MICHIGAN 



Mon roe 



OHIO 



Figure 1. — Lake Erie is morphometrically separated in- 

 to three basins. The small, shallow western basin shown 

 here has a surface area of about 1,300 square miles. 

 For compiling commercial production, the basin is di- 

 vided into fishery statistical districts. Canadian waters 

 are represented by district OE-1; Ohio waters by dis- 

 tricts 0-1 (open lake), 0-4 (Sandusky Bay), and 0-5 (in- 

 land tributary waters) ; and Michigan waters by a 

 single district. 



fied as game and panfish and are excluded from 

 the commercial harvest; these include primarily 

 coho salmon (Oncorlujnchus kisutch) , small- 

 mouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) , rock bass 

 (Ambloplites rupestris) , black crappie (Pomox- 

 is nigromaculatus), white crappie {Pomoxis 

 annularis), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) , 

 green sunfish {Lepomis cyanellus) , and pump- 

 kinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) . These fish, which 

 were counted and weighed but omitted from the 

 catch estimates in the present study, made up 

 less than 0.2 Sc of the total weight of all fish 

 caught in the seine hauls and trap net lifts 

 observed. 



THE COMMERCIAL FISHERY 



The western basin of Lake Erie has long been 

 considered to have the most valuable spawning 

 and nursery grounds in the entire lake (Lang- 

 lois, 1954). It makes up only 13^r of the lake 

 area and has an average depth of less than 25 ft 

 (Fig. 1). The comparatively warm waters of 

 this basin, together with the extensive shoal 

 areas around the many islands, provide ideal 

 fishing grounds for many species of fish. How- 

 ever, the long-term effects of environmental deg- 



radation, heavy exploitation, and the introduc- 

 tion of new species — e.g., carp, goldfish, and 

 rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) — have greatly 

 changed the composition of the catch through 

 the years (Applegate and Van Meter, 1970). 



Historically, the fishery has depended on such 

 high -value fishes as the cisco (Coregonus arte- 

 dii), lake whitefish {Coregonus clupeaformis) , 

 blue pike {Stizostedion vitreum glaucum) , and 

 walleye. Of these, only the walleye is of com- 

 mercial importance in Lake Erie today, and it 

 is in jeopardy. Since 1957 successful hatches 

 have been produced in the western basin at only 

 3- or 4-year intervals, and the year classes have 

 been heavily fished before they reached maturity. 

 The result has been an all-time low in produc- 

 tion and standing crop. Even with more strin- 

 gent regulations today, the walleye faces a 

 struggle for survival because of deteriorating 

 environmental conditions in the lake. 



The year-class success of medium-value fishes 

 — yellow perch, white bass, and channel catfish 

 — is also fluctuating more widely from year to 

 year than in the 1950's. The immediate future 

 of the yellow perch, the mainstay of Lake Erie 

 production for the past decade, is of major con- 

 cern despite record landings in 1969. In eff"ect, 

 a maiority of the year's production was com- 

 prised of the exceptionally strong 1965 year 

 class of perch that is about to phase out of the 

 fishery. Landings in 1970 declined sharply and 

 future landings are expected to continue this 

 downward trend until another strong year class 

 is produced. 



On the other hand, several low-value species 

 have flourished and are greatly underexploited 

 because the profit margin is small and the market 

 demand unsteady. Few low-value fish are sold 

 in the retail fresh-fish market although certain 

 low-value species bring as much as 6(' per pound 

 to the haul seiners when sold alive to pond own- 

 ers who charge a fee for fishing. This market, 

 however, is largely restricted to the spring sea- 

 son because fish mortalities during holding and 

 transport are prohibitively high in warm v/eath- 

 er. Although most low-value species can be sold 

 as mink and pet food at 2(' per pound, the fish- 

 ermen are unable to show a profit at this price. 

 Consequently, many tons are discarded and re- 

 turned to the water. Freshwater drum, carp. 



