﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  XCIX 
  

  

  one 
  end 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  tied 
  to 
  a 
  limb 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  allowed 
  to 
  hang 
  12 
  to 
  

   18 
  inches 
  under 
  water. 
  The 
  hooks 
  are 
  baited 
  with 
  ''shad" 
  (Eiodon, 
  

   Dorosoma, 
  Signalosa, 
  etc.) 
  or 
  crawfish. 
  The 
  fisherman 
  visits 
  his 
  lines 
  

   twice 
  a 
  daj^ 
  if 
  possible, 
  takes 
  the 
  fish 
  off" 
  the 
  hooks 
  and 
  puts 
  them 
  in 
  

   live-boxes, 
  where 
  he 
  keeps 
  them 
  until 
  the 
  collecting 
  tug 
  from 
  the 
  com- 
  

   pany 
  to 
  which 
  he 
  sells 
  comes 
  along. 
  The 
  fish 
  are 
  then 
  transferred 
  to 
  

   the 
  live-cars 
  of 
  the 
  tug 
  and 
  towed 
  to 
  Morgan 
  City. 
  The 
  Morgan 
  City 
  

   tugs 
  ascend 
  the 
  Atchafalaya 
  River 
  and 
  its 
  connectiug 
  lakes 
  and 
  bayous 
  

   for 
  75 
  to 
  100 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  Morgan 
  City. 
  When 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  brought 
  

   to 
  Morgan 
  City, 
  they 
  are 
  dressed, 
  barreled 
  in 
  ice, 
  and 
  shipped 
  to 
  vari- 
  

   ous 
  points 
  in 
  Texas, 
  Indian 
  Territory, 
  Kansas, 
  Colorado, 
  and 
  elsewhere 
  

   west 
  and 
  northwest. 
  The 
  principal 
  species 
  handled 
  are 
  the 
  blue 
  cat 
  

   {Ictalurus 
  fnreatus) 
  and 
  the 
  goujon 
  or 
  yellow 
  cat 
  {Leptops 
  oUvaris). 
  

   A 
  small 
  percentage 
  of 
  the 
  catch 
  consists 
  of 
  the 
  spotted 
  or 
  channel 
  cat 
  

   {Ictalurus 
  ininctaius) 
  and 
  the 
  eel 
  cat 
  [Ictalurus 
  ancjuilla). 
  

  

  The 
  blue 
  cat 
  and 
  the 
  goujon 
  reach 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  size. 
  Formerly 
  indi- 
  

   viduals 
  of 
  each 
  weighing 
  75 
  to 
  110 
  pounds 
  were 
  not 
  infrequent, 
  but 
  

   now 
  one 
  weighing 
  more 
  than 
  50 
  pounds 
  is 
  not 
  often 
  seen. 
  The 
  flesh 
  of 
  

   these 
  fish 
  is 
  of 
  excellent 
  flavor 
  and 
  finds 
  a 
  ready 
  sale 
  wherever 
  its 
  good 
  

   qualities 
  are 
  known. 
  

  

  The 
  statistical 
  inquiry 
  very 
  soon 
  developed 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  there 
  has 
  

   been 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  years, 
  and 
  

   a 
  careful 
  inspection 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  live-boxes 
  of 
  the 
  fishermen 
  and 
  

   again 
  in 
  the 
  companies' 
  houses 
  at 
  Morgan 
  City 
  suggested 
  the 
  causes 
  

   for 
  the 
  decrease. 
  Overfishing 
  and 
  fishing 
  during 
  the 
  spawning 
  season 
  

   are 
  doubtless 
  the 
  principal 
  causes. 
  

  

  A 
  law 
  fixing 
  a 
  minimum 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  lawful 
  to 
  sell, 
  

   and 
  a 
  close 
  season 
  during 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  spawning 
  iieriod, 
  would 
  

   doubtless 
  do 
  much 
  toward 
  the 
  rebuilding 
  of 
  the 
  industry. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  inquiries 
  valuable 
  collections 
  of 
  the 
  diff"erent 
  species 
  of 
  

   catfishes 
  and 
  other 
  fishes 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  were 
  made. 
  

  

  LAKE 
  SUPERIOR. 
  

  

  In 
  April, 
  1897, 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  J. 
  Woolman 
  was 
  detailed 
  to 
  make 
  some 
  

   inquiries 
  in 
  Lake 
  Superior 
  during 
  the 
  subsequent 
  spring 
  and 
  summer 
  

   months, 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  fishes 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  lake, 
  

   including 
  the 
  common 
  whitefish, 
  the 
  lake 
  herring, 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  

   whitefishes, 
  the 
  lake 
  trout, 
  the 
  siscowet, 
  the 
  wall-eyed 
  pike, 
  and 
  the 
  

   sturgeon. 
  Besides 
  enumerating 
  the 
  food 
  objects 
  of 
  each 
  species, 
  the 
  

   inquiries 
  were 
  intended 
  to 
  bring 
  out 
  the 
  variations 
  in 
  the 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  food 
  dependent 
  on 
  age, 
  size, 
  season, 
  spawning 
  condition, 
  etc.; 
  

   the 
  distribution, 
  abundance, 
  and 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  food-organisms 
  were 
  

   also 
  topics 
  to 
  be 
  studied. 
  A 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  predaceous 
  

   species 
  involves 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  sub- 
  

   sist, 
  and 
  the 
  investigation 
  is 
  therefore 
  thrown 
  back 
  on 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  

   minute 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  forms 
  probably 
  being 
  the 
  

   entomostraca. 
  

  

  