FISHING INDUSTEY OF THE GREAT LAKES 597 



to 1899 the perch held fourth place in the production on the American 

 side, but in 1917 it had fallen to ninth place. However, the price 

 obtained rose from 1.5 cents in 1899 to 7.2 cents in 1917. In 1922 

 it ranked fifth, with an average price of 5.98 cents. On the Canadian 

 side in 1910, at the beginnino; of the great spurt in production, the 



gerch ranked about seventh, but by 1920 it had risen to third place, 

 eing exceeded in abundance only by the blue pike and herring. 



STURGEON 



Sturgeon were first made use of on Lake Erie, where they were 

 marketable, as early as 1860. The catch of this species in 1885 

 amounted to nearly 5,000,000 pounds, but after 1890 production 

 fell rapidly, and in 1922 only 15,000 pounds were reported. Prac- 

 tically the only sturgeon now produced are taken at the eastern and 

 western ends of the lake on the Canadian shore and in New York 

 waters. In Canada the apparatus of capture includes pounds, night 

 lines, and gill nets, and excepting pounds the same gear is used in 

 New York. The quantity caught decreases from year to year and 

 the extermination of the species seems certain. 



As yet no protection is granted the sturgeon by any State except 

 Ohio, but all have a size limit. None are propagated. Ohio has a 

 permanent closed season on all sturgeon, and Pennsylvania, New 

 York, and Ontario individually enacted laws for a closed season, but 

 suspended their operation because their neighbors had not at that 

 time enacted similar legislation. 



SHEEPSHEAD 



The sheepshead is taken chiefly on the western flat, and until 10 

 years ago was considered hardly worth bringing ashore. The de- 

 mand has now increased, however, and in 1922 this fish brought an 

 average price of 2.4 cents, as compared with 0.9 cent recorded in the 

 census of 1908. In 1923 as high as 6 cents was paid to the fishermen. 

 The catches are made almost entirely with trap nets, and in the past 

 three years have declined considerably. The species is not protected 

 by a closed season and is not propagated, 



SUCKERS 



Suckers occur all along the shores, but most of the catch is now 

 made on the western fiat in trap nets, though other devices are used 

 also. Suckers have long been in demand as a cheap fish, and the 

 supply shows a general decrease. There is no closed season and no 

 propagation. 



OTHER INDIGENOUS SPECIES 



Every fish taken in Lake Erie now has a market value. Most of 

 the less important species are relatively rare and the price of some 

 of them is low. As a general thing these are taken only incidentally 

 in the catches of more valuable and abundant species. Among these 

 miscellaneous fish may be mentioned the catfish, bullheads, white 

 bass, pike, mooneye, sunfish, rock bass, bowfin, lawyer, and trout. 



