684 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
above Saginaw, and those in Cheboygan River during the spring are 
included in the statistics for Lake Huron. 
The number of persons employed in the fisheries of Lake Huron in 
903 was 1,704, of whom 51 were engaged on vessels fishing, 16 on 
vessels transporting, 1,450 in the shore or boat fisheries, and 187 were 
shoresmen employed in various capacities. 
The investment in the fisheries of this lake amounted to $851,639. 
There were 15 fishing and transporting vessels of 188 net tons, valued 
at $45,700 and their outfits at $12,995; 606 boats, including 5 steam 
tugs under 5 tons, $4,600, valued at $45,178; and 22 gasoline launches, 
valued at $22,550, were used. The fishing apparatus employed in the 
vessel fisheries was valued at $25,625 and in the shore or boat fisheries 
at $216,981. The shore and accessory property was valued at $387,115 
and the cash capital amounted to $95,500. The products of the fish- 
eries aggregated 14,455,209 pounds, valued at $450,318, of which 
12,891,079 pounds, valued at $372,886, were taken in the shore fish- 
eries, and 1,564,130 pounds, valued at $77,432, in the vessel fisheries. 
Since 1899, the year for which the last canvass was made, there has been 
an inerease in the fisheries of Lake Huron of 463 in the number of 
persons employed, $376,686 in the amount of capital invested, and 
2,036,882 pounds, or about 16 per cent, in the quantity, and $142,240, 
or 46 per cent, in the value of the products. There has been a substan- 
tial increase in the catch of all the more important commercial species 
except yellow perch, which, while decreasing in quantity, has increased 
in value. Most of the increases may be traced to the new fisheries 
established between Alpena and Saginaw Bay and to the larger num- 
ber of persons employed. 
The most productive forms of apparatus used in this lake are pound 
nets, gill nets, fyke nets, and trap nets. Pound nets are used along the 
entire shore of the lake, but the most profitable catches are taken in 
Saginaw Bay, which is well adapted to this method of fishing. Since 
1899 quite extensive pound-net fisheries have been established in the 
vicinity of Alpena and along the shore south of that town to Saginaw 
Bay. The men engaged are mostly from Bay City and vicinity. In 
the vicinity of Alpena the pound nets are set in from 20 to 40 feet of 
water, the depth decreasing south of that place. In 1903 these fish- 
eries were quite successful, but in 1904 they were almost a total failure, 
due, it is thought, to the cool summer. 
Some of the Bay City dealers either have offices at Alpena during 
the summer or employ agents to visit along the shore and buy fish of 
the fishermen. One of these dealers employed a 50-horsepower gaso- 
line launch to transport fish from the pound nets in that vicinity. 
During 1904, however, fish were so scarce that the use of such a 
large boat proved unprofitable, and it was sold. Practically all of the 
fish taken in Saginaw Bay are sold in Bay City. Some of the dealers, 
