32 American Fisheries Society 



size of the fish that may be legally taken, and in consequence 

 tons of undersized pike-perch that would require from three to 

 eight to weigh a pound can be seen on the market during both 

 the spring and the fall fishing seasons. However, we would not 

 be understood as censuring the fishermen, or even the dealers, 

 too strongly for this great destruction of immature fish, as the 

 very great demand and the high prices offered makes the tempta- 

 tion to offer anything that will be accepted on the market very 

 strong. It is but natural to get all we can today without due 

 thought for the future, and so long as there is no legal restraint 

 placed upon them, we must expect the fishermen and dealers to 

 follow the present custom. 



As to whitefish, one of the best and highest priced of the fresh 

 water fishes, it is fully protected as regards the size limit in the 

 states of Ohio, New York and Michigan, the legal weight being 

 two pounds in New York and Michigan and one and three-fourths 

 pounds in Ohio. An experiment conducted by the writer showed 

 whitefish of this weight were fully matured. Two hundred males 

 and two hundred females were measured and weighed, with the 

 following result: Males, 34 weighed \% pounds, 78 weighed 

 \ l /2 pounds; 74 weighed 2 pounds; S weighed 1}4 pounds, and 

 2 weighed 1 pound each. Females, 120 weighed 2 pounds, 56 

 weighed 2^ pounds; 10 weighed 1$4 pounds; 8 weighed 2}4 pounds 

 and 6 weighed 1^ pounds each. This gives us an average of one 

 and seven-tenths pounds each for the males and a trifle over two 

 pounds each for the females. These fish were selected from about 

 six thousand that were being held in pens; as the smallest fish 

 were taken for the test, and all the males were found to be ripe, 

 yielding milt freely, and the females were all heavy with eggs, 

 so it was evident that they were all mature fish. If the size 

 limits of these several states are not violated, the whitefish, in so 

 far as size is concerned, is amply protected. Unfortunately this 

 is not the case as the following incident will show: A fish dealer 

 of Sandusky, Ohio, one day accosted the writer, saying that he 

 had some fish at his fish house and would be glad to be advised 

 as to what kinds they were, and upon examination they were 

 found to be herring and young whitefish. Fifteen of these young 

 whitefish were placed upon the scales and altogether weighed just 



