FISHING INDUSTRY OF THE GREAT LAKES 



579 



been prohibited, particularly in parts of Georgian Bay, but in the 

 last few years the quantity of sucii nets has increased. 



Seines were never very 'widely used, probably because the bottom 

 in many areas is too rou2;h to permit drawing the nets, and only 

 in Saginaw Bay and at the lower end of the lake as far north as 

 Goderich does seine fishing appear to have attained any importance. 

 By 18S0 the more profitable method of fishing with pound nets 

 became so general in Saginaw Bay that there was no lono;er room 

 or inducement to haul the seines, and in 1894 the Canadian Gov- 

 ernment substituted pound-net licenses for seine licenses. In the 

 last 10 years, with the increase of carp, seines have again come into 

 growing use in these areas. 



The production of the lake has varied, both in quantity and 

 quality, from year to year. These changes are too complicated to 

 be treated in detail, but in Tables 4, 5, and G is shown the general 

 trend of production in American and Canadian waters. 



Table 4. — Relative abundance as shown by the total weight, in pounds, of the 

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

 as shown by nine censuses 



Species 



Herring, including 



chubs 



Whiteflsh. 



Trout 



Wall-eyed pike 



Sturgeon 



Suckers 



Perch.'. 



Catfish 



Carp 



1880 



246,000 

 2, 700, 000 

 2, 084, 000 



204,000 



1885 



1, 265, 000 



1, 425, 000 



2, 539, 000 

 940. 000 

 215, 000 



808,000 



1890 



2, 514, 

 1, 004, 

 1, 505, 

 1 1, 483, 



365, 

 1, 110, 

 1, 817, 



172, 



1893 



2, 758, 

 1, 178, 



3, 439, 

 '827, 



79, 



1, 824, 



1, 758, 



109, 



1899 



699, 000 

 592, 000 

 887, 000 

 110,000 

 30,000 

 107, 000 

 740, 000 

 574, 000 

 6,000 



1903 



715, 000 

 692, 000 

 108, 000 

 598, 000 



34, 000 

 690, 000 

 911,000 

 155, 000 



37,000 



1908 



1917 



4, 791, 

 719, 



1, 358, 



829, 



9, 



2, 575, 



1, 805, 

 174, 

 407, 



000 5,381, 



0001 996, 

 000 2, 079, 

 OOO! 994, 

 000| 4, 

 000,1,776, 

 000 844, 

 000 33, 

 000 1,145, 



000 5, 



000 1, 



0002, 



000 1, 



000| 



000,1, 



000 



oool 



000,1, 



496, 000 

 300. 000 

 1(18. 000 

 200, 000 

 2,000 

 889, 000 

 033, 000 

 04, 000 

 005, 000 



Including pike. 



' Not itemized. 



Table 5. — Relative abtmdance as shown by the total weight, in pounds, of the 

 annual catch of the principal species in the Canadian waters of Lake Huron, as 

 shown by 11 censuses 



Species 



Whitefish 



Trout 



Herring 



Wall-eyed pike.. 



Sturgeon 



Mixed and rough &sb. 

 Perch 



1, 166, 000 

 375, 000 



1, 049, 000 

 165, 000 



1880 



762, 000 



469, 000 



183, 000 



22, 000 



5,000 



1885 



1, 233, 000 

 610, 000 



1, 382, 000 

 246, 000 

 347, 000 



1890 



442, 000 

 1, 410, 000 

 1, 346, 000 

 182, 000 

 223, 000 

 39, 000 



1895 



58, 000 

 1, 450, 000 

 741, 000 

 286, 000 

 517, 000 

 105, 000 

 102, 000 



1900 



27, 000 



1, 027, 000 



201,000 



281, 000 



147, 000 



27, 000 



17, 000 



Species 



1905 



1910 



1915 



1920 



1922 



Whiteflsh 



Trout.. 



Herring 



Wall-eyed pike 



Sturgeon 



Mixed and rough fish. 



Perch 



Chubs 



78,000 

 968, 000 

 403, 000 

 408, 000 



17, 000 

 146, 000 



13,000 



92, 000 

 893, 000 

 366, 000 

 169, 000 

 14, 000 

 92, 000 

 92,000 



66,000 

 985, 000 

 302, 000 

 167, 000 

 12, 000 

 80, 000 

 161, 000 

 269, 000 



83, 000 



847, 000 

 180, 000 

 141,000 

 9, 000 

 99, 000 

 129, 000 

 206, 000 



47, 000 

 884, 000 

 173, 000 

 171,000 



10, 000 

 104, 000 

 126, 000 

 130, 000 



