FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 



181 



offshore the fishermen are obliged to start for the grounds early in the 

 morning, and it is frequently late at night before they return with their 

 fares. It is believed that the large quantities of sawdust in the water 

 near the shore have caused the fish to frequent the deeper water in the 

 center of the lake instead of coming nearer the land as formerly. The 

 average stock of individual gill-nets in 1885 was between $9 and $10. 

 There was one fishing steamer employed from Ludington 'in 1885. 

 This carried iive men, and fished one hundred gill-nets, running out about 

 18 miles from shore and setting the nets in 80 fathoms of water. This 

 vessel also tended two pound-nets, located north of Ludington, during 

 the months of June and July. The catch of the gill-nets by months and 

 by kinds of fish is shown in the following table : 



Species. 



Apr. 



May. 



June. 



Aug. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Nov. 



Dec. 



Total. 



Blackfins ..... . 



Pounds. 

 5,610 

 380 

 725 



Pounds. 

 9,840 

 2,440 

 1,670 



Pounds. 

 8, 330 



Pounds. 

 5,435 



Pounds- 

 5,460 

 300 



Pounds. 

 17, 445 



Pounds. 

 6,460 



Pounds. 

 4,000 



Pounds. 



62, 580 



3,120 



Whitefish 



Trout 





125 





370 



375 



3,265 









Total 



6,715 



13, 950 



8,330 



5,560 



5,760 



17, 445 



6,830 



4,375 



68, 965 





Relative abundance of common tvhitefish and blaclcfins. — In certain 

 localities on Lake Michigan it has generally been found difficult, and 

 in some instances impossible, to show separately in statistical form the 

 catch of whitefish (Goregonus clupeiformis) and blackfins (Goregonus 

 nigripinnis). These fish have therefore been combined under the name 

 of whitefish. The foregoiug table is consequently useful, since it shows 

 the proportion of whitefish proper to the black-finned variety, and the 

 great preponderance of the latter over the former in this portion of the 

 lake at least. 



Pound- net fishery of Ludington. — The six pound-nets operated from 

 Ludington have not been a profitable investment, for their owners have 

 failed to get a livelihood from them. This will be evident when it is 

 stated that the nets averaged $200 in cost ; that it requires more men 

 to manipulate them than are needed for gill-nets ; that the great body 

 of fish is miles distant from the coast ; these constituting a combination 

 of conditions that resulted in 1885 in reducing the average net stock 

 (exclusive of expenses) to $45 or $50. 



Statistics of Ludington fisheries. — The amount of capital invested in 

 the fisheries of Ludington was $6,910, divided as follows: 



1 fishing steamer «. $1,500 



8 gill-net boats, 405 



4 other boats 170 



590 whitefish and trout gill-nets, 143, 900 feet long 2, 760 



6 pound-nets 1, 300 



1 seine, 660 feet long 50 



4 fyke-nets 40 



10 fish-cars 75 



Other apparatus 115 



Wharves and building 395 



Working capital „ 100 



