FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 233 



VII.— THE FISHERIES OP LAKE ERIE. 

 85. GENERAL REVIEW. 



Geographical description. — Lake Erie is about 240 miles long and 40 

 miles wide, the greatest width, opposite Ashtabula, Ohio, being 58 

 miles. It is much smaller than either Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, 

 or Lake Huron, but is somewhat larger than Lake Ontario. Its area is 

 9,000 square miles. 



This is the shallowest of all the Great Lakes. Its average depth is 

 only 80 feet, while the deepest portions are only 220 feet. The depth 

 varies considerably within certain limits in the different sections. The 

 western end is very shallow, being only from 4 to 7 fathoms deep. Off 

 Lorain, Cuyahoga, Lake, and Ashtabula Counties the water is from 11 

 to 14 fathoms deep a short distance from the shore. The greatest depth 

 in the lake occurs between Erie, Pennsylvania, and Dunkirk, New York, 

 on the American side; and around Long Point Island on the Canadian 

 shore, where the water ranges from 18 to 35 fathoms. At the eastern 

 end the soundings decrease, and in no place is the depth more than 15 

 fathoms, while the average depth is not more than 10 or 12 fathoms. 



The American shore of the lake is about 414 miles in length ; it is 

 formed by the States of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. 

 Ohio has 247 miles of coast line, which is the longest of any state, 

 while New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan have respectively, 75,47 

 and 45 miles of shore. 



The rivers connected with the lake are of but little importance, if we 

 except the Detroit and Niagara Rivers. The others — the Manmee, San- 

 dusky, Cuyahoga, and Chagrin — are small and have little commercial 

 value except at their mouths. 



But few large islands occur and these arc all in the western portion. 

 They are the Bass Islands, three in number, Kelly's Island, andPointe 

 Pelee Island ; the last is in Canada, but the others belong to the state 

 of Ohio. 



Important cities and towns are located on Lake Erie that are referred 

 to in detail in the following pages and need only be named at this 

 point. They are among the priucipal cities of the United States, and 

 include Toledo, Sandusky, Cleveland, Erie, Dunkirk, and Buffalo. 



Importance of the fisheries. — The fisheries of the lake are of vast im- 

 portance, surpassing in extent those of any other of the Great Lakes or 

 of any other body of fresh water in the world. 



