582 U. S. BUEEAU OF FISHERIES 



are around the islands in and inclosing the North Channel and off 

 the north and east shores of Georgian Bay and on the shores at the 

 southern end of Lake Huron. 



PRINCIPAL SPECIES 



On the American shore, according to the census of 1922, chubs and 

 herring, which are grouped together in the statistics, were first in 

 abundance. The other important species, in order of their abund- 

 ance, were trout, suckers, whitefish, wall-eyed pike, carp, and yellow 

 perch. On the Canadian shore in 1922 the lake trout was by far the 

 principal species, with herring, wall-eyed pike, chubs, and perch 

 ranking next. In the North Channel and Georgian Bay trout and 

 whitefish comprise the bulk of the take, with wall-eyed pike and pike 

 also important in the catches. The relative and absolute abundance 

 of these species over a period of years are given in Tables 4, 5, and 6. 



LAKE TROUT 



Trout occur throughout the lake and in its bays (excepting Saginaw 

 Bay), and also on the reefs in the center of the lake. For the last 

 40 years this species has been the chief element in the gill-net fisheries, 

 and in some areas, particularly on the Canadian shore, it has entirely 

 replaced the whitefish. 



There are several races and they all live in relatively shallow 

 water. These races niay differ in behavior, especially in the matter 

 of time of spawning, the black trout on the Big Reef, for example, 

 spawning as late as December. There are no longer any important 

 fisheries for trout in 60 fathoms and deeper, and chub nets set at these 

 depths take relatively few small individuals. Trout are taken largely 

 in gill nets, though m 1917 about one-third and in 1922 about one- 

 fourth the entire catch on the American shore was on set lines by 

 hook fishermen. Until recent years large quantities were also caught 

 for the market on trolling lines in early summer when the trout rise 

 off the bottom. Some are still caught in this manner but the number 

 is now insignificant. The pound nets in certain localities, especially 

 in the North Channel, are also effective in the capture of trout. 

 There is at present virtually no closed season on trout, but quantities 

 of fry are planted yearly. 



WHITEFISH 



Half the lake's annual production of whitefish at present comes 

 from North Channel and Georgian Bay. The most productive areas 

 are from Parry Sound northward in Georgian Bay and around 

 Manitoulin Island. The catch in Lake Huron is made chiefly from 

 Harbor Beach northward. Gill nets and pounds are the principal 

 apparatus of capture. 



The whitefish was originally the most abundant species taken in 

 the commercial catches. It appears to have maintamed itself best 

 in North Channel and Georgian Bay, where it still holds second 

 place, but in the lake as a whole it has fallen to fourth place on the 

 American shore and to seventh on the Canadian shore. Though 

 there are now no areas in Lake Huron and a very few elsewhere in which 

 a gill-net fisherman could operate if he had to depend on whitefish 



