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SUMMARY 
1. Three species form the bulk of the cisco catch in the Canadian waters of 
Lake Erie, namely, L. eriensis, L. artedi and L. prognathus. 
2. L. eriensis is the dominant form westward from Long Point, and L. 
prognathus eastward from Long Point. This statement holds in general, for 
the former appears to prefer the shallower water while the latter is apparently 
a deep water form. However their ranges tend to overlap and their migrations 
at times take them into one another’s territory. For example, fishermen have 
reported occasional schools of longjaws as far west as Point Pelee, and, on the 
other hand, the jumbo is reported as abundant, at times, off Port Maitland. 
L. artedi occurs abundantly throughout the lake, but probably in greatest 
numbers west of Long Point. 
3. L. artedi and L. prognathus have rates of growth and increases in weight 
which are practically identical, while L. erzensis increases about 1 1/3 times 
faster in length and two to three times faster in weight. 
4. Examinations of the graphs and tables for rates of growth and increases 
in weight show that the optimum size for the taking of. the jumbo cisco is from 
the fifth summer upward when they are at least 12 inches in length and 1 pound 
in weight. Whether the food supply would permit of this as the minimum 
size it is impossible to say. In regard to L. artedi and L. prognathus a minimum 
length of about 10 inches and a weight of about 6 or 7 ounces, when the fish are 
in their sixth summer, would appear to be quite satisfactory. 
5. Concerning the occurrence of smaller ciscoes in the eastern end of the 
lake, this much can be safely said: that in respect to gill net catches the fisher- 
men in the western portion of the lake secure a larger percentage of jumbo 
ciscoes and, therefore, get large fish, while the fishermen in the eastern end, 
particularly off Port Maitland, secure chiefly the smaller species, L. artedi and 
L. prognathus. The same facts apply to the pound net catches, with the addition 
that, since the young inhabit the shallow waters and the shallow water area 
east of Long Point is more limited, there appears to be a concentration of young 
ciscoes along the shore, particularly in Long Point Bay, and hence the young are 
apt to be impounded in large numbers in the pound nets. 
6. No data were obtained as to the age when the various species spawn for 
the first time. Spawning is probably at the end of the third summer, and, if so, 
the six-ounce regulation protects the two species, L. artedi and L. prognathus in 
respect to being allowed to spawn once, but does not protect L. eriensis since 
it attains a weight of six ounces in its third summer. 
7. The girth measurements were taken around the body just anterior to 
the dorsal fin, that is where the greatest girth occurs. The results show that the 
three inch gill net regulation is quite satisfactory for the species L. artedi and 
L. prognathus since they do not attain a girth of six inches until the sixth summer, 
but barely protects L. eriensis since this species attains a girth of six inches in 
three years. 
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