386 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



those of the Fish Commission in 1885 and of the census in 1880 and 1889. 

 A statement of the catch of these fish in 1885 and 1890 will be found in 

 footnotes to the products tables. 



The habit of these fish of frequenting the deepest parts of the lake 

 makes their capture in the appliances set in the inshore waters uncom- 

 mon. They are sought mostly in steam vessels, and are taken in gill 

 nets set GO to 110 fathoms deep. A few are occasionally caught in pound 

 nets. The principal fishery for them is carried on from Benzie, Leelanaw, 

 Ottawa, Schoolcraft, and Charlevoix counties in Michigan, and in 

 Sheboygan, Milwaukee, Kenosha, and Manitowoc counties in Wisconsin. 



The Menominee whitefish is not abundant. It is taken in the north- 

 ern part of the lake, the principal catch being in Green Bay (where it is 

 known as the blackback), around the Manitou Islands, and along the 

 north shore. The fish weighs from 4 to G pounds, and has about the 

 same market value as the blackfln, viz, 3 cents per pound. The aggre- 

 gate yield is not more than 30,000 pounds. In the tables this fish has 

 been included with the common whitefish. 



The stui-geon, while more important than in any other lake except 

 Erie, is not abundant anywhere in this lake, and is annually decreas- 

 ing in numbers. Like several other species, it is found in greatest 

 numbers in the northern part of the lake. The catch is nowhere 

 noticeably large except in Delta County, Mich., where it is, next to 

 the whitefish, the principal fish taken in pound nets. 



The yellow perch is another fish caught in larger quantities in this 

 lake than elsewhere in the lake system. It is of relatively greater 

 value in the southern part of the lake than any other species, being- 

 taken in especially large numbers in Cook County, 111. 



As an incidental element of the output, suckers are not unimportant, 

 nearly 2,000,000 pounds being disposed of by the fishermen. They 

 figure most prominently in the fisheries of Delta County m Michigan, 

 and Brown, Kewaunee, and Oconto counties in Wisconsin. 



Wall-eyed pike, pike, and the various basses, which complete the 

 list of prominent species of this lake, are not of great general value, 

 although in a few fishing communities they have a relatively important 

 j)lace. The fresh-water drum, which in most localities is not utilized, 

 on account of the low price received, is in a few centers marketed; in 

 Allegan County, Mich., for instance, 20,000 ijounds caught in pound 

 nets were sold for $100. 



Notes on apparatus and methods. — The fishery which gives to Lake 

 Michigan the special prominence which it holds in the Great Lake sys- 

 tem is that prosecuted with gill nets. While the number of pound 

 nets employed is larger than in any other lake except Erie, and while 

 the pound-nvjt catch is very important, the gill-net fishery represents 

 the larger investment and yields the larger quantities of fish having 

 the greater money value. This fishery is here more extensive than in 

 any other lake as regards the value of apparatus used, the number of 

 vessels employed, and the value of fish taken. 



