Dunn. — Lake Superior Herring 93 



As we have said, there are a dozen firms engaged in the gath- 

 ering and disposal of their output. There are five good sized steam- 

 ers and seven or more gasoline freighters in the service of these 

 companies, the combined value of which would probably reach 

 $150,000.00, employing, during the busy season, 88 men on a 

 payroll running to $6,340.00 per month. 



The property of those companies which are fortunate enough 

 to own dock frontage is estimated at $175,000. Others rent or 

 pay storage to the extent of about $9,000.00 per year. Their 

 combined office and warehouse monthly payrolls, during the 

 season, runs to $6500 per month. 



All these figures, no doubt, are tedious, but I am endeavoring to 

 show that there is a considerable organization at work constantly 

 and unremittingly drawing on the natural resources of the lake. 

 Nor are its efforts unrewarded. An average of the catches for the 

 past two or three years will show that the annual production of 

 herring alone is enormous, being no less than 3,000,000 pounds 

 sold in the fresh or frozen state and 3,500,000 pounds sold in 

 brine. At present prices, this great total may be valued at more 

 than a third of a million dollars. Then there are upwards of 

 75,000 pounds of trout produced each year at a value of approx- 

 imately ten thousand dollars. Of the other fish produced and 

 shipped at Duluth the total would not be much more than 20,000 

 pounds. The fish brought into the Duluth port are taken between 

 Duluth and the Canadian border and around Isle Royale. 



Many people familiar with the fisheries I speak of, and some 

 who are still engaged in them, will tell you that there are just as 

 many herring in the lake as ever, or even that they are on the 

 increase, but I must tell you, though I am an operator in the 

 exploitation of these fish, that this is not the case. Further than 

 that, I insist that they are diminishing very rapidly. It is true 

 that the annual catch has not decreased as alarmingly as one 

 might at first surmise from the above figures. But take into 

 consideration the fact that the fishermen must now use several 

 times as much twine to catch the same amount of fish; that they 

 must venture out farther for them; that, with the increase in 

 prices, more fishermen are working, and we see why the production 

 has not decreased. But furthermore, (and here is the point I wish 



