THE GREAT LAKES FISHERIES IN 1899. 619 
Lines are next to fyke nets in the value of their catch, the species 
taken being chiefly trout, cat-fish, and perch. The most important 
point at which line fishing is carried on is St. Ignace, where, during 
the winter, large numbers of the inhabitants are engaged in fishing 
through the ice for trout. The lines are usually made of linen and 
soft maitre twine, with one hook, and cost about $1.50 each, the hook 
alone costing half that amount. 
Seines are used in the fisheries of Lake Huron, chiefly at Au Sable 
and Pine River. The fishing at the former town is done in the Au 
Sable River near its entrance into the lake; at the latter town the 
fishing is in the lake itself. Suckers and wall-eyed pike comprise 
about five-sixths of the fish caught in seines. This apparatus was 
introduced in Lake Huron in about 1841, but its use has been much 
less extensive than that of pound nets, gill nets, and fyke nets. 
The spear is quite an important apparatus of capture in the Sagi- 
naw River, near Bay City, and is used to some extent at other places, 
principally at Sebewaing and Harbor Beach. Wall-eyed pike and 
perch form three-fourths of the catch. 
Since 1893 there has been a slight decline in the number of steamers 
fishing gill nets, due no doubt to the falling off in trout and white-fish. 
The principal points from which steamers fish are Alpena, Harbor 
Beach, Au Sable, and Saginaw. The catch consists almost exclusively 
of trout and white-fish, wall-eyed pike being taken incidentally. One 
steamer fished gill nets of small mesh for Menominee white-fish. 
A decrease has taken place in the extent of the fisheries carried on 
from Port Huron in 1899 as compared with 1893, due to the fact that 
the wholesale dealers at that town in 1893 furnished twine to fishermen 
living on the United States side of the lake, while in 1899 this practice 
had been discontinued and a stad quantity of twine was furnished 
to Canadian fishermen. 
Statistics.—The five tables which follow exhibit by counties the 
extent of the fisheries of Lake Huron in 1899: 
Table showing the number of persons employed in a aia of Lake Huron in 1899. 




On ves- | On yes- | In shore Shores 
Counties. sels fish- |selstrans-) or boat | ° an ae Total. 
ing. | porting. | fisheries.| 7°": 
J SUCOE Gis 4 SS te ee ee. - ae Bh Nhat Recaeee tare 4 
Alpeng eee: 35 2 25 23 | 82 
ATERRCE 5=5~<- Bie Lee ee ee | 33 
Baye eee. |. ; i 346 73 | 424 
Cheboy gan. 52 (| 59 
Chippewa ... b225 40 10 | 54 
HUTTON Ao ee as y 218 39 | 273 
TOSCO) hese te EAS 59 4 } 70 
Mackinac ..... amen 76 3 79 
Presque Isle tae a 10 2 12 
DHOIMHW: | )-\c5. cece ee : 73 8 84 
Pim CEL coche elie, > 9 16 25 
EMBO & ove maemo sack anes oe Wace secon eesesas 24 1 25 
SURG ans cece oom Sc aos tre ans See cee te oe ne 17 ekrece erie 17 
Total 986 186 1, 241 





