188 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



called Port Oneida, near North Unity, half of the number fishing only 

 in a small way in connection with their farming and other business. 

 This is a considerable decrease over the year 1884. 



Statistics. — In 1885 there were 19 professional and 6 semi-professional 

 fishermen, fishing 14 pound-nets, worth $2,300, and 110 gill-nets worth 

 $350, the value of buildings and accessories amounting to $1,455. The 

 catch in 1884 was 131,800 pounds whiten* sh, 1,210 pounds trout, 1,000 

 pounds of herring, and 200 pounds of sturgeon worth $4,154, of which 

 only 13,300 pounds of whitefish, 110 pounds of trout, and 200 pounds 

 of sturgeon, having a value of $680, were sold fresh. The salt fish is 

 shipped to Chicago and Milwaukee, chiefly the former. A greater part 

 of the fresh fish is sold locally, there being only one exception, in which 

 case all were sent, in 1884, and a portion of them in 1885, to Chicago. 

 Of the salt whitefish 463 packages were No. 1, 385 packages No. 2, 237 

 packages No. 3, and 100 packages No. 4, each package containing 100 

 pounds of fish. 



66. GRAND TRAVERSE BAY AND VICINITY (ANTRIM, GRAND TRAVERSE, 

 AND PART OF LEELANAW COUNTIES), MICHIGAN. 



Physical characteristics. — Grand Traverse Bay is the largest inden- 

 tation on the eastern side of Lake Michigan, and next to Green Bay 

 the largest in the entire lake. It is inclosed by the counties of Lee- 

 lanaw on the west, and Charlevoix, Antrim, and Grand Traverse on 

 the east, the last-named county also forming the southern boundary. 

 Its greatest length from north to south is 35 miles, and its average 

 width 10 miles. From its southern end a narrow peninsula, 18 miles 

 in length, juts up from Grand Traverse County. The depth of the 

 bay varies from 10 to 102 fathoms, the latter depth occurring in the 

 southwestern part, opposite Elk Lake. 



Fishing towns. — The principal communities on the bay from which 

 fishing is carried on are Norwood, Elk Bapids, Old Mission, Traverse 

 City, Bower's Harbor, Norrisville, Sutton's Bay, Omena, and Northport. 

 On the shore southwest of the mouth of the bay are Gill's Pier and Le- 

 land. 



Apparatus of capture. — The fisheries of this region are prosecuted 

 chiefly with gill-nets and pound-nets, and to a less extent with spears, 

 seines, and fyke nets. Of these the gill-nets are the most numerous 

 and important apparatus used, employing more men and yielding more 

 products. 



Species. — The species occurring in this region are trout, whitefish, 

 blackfins, suckers, herring, perch, and, rarely, sturgeon. Trout are 

 most plentiful in the fall, between about October 10 and November 10, 

 during which time they are practically the only fish taken. After that 

 date whitefish and the black-finned variety appear in about equal pro- 

 portions, and are caught until the winter freeze, and again in the 

 spring and summer. Blackfins spawn during the late fall and winter 



