120 BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



for either fall, but know I caught more in 1884 than in 1883, perhaps 

 20 per cent. more. The hatcheries are undoubtedly a good thing and 

 should be kept up. While the eggs are in the jars they are out of the 

 way of sturgeon, suckers, and all fish that live mostly by sucking up 

 spawn ; and when the young fish are turned loose they will look out for 

 themselves." 



Felix Courchaine, also of Port Clinton, says: "I did very well the 

 past fall, in fact the fishing was the best it has been for years. I caught 

 tons with 20 gill-nets. I have every reason to believe that we are get- 

 ting results of the plantings from the hatcheries ; and why shouldn't 

 we? The fry planted in this way stand an equal chance with those 

 hatched in the lakes, and as for taking care of themselves, I think 

 nature will look out for that. I should be sorry indeed to see the hatch- 

 ing of whitefish discontinued." 



F. Perry, a practical gill-netter, of Port Clinton, says: "In the fall of 

 1883 my catch of whitefish from 19 nets was 1 ton, and in the fall of 

 1881, from 37 nets, 6 tons— six times the catch of the year previous, 

 with double the nets, on the same grounds. I think we are getting 

 great results from the planting of young fish, for before it was com- 

 menced whitefish were fast playing out. But now they are becoming 

 more plentiful again, and I know of no cause for it except the planting 

 of the young in large numbers from the hatcheries." 



From all the places named above, as well as other points on the lake, 

 much more evidence of the same kind might be offered; but it would be 

 merely a repetition of what has already been given. Accurate data 

 showing the total whitefish catch of the lake fo».a term of years, or even 

 for one season, would be almost impossible to obtain, from the fact that 

 many fishermen classify their entire catch simply as "hard fish," "soft 

 fish," &c, whitefish, of course, being included in the former. The state- 

 ments, however, cover sufficient grounds to form a reliable basis for 

 conclusions. They show that while there was no perceptible increase 

 the past season in the whitefish runs at the extreme west end of the 

 lake, there was a decided increase on the coast and island reefs farther 

 down, and a very marked increase in numbers still farther down, on 

 the feeding-grounds, in deeper water, where gill-nets are operated. On 

 the whole, sufficient is shown to prove beyond a doubt that the aggre- 

 gate catch was greater than for several years, that whitefish are deci- 

 dedly on the increase in Lake Erie, and that the increase is simply the 

 legitimate result of the work of the hatcheries. The removal from the 

 lake every year of thousands and hundreds of thousands of adult fish, 

 whether taken directly from the breeding-grounds or not (the results 

 are the same), must certainly ere this have caused a very material de- 

 crease in the stock but for the compensation of young from the hatch- 

 eries. 



NORTHVILLE, Mich., February 18, 1885. 



