602 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
deeper eastern portion of the lake to the shallow reefs at the western 
end, especially around the islands there, in order to deposit their 
spawn. The time of this migration varies somewhat with the tem- 
perature, but at an average the spawning usually begins in early 
November and is at its height during the middle or latter half of that 
month. The eggs are scattered loosely over the rocky bottom. 
During my visit to North Bass Island in the summer of 1901, I 
heard much complaint by the local fishermen, who maintained that in 
the fall carp did great damage on the spawning grounds of the white- 
fish. Their statements may be summarized as follows: Carp are 
abundant about the Bass Islands when the white-fish are spawning; 
carp eat the spawn of other fish, especially white-fish; white-fish 
spawn has been taken froma carp’s stomach; when carp are numerous 
on a reef, the white-fish are not there, being driven away by the carp. 
Carp are not caught here for commercial purposes to any great extent, 
and the prejudice against them was very strong. At such places as 
Port Clinton on the mainland, on the other hand, where carp are 
shipped in enormous quantities, and which is also one of the principal 
ports for the white-fish fishermen, I found the belief that carp were 
detrimental to the white-fish either entirely absent, or at any rate not 
nearly so strong. 
In November, 1901, I proceeded to Lake Erie in order to make what 
investigations I could in the matter. At the time of my arrival, 
shortly before the middle of the month, white-fish were beginning to 
be caught in considerable numbers, though very few of the fish were 
ripe. A week or so later the numbers caught increased greatly, and 
the spawning seemed to be at its height. The season was an unusually 
stormy one, with strong northwest winds nearly every day, and one 
northeaster of several days’ duration. The temperature was low 
during nearly the whole time and there were frequent snow flurries. 
The fishermen said that probably, owing to the rough weather, the fish 
did not go upon the reefs to spawn in such large numbers as was usu- 
ally the case, so that the gill nets, set on the reefs, got comparatively 
few fish, while many more were caught in the pound nets in deeper 
water. I spent several days both at Port Clinton and at the islands; 
at the former place both pound-net and gill-net fish were brought in; 
the fish landed at the islands were all taken in gill nets. 
Very few carp were brought in at either place, and none of them 
was large, averaging probably less than two pounds. On one day 
when [ visited the pound nets with the fishermen, only two carp were 
taken. The stomachs of most of those examined at Port Clinton were 
empty, or nearly so, and in only two cases was any white-fish spawn 
found. At the time the preliminary statement of this work was pub- 
lished in 1903 (Report of the United States Commissioner of Fish and 
Fisheries, for 1902, p. 130) only a general and rather superficial exam- 
