592 



U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



principal species have increased in value out of proportion to general 

 prices. 



It may be concluded from this that the demand has outstripped the 

 supply of all species except sauger, trout, and blue pike since 1899, and 

 that the supplies of sturgeon, herring, perch, and sheepshead are so 

 far below the demand that the prices are relatively twice as great 

 now as they were in 1899. 



Along with price advances and the change in the quantity of pro- 

 duction, there has also been a change in the quality of the production. 

 According to the Federal statistics of 1922, tne principal species taken 

 in American waters, in order of size of catch, were herring, blue pike, 

 sauger, carp, perch, sheepshead, yellow pike, and suckers. The 

 relative abundance of the various species, as published in the censuses, 

 is shown in Table 10. 



STURGEON 

 HERRING 

 PERCH 

 SHEEPSHEAD 



YELLOW PIKE 



CARP 



SUCKERS 



WHITEFISH 



CATFISH 



WHITE BASS 



ALL COMMODITIES 



SAUCERS 



TROUT 



BLUE PIKE 



1922 



Fig. 15 



Table 10. — Relative abundance of the most important species as shown by the total 

 weight, in pounds, of the annual catch of the principal species in the American 

 waters of Lake Erie, as shown by nine censuses 



Species 



Whitefish 

 Herring- - 



Trout 



Yellow pike 

 Blue pike.. 



Sauger 



Perch.. .. 

 Sturgeon- - 



Suckers 



Sheepshead 



Carp 



Catfish ... 

 White bass 



1880 



3,333,000 



11,774,000 



26,000 



1,970,000 



1885 



3,531,000 

 .9,354,000 

 106, 000 

 2,694,000 

 7,899,000 

 5,466,000 

 1,601,000 

 4, 727, 000 



\2, 373, 000 



2,802,000 



1890 



,341, 



,868, 

 121, 

 ,105, 

 ,488, 

 ,179, 

 ,870, 

 ,078, 



(') 

 ,926,' 



000 



1893 



1. 292, 

 20, 931, 

 203, 



2,594, 

 793, ( 

 1,360,( 



""'635,"( 

 776, 



000; 2, 

 000 '33, 



0001 



12,529,0001-^4, 

 3, 

 000 3, 

 000, 



000 1, 

 1, 



0001 3, 



ooo! 1, 



1, 



066,000 

 427, 000 8, 

 32, 000 1 

 735,000! 

 544,000 4, 

 026,000 1, 

 315, 000 

 789, 000 i 

 568,000! 

 147,000 

 633, 000 3, 

 002,000! 

 696,000 



1908 



503, 000 

 599, 000 

 6,000 

 506, 000 

 072, 000 

 417,000 

 742, 000 

 63,000 

 719, 000 

 394,000 

 893, 000 

 579, 000 

 217, 000 



1917 



755,000 

 160, 000 

 1,000 

 291,000 

 057, 000 

 929, 000 

 959, 000 

 28, 000 

 035, 000 

 855,000 

 044,000 

 628, 000 

 286,000 



1922 



922,000 

 158,000 

 1,000 

 813,000 

 542,000 

 002,000 

 969,000 

 15,000 

 598,000 

 362, 000 

 899, 000 

 337,000 

 022, 000 



1 Very few sheepshead were marketed before the late nineties. 



