STATISTICS OF THE RED LAKES 

 FISHERIES 



Total yield and value 



Practically complete data are available 

 on the total production of the Red Latces fisher- 

 ies since commercial fishing began in 1917 

 (table 2). Catch statistics are lacking only for 

 the first six months of 1919 and the last six 

 months of 1926. The total production from the 

 beginning of the fishery throu^ 1938, exclusive 

 of the catch in these 2 half-year periods, was 

 16,693,210 pounds. Had complete data been 

 available the total almost certainly would have 

 been well in excess of 17 million pounds. The 

 total catch in individual years was lowest in 

 1920 (322,684 pounds) and highest in 1929 

 (1,086,473 pounds). The average for the years 

 1918-1938, was 820,32 pounds. 



The values (including royalties and 

 bonuses when these were paid) of the annual 

 yields to the Indian and white fishermen are 

 given in the table for the years 1920 to 1938, 

 inclusive. (The last six months of 1926 are ex- 

 cluded.). During these 19 years the Red Lakes 

 fishermen received a total of $943,230. During 

 the entire period of operation from 1917 on, the 

 fishermen received more than one million dol- 

 lars for their fish. The annual income varied 

 from $19,190 in 1935 to $99,931 in 1929. 



Beginning in 1927 statistical records 

 were maintained continuously of the production 

 of the individual species. The averages and 

 percentages at the bottom of table 2, based on 

 the 1927-1938 statistics, may be taken as 

 descriptive of the commercial fishery in the 

 Red Lakes for this period. 



The production statistics of table 2 can- 

 not be employed for a discussion of fluctuations 

 in abundance since the fishery operates under 

 a production -quota system. When the limit of 

 650,000 pounds, exclusive of rough fish, was 

 reached, fishing operations other than those 

 carried on to obtain eggs for artificial propaga- 

 tion were suspended for the season. The 

 quantities of some species reported may have 

 depended on the existence of a market demand; 



a particularly good example is the goldeye, the 

 marketing of which was stimulated greatly by a 

 growing demand for it as a smoked fish. 



Relative importance of Upper and Lower 

 Red Lakes 



Although Upper and Lower Red Lakes 

 presumably are both single-basin lakes of ap- 

 proximately the same regular, elliptical shape 

 and size, Lower Red Lake has a maximum 

 depth of about 40 feet while the maximum depth 

 of Upper Red LaKe is reported to be from 14 to 

 18 feet. Limnological differences between the 

 two basins possibly may be reflected in differ- 

 ences in the natural abundance of fish. The 

 relative magnitude of the commercial catches 

 of the two lakes was related principally to num- 

 ber of fishermen and to fishing intensity. 



A few Indian fishermen operated on both 

 lakes, but the major part of the commercial 

 fishing activities was centered on Lower Red 

 Lake and very few Indians fished exclusively on 

 Upper Red Lake . A small number of white 

 settlers (see table 4) formerly operated gill nets 

 on the portion of Upper Red Lake that lies out- 

 side of the reservation boundary (see fig. 1) 

 but they were forced to sell their catch ex- 

 clusively to the Red Lake Fisheries Association. 

 Because of their violations of the fishing regula- 

 tions in the past, the white settlers on Upper 

 Red Lake were denied fishing Licenses in 1938. 



With a few exceptions the catches of 

 waUeyes, whitefish, yellow perch, and north- 

 ern pike were recorded separately for each 

 lake over the period 1920-1928 (table 3). All 

 other species, termed "rough fish", constituted 

 10.2 percent of the total catch of Upper and 7.9 

 percent of the total catch of Lower Red Lake 

 during the 9 years. 



Ordinarily, except for the whitefish 

 catches in some years, the fisheries of Upper 

 Red Lake were only about one-tenth as im- 

 portant as those of the lower lake. There are 

 indications that the fisheries of the upper lake 

 were even less productive after 1928. Quality 

 of the walleye from the upper lake was said to 

 be inferior to that of lower lake fish. 



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