596 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



supply exceeds the demand. Large quantities are stored in freezers 

 and are later sold frozen or smoked. On account of their rich flesh 

 and large size they have lately competed strongly with the chubs, 

 which are superior in quality but much smaller in size and conse- 

 quently are taken in nets of 3^-inch smaller mesh. 



No States protect the herring with a closed season, but in recent 

 years space in hatcheries not filled by whitefish eggs has been given 

 over to the rearing of herring fry. 



WALL-EYED PIKE 



There are in Lake Erie two races of wall-eyed pike — the yellow 

 and the blue. Intermediates, called "grays," are also sometimes 

 recognized. 



The status of the blue pike has so far never been established. 

 Various scientists have expressed the opinion that the "blues" are 

 different from the "yellows," but except for rate of growth and color 

 no differences have been fixed. The yellows occur chiefly on the 

 flat at the western end of the lake; the blues, occur there, too, but 

 are most common in other sections. The laws of practically all the 

 States differentiate between the two as between two species, and the 

 size limit for the blue race is lower in every State. The gill-net tugs 

 frequently fish for the blues, but both kinds are commonly taken in 

 the pounds and traps, the blues often in such abundance that they 

 can not be sold. 



The yellows have decreased in abundance, and in 1917, in American 

 waters, the blues showed a decrease, but since then they have again 

 increased, particularly at the eastern end of the lake. In Canadian 

 waters they have been taken abundantly for only 10 years, and their 

 production appears not yet to have passed it zenith. 



There is no closed season to protect either race, but the yellow 

 pike is protected in New York and has everywhere been extensively 

 propagated. Recently attempts to propagate blue pike met with 

 some success. It is interesting to note that of the two species the 

 blues are holding their own better. 



SAUGER 



The sauger is a close relative of the wall-eyed pike and is often 

 combined with it in the statistics. The chief catches are made in 

 the waters of western Ohio. It is caught in the same apparatus with 

 blue pike, and is not protected or propagated. Apparently it is main- 

 taining itself as well as are its relatives. 



YELLOW PERCH 



The bulk of the perch catch is taken on the western flat, though 

 some are found all along the lake's shores. Pounds and traps are 

 the chief apparatus of capture, though many perch are also taken 

 by gill nets. 



The yellow perch has long been a favorite in the American markets, 

 and even before 1890 it occupied a prominent place in the catches of 

 Lake Erie. The supply fell off sharply before 1917, and about 1910 

 the production on the Canadian shore began to increase. From 1890 



