CL REPOTJT OF COMMIS^SIONEll Ol'^ FISH AND FT8TIERIES. 



Apparatiin and rapilol riii)>loii('(l hi J, die Eric finhcriet. 



Designation. 



VesRi'Is fisliing . 

 'i'i)iiiiago. . . 

 Outlit , 



Boats. 



Apiiaratiia of capture— vessel fisheries: 



(Jill nets 



Appa I'll t MM of eapture — shore iislieries • 



J'ouiid nets 



Cill nets , 



I'.vkoiiets 

 Traji nets. 

 Seines 



Line-) and speara. 



Shore jiroperly 



Cash capital 



Total . 



No. 



56 

 1,385.34 



1,393 



19,046 



],7«7 



30, 274 



1,175 



106 



44 



Value. 



$270, 100 



32, 183 

 217, 750 



67, 944 



542, 260 



1(11,569 



04, 450 



5, 840 



6,305 



6,151 



749, 750 



753, 000 



2, 816, 302 



Products of Lake Erie fisheries. 



Species. 



Blaclt ba.ss 



Blue piltc 



Catfi.sh 



Herring 



Perch 



Saugers 



Stiirt,'(H)n 



Trout 



Wall-oyed pike . . . 



Whiteiish 



Other liali 



Turtles and frogs . 



Total 



Poun«ls. 



248,418 

 488, 903 

 '.l-JG, 0.'17 

 Ki8, 283 

 S70, 407 

 179,867 

 078, 907 

 121,420 

 105, 7;!3 

 341,451 

 021,427 



04, 850, 873 



Value. 



$13,521 



148, 201 

 45, 914 



399. 452 

 30. 299 

 51,721 

 73, 703 

 5.183 

 90, 615 



115, 970 



22, 252 



4,074 



1, 000, 906 



Tlio condition of the fislieriesof this lako as compared with 1880 and 

 1885 is an inijxn-tant consideration, which has been the subject of much 

 solicitude on the part of those most directly interested. It has been 

 ap])aroiit to almost everyone that the supply of whitefish, at least, has 

 been decreasing yearly, and that the catch has only been maintained 

 by the use of larger quantities of apparatus. The following comparison 

 of the output ol" the fisheries of this lake shoAvs that in 18S5 the yield 

 of 3,5;3-J,()00 pounds of whitefish was about 20(»,()(>0 jiounds more than 

 in 1880 and 1,200,000 pounds more than in 1800. The increased appa- 

 ratus in 1800 should, other things being equal, have resulted in an 

 increase in thectatch over 1885, amounting to at least 3,000,000 pounds. 

 The output of trout, an unimportant fish in this lake, has increased 

 slightly over 1885, owing chiefly to the larger quantity of gill-netting 

 employed. Sturgeon show a diminished aliundance, although more 

 were taken than in 1880. Herring have more than doubled in quantity 

 since 1885. The production of other (ishes, considered in the aggregate, 

 is somewhat less than in 1885. Tlie large increase in herring much 

 more than overbalances the decreases noted, and results in an augmen- 

 tation in the yield of 13,400,000 pounds com])ared with 1885, although 

 the value of the catch has fallen from $l,100,()!Ki to .$1,000,005. 



