﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  LXI 
  

  

  The 
  need 
  of 
  restricting 
  the 
  fishermen 
  manifested 
  itself 
  at 
  the 
  meet- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  commissioners 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  States, 
  held 
  at 
  Milwaukee 
  

   August 
  17 
  and 
  IS, 
  1884, 
  where 
  resolutions 
  were 
  passed 
  instructing 
  the 
  

   commissioners 
  to 
  urge 
  upon 
  the 
  legislatures 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  States 
  the 
  

   enactment 
  of 
  statutes 
  regulating, 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  mesh 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  catch 
  mature 
  

   fish 
  only 
  and 
  the 
  adoption 
  of 
  the 
  close 
  season 
  for 
  certain 
  kinds 
  offish. 
  

  

  With 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  ascertaining 
  more 
  definitely 
  the 
  present 
  condition 
  of 
  

   the 
  fisheries 
  and 
  of 
  recording 
  any 
  important 
  changes 
  that 
  have 
  oc- 
  

   curred 
  in 
  the 
  locality 
  of 
  methods 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  since 
  the 
  census 
  of 
  

   1880, 
  it 
  was 
  decided 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  careful 
  examination 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  chain 
  

   of 
  lakes 
  from 
  the 
  American 
  shores 
  and 
  to 
  obtain 
  accurate 
  statistics 
  

   for 
  comparison 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  earlier 
  years. 
  The 
  investigation 
  began 
  

   late 
  in 
  August, 
  under 
  the 
  general 
  direction 
  of 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  E. 
  Earll. 
  The 
  

   territory 
  was 
  divided 
  into 
  districts 
  and 
  assigned 
  to 
  different 
  employees 
  

   of 
  the 
  Commission 
  who 
  from 
  their 
  familiarity 
  with 
  the 
  work 
  were 
  best 
  

   suited 
  to 
  assist 
  in 
  the 
  investigation. 
  To 
  Messrs. 
  Clark 
  and 
  Wires 
  was 
  

   assigned 
  the 
  American 
  shore 
  of 
  Lake 
  Huron 
  and 
  the 
  Detroit 
  Eiver 
  ; 
  

   to 
  Mr. 
  Ellis, 
  the 
  American 
  shore 
  of 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  and 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  

   Lake 
  Erie 
  ; 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Bowers, 
  western 
  shore 
  of 
  Lake 
  Erie, 
  and 
  to 
  Mr. 
  

   Earll, 
  Lake 
  Superior 
  and 
  both 
  shores 
  of 
  Lake 
  Michigan. 
  The 
  investi- 
  

   gation 
  began 
  in 
  August 
  and 
  was 
  continued 
  until 
  November. 
  The 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  plan 
  of 
  operations, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  r>repared 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Earll, 
  was 
  

   carefully 
  followed 
  : 
  

  

  (1) 
  Obtain 
  a 
  brief 
  description 
  of 
  each 
  settlement, 
  especially 
  of 
  those 
  

   containing 
  post-offices, 
  however 
  small 
  and 
  scattered 
  the 
  population, 
  in 
  

   order 
  that 
  its 
  relative 
  importance 
  or 
  insignificance 
  may 
  be 
  known. 
  

  

  (2) 
  Fill 
  out 
  in 
  detail 
  the 
  blank 
  form 
  of 
  each 
  fishing 
  station, 
  note 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  men 
  employed, 
  number 
  of 
  tugs 
  or 
  sail-boats 
  employed, 
  the 
  

   kind 
  and 
  number 
  of 
  gill-nets, 
  pound-nets, 
  seines, 
  fykes, 
  or 
  set-lines, 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  pounds 
  of 
  hard 
  fish, 
  soft 
  fish, 
  or 
  other 
  fish 
  caught 
  in 
  1885, 
  

   the 
  gross 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  seine, 
  stating 
  particularly 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  white- 
  

   fish 
  taken. 
  

  

  (3) 
  Fill 
  out 
  a 
  blank 
  for 
  each 
  fishing 
  settlement 
  showing 
  separately 
  

   the 
  seining, 
  spearing, 
  hand-line, 
  net-fishing, 
  &c. 
  

  

  (1) 
  Fill 
  out 
  a 
  blank 
  at 
  each 
  fishing 
  settlement 
  estimating 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  fish 
  consumed 
  by 
  fishermen's 
  families 
  or 
  by 
  local 
  trade. 
  

  

  (5) 
  Eecord 
  on 
  the 
  proper 
  blanks 
  all 
  fishing 
  steamers 
  and 
  all 
  sailing 
  

   vessels 
  that 
  use 
  custom-house 
  papers. 
  

  

  (G) 
  Note 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fishermen's 
  boats, 
  nets, 
  and 
  pounds 
  employed 
  

   the 
  preceding 
  year, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  practicable, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  comparison 
  

   with 
  1885 
  and 
  for 
  estimate 
  in 
  case 
  information 
  is 
  not 
  obtained 
  for 
  1885. 
  

  

  (7) 
  Mark 
  on 
  charts 
  the 
  exact 
  location 
  of 
  each 
  pound-trap 
  and 
  other 
  

   stationary 
  forms 
  of 
  apparatus, 
  with 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  owner. 
  Show 
  the 
  loca- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  important 
  fishing 
  banks 
  and 
  icefs, 
  their 
  shape, 
  size, 
  name, 
  loca- 
  

   tion, 
  depth 
  of 
  water, 
  character 
  of 
  bottom, 
  and 
  history. 
  

  

  