20 BEPORTS OF THE DEPAKTMEKT OF COMMERCE. 



increase of 214 trips by fishing vessels, and of 2.64 per cent in the 

 quantity and 8.56 per cent in the value of the products. The catch 

 of halibut Avas not so large as in the previous year, but there was a 

 notable increase in the production of sablefish, ''lingcod," and 

 rockfishes. 



The fishery products taken in Puget Sound and landed by collect- 

 ing vessels during the vear amounted to 10,605,323 pounds, valued 

 at $912,598. This quantity included 8,929,745 pounds of salmon, 

 valued at $811,028, and the remainder consisted of steelhead, herring, 

 smelt, flounders, sole, crabs, and various other species. Compared 

 with the previous year, there was a decrease in the products landed 

 by collecting vessels of 17.28 per cent in quantity and 7.68 per cent 

 in value. 



FISHERIES OF GREAT LAKES, LAKE OF THE WOODS, AND RAINY LAKE. 



A canvass of the fisheries of the Great Lakes and certain contiguous 

 waters for the calendar year 1917 was completed by the Bureau 

 during the past fiscal year. The fisheries of the Great Lakes were 

 ascertained to have employed 9,221 persons, the investment was 

 $10,555,669, and the products amounted to 103,759,223 pounds, 

 valued at $6,297,969. The principal species taken, including fresh, 

 salted, and smoked fish, were carp, 7,163,347 pounds, valued at 

 $334,888; ciscoes, 53,429,325 pounds, valued at $2,609,917; "blue 

 pike," 2,102,803 pounds, valued at $140,025; ''wall eyed," 2,496,691 

 pounds, valued at $298,271; sauger, 3,929,172 pounds, valued at 

 $240,035; sheepshead or drum, 2,901,994 pounds, valued at $70,936; 

 suckers, 5,361,138 pounds, valued at $204,825; lake trout, 13,325,389 

 pounds, valued at $1,285,085; whitefish, 6,190,748 pounds, valued at 

 $723,167; and yellow perch, 4,206,011 pounds, valued at $245,223. 

 With the ciscoes arc included lake herring, chub, longjaw, bluefin or 

 blackfin, and tullibee. 



Compared with the returns for 1908, published by the Bureau of 

 the Census, there was an increase of 8.06 per cent in the number of 

 persons engaged and of 119.27 per cent in the investment, but a 

 decrease of 2.69 per cent in the (juantity with an increase of 67.14 

 per cent in the value of the products. Compared -with the statistics 

 for 1903, collected and published by the Bureau, there was a decrease 

 of 1.20 per cent in the number of persons engaged, an increase of 

 41.22 per cent in the investment, and an increase of 20.37 per cent 

 in the quantity and 129.39 per cent in the value of the products. 



In the fisheries of Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake, including 

 Lakes Kabctogama and La Croix, 195 persons were engaged; the 

 investment was $177,210; and the products amounted to 2,167,169 

 pounds, valued at $1 18,508. The principal species taken were ciscoes, 

 whitefish, pike, pike perch (''wall-eyed -pike"), and suckers. 



BIOLOGICAL INQUIRY. 



STUDY OF FISHES. 



Salmon investigation!^. — There arc so many significant questions 

 concerning the habits, migrations, and propagation of the salmons in 

 Pacific States and Alaska that the Bureau has long felt it desirable to 

 attack their solution in a more adequate manner. With the begin- 



