FiaUEKIES OF THE GREAT LAKES. 401 



LAKE HUH ON. 



Importance of the fisheries. — In proportion to the size of this lake and 

 the natural advantages which it aiibrds, the fisheries are but imper- 

 fectly developed, and in the year covered by the investigation pre- 

 sented a decrease as compared with 1885. Both whitefish and trout 

 have undergone a diminution in abundance, as shown by the smaller 

 catch, while the output of herring, sturgeon, pike, and pike perch is 

 larger than in 1885. These changes have been coincident with a slight 

 decrease in the fisliing population, and an augmented amount of invest- 

 ment made up chiefly of shore propertJ^ In some counties or sections 

 a noticeable improvement has taken place in the fisheries, mostly due 

 to the development of the resources, but in the important fisheries 

 prosecuted from Alpena and in Saginaw Bay the decline has been 

 enough to overbalance the increase in other regions. 



Ifotes on the ahuudance and distribution of the princiiml fishes. — The 

 fishes of this lake which deserve special mention are trout, whitefish, 

 pike perch, herring, sturgeon, black bass, yellow perch, catfish, pike, 

 and suckers. 



The most imj^ortant fish in Lake Huron is the lake trout. It is gen- 

 erally distributed in the deeper parts of the lake, and is taken chiefly 

 with gill nets and pound nets, and in small quantities with seines and 

 lines. About a fourth of the total catch is obtained by steamers from 

 Alpena and Huron counties using gill nets between 5 and 50 miles off 

 shore. In the boat gill-net fishing, the largest quantity is secured in 

 Alpena, Chippewa, and Presque Isle counties. This fish is most prom- 

 inent in the pound-net fisheries of Alpena County, Saginaw Bay, and 

 Iosco County. The average weight of the trout is about 4 pounds. 



Whitefish is the second important fish in Lake Huron. It is espe- 

 cially prominent in the pound-net fishery of that part of the lake north 

 of Saginaw Bay and in the gill-net fishery from Alpena. The average 

 weight of the whitefish is about 2 pounds. 



Everywhere in this lake the effects of whitefish propagation are 

 manifested and appreciated by the fishermen and fish-dealers. While 

 the output in the year covered by this inquiry was soniewhat less than 

 in 1885, the increase in the past few years has been marked. A prom- 

 inent feature of the fishery for this fish was the unprecedentedly large 

 run in many places of small fish of a size that had not been observed 

 in abundance for many years. 



The lake herring is an important fish in the pound-net fishery of this 

 lake. It is most abundant and taken in largest numbers in Saginaw 

 Bay, although it is also caught in relatively large quantities in Alpena, 

 Huron, and St. Clair counties. 



While pike and pike perch are taken in greater or less numbers in 

 all the shore waters of the lake, they are economically valuable only in 

 the i)ound-net and fyke-net fisheries of the Saginaw Bay region. 

 F c 92 26 



