600 U. S. BUREAU OP FISHERIES 



SIZE LIMITS 



The regulations governing legal size of fish are given in Table 12. 



Table 12. — Minimum size limits of fish that may be taken in Lake Erie, as decreed 

 by the laws of the various States 



Ontario specifies that the length of a fish shall be measured from 

 the tip of the nose to the center of the tail. Other States do not 

 define length. 



CLOSED SEASONS 



There is a winter closed season along the lake in Pennsylvania 

 from December 16 to March 1, both dates inclusive, during which all 

 fishing is prohibited. In Ontario the closed season extends from 

 December 15 to March 15 west of longitude 80° 30' west, and in 

 Ohio it covers the period from December 15 to March 14. New York 

 has no winter closed season but will probably enact one for the sake of 

 uniformity. 



Whitefish and trout are protected nowhere except in Michigan, 

 where a closed season operates during the spawning period. How- 

 ever, Ohio prohibits using nets on the reefs except with the permis- 

 sion of the Secretary of Agriculture. Since whitefish spawn on the 

 reefs, the taking of spawn is in this way controlled. Michigan has 

 never had trout in its waters and at present has but few whitefish, 

 but the State has declared a closed season on whitefish from November 

 20 to December 15. Fishing is permitted during the spawning 

 season if the spawn is saved. New York provides in its fishing 

 licenses that the spawn of these species must be saved. 



Yellow pike are protected in New York waters from March 2 to 

 May 9, both dates inclusive. The blue pike, which are by far the 

 more numerous, are not included in this protection. 



No sturgeon may be taken in the State of Ohio. New York, 

 Pennsylvania, and Ontario have tried for a number of years to come 

 to an agreement to protect the sturgeon, but so far have met with 

 no success, and fish larger than the minimum size provided by the 

 various State laws may still be taken. It is deplorable that laws 

 can not be enacted to save the sturgeon. 



