﻿COMMERCIAL 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  AND 
  VERMONT. 
  245 
  

   VERMONT. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  Lake 
  Champlain, 
  the 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  

   the 
  lakes 
  and 
  streams 
  of 
  Vermont 
  are 
  insignificant. 
  In 
  1902 
  there 
  

   were 
  five 
  gill 
  nets 
  used 
  in 
  taking 
  white-fish 
  in 
  Lake 
  Bomoseen, 
  two 
  in 
  

   Lake 
  St. 
  Catherine, 
  one 
  in 
  Lake 
  Memphremagog, 
  and 
  one 
  in 
  Lake 
  

   Hortonia. 
  In 
  Lake 
  Bomoseen 
  3,462 
  white-fish 
  were 
  taken 
  in 
  these 
  

   gill 
  nets, 
  in 
  Lake 
  St. 
  Catherine 
  .534, 
  in 
  Lake 
  Memphremagog 
  105, 
  

   and 
  in 
  Lake 
  Hortonia 
  165. 
  A 
  very 
  few 
  perch, 
  pickerel, 
  and 
  sun-fish 
  

   vv^ere 
  also 
  taken. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  the 
  fish 
  captured 
  were 
  used 
  or 
  given 
  

   away 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen, 
  and 
  the 
  fishery, 
  therefore, 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  classed 
  

   as 
  commercial. 
  As 
  the 
  catch 
  is 
  so 
  small, 
  the 
  State 
  fish 
  commissioners 
  

   have 
  recommended 
  that 
  the 
  granting 
  of 
  licenses 
  to 
  fish 
  in 
  these 
  waters 
  

   be 
  discontinued. 
  

  

  In 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  entirely 
  different 
  conditions 
  prevail. 
  For 
  some 
  

   years 
  the 
  seine 
  fisheries 
  on 
  the 
  Vermont 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  have 
  been 
  

   numerous 
  and 
  exceedingly 
  important 
  for 
  such 
  a 
  body 
  of 
  water, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  Missisquoi 
  Bay, 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  lake. 
  There 
  have 
  

   been 
  many 
  attempts 
  to 
  stop 
  this 
  form 
  of 
  fishing, 
  which 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  

   destructive 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  valuable 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  lake, 
  more 
  

   particularly 
  the 
  wall-eyed 
  pike, 
  which 
  forms 
  nearly 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  catch, 
  

   and 
  white-fish 
  and 
  pickerel, 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  impossible 
  to 
  do 
  this 
  so 
  long 
  

   as 
  Canada 
  permits 
  her 
  fishermen 
  to 
  haul 
  seines 
  in 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  

   which 
  lies 
  within 
  her 
  borders. 
  The 
  seines 
  are 
  operated 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  

   principally 
  for 
  wall-eyed 
  pike; 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  mainly 
  for 
  white-fish, 
  which 
  

   are 
  locally 
  known 
  as 
  "shad." 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  gill 
  nets 
  were 
  operated 
  for 
  sturgeon 
  near 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  

   in 
  1902 
  and 
  met 
  with 
  fair 
  success. 
  A 
  hand-line 
  fishery 
  through 
  the 
  ice 
  

   for 
  smelt 
  was 
  carried 
  on 
  from 
  Burlington 
  and 
  vicinity 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  tip-ups 
  

   and 
  spears 
  were 
  also 
  employed. 
  Quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  set 
  lines 
  were 
  

   used, 
  but 
  the 
  fish 
  taken 
  thus 
  were 
  consumed 
  almost 
  entirely 
  by 
  the 
  

   fishermen 
  themselves. 
  

  

  As 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  figures 
  for 
  1895 
  the 
  fisheries 
  show 
  a 
  most 
  

   gratifying 
  increase 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  apparatus 
  and 
  shore 
  and 
  accessory 
  prop- 
  

   erty 
  are 
  concerned, 
  while 
  the 
  total 
  catch 
  more 
  than 
  doubled 
  and 
  the 
  

   value 
  more 
  than 
  quintupled 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  employed 
  was 
  145, 
  using 
  69 
  boats, 
  valued 
  at 
  12,795, 
  and 
  appa- 
  

   ratus 
  as 
  follows: 
  57 
  haul 
  seines, 
  10,594 
  yards 
  in 
  length, 
  valued 
  at 
  

   $2,720; 
  30 
  gill 
  nets, 
  2,475 
  yards 
  in 
  length, 
  valued 
  at 
  |180; 
  85 
  tip-ups, 
  

   $17; 
  hand 
  lines, 
  |12; 
  and 
  spears, 
  5 
  in 
  number, 
  worth 
  $3. 
  With 
  shore 
  

   property 
  valued 
  at 
  $3,690, 
  the 
  total 
  investment 
  in 
  these 
  fisheries 
  was 
  

   19,417. 
  ' 
  

  

  In 
  1895 
  the 
  catch 
  amounted 
  to 
  208,139 
  pounds, 
  valued 
  at 
  $7,160, 
  

   while 
  in 
  1902 
  it 
  was 
  528,682 
  pounds, 
  which 
  sold 
  for 
  $37,669, 
  a 
  gain 
  of 
  

   320,543 
  pounds 
  and 
  $30,509. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  lakes 
  Erie 
  and 
  

  

  