66 THE MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



TABLE NO. 2. 



LSOl 9,132,770 



1892 8,859,899 



1893 8,948,500 



1894 7,291,295 



1895 6,293,545 



1896 6,899,877 



1897 6,580,454 



1898 6,494,965 



1899 6,505,770 



1900 6,458,870 



1901 7,388,670 



Many of the causes for the depletion of the waters have been laid at the 

 door of the commercial fishermen, and no donbt justly so to a great ex- 

 tent, but we must not blame them for all the wrong committed. (Re- 

 marks.) 



Forty or fifty years ago neither the people nor fishermen gave any con- 

 sideration or thought but that the great supply of fish would still hold 

 out and continue for all time, and therefore all that came to their net 

 was the catcher's plunder, but in time a decrease was apparent ; it then 

 became evident that means must be taken to check this decrease, and 

 protected propagation, with what has been supposed to be beneficial laws, 

 were suggested. Many of the laws were enacted and enforced as well as 

 could be expected with limited means and men. 



The catching of young a;id immature fish probably has been one of 

 the greatest causes for depleting the waters. We have laws regulating 

 the size of fish that may be caught, but they are not adequately enforced. 

 INIillions, no doubt, of 3'oung whitefish are caught annually, so small that 

 four will weigh but one pound; thus only one pound of inferior food is 

 furnished, whereas could the}' have been retained in their pastures until 

 mature, there might have been twelve to twenty pounds of good food. 

 (Remarks.) 



Sewage from cities and towns, drainage from cleared lands, sawdust 

 from mills, and bark from logs, have much to do Avith the decrease and 

 interference with the speedy repopulating of the waters of the Great 

 Lakes. When our scientists, sanitarians, and health authorities take up 

 the problem of sanitation and solve it as it should and will be, so that 

 practically no impurities enter the waters, then we may look for the 

 restoration of the feeding and spawning grounds, at least partially so, 

 and our fish supply will increase correspondingly. 



To give an illustration of the injury sewage from cities, rivers, and 

 mills will do to fishing grounds, conditions that prevail to a large ex- 

 tent at the present time, I cite the City of Alpena, Mich., situated at the 

 mouth of Thunder Bay river, near where it empties into Thunder Bay. 

 The sewage from the city and river flows into the bay, and in former 

 days, sawdust, and bark from logs. This has existed for many years, 

 until, no doubt, the bottom of the bay is literally covered with this 

 foreign matter. (Remarks.) 



Formerly large quantities of whitefish were caught in all parts of this 

 bay, and even in the river, but today no nets are set on the north shore 

 nearer than nine miles from the mouth of the river. No doubt this bay. 



