376 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



A feature of the fisheries of this lake iliat contrasts strongly with the 

 conditions in most other lishiug regions is the extreme neatness and 

 cleanliness observed at the packing, curing, and cleansing houses and 

 on the fishing steamers. The houses where the fisli are handled are 

 usually built partly over the water, yet no ofial is permitted to go into 

 the lake. On the arrival of a fishing steamer or boat a gang of men 

 or women at once dress the fish and then thoroughly wash them. Then 

 all offal is at once carried ashore, in many jilaccs some distance from 

 the houses. The refuse is quiekly visited by flocks of gulls hovering 

 near by for that puri^ose and is quickly taken uj). The fishing firms 

 protect the gulls, which serve the useful functions of scavengers. The 

 crews of steamers engaged in collectirig fish from distant pound-net or 

 gill-net fisheries employ their time on the return trip in dressing the 

 fish, but no offal or blood is allowed to be thrown into the lake, and 

 eyeu the bloody water from the hold is carried ashore. 



In parts of the lake considerable changes in the prevailing kinds of 

 apparatus have occurred siiice 1885. A poor catch with one form ol 

 apparatus, or an unusually large catch with another, may have led, in 

 a very short time, to a complete reversal of methods, the establishment 

 of new fishing centers, or the discontinuance of old fisheries. Among 

 other changes of this kind which have occurred the following may be 

 mentioned : 



The use of seines is much less extensive than in 1885; in that year 

 43 were employed, while at present only 10 or 20 are operated. What 

 was said of the seine fishery in 1885 api^lies now with equal force: 



Prior to the iutroduction of pound nets seines were extensively used for catching 

 the fish that chanced to be swimming in the vicinity of the sliore; but these are now 

 only occasionally employed for a few weeks, when the fishing is at its height, by 

 those who are not so fortunate as to own pound nets. The continued use of pounds 

 is said to have interfered with the migrations of fish in the inshore waters, and seines 

 are not now sufflcieutly remunerative to warrant their extended use. 



Seines are used in 5 counties, but the catch is usually insignificant. 

 About two-thirds the quantity and value of the catch is whitefish. 



Fresh and salt Jish. — The demand for fresh fish is so constant that a 

 ready market exists for all fish that can be caught. In placing fresh 

 fish on the market the two methods chiefly adopted are to ship the fish 

 in special fish cars or in ordinary boxes. The cost of transportation, 

 however, from Lake Superior to the chief distributing centers is so great 

 that cheap or inferior fish, like herring, are not profitable to catch or 

 ship, even if very abundant. 



The fishermen of this lake are averse to salting any 'of their catch, 

 for the reason that it requires extra labor and brings them less money 

 than fresh fish. In places remote from the wholesale purchasing-houses 

 and in regions which are not regularly visited by the collecting steam- 

 ers of the firms, a ccrtaiu amount of salt fish is necessarily prepared 

 each year. This consists of trout and whitefish. The usual prac- 

 tice is for the wholesale dealers to furnish salt and barrels to the 



