o08 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Most of the farmers living on or in the vicinity of the lake bave nets 

 with which they catch fish for home consumption. 



Apparatus used. — Gill-nets and set-lines are the apparatus with which 

 most of the fish are caught ; seines and fyke-nets are employed in small 

 numbers, although their use is prohibited by the state authorities. 



Season for different species. — No sturgeon are caught at any of the 

 fishing centers in Orleans County. Herring and bass are the most 

 abundant species; next in order come bull-heads and pike; whitefish 

 and trout are scarce. Fishing for herriugis carried on only in the fall; 

 the other kinds of fish are taken at all times, but chiefly in the spring 

 and fall. 



Statistics of fisheries. — There were in Orleans County in 1885, 4 profes- 

 sional and 18 semi-professional fishermen, with 2 gill-net boats and 15 

 other boats, valued at $324 ; 42 whitefish and trout gill-nets, 6,930 feet 

 long, worth $185; 74 herring gill-nets, 12,120 feet long, worth $355; G 

 seines, 2,064 feet in length, valued at $130; 16 fyke nets, worth $160; 

 15,000 feet of seti-lines, with 1,000 hooks, worth $7 ; and miscellaneous 

 apparatus and shore property, worth $89. The total value of fishing 

 property was $1,220. 



The catch in 1885 amounted to 14,350 pounds of herring, 10,975 

 pounds of bass, 6,000 pounds of bull heads, 1,500 pounds of pickerel, 

 625 pounds of trout, 345 pounds of whitefish, and 5,300 pounds of eels, 

 perch, suckers, etc. ; of the herring, 1,000 pounds were salted. The 

 value of the catch was $2,361. 



104. MONROE COUNTY, NEW YORK, BETWEEN THE WESTERN COUNTY- 

 LINE AND BRADDOCK'S POINT. 



Fishing centers and grounds. — The coast-line of Monroe County be- 

 tween these points is about 11 miles in length, and is frequently broken 

 by boulders and rocky ledges. There are no fishing towns immediately 

 on the lake shore. The hamlets of Hamlin Center, North Hamlin, East 

 Hamlin, and North Parma, which are the post-offices of most of the 

 fishermen, are from 1 to 6 miles from the lake, adjacent to the railroad, 

 and contain from 100 to 250 people each. The principal fishing grounds 

 are at or near the mouth of Sandy Creek, about 6 miles from Troutville. 

 Three miles east of this creek there are excellent seining grounds, which 

 are not used because of the law prohibiting seine fishing. Two miles 

 farther east is a favorite resort for anglers ; and the place is noted for 

 its good bass fishing. 



The fishermen. — A majority of the people engaged in the fisheries are 

 farmers, who live on or near the lake, and fish for their own use, or for 

 profit during dull times on the farm. Most of the fish not needed for 

 home use are sold to peddlers, who scour the coast-line for fresh fish 

 and supply the communities remote from the lake. Eight men in 1885, 

 however, were dependent on the fisheries for a livelihood. 



