FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 



387 



The gill-net fishery prosecuted from small boats is rather more impor 

 taut in Michigan than in Wisconsin. The counties inaintainiug the 

 most extensive fishing are Charlevoix, Delta, Manitou, and Schoolcraft 

 in Michigan, and Brown, Door, Kewaunee, and Manitowoc in Wiscon- 

 sin. The specially important counties are Schoolcraft and Door. 



Of the 22,086 gill nets used from small boats, 11,928 were operated 

 by Michigan fishermen and 9,673 by Wisconsin fishermen. The value 

 of the nets was $109,060, an average of a little less than $5 each. 



The species taken are trout, the various whitefishes, sturgeon, suck- 

 ers, bass, perch, pike, and wall eyed pike, the principal part of the catch 

 consisting of trout, common whiteflsh, lake herring, loiigjaws, andi)erch. 

 The nets used for all of these have about the same dimensions, differ- 

 ing only in the size of the mesh. The average length is about 250 feet. 

 Thewhitefish, trout, and pike nets have about a 4;^ inch mesh, those for 

 sturgeon a 12-inch mesh, and those for perch and the minor species 

 about a 2^ or 3-inch mesh. 



The number of vessels engaged in the gill-net fishery of Lake Mich- 

 igan is 48, having a net tonnage of 671.57, a value of $151,850, and 

 carrying outfits worth $19,703, exclusive of nets. The crews numbered 

 284, giving an average of about men to a vessel. The nets employed 

 numbered 18,810, and were valued at $106,854, an average of about $6 

 each. The vessels are operated from all parts of the lake, but are most 

 numerous in Milwaukee and Sheboygan counties in Wisconsin, and 

 Ottawa, Berrien, and Emmet counties in Michigan, where 29 of the 48 

 vessels made their headquarters. The distribution of the vessels among 

 the fishing centers of the lake is as follows: 



The gill-net fleet of Lake Mioliigan, 



