FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 121 



Fort Howard immediately adjoins Green Bay on the west and is con- 

 nected with it by three substantial bridges across the Fox Eiver. It 

 has a population of 4,000, and is entered by three railways and several 

 lines of steamers. It has a half dozen crews of gill-net fishermen and 

 two others fishing with fyke-nets, gill-nets, and one pound-net. 



The 250 inhabitants of Velp, a post-office settlement on the Duck 

 River, 4 miles northwest of Green Bay, are dependent for a livelihood 

 principally upon the shipment of stone, brick, lumber, ties, and cord- 

 wood, and include only two crews of fyke-net and gill-net fishermen. 



Suamico, on Big Suamico River, 9 miles north of Green Bay, is an 

 incorporated village of 300 inhabitants engaged in the lumber business, 

 with the exception of two crews of herring gill-net fishermen, one of 

 whom fishes fyke-nets as well. 



The foregoing include all of the settlements on the shore of Brown 

 County west of Bay Settlement. The latter will be included in the 

 section treated in the next chapter. There should be mentioned, in 

 addition, the towns of De Pere andMenasha, situated on the Fox River, 

 between Green Bay and Lake Winnebago.^ 



Character of the fisheries. — As will be seen, the fisheries of the settle- 

 ments on the shore of Brown County form at the present time by no 

 means an important element of its prosperity. They are carried on 

 upon a small scale throughout the year. The herring gill-net fishing 

 occupies the winter months. This is followed in the spring by seining* 

 or pickerel netting. After the close of the pickerel netting season the 

 set-line fishing for catfish begins. In the fall the seining is renewed. 

 Fyke-nets are set for "rough fish" both in spring and fall. 



Species taken. — Catfish are very plentiful in the Fox River just be- 

 fore freezing. In the season of 1882 there were eighteen thousand in 

 number taken at one haul of the seine 2 miles south of Green Bay. 

 In the fall of 1884, six thousand six hundred were caught, 3 miles south 

 of Green Bay, at one haul. 



The catch consists principally of perch, pike, pickerel, herring, suck- 

 ers, bay-fish, and catfish. Muskallonge, black bass, bullheads, white 

 bass, crappies, sunfish, and shad, or moonfish, are also taken in smaller 

 quantities. Not one whitefish had been caught within 17 miles of 

 Green Bay City since 1882. The trout also are entirely absent from the 

 headwaters of the bay, and sturgeon are rarely obtained. 



Trade. — Most of the products are sold fresh at Green Bay City. Two 

 firms had three small steamers in 1885 which were used during the 

 whole season of navigation in purchasing fish from other portions of 

 Green Bay. In addition to these the 40-ton steamer Lottie May was 

 employed nine months of the year in collecting salt fish for another 

 firm. A fourth dealer began operations on a small scale in the spring 

 of 1885, purchasing both fresh and salt fish from the eastern shore of 

 the bay between Green Bay and Red River. 



.One of the fresh-fish firms dates back to 1868 and the other to 1878. 



