684 REPORT OB^ THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



above Saj>'inaw, and those in Cheboygan River during" the spring are 

 included in the statistics for Lake Huron. 



The number of persons employed in the fisheries of Lake Huron in 

 1903 was 1,704, of v.hom 51 were engaged on vessels fishing, 16 on 

 vessels ti'ansporting, 1,150 in the shore or boat fisheries, and 187 were 

 shoresmen emploj'ed in various capacities. 



The investment in the fisheries of this lake amounted to $851,639. 

 There were 15 fishing and transporting vessels of 188 net tons, valued 

 at ^15,700 and their outfits at $12,995; 606 boats, including 5 steam 

 tugs under 5 tons, $1,600, valued at $15,173; and 22 gasoline launches, 

 valued at $22,550, were used. The fishing apparatus emploj^ed in the 

 vessel fisheries was valued at $25,625 and in the shore or boat fisheries 

 at $216,981. The shore and accessory property was valued at $387,115 

 and the cash capital amounted to $95,500. The products of the fish- 

 eries aggregated 11,155,209 pounds, valued at $450,318, of which 

 12,891,079 pounds, valued at $372,886, were taken in the shore fish- 

 eries, and 1,564,130 pounds, valued at $77,432, in the vessel fisheries. 



Since 1899, the year for which the last canvass was made, there has been 

 an increase in the fisheries of Lake Huron of 463 in the number of 

 persons employed, $376,686 in the amount of capital invested, and 

 2,036,882 pounds, or about 16 per cent, in the quantity, and $142,240, 

 or 46 per cent, in the value of the products. There has been a substan- 

 tial increase in the catch of all the more important commercial species 

 except yellow perch, wdiich, while decreasing in quantity, has increased 

 in value. Most of the increases may be traced to the new fisheries 

 established between Alpena and Saginaw Bay and to the larger num- 

 ber of persons employed. 



The most productive forms of apparatus used in this lake are pound 

 nets, gill nets, iyke nets, and trap nets. Pound nets are used along the 

 entire shore of the lake, but the most profitable catches are taken in 

 Saginaw Bay, which is well adapted to this method of fishing. Since 

 1899 quite extensive pound-net fisheries have been established in the 

 vicinit}" of Alpena and along the shore south of that town to Saginaw 

 -Ba}-, The men engaged are mostly from Bay City and vicinity. In 

 the vicinity of Alpena the pound nets are set in from 20 to 40 feet of 

 water, the depth decreasing south of that place. In 1903 these fish- 

 eries were quite successful, but in 1904 they were almost a total failure, 

 due, it is thought, to the cool summer. 



Some of the Ba}^ City dealers either have ofiices at Alpena during 

 the summer or employ agents to visit along the shore and buy fish of 

 the fishermen. One of these dealers employed a 50-horsepower gaso- 

 line launch to transport fish from the pound nets in that vicinity. 

 During 1904, however, fish were so scarce that the use of such a 

 large boat proved unprofitable, and it was sold. Practically all of the 

 fish taken in Saginaw Bay are sold in Bay City. Some of the dealers, 



