American Fisheries Society. 57 



Mr. C*lark: I was very mucli interested in the doctor's paper, 

 but still tliat pajjer as it will go to the press affords rather a dis- 

 couraging outlook for artificial propagation, especially of white- 

 fish. One would infer from the doctor's paper that no results 

 really have been shown with the whitefish. If in order, 1 want 

 to make a little argument on that point. 



It is true that the different states bordering on the Great 

 Lakes, as well as the United States Fish Commission, have 

 planted billions of whitefish in various waters. One-half of 

 those whitefish, I venture to say, have gone into Lake Erie 

 waters, it is well known that the whitefish are on the increase 

 in Lake Erie. The doctor referred to Lake Ontario as being 

 depleted. Lake Ontario until very recent years has had prac- 

 tically no whitefish planted in it — now and then a car load, but 

 very few. Of course in the past four or five years probably 

 20,0a0,000 to 30,000,000 or so have been deposited each year. 

 Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Superior will never show 

 an increase, but will on the contrary show a decrease, until hun- 

 dreds of millions of whitefish are planted in those waters. We 

 must admit of course that the whitefish grow, because that has 

 been demonstrated. We have lakes in the interior of Michigan 

 today where there never was a whitefish until planted, and we 

 know they are there now. I have caught them thicker with a 

 gill net, myself, than in any gill net I ever saw lifted on the 

 Great Lakes. We know positively that the whitefish that we 

 hatch grow. If we plant them in the lakes and find the white- 

 fish increase, the increase must be due to artificial propagation 

 and planting. I contend that Lake Erie and Detroit Eiver are 

 beyond the time of going back and that they are on the increase 

 as the records will show today, and I never expect to see Lake 

 Erie begin to drop down. Of course it has its years when 

 it will be a little better than others. For instance, the records 

 for last year when completed will not compare very favorably 

 with those of the preceding year, LS99, which showed an increase 

 of 100 per cent, over 1898. Last year there were not so many 

 whitefish caught but that was on account of the weather. On 

 Detroit River last year with three seining grounds the catch was 

 20,000, and a year ago last fall, 32,000. 



The President: And all of the same size practically? 



