324 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Statistics. — Sixty-six men were employed in the fisheries in 1885 ; of 

 these 24 were regular fishermen, 32 semi-professional fishermen, and 10 

 shoresmen and preparators. The apparatus used was as follows: 1 col- 

 lecting tug, 25 gill-net boats, 1 collecting boat, and 23 other boats ; 80 

 sturgeon gill-nets, 22,790 feet in length ; 67 whitefish gill-nets, 14,350 

 feet in length; 296 herring gill-nets, 62,535 feet in length; 6 pound- 

 nets, 101 trap-nets, 188 fyke-nets; 12,000 feet of set-lines, with 2,000 

 hooks; 150 fish-cars, together with wharves, buildings, and miscella- 

 neous property. The capital invested in boats was $6,070; in gill-nets, 

 $2,365; in pound-nets, trap-nets, and fyke-nets, $9,376; and in other 

 apparatus, wharves, buildings, and working capital, $13,080, making a 

 total of $30,891 invested in the fisheries. 



The amount of fish taken was 74,000 pounds of bull-heads, 32,000 

 pounds of pike, 31,225 pounds of herring, 23,100 pounds of bass, 17,500 

 pounds of sturgeon, 7,650 pounds of eels, 3,100 pounds of whitefish, 

 and 500 pounds of perch. Twelve thousand three hundred and seventy- 

 five pounds of the herring were salted. The total value of the fish was 

 $7,250. 



118. CHAUMONT BAY, THREE-MILE BAY, AND OFF POINT PENINSULA, 



JEFFERSON COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



Chaumont Bay. — This extends about 7 miles from east to west and 3 

 miles or more from north to south. The bottom is of mud and clay, 

 and the water is from 3 to 5 fathoms deep. At the northeast end, at 

 the mouth of Cat-Fish Eiver, is the town of Chaumont, with 700 in- 

 habitants, a large majority of whom are farmers. The harbor is good, 

 with 10 to 14 feet of water. The fisheries do not amount to much, in 

 proportion to the population. The fishermen set their nets in the bay, 

 and also near Stony and Galloo Islands. 



Three-Mile Bay. — At the northern side of Chaumont Bay, about 8 

 miles southeast of Cape Vincent, Three-Mile Bay extends 2 miles in- 

 land, and at its head is the village of the same name. Its people are 

 farmers and fishermen. At one time some ship-building was done here, 

 but since the bay became obstructed with mud this industry has been 

 discontinued; only small boats can now approach the place. Ten years 

 ago, this was a fishing center of considerable note; whitefish and other 

 desirable species became scarce, however, and at times almost entirely 

 disappeared ; the fisheries consequently declined. 



Point Peninsula. — This promontory forms the larger part of the 

 southern boundary of Chaumont Bay, and is 6 miles in length and 3 in 

 width. It is connected with the main land on the northwest by a nar- 

 now strip, only a few yards wide. There are about four hundred people 

 on this promontory, all farmers, who engage in fishing to a small ex- 

 tent, none making a business of it. Six or eight years ago the reverse 

 was true ; fishing was in the ascendancy and farming was of compara- 

 tively little importance. 



