REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. als" 7e 
In Vermont a most gratifying increase is shown so far as apparatus 
and shore and accessory property are concerned. The catch increased 
from 298,139 pounds, valued at $7,160 in 1895, to 542,812 pounds, 
worth $37,669 in 1902, a gain of 244,673 pounds and $30,509. These 
figures represent the fisheries in that portion of Lake Champlain 
lying within the state of Vermont. Onthe New York side no netting 
is permitted, but Vermont allows it during certain seasons of the year. 
Missisquoi Bay, at the foot of the lake, is the principal net-fishing 
region, and in the spring a number of seines are hauled here and in 
adjacent sections of the lake, for wall-eyed pike mainly; in the fall 
they are hauled principally for white-fish, locally known as ‘‘shad.” 
Many attempts have been made to stop this form of fishing, which is 
exceedingly destructive to some of the most valuable species in the lake, 
more particularly wall-eyed pike, white-fish, and pickerel, which form 
nearly half of the catch, but it seems impossible to do so while Canada 
permits her fishermen to haul seines in that part of the bay which 
lies within her borders. 
In 1902 the State of Vermont granted 5 gill-net licenses to take 
white-fish in Lake Bomoseen, 2 for Lake St. Catherine, 1 for Lake 
Memphremagog, and 1 for Lake Hortonia, and these nets captured 
3,462 white-fish in Lake Bomoseen, 543 in Lake St. Catherine, 105 in 
Lake Memphremagog, and 165 in Lake Hortonia. A very few perch, 
pickerel, and sun-fish were also taken in the nets. The fishery can 
hardly be called commercial, as most of the fish caught were consumed 
by the fishermen. 
The greatest drawback to the fisheries of many of the lakes and 
streams is the presence of undesirable species. The alewife in Seneca 
Lake and the ling and carp in most of the waters are very objection- 
able. The alewife and ling are not used for food. The carp, if taken 
in the winter and shipped alive to New York City, would net the ship- 
per a fair price, being a very hardy fish, which would stand shipment 
in ice and arrive in good condition. 
THE PACIFIC COAST COD FISHERY. 
The last canvass of the cod fisheries of the Pacific coast supplied 
data for the year 1899. In that year there were taken in Alaskan 
waters and landed at San Francisco 5,917,131 pounds of salted cod, of 
$178,054 value. In 1903 there were landed at San Francisco 19 car- 
goes of cod, amounting to 2,022,300 fish in number, or approximately 
9,605,925 pounds, of $288,177 value. Of this number, 170,000 fish 
were caught in Okhotsk Sea, 867,300 in Bering Sea, and 985,000 at 
the various stations among the Shumagin Islands. The Pirate Cove 
station is credited with 525,000 fish, Unga station with 224,000, and 
Sanak and Dora Harbor stations with 236,000. There were employed 
