144 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Species. — Nearly six-sevenths of the fish caught in this region are 

 trout, and the remainder of the catch consists mostly of whitefish. 

 There is an insignificant amount of pike, pickerel, sturgeon, and perch 

 in the catch of the Two Eivers pound-nets, and a few herring are ob- 

 tained by the fishermen at Manitowoc. Lawyers and suckers are 

 caught in the pounds, but the former are invariably thrown away, and 

 the latter are never marketed, though sometimes eaten by the fishermen. 



Trade. — There are two firms of fish dealers at Two Eivers who handle 

 a considerable portion of the catch of the local fishermen. Most of the 

 products are now sold fresh, although some are smoked, and in 1885 a 

 considerable quantity were salted. Formerly, nearly the entire yield 

 was salted. The pound-net men always made a practice of putting a 

 small portion of their catch upon the market in a fresh state, but the 

 gill-netters did not begin to sell fresh till 1870. During recent years,as 

 a general rule, only the large trout have been salted. 



The following table shows the extent of the fish trade of Manitowoc 

 County in 1885, the figures given representing the quantities of fresh 

 and salt fish purchased by the dealers from the fishermen of this and 

 adjacent regions : 



Wholesale fish trade of Manitowoc County, Wis., in 1885. 



Species. 



1885. 



Fresh. 



Salt. 



Total. 





Pounds. 



11, 719 



130, 379 



650 



910 



2,000 



Pounds. 



Pounds. 

 11 719 





38, 600 



1fi8 Q7Q 





650 







910 







2 000 











145, 658 



38, 600 



181 258 









$6, 459 



$782 



$7, 241 





In 1884 about 9,000 pounds of whitefish and 3,000 pounds of sturgeon 

 were smoked before being placed upon the market, and a proportional 

 amount was treated in the same manner in 1885. 



About 80 per cent, of the fish handled are shipped to Chicago and 

 the rest are sold to peddlers, who carry them in wagons through the 

 surrounding country. 



Dependent industries. — Between 1864 and 1867 the making of fish bar- 

 rels was regularly carried on. From six to eight men were employed 

 in this way, making six or seven thousand barrels a year. Recently 

 only one or two hundred barrels have been made annually. 



The knitting of nets has been carried, on regularly in the region for 

 thirty-five years, most of it being done by girls from eight to fourteen 

 years of age. In the winter of 1882-83 scores of girls and women at 

 Mishicott, 8 miles from Two Rivers, and at other towns in the county, 



