50 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



The quantity of salt fish shipped daring the same year was 13,000 half- 

 barrels. The succeeding season the fresh-fish trade was much more ex- 

 tensive, and a large percentage of the catch that otherwise would have 

 been salted was packed in ice and sent into the interior, chiefly to 

 St. Paul and Minneapolis. No smoked fish have been put up in the 

 village for shipment, the business being confined wholly to a few smoked 

 by the Indians and other fishermen for family use. About 30 barrels 

 of oil were made by the pound-net fishermen in 1884, but no isinglass or 

 caviare has been prepared since 1878, when Hart Pincus came to Bay- 

 field for the purpose, but after remaining about two months he became 

 discouraged and left the place, taking with him 750 pounds of caviare 

 put up during his stay. 



Statistics of fisheries. — In 1885 there were one hundred and eighty- 

 two men engaged in fishing, twenty-seven others in collecting, prepar- 

 ing and shipping the fish, and six others in making barrels and boats 

 for the fish trade; these, including their families, making a total of six 

 hundred and fifteen persons dependent upon the fisheries. If we ex- 

 clude the twenty pound-nets owned by Ashland parties, there were one 

 hundred and twenty-four pound-nets owned and operated by Bayfield 

 fishermen in addition to two thousand gill-nets and eight seines. The 

 total production of the Bayfield fisheries was 040,000 pounds of fresh 

 fish and 2,192,000 pounds of salt fish, with a total value of $60,080. 



Bayfield fish trade. — Two steamers were employed in collecting the 

 fish, one of these fishing for several months in the fall. There were also 

 two schooners engaged in transporting the nets of the fishermen to and 

 from the fishing-grounds, in supplying salt and barrels to the camp, 

 and in bringing back cargoes of salt fish. Three firms, Boutin & Ma- 

 han, Rich & Atwood, and I?rauk Boutin, each had an extensive fishing 

 business, the two former handling both fresh and salt fish and the last- 

 named salt fish only. These parties control the entire catch of the 

 Bayfield fishermen and all of the salt fish of Ashland, sending their 

 tugs and sail-boats for a distance of 30 or 40 miles to the westward and 

 50 or GO miles along the eastern shore. They handled in 1885 over 

 000,000 pounds of fresh and frozen fish and upwards of 22,000 half-barrels 

 of salt fish. The firms furnished barrels and salt, delivering them at 

 the fishing stations to be filled, and freighting the catch to the town. 

 In 1884 the price paid to the fishermen for filling was $3.50 to $4 per 

 half-barrel for Nos. 1 and 2 whitefish, $1.50 to $1.75 for No. 3 white- 

 fish, $2.50 to $3 for trout and siscowet, $1.50 for sturgeon, $1 to $1.25 

 for herring, $2 for pike, and $1 for suckers. In 1885 the price paid 

 was somewhat less, being $3 to $3.50 for Nos. 1 and 2, $1 for No. 3, $2 

 for trout, siscowet, and pike, $1 for herring, $1.50 for sturgeon, and $1 

 for suckers. 



Gill-net fishing in open water.— The following account of the gill-net 

 and pound fishing is largely obtained from information kindly furnished 

 by Messrs. Nelson Boutin and J. W. Atwood. Prior to 1870, when Mr. 



