FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 261 



Before 1848, though whitefish were abundant in the Detroit Kiver, it 

 was supposed that there were very few in Lake Erie; but Mr. Charles 

 Carpenter, of Kelley's Island, caught several of them in that year, re- 

 porting that he had seen them in large schools, and in 185 L a few gill- 

 nets were brought from Sandusky and fished for them with excellent 

 success. In 1852 a pound-net was brought from Connecticut and set 

 in the bay on the north side of the island. From that time the number 

 of pound-nets rapidly increased, until in 1876 there were as many as 

 fifty-seven and in 1885 there were over seventy. Mr. Bower says that 

 the fall run of whitefish begins a week to ten days earlier here than 

 it does at the other islands and closes that much sooner, except on the 

 reefs. There are over forty men employed in gill-net fishing in the 

 fall and there is some catfish hooking in summer. 



Description of pound-nets and pound-net boats. — The pound-nets used 

 in early days in the island region, as elsewhere on the lakes, were with- 

 out a funnel, or rather had one which was extremely short, the hearts 

 leading directly into the crib, pot, or bowl, as it is variously called, 

 which was set in a circular shape. The kind now used has a long tun- 

 nel leading from the hearts to the bowl, and the latter is always square. 

 The crib is held in position by stakes or by anchors and buoys. Some- 

 times stones are used for anchors, and occasionally a chain is strung 

 along the lower edge of the netting. Some fishermen also use a chain 

 for anchoring the hearts and the mouth of the funnel. For buoys, jugs 

 or blocks of cedar are used. A few of the nets have a wing of netting 

 inside the lobe of each heart, leading to the mouth of the tunnel. The 

 leaders are from 990 to 1,320 feet long, each heart is from 132 to 198 

 feet in circumference, the funnel is 30 to 60 feet long, and the crib is 

 28 to 32 feet square. The mesh is from 6J to 7J inches in the leader, 

 from 3 to 5 inches in the hearts, 3 inches in the funnel, and 2 to 2J 

 inches in crib. The netting is manufactured in the East, and through 

 the Sandusky dealers reaches the fishermen, who cut, seam, and tar it 

 themselves. 



The pound-net boats are all flat-bottomed, very few being clinker 

 built. They have two masts and carry mainsail and foresail ; their ca- 

 pacity ranges from 5 to 12 tons. 



Apparatus and methods of the gill-net fishery. — The gill-nets of the isl- 

 ands are hung in three ways: with corks and leads, with corks and 

 rings, and with floats and stones. The last form is the oldest one, and 

 is being continually displaced by the others. The floats are of cedar, 

 and are 5or5J inches long. Therings are made of five-sixteenth -inch iron 

 and are 5 to 6J inches in diameter. They are preferable to either stones 

 or leads for fishing on the reefs, as they keep the net-line off from the 

 bottom and prevent the chafing of the line or the tearing of the netting. 

 On muddy bottom lead sinkers are preferred. 



The nets used for the capture of whitefish range from 250 to 300 feet 

 in length when hung. They are made of 35-2 cotton twine, have a 



