﻿CXXII 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  interesting- 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  bluefin 
  in 
  this 
  lake 
  have 
  been 
  

   communicated 
  by 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  D. 
  Tomliu, 
  secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Duluth 
  Fisheries 
  

   Association 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  coming 
  of 
  the 
  blnefin 
  into 
  Lake 
  Superior 
  waters 
  contiguous 
  to 
  the 
  port 
  of 
  

   Duluthhas 
  been 
  apparently 
  recent. 
  Twelve 
  years 
  ago 
  (1885), 
  when 
  the 
  lishermen 
  here 
  

   first 
  combined 
  to 
  protect 
  themselves, 
  the 
  bluefin 
  or 
  Ijlackfin 
  was 
  very 
  little 
  known. 
  

   The 
  fishermen 
  covereil 
  hundreds 
  of 
  miles 
  with 
  their 
  fishing 
  operations, 
  leaving 
  their 
  

   homes 
  very 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  and 
  staying 
  until 
  the 
  ice 
  formed 
  on 
  the 
  nets. 
  Many 
  

   of 
  the 
  present 
  fishermen 
  used 
  to 
  go 
  out 
  about 
  50 
  miles 
  and 
  get 
  some 
  fine 
  catches 
  of 
  

   whitefish 
  in 
  their 
  nets; 
  and 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  fall 
  fishing 
  liad 
  ended 
  the 
  lake 
  herring 
  — 
  

   always 
  known 
  as 
  a 
  prolific 
  fish 
  and 
  easily 
  found 
  — 
  was 
  an 
  object 
  for 
  consideration 
  

   for 
  some 
  weeks 
  until 
  the 
  winter 
  set 
  in. 
  Occasionally 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  bluefins 
  would 
  be 
  

   taken 
  in 
  a 
  lift 
  of 
  nets. 
  They 
  had 
  no 
  sale, 
  were 
  not 
  recognized 
  as 
  a 
  herring, 
  and 
  

   could 
  not 
  bo 
  jiassed 
  as 
  a 
  whitefish 
  ; 
  so 
  the 
  fishermen 
  used 
  to 
  take 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  nets 
  

   and 
  clean 
  them 
  at 
  once 
  and 
  let 
  the 
  cook 
  supply 
  them 
  as 
  a 
  pan 
  fish. 
  When 
  thus 
  

   taken 
  fresh 
  from 
  the 
  icy 
  water 
  and 
  cooked 
  as 
  described 
  they 
  were 
  fine 
  eating, 
  but 
  if 
  

   left 
  over 
  until 
  the 
  next 
  day 
  they 
  were 
  strong 
  and 
  insipid. 
  When 
  the 
  whitefish 
  

   began 
  to 
  go 
  farther 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  lake 
  the 
  fishermen 
  followed 
  them, 
  and 
  very 
  few 
  

   bluefins 
  were 
  taken 
  or 
  even 
  thought 
  of. 
  

  

  As 
  recently 
  as 
  1894 
  or 
  1895 
  some 
  fishermen, 
  who 
  have 
  homes 
  about 
  20 
  miles 
  out 
  

   from 
  Dulnth, 
  on 
  the 
  Minnesota 
  shore, 
  began 
  to 
  set 
  nets 
  entirely 
  for 
  lake 
  trout, 
  

   because 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  pay 
  them 
  to 
  run 
  150 
  miles 
  for 
  whitefish. 
  Then 
  in 
  the 
  fishing 
  

   once 
  in 
  awhile 
  the 
  larger 
  bluefins 
  would 
  be 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  trout 
  nets, 
  and 
  siuce 
  that 
  

   time 
  the 
  increase 
  has 
  been 
  enormous, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  they 
  have 
  

   attained 
  remarkable 
  abundance. 
  Duriug 
  last 
  summer 
  they 
  were 
  a 
  positive 
  drug 
  on 
  

   the 
  market, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  sell 
  them, 
  except 
  to 
  those 
  ignorant 
  of 
  the 
  

   true 
  whitefish. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  lake 
  opens 
  they 
  can 
  bo 
  caught 
  by 
  the 
  ton. 
  Booth 
  & 
  

   Co. 
  state 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  agree 
  to 
  take 
  any 
  of 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  fishermen. 
  They 
  had 
  

   nearly 
  20 
  tons 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  refrigerator 
  during 
  last 
  summer 
  and 
  could 
  not 
  dispose 
  

   of 
  them. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  first 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  Iduefins 
  they 
  frequented 
  the 
  grounds 
  on 
  which 
  

   herring 
  had 
  always 
  been 
  caught, 
  but 
  later 
  the 
  schools 
  have 
  extended 
  outward 
  until 
  

   they 
  are 
  caught 
  on 
  grounds 
  formerly 
  the 
  feeding-grounds 
  of 
  the 
  whitefish. 
  The 
  fish- 
  

   ermen 
  are 
  now 
  liable 
  to 
  find 
  them 
  anywhere 
  within 
  30 
  miles 
  of 
  Duluth, 
  principally 
  

   along 
  the 
  Wisconsin 
  shore. 
  As 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  their 
  migration 
  from 
  Lake 
  Michigan 
  they 
  

   seem 
  to 
  have 
  increased 
  in 
  weight. 
  Some 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  2-pound 
  mark 
  ; 
  and, 
  as 
  

   a 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  rich 
  food 
  supplies 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  at 
  this 
  end 
  of 
  Lake 
  Superior, 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  no 
  surprise 
  if 
  these 
  fish 
  follow 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Avhitefish 
  and 
  

   the 
  lake 
  trout 
  and 
  take 
  on 
  bulk 
  and 
  weight. 
  It 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  Wisconsin 
  will 
  not 
  

   place 
  any 
  restriction 
  on 
  the 
  fishing 
  for 
  these 
  fish, 
  and 
  Minnesota 
  will 
  possibly 
  follow 
  

   the 
  same 
  course. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  surmised 
  that 
  the 
  bluefin 
  or 
  blackfin 
  was 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  whitefish 
  

   that 
  had 
  been 
  introduced 
  with 
  the 
  multitude 
  of 
  fry 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  turned 
  into 
  the 
  

   lake 
  by 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission. 
  Considerable 
  inquiry 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  con- 
  

   cerning 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  these 
  fish, 
  and 
  the 
  rumor 
  gained 
  currency 
  that 
  bluefin 
  eggs 
  

   had 
  been 
  sent 
  up 
  with 
  other 
  eggs 
  and 
  had 
  been 
  hatched 
  out 
  and 
  planted 
  ; 
  but 
  Mr. 
  

   F. 
  N. 
  Clark, 
  superintendent 
  of 
  the 
  Michigan 
  stations 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  

   assured 
  me 
  that 
  no 
  bluefins 
  had 
  been 
  j)lanted 
  by 
  the 
  Commission 
  in 
  Lake 
  Superior. 
  

  

  Food 
  of 
  artificially 
  hatched 
  fish. 
  — 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  natural 
  

   food 
  resources 
  for 
  young 
  black 
  bass 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  ponds 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  front 
  

   in 
  AVashington 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  propagation 
  of 
  bass 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  for 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  years, 
  microscopic 
  examinations 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  

   stomach 
  contents 
  of 
  recently 
  hatched 
  fry 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  May, 
  1 
  897. 
  The 
  

   water 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  extremely 
  rich 
  in 
  en 
  torn 
  ostraca, 
  rotifers, 
  and 
  other 
  

  

  