CXII REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



It should be prohibited to fish seines on or about the spawning-grounds of the 

 blacls: bass, the pike-perches, or other important iishes during their spawning season 

 or while the eggs and young fish continue to remain upon the grounds, and in all 

 other places where the employment of this method would be unduly harmful. 



Naled hooks for sturf/eon. — It is recommended that the method of taking sturgeon 

 by means of naked hooks or graimels be prohibited. 



Spears. — The use of spears for taking fish of any kind should be prohibited. 



Whitefish. — This species is the one most urgently demanding protection, as well as 

 efforts to rehabilitate the supply. A largo reduction in the amount of apparatus used 

 for its capture, accompanied by extensive fish-cultural operations, may be expected 

 to aid materially in replenishing the stock; but we venture to suggest that, in 

 our opinion, even greatei benefits might be gained by the discontiniumce of all 

 fishing for the species during all or a part of its spawning season, as elsewhere 

 explained. 



Stitryeon. — All sturgeon measuring less than 4 feet long, taken by any means, 

 should be returned alive to the water. 



Black buss. — All fishing for black bass, including its capture by any means, should 

 be prohibited from at least May 1 to June 15; and all bass which may be taken in 

 the nets during that period should be returned alive to the water. No black bass 

 measuring less than 10 inches, taken by any method, should be retained or sold. 



Pollutions. — The throwing into the water of fish offal, including dead fish taken 

 from the nets, of city garbage, and of all other substances deleterious to fish life 

 should be prohibited. Steps should also be taken to prevent injury by the waste 

 from gas works, oil wells, oil refineries, etc., especially in tributary streams contain- 

 ing siiawning-grounds of important fishes. It is recommended that in connection 

 with all harbor imiirovemeuts and other work of th.at character due precautious be 

 taken in disposing of the materials obtained by dredging, etc., to prevent injury to 

 any fishing-grounds. 



Propagation. — A continuance of the joint efforts to increase the supply of whiteiish 

 by means of artificial propagation is strongly recommended, and it is urged that 

 the scojie of this work be increased to the fullest extent possible. 



DETROIT RIVER, LAKE AND RIVER ST. CLAIR. 



(1) That the use of all nets, excepting seines employed in obtaining whitefish for 

 the hatcheries and seines with not less than l-inch mesh for catching sturgeon, be 

 prohibited in the waters of the Detroit and St. Clair rivers. 



(2) That all fishing with seines, traps, or other forms of nets be prohibited in Lake 

 St. Clair north of a line drawn from the mouth of the Clinton River in Michigan to 

 the mouth of the Thames River in Ontario. 



(3) That the minimum size of mesh in the cribs of pound nets, trajt nets, and fyke 

 nets be not less than 2;V inches in extension. 



(4) That no nets whatever be permitted to be used between the Slst day of Octo- 

 ber and the 1st day of December, excepting for the purposes of the hatcheries. 



(5) That a close season be ado])ted for the black buss from May 1 to June 15; that 

 all black bass measuring less than 10 inclies long, by whatever means taken, be 

 returned alive to the water; that the number of bass taken by each rod per diem be 

 limited to 20, and that the number of rods to each boat be limited to 2. 



(6) Tliat all sturgeon less than 4 feet long be returned alive to the water. 



(7) That all fishing with grapnels or naked hooks be prohibited, but that all other 

 hook-and-liue fisheries be permitted, except for black bass between May 1 and 

 June 15. 



(8) That the throwing into the water of fish off'al, including dead fish taken from 

 the nets, of city garbage, and of all other substances deleterious to fish life be 

 prohibited. That steps be taken to piievent injury by the waste from sawmills, gas 

 works, oil refineries, etc. 



