410 REPORT OP THE COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



they are very anxious that fish-culture shall come to their aid. Mr. 

 Tulian, who has had extensive fish-cultural experience, thinks that if 

 small plants of whitefish were made along the shore of this county each 

 spring- much better results would be attained than can be expected in 

 the vicinity of Alpena, Oscoda, and Bast Tawas, for the reason that 

 there appears to be an entire absence of mill refuse along this shore. 



Fishing season. — On the north shore, where the principal fishing is 

 done with pound nets, most of the whitefish i)ounds are operated from 

 about May 1 to November 25, but if the fishing is not satisfactory 

 some of the nets are taken out about July 1 and put in again about 

 September 1. During May and June some of the smaller pound nets 

 are fished for pike and pike perch among islands north of Drummond 

 Island. The larger gill nets, which take mostly trout and occasionally 

 small quantities of whitefish, are fished from May 1 to November 20; 

 the smaller gill nets, which take only trout, are used during October. 



The trout gill-net season of Cheboygan County covers parts of the 

 months of October and November; a few trout are also caught in pound 

 nets during the entire open season. Whitefish, which are principally 

 taken in pound nets, are caught from May 15 to November 20, but the 

 best season is between June 15 and August 15. In the gill-net fisheries 

 centering at Cheboygan, trout are caught from May 1 to July 1 in 

 deep water and from October 1 to December 1 on the spawning-grounds. 

 Herring are taken along the shores early in spring and late in fall. 

 Pound nets are operated mostly from the opening of navigation until 

 August 1 , although a few are also fished in fall. 



In the gill-net fishery of Presque Isle County, the fishing begins 

 about May 1 and extends to July 1 ; it is resumed September 15 and 

 continues until November 15. When fish are particularly plentiful, 

 some fisliiug is also done in July and August. Up to November 1 only 

 trout are taken; after that time a few whitefish are caught. 



The sailboats fishing gill nets for trout begin operations about May 

 1 and continue until November 5; during the balance of the season 

 they take whitefish. Gill nets fished from rowboats are set from Sep- 

 tember 1 to November 1 for trout and from November 1 to November 

 20 for whitefish. Pound nets along the shore of this county are put in 

 between May 15 and July 1, and remain down continuously until about 

 November 25. 



Steam tugs, used in the gill-net fisheries of Alpena County, are 

 employed from early in the spring until the latter part of October. 

 The tugs begin fishing as soon as the ice weakens sufticiently to allow 

 them to force their way through to the open water. Sometimes they 

 go out as early as IMarch 1, but it is often the 1st of April before the 

 season is opened. 



In Alcona County pound nets are fished only in October and No- 

 vember for whitefish and herring, and gill nets from the opening of 

 navigation to about June 1 for Menominee whitefish and herring, botli 

 kinds of nets being fished by the same persons. 



