606 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



it was permissible to use a mesh oi 2}/^ inches to take them in this 

 area. These deep-water herring are fatter than those taken along 

 the shores or from other sections of the lake, and are sometimes 

 smoked. The use of 23^-inch nets dates back to the "cisco^' fishing 

 of 1860 and thereafter, but the fishermen are unanimous in their 

 opinion that these herring have succeeded the "ciscoes." 



Herring are not protected by a closed season, but are sometimes 

 propagated. They have fluctuated in abundance from year to year in 

 certain areas of the lake, now appearing on certain spawning grounds 

 in immense schools and then forsaking them for a period of years, 

 often to return again in apparently undiminished abundance. 



BLOATERS AND CISGOES 



The bloater is a deep-water herring that attained a weight of about 

 \)/2 pounds, which was taken principally along the American shore, 

 though for three or four years, in the nineties, it was also taken 

 out of the Canadian ports at the west end of the lake. Nowhere 

 else does a depth of 60 fathoms (which is the depth at which the bloater 

 lived) occur within sight of shore, and the sailboats, which were 

 chiefly in use at that time, could not set nets and expect to find them 

 again unless it was possible to take range of their location from points 

 along the shore. 



The first fishery for bloaters was carried on out of Oswego about 

 1875. A fisherman operating out of that port found a few individuals 

 in the outer ends of his whitefish gangs and conceived the idea that 

 it might be profitable to fish them. The fish were sold fresh and were 

 so much in demand that at one time there were several boats engaged 

 exclusively in bloater fishing out of that port. The industry gradually 

 spread to the westward, and by 1890 bloaters were being taken out 

 of Wilson. At first the}'' were extremely abundant and it was never 

 necessary in American waters to use a net of smaller mesh than 3 

 inches, and usually the mesh employed was 3^ inches, but before 

 1900 the bloater was commercially exterminated, and eftorts to revive 

 the industry since then have met with absolute failure. Repeated 

 efforts to locate these fish, made by me in the summers of 1921 and 

 1923, failed, and not a single specimen was found, so that it appears 

 likely that the species is extinct. No cause for its extermination sug- 

 gests itself. At no time were any but the largest examples of the 

 species taken, and so far as known it had no important vertebrate 

 enemies. The case has close parallels in the related blaclvfin of Lake 

 Michigan and the bluefin in Lake Superior, which suddenly became 

 commercially insignificant, though not extinct, under identical condi- 

 tions. 



\: The "ciscoes" were also deep-water fish, which were discovered 

 off Burlington Beach about 1860. Until about 1895 they were taken 

 in 21^-incIi nets at a depth of 35 fathoms and more, chiefly in late 

 fall when they spawned. In the nineties, from all accounts, the 

 bloaters appeared off the shore, because the Canadian fishermen 

 found it necessary to use nets oi S}4 inches to take them. These 

 nets were used for three or four years. Since 1900 there have been 

 no more ''ciscoes," according to the fishermen. 



Wliat the "ciscoes" were can not be positively stated, but it is 

 likely that they were Leuciclithys hoyi, which is known to occur more 

 of less abundantly in other parts of the lake, though none are taken 



