FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 61 



about 1875 the nets used were of the old style, with short funnels, but 

 during the next ten years the long funnelled form was most prevalent. 

 The size of mesh in the pot or bowl is from 2J to 3 inches. The seven 

 nets are of different sizes, the length of leader varying from GOO to 1,000 

 feet, averaging 800 feet, the depth of pot from 26 to 45 feet, averaging 

 30 feet, and the surface size of pot from 14 to 34 feet square, averaging 

 25 feet. The pound-nets have an average value of $300, and seven 

 skiffs and five fish-houses are used in connection with them, the skiffs 

 being worth $25 each, and the shore-houses, including pile drivers and 

 scoops, $75 each. Most of the nets are placed at right-angles with the 

 shore, but several are set obliquely. The fishing season is from the 1st 

 of June to the middle of October. Heretofore there has been no winter 

 pound-net fishing, but Mr. Crebassa proposed trying the experiment of 

 leaving in the smaller of his two pound-nets in the winter of 1885-8(3. 

 He also intended to set a new net on the other side of the bay north of 

 L'Anse. In 1884 the eight pound-nets yielded 1,200 half barrels of salt 

 fish, and 80,000 pounds of fresh fish, but for the seven in 1885 the aver- 

 age catch was smaller, and though 70,000 pounds were sold fresh only 

 350 half barrels were salted. 



Summer gill-net fishery. — The gill-net fishing was once quite exten- 

 sive and remunerative. Fish could be obtained in abundance during 

 three periods of each year — between May 1 and June 15, between July 

 20 and September 15, and between November 15 and December 25. 

 For some years this has not been the case, and the sixty nets fished 

 by seven men with three boats in 1884 were succeeded in 1885 by 

 twenty-eight, fished unsuccessfully by the pound-net fishermen. Be- 

 tween thirty and forty nets were put in by fishermen from Cleveland, 

 Ohio, but about half of them had been taken away by September L. The 

 twenty-eight local nets were handled by five men with two mackinaw 

 boats. They were pound-and a-half nets, GO fathoms long and 14 meshes 

 deep, with a 4J-inch mesh. Most of them were rigged in the old-fash- 

 ioned way, with stone and float, but a few had leads and corks. The 

 entire catch for 1884 was only 100 pounds to the net; and that for 1885 

 not much better, being only 150 pounds. In the prosperous days of the 

 business it was not unusual to get as much as that to a net every morn- 

 ing. 



Winter gill-net fishery. — Four of the men who used gill-nets in sum- 

 mer have made a practice of fishing under the ice in the months of Jan- 

 uary, February, March and April. When engaged in this work they 

 use a shelter made of canvas stretched upon a frame. This is mounted 

 upon runners, and has in it a sheet-iron stove. The catch with twenty 

 nets was only 1,500 pounds for the entire season. 



Gill-net fishing for herring. — From June 15 to July 15 and from Octo- 

 ber 15 to the end of November the herring fisheries are carried on with 

 75-fathom nets, 35 meshes deep, having a 2^-inch mesh, rigged with 

 stone and float, and worth about $12. The catch in 1884, by six men, 



