FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1927 535 



Scientific and common names.^ — It has been thought to be desirable 

 to clear up the confusion in local common names of the fishes of the 

 lake fisheries by listing the species under their most common trade 

 classification. It will be found that the cisco of Lake Erie, due to 

 its economic importance in this lake, has been listed separately from 

 the herring of the other lakes. In cases where species are taken in 

 small quantities they are included ^vith similar varieties or in the 

 item "miscellaneous." Following is a list of the species discussed 

 in this report with their scientific names : 



Lake trout Cristivomei- namaycush. 



Whitefish Coregonus cl upeaformis. 



Lake herring Leucichthys artedi (Great Lakes, except Lake Erie). 



Chubs All leucichthys except artedi (in Great Lakes). 



Cisco Leucichthys artedi (Lake Erie only). 



Sturgeon Acipenser rubicundus. 



Yellow pike Stizostedion vitreum. 



Blue pike i" Stizostedion vitreum. 



Sauger Stizostedion canadense griseum. 



Sucker, "mullet" Catostomidse (species). 



Sheepshead Aplodinotus grunniens. 



Yellow perch Per en flavescens. 



Pike (jacks) Esox lucius. 



Carp Cyprinus carpio. 



White bass Roccus chrysops. 



Catfish and bullheads., j^^ff'™^ (species). 

 [Jctalurus punctatus . 

 Burbot Lota maculosa. 



GENERAL STATISTICS 



While, from the standpoint of production, our lake fisheries are of 

 less importance than some of our other fisheries, the value of the prod- 

 ucts is unusualty high in proportion. In 1926 the total catch of the 

 lake fisheries of the United States and Canada amounted to 102,- 

 798,000 pounds. This represents an increase of 3 per cent, compared 

 with the previous year, and a decrease of 15 per cent, compared with 

 the 10-year average. Of the total catch, that taken in the United 

 States amounted to 75,300,000 pounds, valued at $6,642,000. This 

 is an increase of 9 per cent in amount, compared with the previous 

 year's catch and a decrease of 11 per cent in amount compared wdth 

 the 10-year average of the catch. The Canadian catch, which 

 amounted to 27,498,000 pounds, showed a decline of 12 per cent as 

 compared with the previous year, and 24 per cent as compared with 

 the 10-3^ear average. 



Catcli hy lalces. — According to the production in the United States 

 and Canada in 1926, Lake Erie ranks as the most important lake, with 

 a catch of 33,809,000 pounds. This represents a decrease of 10 per 

 cent, compared with the previous year, and 40 per cent compared with 

 the 10-year average for this lake. This decline also is reflected in 

 the proportion this lake has contributed to the total production of all 

 the lakes. For the 10 years previous to 1926, the catch of fish in 

 Lake Erie averaged about one-half of the total production of all the 

 lakes. However, in 1926 the catch declined to a point where it was 

 barely one-third of the total production of all the lakes. Lake Huron 



' A table of common names used in each State is given in the discussion of the fisheries of the Great Lakes 

 in Fishery Industries of the United States, 1926, Bureau of Fisheries Document No. 1025. 

 '"Described by Doctor Hubbs as a distinct species, whicli he named Stizostedion gtaucum. 



