THE WHITEFISH PRODUCTION OF THE GREAT LAKES. 653 
attached to them. In the following table we have given the whitefish areas for 
each of the Great Lakes together with the extent in square miles of the lakes 
themselves. These whitefish areas have been obtained by measuring with a 
planimeter the areas plotted on the maps. The lake areas are taken from 
H. M. Smith, 1894. 
AREA OF EACH OF THE GREAT LAKES, WHITEFISH AREA OF EACH, AND PERCENTAGE OF 
WHITEFISH AREA. 
Percentage 
Total area. | Whitefish area. | of whitefish 
area. 
Square miles. | Square miles. 
Lake Superior _____ 6 Se Fae Oe ee eer 32, 000 7,400 23 
PSE TR EOS ES = Se ee a ee ee ee ee eee 22,000 2, 600 12 
LTS Wve es BA, ea ee eee ee ea ee 21,000 9, 400 45 
Tae Brien an oe aetna ae on So ee ee Sosa ee once acagacn 9, 500 4, 100 43 
PER WCLeICATI Ae oe iene nee a ee oe BS oes SEs clei 6, 500 2, 200 34 
Otay Se oe ew ae mo ae Reo ae eee 91,000 25,700 28 
It is to be noted that the area occupied by the true whitefish is relatively 
least in Lake Michigan, where it forms but 12 per cent of the lake area. Lake 
Erie comes next with a whitefish area 14 per cent of its total area, if the eastern 
part of the lake only is taken, but if the western platform of Lake Erie be included 
over depths of 12 to 30 fathoms, its whitefish area is raised to 4,100 square miles, 
or 43 per cent of that whole area. Whitefish are taken on those parts of the 
platform of suitable depth, but in relatively small numbers. 
MIGRATIONS. 
The whitefish do not wander about at random in these areas, so that the fish 
of one lake pass into another lake, or those of one part of a lake to a distant 
part of the same lake. On the other hand, such evidence as we have indicates 
that the whitefish, like other fish, are during the greater part of the year local in 
their habits. Their migrations during the breeding season have been already 
sufficiently referred to, so that we need consider here only the wanderings of the 
fish during the rest of the year. In general it may be said that the wanderings 
of fish are by no means fortuitous and, except in the breeding season, are of 
limited extent. This subject is discussed at some length by Professor Prince 
(1907) and need not detain us further here. The relative local habits of the 
nonmigrating herring in England, of the shad in this country, and of the salmon 
are now well understood. It is well known to fishermen and to dealers who 
handle whitefish that the fish of different lakes are so unlike that one who is 
accustomed to them can readily distinguish them. Each lake has its own race 
and these races do not intermingle by running from lake to lake. 
