Tl>e Fisheries of E)a^e Ontario in 1S97.* 



By JOHN N. COBB, Field Agent, U. S. Fish Commission. 



Jg&y 



HF following pages present the results of 

 an investigation of the fisheries of Lake 

 Ontario for the year 1897, the work 

 having been taken up in December, after 

 the fishing season had ended. No attention 

 was paid to the wholesale trade, which is 

 unimportant, nor to the import trade in 

 Canadian fish which is carried on at Cape 

 Vincent, Oswego and North Fair Haven. 



The principal fishing grounds of the lake 

 are in Chaumont, Black River and Hen- 

 derson Bays, in Jefferson county, and Mexico 

 Bay, in Oswego county, in which waters 

 all kinds of netting are allowed. The only 

 other regions of importance are off Sodus 

 Point, in Wayne county, and off the shores 

 of Orleans and Niagara counties. In this 

 latter region no netting is allowed within 

 one mile of the shore and as a result only 

 gill nets and set lines are used. 



The most important fishing places are 

 Cape Vincent, Three Mile Bay, and Chau- 

 mont, in Jefferson county; Sandy Creek and Oswego, in Oswego county; North 

 Fair Haven, in Cayuga county; Sodus Point, in Wayne county; Oak Orchard (Point 

 Breeze P. O.), in Orleans count} - ; and Wilson, Olcott and Youngstown, in Niagara 

 county. At Cape Vincent, Oswego and North Fair Haven are dealers who import 

 Canadian fish. Except at Cape Vincent, this business is unimportant. During the 

 latter half of 1S97 very little fishing was done from Oswego. 



In Niagara county during the years 1S90 and 1893, * 60,349 and 69,109 pounds, 

 respectively, of longjaws were secured by the fishermen. In 1897, only 350 pounds 



THE WAY, 



* I am under obligation to Hon. George M. Bowers, U. S. Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, 

 for permission to utilize the figures gathered by myself in preparing this article. 



105 



