﻿120 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

   COMMERCIAL 
  AND 
  FOOD 
  VALUE, 
  ETC. 
  

  

  The 
  wliitefislies 
  are 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  importaut 
  group 
  of 
  fresh-water 
  

   fishes 
  of 
  North 
  America, 
  probably 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  The 
  common 
  white- 
  

   fish 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  the 
  tribe, 
  but 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  others 
  uearly 
  equal.it 
  in 
  

   merit, 
  and 
  all 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  esteemed 
  as 
  food. 
  Among 
  the 
  fishes 
  of 
  

   the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  the 
  common 
  whitefish 
  ranks 
  next 
  in 
  value 
  to 
  the 
  lake 
  

   herring, 
  lake 
  trout, 
  and 
  walleyed 
  pike. 
  In 
  1893 
  the 
  catch 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  was 
  over 
  8,000,000 
  pounds, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  over 
  $330,000. 
  If 
  

   to 
  this 
  is 
  added 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  other 
  species 
  (namely, 
  about 
  30,000,000 
  

   pounds 
  of 
  lake 
  herring, 
  valued 
  at 
  $536,000, 
  and 
  upward 
  of 
  3,000,000 
  

   pounds 
  of 
  other 
  whitefish, 
  valued 
  at 
  $85,000), 
  the 
  aggregate 
  is 
  over 
  

   47,000,000 
  pounds, 
  having 
  a 
  value 
  of 
  $951,000, 
  The 
  market 
  value 
  of 
  

   the 
  whitefishes 
  taken 
  in 
  1893 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Provinces 
  was 
  reported 
  as 
  

   $1,535,000, 
  a 
  sum 
  representing 
  about 
  30,000,000 
  pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  common 
  whitefish 
  reaches 
  a 
  larger 
  size 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  species 
  

   of 
  whitefish 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  Examples 
  weighing 
  over 
  20 
  ])ounds 
  

   have 
  been 
  taken, 
  but 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  is 
  under 
  4 
  pounds. 
  

  

  Whitefish 
  fishing 
  is 
  done 
  chiefly 
  with 
  gill 
  nets 
  set 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  bot- 
  

   tom 
  in 
  comi^aratively 
  deep 
  water, 
  although 
  considerable 
  quantities 
  of 
  

   whitefish 
  are 
  also 
  taken 
  in 
  pound 
  nets, 
  trap 
  nets, 
  and 
  seines. 
  

  

  SPAWNING. 
  

  

  The 
  spawning 
  season 
  of 
  the 
  whitefish 
  begins 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  Octo- 
  

   ber 
  and 
  continues 
  into 
  December. 
  At 
  that 
  season 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  general 
  

   movement 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  to 
  shoal 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  lakes, 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  migra- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  anadromous 
  fishes 
  from 
  the 
  ocean 
  to 
  the 
  rivers; 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   the 
  foreign 
  whitefishes 
  are 
  typical 
  anadromous 
  species. 
  After 
  spawning, 
  

   the 
  fish 
  return 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  the 
  deeper 
  water. 
  

  

  The 
  spawning 
  habits 
  of 
  whitefish 
  confined 
  in 
  jiens 
  have 
  been 
  observed. 
  

   The 
  fish 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  surface, 
  occasionally 
  in 
  pairs, 
  sometimes, 
  but 
  rarely, 
  

   in 
  trios 
  of 
  one 
  female 
  and 
  two 
  males, 
  the 
  female 
  emitting 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   spawn 
  at 
  each 
  rise. 
  The 
  males, 
  always 
  the 
  smaller 
  fish, 
  persistently 
  

   follow 
  the 
  female 
  and 
  discharge 
  milt 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  

   emitted. 
  

  

  Whitefish 
  reach 
  maturity 
  in 
  the 
  third 
  or 
  fourth 
  year. 
  A 
  full-grown 
  

   specimen 
  deposits 
  from 
  10,000 
  to 
  75,000 
  eggs, 
  depending 
  on 
  the 
  fish's 
  

   size. 
  A 
  rule 
  for 
  determining 
  the 
  approximate 
  spawning 
  capacity 
  is 
  to 
  

   allow 
  about 
  10,000 
  eggs 
  for 
  each 
  pound 
  of 
  the 
  fish's 
  weight. 
  Tlie 
  eggs 
  

   when 
  fully 
  swollen 
  are 
  an 
  eighth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  and 
  36,000 
  

   make 
  a 
  fluid 
  quart. 
  They 
  swell 
  somewhat 
  after 
  impregnation. 
  

  

  DESTRUCTION 
  OF 
  WHITEFISH 
  SPAWN 
  IN 
  NATURE. 
  

  

  In 
  nature 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  whitefish 
  are 
  subjected 
  to 
  the 
  attacks 
  of 
  

   many 
  enemies 
  for 
  nearly 
  five 
  months. 
  The 
  mud-puppy 
  {Necturus 
  mac- 
  

   ulaUis), 
  commonly 
  known 
  as 
  ''lizard" 
  or 
  "water-dog" 
  by 
  the 
  people 
  

   along 
  the 
  lakes, 
  is 
  especially 
  destructive. 
  During 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  Janu- 
  

  

  