652 EEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



were herring-, 4,742,805 pounds, valued at $45,684; lake trout, 4,954,830 

 pounds, valued at $190,891; white-fish, 794,022 pounds, valued at 

 135,722; bluefin white-fish, 2,095,304 pounds, valued at $58,887, and 

 long-jaw white-fish, 290,575 pounds, valued at $4,810. 



Compared with the returns for 1899 there has been an increase of 

 305, or nearh^ 50 per cent, in the number of persons employed, $224,239, 

 or about 60 per cent, in the amount of capital invested, and 7,775,359 

 pounds, or 143 per cent, in the quantit}^, and $192,809, or nearly 128 

 per cent, in the value of the products. The increase in products con- 

 sisted chiefly of herring, 3,617,327 pounds, $33,914; white-fish, 100,831 

 pounds, $10,175; bluefin wdiite-fish, 1,660,244 pounds, $47,570; long- 

 jaw white-fish, 290,575 pounds, $4,810; lake trout, 1,836,661 pounds, 

 $90,192; wall-eyed pike, 80,212 pounds, $2,956, and suckers, 171,649 

 pounds, $2,752. The proportion of increase was very large in the 

 catch of both herring and bluefin white-fish, the former being four 

 times and the latter five times as great as in 1899. The herring were 

 mostly taken in gill nets around the Apostle Islands and along the 

 north shore. They were in good demand at St. Paul, Minneapolis, 

 Chicago, and among the farmers in Wisconsin, North Dakota, South 

 Dakota, and Montana. The bluefin white-fish were also caught chiefly 

 in gill nets and were in good demand. The greater part of the catch 

 of this species is sold fresh b}^ the fishermen, ])ut considerable quanti- 

 ties are smoked by dealers in St. Paul and other cities. 



The fisheries of this lake arc conducted from the various localities 

 along the shore, the Apostle Islands, and Isle Poj^ale. The steamers 

 at Sault Ste. jMarie fish chiefly at Iroquois Point and \Vhitefish Ba}^ 

 and those at Grand Marais cover a distance of about 30 miles east and 

 35 miles west of their home port. The steamers at Marquette fish to 

 the northwest as far as Keweenaw Point, a distance of 60 miles, and 

 to the eastward from the home port about 40 miles. At Ontonagon 

 the steamers fish about 25 miles cast and west of their home port and 

 from 28 to 30 miles from shore, setting their gill nets till about the 

 1st of November in from 65 to 90 fathoms of water. During Novem- 

 ber the nets are set in 100 to 120 fathoms, the catch at that time being 

 chiefly siscov/et trout. White fish are mostly taken in April, May, and 

 the early part of June in gill nets set in from 16 to 30 fathoms of 

 water. 



Near Sault Ste. Marie, at the outlet of Lake Superior, 98 trap nets, 

 valued at $2,450, and 25 fyke nets, valued at $250, were fished in St. 

 Mary\s River for some 20 miles between Sault Ste. Marie and Sailors 

 Encampment. The catch consisted of wall-eyed pike, 32,572 pounds, 

 $827; pickerel, 10,792 pounds, $215; yellowperch, 10,165 pounds, $101; 

 catfish and bullheads, 588 pounds, $18, and sturgeon, 79 pounds, $4. 

 These fish are credited to Lake Superior, and are included with the 

 statistics for Chippewa County, Mich. 



