not be, as every fish planted in that 

 way is a clear gain. We see no reason why planted fish should not 

 stand as good a chance to live and become grown fish as those that 

 hatch on the reefs." 



Win. St. John & Co., also of Toledo, say : " Our receipts of whitefish 

 for the past two seasons are as follows : 1883, from 20 pound-nets, 6,000 

 pounds ; 1884, from 45 pound-nets, 18,000 pounds. 



"We do not see that fish-planting has been of much benefit to this 

 end of the lake, but I am informed that great benefits have been real- 

 ized farther down. 



" We would like to see Congress take hold of the matter and enact 

 a law to control and restrict the fishing with gill-nets; also with such 

 long strings of twine. Although we ourselves are fishing 20 and 21 

 pounds in a string, we would like to see them cut down to six at most 

 on main shore, and not more than three off the islands, or any place 

 where there is a narrow channel. Then the whitefish would have a 

 better chance to get through to the coast and reef spawning grounds 

 at the head of the lake, which they would do if they were not turned 

 back by the long strings of twine." 



