﻿MANUAL 
  OF 
  FISH-CULTURE. 
  105 
  

  

  The 
  method 
  of 
  capture 
  is 
  by 
  gill 
  uets, 
  pound 
  uets, 
  hook 
  and 
  line, 
  

   and 
  in 
  winter 
  by 
  spearing 
  through 
  the 
  ice. 
  The 
  majority, 
  however, 
  

   are 
  taken 
  from 
  gill 
  nets 
  operated 
  by 
  steam 
  tugs. 
  These 
  boats 
  are 
  fitted 
  

   out 
  with 
  the 
  most 
  approved 
  appliances 
  of 
  their 
  trade 
  and 
  have 
  quar- 
  

   ters 
  on 
  board 
  for 
  the 
  men 
  employed, 
  usually 
  a 
  crew 
  of 
  8 
  or 
  10. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  the 
  tugs 
  carry 
  5 
  or 
  (3 
  miles 
  of 
  nets 
  and 
  catch 
  in 
  one 
  lift 
  from 
  1,000 
  

   pounds 
  to 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  tons 
  of 
  trout. 
  Fishing 
  is 
  done 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  the 
  ice 
  

   breaks 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  until 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  or 
  early 
  winter, 
  the 
  work 
  

   ceasing 
  only 
  when 
  the 
  weather 
  and 
  ice 
  no 
  longer 
  permit 
  operations. 
  

   In 
  some 
  localities 
  the 
  water 
  becomes 
  so 
  warm 
  during 
  summer 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  

   detrimental 
  to 
  the 
  nets, 
  and 
  consequently 
  at 
  such 
  points 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  

   lull 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  weeks. 
  Lake 
  trout 
  spawn 
  on 
  the 
  reefs 
  and 
  

   live 
  in 
  deep 
  water 
  during 
  the 
  remaining 
  time, 
  and 
  their 
  migratory 
  

   habits 
  govern 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  tugs, 
  the 
  fishermen 
  necessarily 
  

   moving 
  from 
  one 
  point 
  to 
  another. 
  The 
  small 
  gill-net 
  boats, 
  carrying 
  

   sails 
  and 
  handling 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  feet 
  of 
  nets, 
  confine 
  their 
  operations 
  

   to 
  more 
  shallow 
  water 
  and 
  fish 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  spawning 
  season. 
  At 
  

   Detour, 
  Lake 
  Huron; 
  at 
  some 
  points 
  in 
  Lake 
  Superior, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   north 
  shore 
  of 
  Lake 
  Michigan 
  pound 
  nets 
  are 
  in 
  use, 
  but 
  usually 
  these 
  

   nets 
  are 
  not 
  used 
  to 
  any 
  great 
  extent 
  for 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  lake 
  trout. 
  

  

  NATURAL 
  SPAWNING. 
  

  

  Spawning 
  commences 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  September 
  in 
  Lake 
  Superior 
  and 
  

   later 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  lakes, 
  since 
  the 
  water 
  does 
  not 
  become 
  sufficiently 
  

   cool 
  here 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  headwaters. 
  In 
  Lakes 
  Huron 
  and 
  Michi- 
  

   gan 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  jiart 
  of 
  November, 
  and 
  

   spawning 
  continues 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  December. 
  The 
  spawning-grounds 
  

   are 
  on 
  the 
  reefs 
  of 
  "honeycombed" 
  rocks, 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  miles 
  from 
  shore, 
  

   and 
  during 
  the 
  reproductive 
  period 
  vast 
  numbers 
  of 
  fish 
  visit 
  these 
  

   places, 
  spawning 
  in 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  20 
  fathoms. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  

   depth 
  of 
  water, 
  the 
  shyness 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  and 
  the 
  severity 
  of 
  the 
  weather 
  

   at 
  this 
  time, 
  nothing 
  definite 
  has 
  been 
  determined 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  fish's 
  

   maneuvers 
  while 
  spawning. 
  The 
  supposition 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  female 
  lies 
  

   over 
  an 
  indentation 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  and 
  allows 
  her 
  eggs 
  to 
  settle 
  into 
  the 
  

   "honeycomb" 
  cavities; 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  with 
  the 
  cavities 
  filled 
  

   with 
  eggs 
  having 
  been 
  hauled 
  in 
  by 
  fishermen 
  when 
  lifting 
  their 
  nets. 
  

   'So 
  doubt 
  the 
  general 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  Salmonidw 
  are 
  carried 
  out 
  

   by 
  the 
  lake 
  trout 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  conditions 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  exist 
  permit. 
  

  

  An 
  instance 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  of 
  a 
  Mackinaw 
  trout 
  of 
  24 
  pounds 
  weight 
  

   containing 
  14,943 
  eggs; 
  but 
  not 
  over 
  5,000 
  or 
  6,000 
  eggs 
  are 
  commonly 
  

   found, 
  and 
  1,000 
  eggs 
  to 
  the 
  pound 
  of 
  fish 
  may 
  be 
  accepted 
  as 
  a 
  general 
  

   rule, 
  after 
  the 
  trout 
  have 
  attained 
  maturity, 
  at 
  three 
  years 
  of 
  age. 
  

  

  A 
  much 
  smaller 
  variety, 
  called 
  the 
  shoal 
  trout, 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  Lake 
  

   Huron 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Alpena, 
  and 
  in 
  Lake 
  Michigan 
  near 
  Charle- 
  

   voix 
  and 
  Northport, 
  but 
  its 
  weight 
  compared 
  with 
  its 
  length 
  is 
  greater 
  

   than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  true 
  Mackinaw 
  trout, 
  and 
  the 
  markings 
  and 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  the 
  two 
  also 
  differ. 
  The 
  shoal 
  trout 
  si^awns 
  in 
  September, 
  about 
  a 
  

  

  