ace * REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
FISHERIES OF LAKE ST. CLAIR AND ST. CLAIR AND DETROIT 
RIVERS. 
The fisheries of Lake St. Clair and St. Clair and Detroit rivers in 
1903 gave employment to 355 men, of whom 803 were engaged in the 
shore fisheries and 52 on shore and in fish houses. The total amount 
of capital invested was $239,885. The number of boats in use was 150, 
valued at $3,150. The apparatus of capture was valued at $1,851, the 
greater part of which represented the value of seines, spears, and lines. 
The shore and accessory property was valued at $141,805, and the cash 
capital employed amounted to $93,079. 
While the catch by seines was the greatest, lines were used by the 
largest number of men, and spears ranked next in that particular. 
In the St. Clair River hand-line fishing was followed by 275 men, the 
catch being mostly wall-eyed pike. The season usually extends frem 
May 1 to July 15, and occasionally in August, after a hard blow, some 
of the men fish for awhile. The methods of hand-line fishing consist 
of ‘‘trolling” and ‘‘chuggine.” In trolling two men usually go in a 
boat, one man rowing and the other handling the line. Occasionally, 
however, one man goes alone, in which case, while rowing the boat, 
he hoids the line in his mouth by means of a piece of leather. One 
man always goes alone while chugging. The chugging line is used 
by being continually jerked up and down to attract the attention of 
the fish. A trolling line is from 75 to 100 feet long on an average, 
and a chugging hints about 20 feet. The troiling outfit costs from 75 
cents to $2, while the chugging line costs only from 50 to 75 cents. 
Besides wall-eyed pike, a few fresh-water drum and pike are taken 
on lines. Quite an important set-line fishery for sturgeon used to be 
conducted in the Detroit River cee of Detroit during April and 
May. Fifteen years ago from 20 to 25 men made a profitable busi- 
ness of it, while in 1903 there were oe 4 men, with the probability 
of some of them dropping out the following year. 
An important seine fishery is located at Roberts Landing, on ne 
St. Clair River, and another at Mount Clemens, on Lake St. Clai 
The catch of the former is principally wall-eyed pike and cee 
while the catch of the latter consists wholly of German carp. <A law 
was recently enacted by the Michigan legislature which allows in Lake 
St. Clair the use of seines with a 4-inch extension mesh, provided no 
other fish pane carp is taken. To safeguard the enforcement of this 
law it is necessary for every fisherman to give a bond to the board of 
state fish commissioners before he is allowed to fish. As this act had 
just been passed only one firm took advantage of it in 1903. The 
most suitable time for this fishing is in the early spring. After being 
‘aught the carp are put into a receiving or storage pond and kept until 
prices advance. ‘Two seine fisheries were conducted in the Detroit 
