572 



U. S. BUEEATJ OF FISHERIES 



Table 2. — Relative abundance of the principal species, as shown by the loeight, in 

 pounds, of the annual catch of the principal species in the American waters of Lake 

 Superior, as shown bij nine censuses 



Species 



Whiteflsh 



Trout 



Herring 



Sturgeon 



Suckers 



Bluefins, including 



chubs... 



All other species... 



1880 



2, 257, 000 



1, 464, 000 



34, 000 



60, 000 



1885 



4, 571, 000 



3, 488, 000 



324, 000 



182, 000 



258, 000 



1890 



3, 213, 000 



2, 613, 000 



199, 000 



47, 000 



42, 000 



1893 



2, 732, 000 

 4, 342, 000 



660, 000 

 62, 000 



118, 000 



36, 000 

 144, 000 



1899 



693, 000 



3, 118, 000 



1, 125, 000 



4,000 



11,000 



435, 000 

 41, 000 



1908 



794, 000 910, 000 



4, 954, 000 2, 752, 000 



4, 742, 000,5, 360, 000 



13, ooo; 67, 000 



183, 000 290, 000 



2, 385, 000 227, 000 

 131, 000 ' 587, 000 



1917 



302, 000 

 2, 588, 000 

 12, 258, 000 



56, 000 



1922 



380, 000 

 2, 833, 000 

 7, 394, 000 



296, 000 



83, 000 



' Probably includes fish from inland waters. 



Table 3. — Relative abundance of the principal species, as shoivn by the weight, 

 in pounds, of the annual catch, and the amount of apparatus employed in the 

 Canadian waters of Lake Superior, as shown by 10 censuses. {From 1895 on the 

 catches of a few inland lakes are included, but the statistics of Lake Nipigon have 

 been subtracted wherever they appeared) 



Species 



Whiteflsh 



Trout.. 



Herring,. 



Wall-eyed pike. 



Coarseflsh 



Sturgeon 



Pound nets 



Gill nets , 



.number.. 

 ...yards.. 



1905 



523,000 

 1, 983, 000 



191,000 

 19,000 

 14,000 



35 

 448,000 



1910 



281. 000 



3, 987, 000 



801, 000 



177, 000 



7,000 



7,000 



37 



909,000 



1922 



300, 000 



1, 495, 000 



604,000 



101, 000 



113,00a 



9,000 



53 



613. ooa 



In considering these statistics it must be borne in mind that the 

 production has varied from year to year in different sections of the 

 lake, and that the figures given for the entire lake do not reflect this 

 variation. In the Canadian waters of the lake these local fluctuations 

 have been especially great, since the fishing districts have never 

 been as crowded as on the American side, and when old grounds were 

 exhausted the gear was simply moved to new ones. The abolition 

 by Canada of the closed season, since the war, which has made 

 possible the capture of trout and whiteflsh over a longer period 

 each year, has also helped to increase the catch in recent years. 



Up to 1890 whiteflsh constituted the most important element in 

 the catches in American waters and usually the most important in 

 Canadian waters, but after that date trout occupied first position 

 and the catches of whiteflsh dwindled. On the American side herring 

 grew in favor from about 1900, and since 1908 have exceeded the 

 output of trout. The}^ did not become signiflcant in the Canadian 

 yield until 1910, and then for several years crowded the trout out 

 of flrst place in abundance. 



