534 



U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Halibut fishery of the Pacific coast, 1927 — Continued 



LANDINGS: Br ".•lATiONALiTr and ports 



[Figures in thousands of pounds; that is, 000 omitted] 



LAKE FISHERIES 



The latest complete statistical canvass made of the lake fisheries 

 and fishery industries of the United States (Lakes Superior, Michigan, 

 Huron, Erie, Ontario, and St. Clair, Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake, 

 and Lakes Kabetogama, Namakan, and Sand Point) was for the 

 calendar year 1922. The complete statistics for this canvass are pub- 

 lished in the report of the division of fishery industries for 1923 and in 

 Statistical Bulletin No. 618. 



In addition to the above genera] canvass, statistics of the lake fish- 

 eries ^ over a period of years have been secured by compiling data 

 obtained through the various State agencies. Those for the years 

 1913 to 1924 were obtained in a tariff survey of the lake fisheries, 

 while those for the years 1925 and 1926 were supplemented by the 

 bureau in its surveys for those years. To complete these data for the 

 various lakes, there have been included statistics of the Canadian 

 lake fisheries, which have been secured from the Dominion official 

 reports. 



In the fall of 1927 a new system of obtaining fisheries statistics 

 was initiated in Michigan with very satisfactory results. Bj^ this 

 system, the commercial fisherman of the State are required to make 

 monthly reports of catch together with a statement of the kind of 

 gear used and the locality in w^hich the catch was made. Because 

 of the success of tliis system in Michigan, an effort was made to estab- 

 lish it in the other States bordering on the Great Lakes, and during 

 the current year New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois adopted a 

 similar plan. Ohio, Wisconsin, and Minnesota approve of the plan, 

 and it is believed that in the near future satisfactory statistics of 

 monthly production for all the Great Lakes districts may be made 

 available. 



9 Includes the fisheries of Lakes Ontario, Brie, Huron, Michigan, Superior, Namakan Lake, Rainy 

 Lake, and Lake of the Woods. 



The statistics shown for the years 1913 to 1925 do not include the production in Illinois. Indiana, as well 

 as Illinois, has not required reports of production from fishermen under its jurisdiction in the past; but the 

 production in Indiana (the more important of the two) has been estimated for the various years. The dis- 

 parity resulting from the noninclusion of the production in Illinois is neghsible, the catch in 1922 and 1926 

 amounting to about one-third of 1 per cent of the total lakes' catch. In 1926, a canvass of production was 

 made in these States, which permits the publication of complete catch data for all States in that year. 



Statistics are for the calendar year in each State, except th.it thjse for Lake of the Woods, Rainy Lake, 

 and Namakan Lake in Minnesota are for two seasons. For Lake of the Woods, the seasons are from June 1 

 to Nov. 1 and Dec. 1 to Apr. 1; those for Rainy and Namakan Lakes are from May 15 to Nov. 1 and Dec. 1 

 to Apr. 1. The two seasons, in the order named, have been combined to constitute a year, as shown in the 

 accompanying statistics. The quantity of fish takea in these lakes between Jan. 1 and Apr. 1 amounted to 

 less than 3 par cent of the total catch in 1927. 



