LAKE AND RIVER FISHERIES 



85 



trawls^ in the capture of these small deep-water fish. An extensive Cana- 

 dian trawl fishery for smelt also has been developed in recent years on 

 Lake Erie. Yet, improvements in the taking and handling of these small 

 fish have been limited. Vessels that were designed for gill-netting (Figure 

 6.3) are only moderately successful in trawl fishing. Lack of adequate 

 power for effective trawling speeds, limited storage space, poor facihties 

 for cooling the catch, and inadequate transfer systems have hampered 

 this phase of the fishery. 



An increasing number of convenience products such as breaded fillets 

 from yellow perch, smelt, and small chub, and small smoked chub are 

 entering the market. The industry is gradually acquiring semi-automatic 

 processing machinery to fillet or dress small fish\ thus eliminating costly 



Figure b.o. Stern-typu trawlr 

 traditional gill net tugs. 



ypiraJ 



of several that have been developed 



hand labor. Good possibilities exist for broadening the use of fresh-water 

 fish in the^manufacture of pet foods and food for fur-bearing animals, 

 particularly mink^ Mink ranchers of the Midwest currently use about 

 50 million pounds of fresh-water fish annually. Economical and efficient 

 harvesting and processing methods and, particularly, the ability to handle 

 a large quantity of fish in a short period of time, are the keys to the 

 further development of this market. There still exists a great shortage 

 of adequate and modern sharp-freezing and cold-storage facilities, how- 

 ever, to handle the large stocks of fish available for human foods as well 

 as for industrial purposes. 



- The fresh-water fishery of the United States is no longer static. Tre- 

 mendous and abrupt changes of fish stocks and the unsuitabiUty of old 

 gears and techniques for exploitation of the enormously abundant new 



