176 
which is the seat of a fishing industry, there are to-day 
one or more freezers with varying capacities, most of 
which are exceedingly large. Their erection has givena 
great impetus to the fishing industry. While formerly 
the lake fishing was prosecuted mainly in the spawning 
season, the methods of fishing have so changed by reason 
of the opportunity afforded by the freezer system of hold- 
ing the fish for any length of time that now and for a 
number of years past fishing has been carried on in nearly 
every month of the year, and is only interfered with by — 
the rigor of the season when nature closes the waters for 
perhaps a month or so. 
Reliable statistics furnished show that the following 
quantities of fish were frozen from 1869 to 1884: In 1869, 
400 tons; 1871, 600 tons; in 1872, 600 tons; in 1873, 700 
tons; in 1874, 600 tons; in 1875, 800 tons; in 1876, 1,100 
tons; in 1877, 1,200 tons; in 1878, 900 tons; in 1879, 
I,100 tons; in 1880, 700 tons; in 1881, 1,100 tons; in 
1882, 1,300 tons; in 1883, 1,450 tons; in 1884, 1,600 
tons. 
No information is at hand for the seven years from 
1884 to 1892, during which years it is fair to be pre- 
sumed from the general knowledge we have on the sub- 
ject, these amounts were very largely increased. 
The average number of tons per year for the fifteen 
years amounts to 1,000 tons. Averaging these fish at 
24% pounds weight apiece, the number of fish caught on 
an average for each year and frozen would be 800,000, 
and for the entire period of fifteen years it would amount 
to 12,000,000 fish. This takes into consideration only 
the fish that were frozen, and my opinion is, that if there 
is any error in the above figures, they are much below the 
actual amount. But by far the greater quantity of fish 
taken are sent to market, iced, fresh, but not frozen. I 
believe it is within reason to say that the frozen fish will 
not represent more than one-fifth of the total quantity 
taken, 
