84 DESCRIPTION OF IMPORTANT FISHERIES AND THEIR PRODUCTS 



have a strong interest in the development of a full-scale commercial 

 fishery. 



Several states, too, have expanded their programs for removal of rough 

 fish from large inland lakes as part of state sport-fishery development. 

 This fishery, rapidly expanding and employing more efficient harvesting 

 methods such as trawling, is quickly reaching significant proportions. 

 The bulk of the catches — sheepshead, carp, and tullibee — are marketed 

 as animal food, primarily for mink, in the northern states. 



Technological Status of the Industry 



The changes of fish stock that brought the commercial fishery of the 

 Great Lakes to its present critical condition came about abruptly. The 

 fishery, reasonably healthy in 1945 and geared for large, high- valued 

 species such as lake trout and whitefish, within a decade was faced with 

 the almost complete replacement of former stocks by a tremendous 

 abundance of small, low-value fish such as small chub, smelt, and ale- 

 wives. These factors combined to make traditional gill net fishing in the 

 Lakes a marginal or even a losing operation. The small fish tangle readily 

 in gill nets and are difficult to remove from the net, usually seriously 

 damaging the fish. Generally, the returns were far too small to cover the 

 cost of clearing the nets. The logical conversion to more effective fishing 

 methods w^as hampered, however, by highly restrictive and complicated 

 state fishery codes that detailed gear specifications, seasons, grounds, 

 size limits, .... Conservatism in modifying these codes and the resist- 

 ance of sport fishery groups to changes lessened motivation for experi- 

 mentation in more effective fishing methods by the industry. 



Furthermore, the small scattered plants of the traditional fishery were 

 ill-equipped to make a sudden change. Lack of suitable handUng, proces- 

 sing, and storage facilities made it difficult to take and sell even top- 

 quality fish at a profit. Peak periods of production, typical of the seasonal 

 glut of the fishery, saturated markets to the breaking point. Few cold- 

 storage warehouses were available to smooth out production and main- 

 tain a stable market. 



Still other marketing problems developed. Increasing quantities of 

 lake trout, and whitefish, produced from the interior lakes of Canada, 

 and domestic and imported marine fishery products, therefore, entered 

 midwest and eastern markets. Consumer tastes had been traditional, but 

 in recent years these tastes gradually shifted farther towards highly 

 processed, convenience-type products. 



Progress has been made by the industry, however, in making this 

 technological transition. In the last few years, special permits have been 

 issued by several of the Great Lakes states to authorize the use of otter 



