'iish aro kept, alive in tlieiii, from tlie fall of the year, to late 

 in the winter, wlien they are taken out, and sold in tlie mar- 

 ket at good jirices. The best ponds are situated at islands in 

 middle of the river, where there is an ample circulation of water, 

 keeping the Iish in a vigorous, healthy condition for months. 



"The pond is merely an inclosure in the river, made hj 

 driving piles close together, and afterward sheathing the in- 

 side with planks, leaving joints of three-quarters of an incli 

 in width, to allow the free circulation of water througii the 

 pond. At one end of tiic pond a gate is put in, hinged at 

 the bottom of the river to a mudsill, and the upper portion, 

 Hoating at an angle of about 45°^ project a foot or more above 

 tlie surface, closing the entrance to the i)ond. By jiushing 

 the gate beneath the surface, with a pole, it is opened to the 

 •extent of one, two, three or more feet, according to the depth 

 the top of the gate is puslied down. The accompanying platt' 

 represents one of the best arranged and conducted fisheries on 

 Detroit River. Tlie buildings for tlie men, the net house, 

 and the store house, with the windless sheds, are all in view. 

 It will be seen that tlie fishing is carried on by sweeping a 

 seine in front of the pond, that is drawn in by horse power. 

 When the brails come on shore the men haul in the seine 

 until the bag is reached, when the leads are thrown over the 

 top of the gate, which is then pushed down, leaving an open 

 space at the surface, of two feet, through Avhich the iish are 

 emptied into the pond, without being touched by the hand or 

 taken above water. 



''At this fishery, the seines in use are about one hundred 

 rods long. A gang of thirty men are employed from Sep- 

 tember until the middle of November, working in two relays, 

 night and day, and averaging about one sweep of the seine 

 every hour. In each pond, Irom twenty-five to forty thoii- 

 .sand white fishes, and a number of other species, are penned 

 up every season.'' 



By making tlie spaces between the piles snfficienty large to 

 allow the small fish to esca23e, but small enough to retain the 

 marketable ones, many would be left to increase in size, whicli 

 are now wantonly destroyed. The use of such ])onds would 

 be of great economy to fisheries, irrespective of the prospec- 

 tive benefits which might lie derived, as they miglit, by keep- 



