166 



FISHERIES OF THE UNITED STATES, 1908. 



The state had vessel fisheries in three of the Great 

 Lakes — Lakes Michigan, Superior, and Huron — and 

 634 vessel fishermen and shoresmen were employed in 

 connection with such fisheries. The number of shore 

 and boat fishermen and their employees, including 

 shoresmen, amounted to 2,811. Although Lake Michi- 

 gan had a product about one-third larger than that of 

 Lake Huron, the persons employed in fishing num- 

 bered 114 less. 



Equipment and other capital. — Statistics concerning 

 the investment in vessels, boats, and apparatus of 

 capture, and the other capital employed in the 

 fisheries of the state, are given in the following table, 

 for the state and for the several lakes and their 

 tributary waters : 



The statement at top of next column gives detailed 

 statistics of the number and tonnage of vessels and 

 the number of boats. 



The shore and accessory property of the vessel 

 fisheries was valued at $137,000, that of the shore and 

 boat fisheries at $344,000, and that of transporting 

 vessels at $3,500. Of the cash capital, $67,000 is 

 credited to the vessel fisheries, $46,000 to the shore 

 and boat fisheries, and $600 to transporting vessels. 

 The total investment comprised $829,000 invested in 

 vessel fisheries, $1,159,000 in shore and boat fisheries, 

 and $26,000 in transporting vessels. No sailing ves- 

 sels were used, and the number of sailboats was com- 

 paratively small. 



Gill nets and pound and trap nets were the principal 

 kinds of apparatus of capture. All of these nets were 

 used in both classes of fisheries, but gill nets were 

 used in vessel fisheries almost to the exclusion of other 

 apparatus, while pound and trap nets were more 

 generally used in shore and boat fisheries. The same 

 conditions were apparent at all previous canvasses. 

 On Lake Superior, however, gill nets were used in 

 much greater numbers than pound and trap nets in 

 shore and boat fisheries as well as in vessel fisheries. 



The number of the various kinds of apparatus 

 reported was as follows : 



Tyke and hoop nets. . 



Gill nets 



Harpoons, spears, etc 

 Pound and trap nets. 



Seines 



Traps, muskrat 



Total. 



1,069 



55,673 



553 



2,232 

 120 

 130 



APPAKATUS OF CAPTURE: 1908. 



Lake 

 Michigan 

 district. 



37,i 



786 

 3 



Distributed by districts. 



Lake 

 Huron 

 district. 



10,341 



208 



1,116 



38 



Lake 

 Superior 

 district. 



7,642 



Lake 



Erie 



district. 



301 



237 

 50 



130 



Lake St. 



Clair 

 district. 



6 



2 



345 



Distributed by class of 

 fisheries. 



Vessel 

 fisheries. 



36,783 



Shore and 



boat 

 fisheries. 



1,069 



18,890 



553 



2,197 

 119 

 130 



Products, by species. — Table 1, on page 170, gives the 

 weight and value of the product of the Michigan fisher- 

 ies, by species and apparatus of capture for 1908. 



Twenty-three species were taken in the fisheries 

 of Michigan. Lake trout ranked first, the value of 

 this species, fresh and salted, forming 29 per cent 

 of the value of all products of the state. Whitefish of 

 all kinds, fresh, smoked, and salted, including the 

 longj aw and Menominee varieties and also whitefish 



caviar, stood next to lake trout in importance, its 

 value forming 23 per cent of the value of all fishery 

 products from the state; whitefish alone, fresh, 

 salted, and smoked, contributed 20 per cent of the 

 value of all products. Lake herring were taken in 

 greater quantities than trout and whitefish combined. 

 The weight of this species formed 39 per cent of the 

 weight of all fishery products, but its value formed 

 only 21 per cent of the total value. Suckers, and the 



