FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 69 



fished, and no pound-nets, if we exclude Whiskey Bay and the St. 

 Mary's River. The Indians fish extensively for herring through the 

 ice in winter, and six crews of whites and Indians fish irregularly at 

 Whitefish Poiut and Whiskey Bay, selling their catch, fresh and salt, in 

 the village. For some years pound-nets have been set in the entrance 

 to St. Mary's River ; there were six nets in 1884, but only two were 

 fished in 1885, both of them owned by fishermen of Detroit. Ten oth- 

 ers were fished in St, Mary's River, and Hay and Saunders Lakes. The 

 bulk of the catch from these pounds is sold, fresh and salt, in the vil- 

 lage. Many of the Indians and a few whites give considerable atten- 

 tion to spearing herring through the ice in winter, this species taking 

 an important place in the diet of the people during the months when 

 they are shut off from the outside world. Eight or ten men fish occas- 

 ionally with nets for herring in November and December. No fykes, 

 trammel-nets, or seines are used in this vicinity. 



Preparation of fishery products.— No fish are smoked and no caviare 

 was prepared until 1885, when an attempt was made to utilize the 

 spawn of the sturgeon taken on the Canadian shore, but various diffi- 

 culties were met and the eggs proved to be quite small. Only about 

 150 pounds were put up and shipped to Cleveland. No isinglass is 

 prepared, but the sounds of the sturgeon are now being saved by the 

 fishermen and shipped to towns on Lake Erie. 



Fisheries on Canadian shore.— Though the fisheries in American waters 

 are so limited, the fish dealers of the village are extensively interested 

 in fisheries along the Canadian shore. This business has already oe- 

 come important. It assumed considerable proportions about 1882, when 

 fishery capitalists from Sackett's Harbor, New York, located here and 

 purchased nets. and boats, which were manned by Canadian fishermen 

 who worked in the shore waters and bays along the Canadian shore for 

 a distance of 50 to 75 miles. Since then others have engaged in this 

 work, hiring their men from Georgian Bay and supplying them with 

 nets and boats for fishing in Lake Superior waters. In 1884 pound-nets 

 were set in several of the bays, and this fishery became quite important 

 in 1885. The catch, which is large, is made up chiefly of sturgeon, wall- 

 eyed pike, here called " pickerel," whitefish, and a few pickerel, locally 

 known as "pike." Three collecting steamers, two of them belonging in 

 Lake Erie, bring the fish from the gill nets and pounds to the village, 

 and two others, one of them from Detroit, together with upwards of 

 twenty-five gill-net crews, engaged exclusively in fishing. The fish are 

 brought to the village packed in ice and shipped chiefly to Chicago 

 and Detroit. In 1884, according to Mr. Aiusworth, 875,000 pounds of 

 Canadian caught fish were haudled by the dealers, and in 1885 832,000 

 pounds were secured, considerably over half of the catch each year 

 being whitefish. 



St. Mary's River and its fisheries.— The waters of Lake Superior find 



