172 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Gill-net fishery of St. Joseph. — Gill-nets are extensively operated at 

 St. Joseph at all seasons when the lake is free from ice. In 1885 they 

 numbered 2,750, having a total length of 626,130 feet, and were valued 

 at $13,439. They are provided with wooden floats and leaden weights. 

 Large whitefish and trout are taken in them. No nets are used for 

 sturgeon or herring. 



Seven fishing steamers, used both in the pound and gill-net fisheries, 

 belonged at St. Joseph in 1885. They were valued at $27,000. Their 

 crews numbered from three to seven, five being the average. They 

 varied in size from 5 to 20 tons, net. 



Past and present yield of St. Joseph fisheries. — While the catch of in- 

 dividual fishermen may have been less than in previous years, the actual 

 yield of the fisheries in 1885 was considerably in excess of that for 1879. 

 In the latter year the total catch of the St. Joseph fishermen amounted, 

 in round numbers, to 500,000 pounds, of which about one-third were 

 trout. In 1885 the total quantity of fish taken was 678,835 pouuds, 

 divided as follows among the different species : 



Pounds. 



Trout 242,143 



Sturgeon 171,630 



Whitefish 159,862 



Perch. 62,700 



Herring 25,500 



Suckers 12,000 



Bull-heads and catfish 5, 000 



The value of these products was $25,493.82. Of the trout, 500 pounds, 

 and of the whitefish, 4,800 pounds, were salted. 



Secondary products of St. Joseph fisheries. — Two men at St. Joseph 

 are engaged in trying out oil from refuse fish obtained around the 

 docks. They made 1,700 gallons in 1885 which sold in Chicago at from 

 25 to 35 cents a gallon. One man manufactured 16,625 pounds caviare 

 in 1885 j this was shipped to Europe. The sturgeon roe was bought 

 of the fishermen at 5 cents a pound, who disposed of 14,500 pounds of 

 roe and 3,825 sturgeon sounds. The value of these secondary products 

 was $3,256. 



The fisheries of South Raven. — The fishing at South Haven is chiefly 

 for sturgeon, which appear to be partial to the local waters and can be 

 taken whenever the lake is sufficiently free from ice to use set-lines. 

 It is probable that spawning-grounds for this species occur not very 

 distant from South Haven. Whitefish are not scarce, but are not 

 much sought for 5 they are taken in gill-nets, of which there were four 

 hundred and ten in 1885. Two pound-nets belonging to a Toledo fish- 

 erman were set off the shore, a few miles below South Haven, during 

 a portion of the year. A little seining was done, with three small seines, 

 at the mouth of the river. The fishery is unimportant, perch being 

 chiefly taken. One South Haven steamer used set-lines and gill-nets 

 for sturgeon. She had forty nets, which were the only ones used for 



