FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 131 



commenced about the middle of October. The price charged for freez- 

 ing is 2 cents a pound and the iish frozen belong almost exclusively to 

 one dealer. 



Statistics. — The amount of capital invested in the fisheries of Sturgeon 

 Bay and canal in 1885 was $23,087, of which $13,052 was in the gill-net 

 fishery, $2,715 in the pound-net fishery, and $7,900 in dealers' establish- 

 ments and freezer. The products amounted to 282,145 pounds, valued 

 at $8, 112, divided as follows : 154,060 pounds of whitefish, 60,125 pounds 

 of trout, 55,060 pounds of herring, and 12,900 pounds of sturgeon, pike, 

 and minor varieties, One thousand pounds of whitefish and 14,500 

 pounds of herring were salted. The quantity of fish handled by the 

 dealers was about 300, 000 pounds, consisting chiefly of trout and white- 

 fish. Of this amount 90,320 pounds of trout and 450 pounds of white- 

 fish were frozen. In 1884 the same dealers handled 1,000,000 pounds, 

 of which 130,000 pounds were frozen. 



Pound-net fishery. — As has been stated, the pound- net fishery in 

 these waters is of recent origin, and it is far less important within the 

 bay and at the lake end of the canal than it is outside the entrance of 

 the bay, and especially between it and Little Sturgeon. In 1884 there 

 were nine nets in the mouth of the bay and two at the mouth of the 

 canal, and in 1885 there were the same number at the canal and one 

 less in the bay. These ten nets are of quite different depths. Those 

 in Lake Michigan near the canal are 24 feet deep ; of the eight on the 

 Green Bay side one is in 12 feet of water, one in 14 feet, two in 40 feet, 

 two in 42 feet, one in 45 feet, and one in 80 feet. The length of lead 

 varies in the same way ; there is one of 14 rods, one of 20, two of 40, 

 two of 50, three of 6Q, and one of 80 rods. The size of mesh is 5, 6, and 

 7 inches in the leads, 5 and 6 inches in the hearts, and from 2 to 3J 

 inches in the pots. The fishing season extends throughout the time of 

 open water, except that the greater part of the'nets are taken out for 

 about a mouth in the summer, some in July and others in August. 

 Most of the catch is obtained after the middle of October. Mr. G. M. 

 Roberts, who is the owner of four of the pound-nets, tried the experi- 

 ment several years ago of fishing pound-nets in winter, but met with 

 very poor success and abandoned the project. 



In 1885 nine men were employed in fishing the ten pound-nets, which 

 had a value of $2,080. The pound-boats were worth $355, and the 

 amount invested in shore-houses and accessories was $280. The catch 

 of fresh fish amounted to 121,845 pounds, which sold for $3,040. The 

 quantities of the different species were 52,960 pounds of whitefish, 

 40,060 pounds of herring, 6,900 pounds of sturgeou, 1,925 pounds of 

 trout, and 4,500 pounds of pike, perch, suckers, etc. In addition to 

 these quantities, 1,000 pounds of whitefish and 14,500 pounds of herring 

 were salted by the fishermen. 



Gill-net fishery. — Fishing with gill-nets is at present carried on iu 

 these waters at all seasons of the year. In Bay View and its vicinity 



