236 REPORT OP COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Ice fishing, with lines, is prosecuted at various places on the lake, but 

 particularly at Cleveland and Buffalo, the fishery in the latter city being 

 very important. Gill-netting under the ice is not followed to the ex- 

 tent to which it is in some of the other lakes. 



Winter spearing, for pickerel, is engaged in only to a limited extent, 

 as is also the use of grapnel-hooks for sturgeon. Angling is partici- 

 pated in by thousands of people who are attracted, sometimes from dis- 

 tant places, by the fine facilities for pleasure fishing afforded by the 

 lake. 



Species that are objects of fisheries. — Herring (Coregonus artedi) is the 

 most abundant fish occurring in Lake Erie, the catch amounting to over 

 19,000,000 pounds, or more than one-third of the total yield for the lake. 

 The fishermen of Sandusky and vicinity alone took over 8,000,000 

 pounds, and large quantities were also secured at Erie, Cleveland, and 

 Htirou, and everywhere in the western end of the lake. East of Erie, 

 however, very few occur. 



Next to herring, "blue pike" (Stizostedium vitreum var. salmoncum)is 

 the most abundant species, particularly large numbers being taken at 

 Erie, Cleveland, and Buffalo, the total catch amounting to nearb 

 8,000,000 pounds. 



Saugers (Stizostedium canadense) occur plentifully in the western end, 

 the catch east of Cleveland being light and confined chiefly to Buffalo. 



As regards the actual number of pounds taken, sturgeon (Acipensei 

 rubicundus) rank fourth, but of course the number of individual fish U 

 much less than any other important species. The most extensive fish- 

 ery for sturgeon is at Buffalo. Considerable quantities occur through- 

 out the lake, except in Chautauqua County, New York, west of Irving, 

 and in Maumee Bay and River, where the catch is small. 



Nearly two-thirds of the whitefish (Coregonus clupeiformis) taken ii 

 Lake Erie are caught by the fishermen of Erie, Pennsylvania, win 

 handled over 2,000,000 pounds of the total yield of 3,500,000. Tin 

 species, although less common than in either Lake Superior or Lak< 

 Michigan, can not be considered scarce in any section of the lake ex- 

 cept in that portion east of Erie. 



Catfish and bull-heads (Amiurus) rank next to whitefish and occur in 

 greatest numbers west of Erie, the largest catches being in the vicinity 

 of Sandusky and westward to the end of the lake. The yield in Lake 

 and Ashtabula Counties, Ohio, is also considerable. 



Wall-eyed pike (Stizostedium vitreum) is the only species except stur- 

 geon which is taken in greater quantities in the eastern end of the lak< 

 than in any one locality in the western portion. At Buffalo the fish is 

 very abundant and about one-third of the entire catch of the lake is 

 taken there. 



Perch (Perca americana) may next be mentioned. From the lower 

 portion of the lake but comparatively few are secured, but at Erie, 

 Cleveland, Sandusky, Toledo, and other places the species is abundant. 



