68 BULLETIN 792, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



WHITEFISH. 



Whitefish form one of the most important groups of fresh-water 

 fishes of America. The common whitefish is the most valued of the 

 tribe, although the others are highly esteemed as a food. It is found 

 in the Great Lakes region and is known as 'humpback,' 'bowback,' 

 and 'highback' whitefish; also as 'Otsego bass' in the neighborhood 

 of Otsego Lake, New York. It is caught chiefly in gill nets, and 

 averages less than 4 pounds in weight. Other economic species are 

 the Rocky Mountain whitefish, the Menominee whitefish, also locally 

 known as 'round whitefish,' 'frostfish,' 'shadwater,' 'pilot fish,' 'chivey,' 

 'blackback,' etc. The whitefishes belong to the salmon family. The 

 name is also applied to the bluefish on the Hudson, to the menhaden 

 in western Connecticut, to the tilefish in California, and to the beluga 

 by whalers." 



On January 1, 1,139,079 pounds of frozen whitefish remained in 

 cold storage from the previous season. These stocks declined until 

 June 15 and reached the low point of 312,014 pounds. The largest 

 stocks were reported on December 15 and amounted to 1,976,681 

 pounds. This was 12.6 per cent more than the holdings of December 

 15, 1917. 



Table 62. — Monthly cold storage holdings offrozSn whitefish during 1918, and increase 

 or decrease during each month. 



Month. 



January _., 

 February.. 



March 



April 



May 



June 



.luly 



August 



September 



October 



November. 

 December. 



Holdings 



Relative 



on fifteenth 



percent- 



of month. 



age. 



Pounds. 



Per cent. 



1,139,079 



57.6 



712,370 



36.0 



397,254 



20.1 



467,487 



23.7 



335,028 



16.9 



31^,014 



15.8 



392,644 



19.9 



886,386 



44.8 



769,601 



38.9 



1,291,040 



65.3 



1,757,125 



88.9 



1,976,681 



100.0 



Increase or decrease 

 during month. 



Pounds. 

 -426,709 

 -315,116 

 + 70,233 

 - 132,459 

 - 23,014 

 + 80,630 

 + 493,742 

 -116,785 

 + 521,439 

 +466,085 

 +219,556 

 -188,916 



Per cent. 



- 37.5 



- 44.2 

 + 17.7 



- 28.3 



- 6.9 

 + 25.8 

 + 125.7 



- 13.2 

 + 67.8 

 + 36.1 

 + 12.5 



Table 63. — Monthly cold storage holdings of frozen whitefish during 1918 compared 



with those of 1917. 



Month. 



Reported for 1918. 



Storages 

 reporting 



Holdings 



reported 



on fifteenth 



of month. 



Comparison with 1917. 



Storages 



reporting 



for both 



dates. 



1917. 



1918. 



Increase 



or 

 decrease. 



January __. 

 February.. 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September 

 Octob'.r... 

 November 

 December. 



Number. 

 70 

 79 

 80 

 77 

 61 

 51 

 55 

 57 

 54 

 66 

 75 

 80 



Pounds. 



1,139,079 



712,370 



397,254 



467,487 



335,028 



312,014 



392,644 



886,386 



769.601 



1,291,040 



1,7.57,125 



1,976,681 



Number. 

 59 

 61 

 65 

 62 

 48 

 39 

 45 

 48 

 43 

 58 

 69 

 79 



Pounds. 



412,639 



264,617 



388,290 



305,970 



172,559 



163,617 



273,311 



380,702 



.349,189 



1,571,846 



2,176,720 



1,741,026 



Pounds. 



548,198 



357,142 



232,791 



316,504 



285,527 



243,683 



299,6.59 



538,503 



392,126 



1,231,502 



1,751,276 



1,960,225 



Per cent. 

 + 32.9 

 + 35.0 

 -40.0 

 + 3.4 

 + 65.5 

 + 48.9 

 + 9.6 

 + 41.5 

 + 12.3 

 -21.7 

 -19.5 

 + 12.6 



