﻿104 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  man, 
  they 
  might 
  again 
  reach 
  the 
  enormous 
  weight 
  of 
  early 
  citations, 
  

   their 
  sluggish 
  movements 
  and 
  voracity 
  being 
  conducive 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  result. 
  

  

  The 
  nature 
  of 
  their 
  environments 
  has 
  a 
  decided 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  

   characteristics 
  of 
  this 
  spe 
  iesj 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  food, 
  and 
  

   character 
  of 
  bottom 
  entirely 
  changing 
  the 
  marking 
  and 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  

   these 
  fish 
  in 
  their 
  various 
  habitats. 
  

  

  Until 
  recently 
  it 
  was 
  commonly 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  principal 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  

   lake 
  trout 
  was 
  the 
  young 
  whiteflsh, 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   of 
  the 
  lakes 
  were 
  generally 
  unfavorable 
  to 
  its 
  artificial 
  propagation. 
  

   The 
  error 
  of 
  that 
  belief, 
  however, 
  is 
  now 
  generally 
  conceded, 
  though 
  

   no 
  doubt 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  young 
  whitefish 
  become 
  food 
  for 
  trout 
  

   during 
  each 
  season. 
  But 
  as 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  trout 
  take 
  it 
  to 
  

   deep 
  water 
  immediately 
  after 
  spawning, 
  while 
  the 
  young 
  whitefish 
  

   remain 
  in 
  shallows, 
  the 
  few 
  which 
  are 
  destroyed 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  are 
  

   either 
  stragglers 
  from 
  shoal 
  to 
  deep 
  water 
  or 
  taken 
  by 
  trout 
  aimlessly 
  

   wandering 
  from 
  their 
  natural 
  range. 
  The 
  lake 
  trout 
  is 
  an 
  omnivorous 
  

   feeder 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  ravenous 
  appetite. 
  It 
  greedily 
  devours 
  all 
  fishes 
  

   possessing 
  fins 
  of 
  flexible 
  character, 
  and 
  jackknives, 
  corncobs, 
  and 
  

   other 
  articles 
  equally 
  indigestible 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  its 
  stomach. 
  

  

  The 
  spawn 
  and 
  fry 
  of 
  lake 
  trout 
  suffer 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  enemies 
  as 
  the 
  

   young 
  of 
  all 
  fishes, 
  but 
  the 
  mature 
  fish 
  are 
  too 
  formidable 
  for 
  other 
  

   species 
  to 
  prey 
  uj)on. 
  They 
  are 
  troubled 
  with 
  a 
  few 
  parasites. 
  Oc- 
  

   casionally 
  individuals, 
  very 
  thin 
  in 
  flesh 
  and 
  sickly-looking, 
  known 
  as 
  

   "racers" 
  by 
  fishermen, 
  are 
  found 
  swimming 
  near 
  the 
  surface; 
  no 
  

   sufficient 
  cause 
  has 
  been 
  discovered 
  for 
  this 
  condition, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  no 
  

   more 
  afflicted 
  with 
  parasites 
  than 
  healthy 
  fish. 
  

  

  IMPORTANCE 
  AND 
  ABUNDANCE. 
  

  

  The 
  trout 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  are 
  second 
  in 
  importance 
  

   commercially, 
  the 
  whitefish 
  ranking 
  first. 
  At 
  one 
  time 
  trout 
  were 
  so 
  

   plentiful 
  that 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  command 
  a 
  price 
  at 
  all 
  proportionate 
  to 
  their 
  

   edible 
  qualities, 
  but 
  as 
  the 
  fishing 
  continued 
  the 
  catches 
  decreased, 
  

   until 
  about 
  the 
  year 
  1886 
  the 
  market 
  price 
  of 
  trout 
  became 
  equal 
  to 
  

   that 
  of 
  its 
  more 
  delicate 
  rival. 
  At 
  this 
  time 
  it 
  became 
  evident 
  to 
  the 
  

   Federal 
  and 
  State 
  governments, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  those 
  dependent 
  upon 
  

   this 
  industry 
  for 
  a 
  livelihood, 
  that 
  decisive 
  steps 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  

   toward 
  providing 
  against 
  the 
  extermination 
  of 
  this 
  valuable 
  food- 
  fish. 
  

   Artificial 
  hatching 
  was 
  commenced 
  that 
  year 
  with 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  restock- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes. 
  The 
  work 
  progressed 
  only 
  in 
  a 
  limited 
  way 
  up 
  

   to 
  1892, 
  when 
  the 
  output 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  Michigan 
  Fish 
  

   Commissions 
  reached 
  something 
  like 
  its 
  present 
  proportions. 
  During 
  

   the 
  season 
  of 
  1895 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  station 
  at 
  

   Northville 
  secured 
  over 
  11,000,000 
  lake-trout 
  eggs. 
  As 
  indicative 
  of 
  

   the 
  success 
  attending 
  the 
  plants 
  of 
  lake 
  trout, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  remarked 
  that 
  

   for 
  a 
  short 
  period 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1896 
  the 
  fishing-boats, 
  which 
  

   had 
  been 
  working 
  to 
  their 
  fullest 
  capacity, 
  ceased 
  operations, 
  the 
  

   mnrket 
  being 
  glutted 
  and 
  the 
  remuneration 
  not 
  being 
  commensurate 
  

   with 
  the 
  labor, 
  hardship, 
  and 
  capital 
  invested. 
  

  

  