ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 32 
employs four smacks, with about thirty miles of nets, and the 
catch is about equal to Racine. In these places, Kenosha, Ra- 
cine and Milwaukee, there is a total of one hundred and twenty- 
five miles of gill nets used. There is a total of nets used in the 
waters of Lake Michigan to extend from one end of the lake to 
the other.. During the year 1875 there have been great com- 
plaints of scarcity of fish, and there has been a falling off of at 
least one-fourth ; so that it is evident to all that the waters of 
Lake Michigan are being gradually depleted of fish.” 
III. Stze of Fish Diminished.—In their report for 1875, the Wis- 
consin Commissioners say, ‘(In former days the fishermen used 
nets of a larger mesh, and took whitefish that weighed from 
eight to fourteen pounds each, the latter figures being the larg- 
est known to have been caught. Now they have to use smaller 
meshed nets and take smaller fish, the larger ones being almost 
unknown now.” 
From Green Bay, Mr. Kumlein reported: “Of late years, 
pound nets with small meshes have been largely employed, and 
thereby millions of young whitefish have been destroyed.” 
Writing from Port Clinton, Mr. Kumlein says: “In Mr. 
Nickel’s opinion, the mesh is now rarely one-half the size it was 
ten years ago. The fishermen and dealers generally pronounce 
the decrease— especially of whitefish— very great indeed. How- 
ever, Mr. Mathews, of Port Clinton, thinks there are just as 
many whitefish as ever, and as many caught; but, being dis- 
tributed among more fishermen, they individually take less than 
formerly. Collectively the catch is pretty much the same as it 
was ten years ago, or ever was, in his opinion.” 
From Menominee, Wisconsin, Mr. Kumlein writes: ‘The 
number of whitefish to a half barrel is yearly growing greater. 
Sixty has been thought a good number ; now, ninety is com- 
mon. I am informed by Capt. Thos. Larsen, of Menominee, 
that he has seen a half barrel filled with twelve, no longer ago 
than 1874. It is the opinion of fishermen north of Menominee 
that the whitefish increased in number on their shore till 1876, 
when the yield rapidly fell off, till at the present date it is esti- 
mated to have fallen off two-thirds since 1875.” 
