148 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES, 



proportion of blue-fius to common whitefish in the total catch is as nine 

 to one. While the steamers catch blue-fins almost exclusively, with 

 only a few trout, the shore gill-net fishery produces a large percentage 

 of trout, with only a small admixture of whitefish and blue-fius, and the 

 pound-net catch is principally trout, with considerable quantities of 

 whitefish and herring and a few other species. The trout average 3 or 

 4 pounds each, though they are often taken weighing as much as 7 or 

 8 pounds. The abundance of the herring has remained unchanged 

 since the earliest times of which any record has been retained. 



Trade. — Prior to 1867 all the products of the fisheries were salted, 

 but one firm began selling fresh fish that year and since 1868 very few 

 have been salted, most of the catch being sent fresh to Chicago and 

 Milwaukee, and a considerable quantity of blue-fins and sturgeon being 

 smoked before shipment. The smoking of fish began with a series of 

 experiments about 1863 which were so successful that the business has 

 been steadily on the increase. Formerly large quantities of fish oil 

 were made annually, but only about 100 gallons were saved in 1885. 



The following table shows the quantity offish handled in Sheboygan 

 during 1884 and 1885 : 





Species. 



1884. 





1885. 







Fresh. 



Fresh. 



Salt. 



Total. 



Whitefish. 



Pounds. 



37, 000 



174, 200 



500 



Pounds. 



11, 920 



130, 200 



650 



1,000 



2,000 



Pounds. 



Pounds. 

 11,920 



Trout 



38, 600 



168, 800 

 650 





Perch . 



1,000 



Sturgeon ,- -- 



10, 000 





2,000 





pounds handled 





Total numher of 



221, 700 



145, 770 



38, 600 



184, 370 







Value of same... 



$11,850 



$5, 700 



$1, 800 



$7, 500 





Statistics. — There were 87 men, most of them professional fishermen 

 engaged in the fisheries of Sheboygan County in 1885. In addition, 

 there were 5 shoresmen employed by the owners of the steamer fishery. 

 Five steamers, worth $19,200, were used in the off-shore gill-net fish- 

 ery ; 8 pile-drivers, and 43 sail and row boats were engaged in the gill- 

 net and pound-net fishing, and had a value of $4,900. The apparatus 

 of capture consisted of 2,028 gill-nets and 38 pound-nets, besides a 

 plunk-net and 4,100 set-line hooks, the total value of which was 

 $32,470; while that of buildings and wharves amounted to $18,600, 

 and of fixtures and accessories to $6,500, the cash capital being $3,525. 

 The products in 1885 consisted of 336,720 pounds of fresh blue-fins, 

 3,700 pounds of salted blue-fins, 18,000 pounds of smoked blue-fins, 

 37,000 pounds of fresh whitefish, 13,200 pounds of salted whitefish, 

 392,215 pounds of fresh trout, 14,300 pounds of salted trout, 3,000 

 pounds of pickerel, 6,000 pounds of fresh sturgeon, 7,050 pounds of 

 smoked sturgeon, 31,550 pounds of herring, and 3,500 pounds of other 

 fish. The total value of the products to the fishermen was $52 2 800» 



