FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 33 



fessional fishermen. The first commercial fishing was at the eastern 

 end of the lake in the vicinity of the Sault Ste. Marie and at White- 

 fish Point, where fishermen from the lower lakes located, shipping their 

 catch to Detroit and Chicago by steam-boat; but with the building of 

 railroads important fisheries have been developed at Duluth, Bayfield, 

 and Marquette, and limited interests center at Houghton and L'Anse. 

 There is also a small fishery near Grand Island, and at various times 

 in the past fishing has been more or less extensive at Grand Marais and 

 Ontonagon. 



During the fall months many Bayfield and Duluth fishermen go to 

 Isle Royale and remain there for some weeks to engage in the capture 

 of whitefish and trout. Small collecting steamers visit the island regu- 

 larly to carry away the fresh fish, any surplus being salted and sold to 

 the dealers at Duluth and Bayfield. 



Pound-net fishery . — Pound-nets were first used in the waters of Lake 

 Superior in the year 1864, when several were set in Whitefish Bay by 

 fishermen from Lake -Michigan. The smaller pound-nets were set in the 

 early spring at various points along St. Mary's River for the capture of 

 pike and other species that were abundant in the locality, and later were 

 brought to Whitefish Point and fished during the remainder of theseason. 



The fishery at Whitefish Point is still important, as two years later 

 (1866) fishermen from Lake Erie came to the locality and began exten- 

 sive fishing operations, which have been continued to the present 

 time. A few years after the introduction of these nets at the eastern 

 end of Lake Superior they were set in L'Anse Bay and at Marquette by 

 fishermen coming from other lakes. In 1871 they were introduced 

 into the fisheries of the Apostle Islands, which are now the principal 

 center of the pound-net fishery, having about one hundred and twenty- 

 five nets in the year 1885. They are also employed by the fishermen of 

 Duluth, who set them at various points along the Wisconsin coast be- 

 tween Superior City and Iron River. Along the Minnesota shore of the 

 lake they have never been used to any extent except at Washoogan 

 Bay, near the Canadian line, where three or four are now to be found. 

 Several have been fished along the shores of Isle Royale by fishermen 

 from Bayfield and Houghton, the number being three in 1885. 



Seine fishery. — Prior to the introduction of pound-nets seines were ex- 

 tensively used for catching the fish that chanced to be swimming in the 

 vicinity of the shore , but these are now only occasionally employed for 

 a few weeks, when the fishing is at its height, by those who are not 

 so fortunate as to own pound-nets. The continued use of pounds is 

 said to have interfered with the migrations of fish in the inshore 

 waters, and seines are not now sufficiently remunerative to warrant 

 their extended use. 



Oillnet fishery.— Gill-nets have been employed in the whitefish and 

 trout fisheries for many years, and in numerous localities they are 

 still the most important form of apparatus used. All of the fishing 

 H. Mis. 133 3 



