"^ FISHERY INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1927 537 



The catch of yellow perch, which amounted to 7,363,000 pounds 

 in 1926, showed a substantial increase compared with the production 

 of 1925 and an increase of 15 per cent compared with the 10-year 

 average. The increase in 1926 is due to the unusually large catch 

 made in waters of the United States, which was the largest since 

 1919 and was nearly three times as large as the Canadian catch. 

 The catch of chubs, which are taken almost entirely in waters of the 

 United States, amounted to 7,042,000 pounds in 1926. This is a 

 small increase over the catch for the previous year and an increase 

 of 54 per cent compared with the 10-year average. This species of 

 fish, which formerly was considered of inferior quality, is now esteemed 

 more highly and is finding a good market. The catch of yellow pike, 

 considered by some authorities to be of the same species as the blue 

 pike, amounted to 4,451,000 pounds in 1926. This is sHghtly less 

 than the catch in 1925 and a decrease of 7 per cent when compared 

 with the 10-year average for this species. 



The catch of cisco in Lake Erie (the only lake in which this species 

 is taken) amounted to 3,022,000 pounds in 1926. The amount of 

 this species taken has declined at an alarming rate during late years, 

 the catch in 1926 being 47 per cent less than the amount taken in 

 1925 and a decrease of 88 per cent compared with the 10-year average. 

 During the period 1913 to 1925, the catch ranged between about 

 14,000,000 and 49,000,000 pounds annually. From this it can be 

 seen readily that the 1926 catch is but a fraction of that of former 

 years. During each of the years of the 10-year period prior to 1925, 

 the catch in the waters of the United States was usually twice as 

 large as that taken in Canadian waters. However, in 1925 and 1926 

 the Canadian catch exceeded that for the United States, although it 

 also has fallen off unprecedentedly. 



Catch hy States. — According to production in waters of the United 

 States in 1926, Michigan, with frontage on Lakes Erie, Huron, 

 Michigan, and Superior, ranked of first importance in the lake fish- 

 eries. The catch in waters of this State amounted to 26,989,000 

 pounds, or 36 per cent of the total production in the United States 

 of all the lakes. Ohio, with fisheries onlj^ in Lake Erie, ranked 

 second in importance with a catch of 15,934,000 pounds, or 21 per 

 cent of the total catch. Third in importance was Wisconsin, with 

 a catch (taken in Lakes Michigan and Superior) of 12,388,000 pounds, 

 or 16 per cent of the total catch. Minnesota ranked fourth with a 

 catch of 10,552,000 pounds, or 14 per cent of the total catch. This 

 catch was made in Minnesota waters of Lake Superior, Lake of the 

 Woods, Rainy Lake, and Namakan Lake. The catch in Pennsyl- 

 vania, which was taken entirely in Lake Erie, amounted to 5,001,000 

 pounds, or 7 per cent of the total. The catch in New York, which 

 was taken from Lakes Ontario and Erie, amounted to 3,429,000 

 pounds, or 5 per cent of the total. The catch in Indiana amounted 

 to 626,000 pounds and that in Illinois to 381,000 pounds. The catch 

 in each of these States represents less than 1 per cent of the total 

 production in the lake fisheries. 



