FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 251 



seventy years ago. At that time fish were very abundant, the local 

 trade was small, and there were no facilities for shipment; so only 

 about one-twentieth of the catch could be disposed of, and after this 

 small portion had been taken out to supply the local trade the rest of 

 the fish were released. The fishing was of small extent until about 

 1850, but during the next decade it became very important, and then 

 reached its greatest development. 



The first seine used outside of Maumee Bay in this portion of the lake 

 was a small one fished in 1854 off Cedar Point, near the entrance to 

 the Maumee Bay. The great success of this attempt soon led others to 

 imitate it, so that in two or three years between five hundred and six 

 hundred men were fishing with seines between Cedar Point and Locust 

 Point. The catch was very large and consisted of the same species 

 which are now taken in the pound-net on the same grounds. Sturgeon 

 were so abundant that as many as two hundred were sometimes taken 

 at a single haul. This species was not considered of any value, but the 

 other kinds were salted immediately and shipped to the dealers at Buffa- 

 lo and Cleveland, and in later years by the Miami Canal to Dayton and 

 Cincinnati. In the fisheries of the lake shore the seine was gradually su- 

 perseded by the pound-net, and by 1865 its use had been almost wholly 

 abandoned. 



The river seine fishery, on the contrary, is still flourishing, though 

 the catch has decreased considerably in the last five or six years. The 

 grounds extend from a mile above Toledo to the rapids, 12 or 14 miles 

 up-stream. The fishing begins as soon as the ice goes out in the spring, 

 which is sometime during the month of March, and lasts about four 

 weeks. In 1885 one small seine was fished in the fall. The bulk of the 

 catch is taken before the bay pound-nets are ready for work, as the ice 

 moves out of the river several days before the bay is open. The seines 

 used have a mesh of 2J inches. Their length varies from 165 to 1,150 

 feet, averaging about 500 feet, and their depth from 9 to 14 feet, aver- 

 aging 10£ feet. The seining grounds belong to farmers who live along 

 the river. Some of them are rented, but the greater part are fished on 

 shares, the owners of the grounds furnishing the seines and outfits and 

 receiving one-half of the catch. Before 1879 or 1880, when the river 

 swarmed during the spring run with French Canadians who came here 

 at that time to fish, the grounds commanded a high rent, and even now 

 favorite sites can be rented for $300 to $500 for a single season. Each 

 landing place has a shanty or two and a windlass for hauling the seine. 

 A horse is hired, at 50 cents a day and keeping, to turn the windlass. 



There are only one or two seines in Maumee Bay, and these are not 

 only fished in spring, but, unlike the river seines, are also hauled in 

 winter under the ice. 



About 1850, when the seining in the river first began to be important, 

 the farmers visited the vicinity from many miles around to exchange 



