FISHERIES OF Till: GREAT LAKES. 



421 



other Dieuiber of the lake cliaiii; several liere of great value scareely 

 figure iu the fisheries of some of the other lakes, while the most important 

 fish, considering the entire lake region as a unit, the lake trout, is less 

 abundant than in any other part of the lake system except Lake Ontario. 



The most abundant and important fish now taken in Lake Erie is the 

 lake herring. It is found in all parts of the lake, but is least numerous 

 in the eastern end. It is caught in pound nets, gill nets, and, to a 

 slight extent, in other forms of apparatus; nearly half the yield of the 

 lake is obtained in the pound nets set in the waters of Ohio, and almost 

 the same quantity in the gill nets operated in various parts of the lake, 

 about the same catch resulting from the shore and the vessel gill-net 

 fishery. The total catch was 38,868,283 pounds, having a value of 

 $399,452, these amounts representing respectively considerably more 

 than half the quantity and two-fifths the value of the fisheries of this 

 lake. Compared with 1880 and 1885, a noticeable augmentation in the 

 catch of this fish has taken place. The yield in every part of the lake 

 presents an increase. This has resulted from (1) the use of large 

 quantities of apparatus and (2) an increased demand necessitating the 

 utilization of other fish to rejdace the diminished yield of common 

 whitefish and other fishes. Only the taking of more than double the 

 quantity of lake herring obtained in 1885 prevented the general fisheries 

 of Lake Erie from showing a serious decline, as every other important 

 species underwent a reduction. 



The following table, based on data furnished by Mr. A. J. Stoll, of 

 Sandusky, Ohio, shows the catch of lake herring in the years 1887 to 

 1890, inclusive, in a large number of pound nets controlled by him and 

 set around the Bass Islands, and indicates the seasonal and yearly 

 changes in abundance of the species. The numbers of nets mentioned 

 in the table refer to those operated by different crews of fishermen, and 

 the catch of the different sets of nets is given separately in order to 

 permit a more detailed comparison of the fluctuations in the production 

 than would be possible with only the aggregate figures at hand. 



Table showing fhe number of pounds of lalce herring taken in the fall fishing season {dur- 

 ing the ten days preceding the dates given) by certain sets of pound nets located around 

 the Baas Islands, Lake Erie, in 1SS7-1890. 



