FISHERIES OF THE GREAT LAKES IN 1885. 321 



of the catch of one man, all were salted. A large part of the fish taken 

 in this section are sent to dealers in Chaumont, Sackett's Harbor, and 

 Cape Vincent, who advance supplies to the fishermen and take fish in 

 payment. 



Statistics. — There were 15 regular fishermen employed around these 

 islands in 1885. Their apparatus comprised 18 gill-net boats ; 309 stur- 

 geon gill-nets, 101,570 feet long ; 35 whitefish and trout gill-nets, 11,550 

 feet long ; 10 herring gill-nets, 3,300 feet long ; 16 trap-nets ; 21 fyke- 

 nets ; and accessories and shore property. The amount invested in boats 

 was $855; in gill- nets, $1,900; in trap-nets and fyke-nets $875; in 

 wharves, miscellaneous apparatus, etc., $1,050 ; the total value of the 

 apparatus and other fishing property being $4,710. 



The amounts of the different kinds of fish landed in 1885 were 39,300 

 pounds of sturgeon, 13,000 pounds of pike, 9,350 pounds of herring, 

 8,885 pounds of bull-heads, 7,460 pounds of bass, 3,180 pounds of white- 

 fish, and 1,730 pounds of trout. Nine thousand one hundred and fifty 

 pounds of the herring were salted. The total value of the catch was 

 $3,340. 



116. HENDERSON BAY, JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



Description of the bay. — Henderson Bay is 6 miles long and from 1£ 

 to 3 miles wide. The shores of the bay are rather uneven, but not par- 

 ticularly rough or rocky. The water is from 4 to 7 fathoms deep, and 

 the bottom of the bay is of mud and sand. Henderson Harbor is at the 

 southern end of the bay; in it, near the mouth, is Port Henderson, a 

 village of 200 people, the majority of whom are farmers. The harbor is 

 a favorite place of resort for anglers ; the commercial fishermen, how- 

 ever, are few in number, owing to the great opposition to net-fishing 

 and net-fishers, which deters many who have been extensively engaged 

 in the fisheries in the past from again resuming the business. 



Past and present forms of apparatus, — In 1875 and prior thereto there 

 was a large number of pound-nets in the bay, and whitefish and trout 

 were caught in great quantities, but at the present time not a pound net 

 is set and the fishing is carried on almost exclusively with set-lines and 

 gill-nets. The set-lines are weighted with stones; the hook-lines or 

 gangiugs are 2 feet in length, and are placed about 16 feet from one 

 another on the ground-line or leader. Young herring are used for bait; 

 these are blown up with air to keep them afloat, and the hook is run 

 along the back, beginning at the tail. The bait thus prepared floats 

 with the head upward and looks quite life-like. Sturgeon and trout 

 are caught in this way. Gill-nets are fished for sturgeon and trout; 

 whitefish are also taken by this means, although only one man used 

 such nets in 1885. Only a few fyke-nets are set in the bay ; in these 

 are caught bull-heads, bass, pike, and eels. A single trap-net completes 

 the list of apparatus. 



Disposition of catch. — More than half the herring landed in 1885 were 

 salted by the fishermen for home purposes ; a small percentage of the 

 H. Mis. 133 -21 



