602 REPORT OF THE OOMMIRSIOlSrER OF FISHERIES. 



deeper eastern portion of the lake to the shallow reefs at the western 

 end, especially' around the islands there, in order to deposit their 

 spawn. The time of this migration varies somewhat with the tem- 

 perature, but at an average the spawning usualh^^ begins in early 

 November and is at its height during the middle or latter half of that 

 month. The eggs are scattered loosely over the rocky bottom. 



During my visit to North Bass Island in the summer of 1901, I 

 heard much complaint by the local lishermen, who maintained that in 

 the fall carp did great damage on the spawning grounds of the white- 

 fish. Their statements may be summarized as follows: Carp are 

 abundant about the Bass Islands when the white-fish are spawning; 

 carp eat the spawn of other fish, especially white-fish; white-fish 

 spawn has been taken from a carp's stomach; when carp are numerous 

 on a reef, the white-fish are not there, being driven away by the carp. 

 Carp are not caught here for commercial purposes to any great extent, 

 and the prejudice against them was very strong. At such places as 

 Port Clinton on the mainland, on the other hand, where carp are 

 shipped in enormous quantities, and which is also one of the principal 

 ports for the white-fish fishermen, I found the belief that carp were 

 detrimental to the white-fish either entirel}^ absent, or at an}^ rate not 

 nearly so strong. 



In November, 1901, I proceeded to Lake Erie in order to make what 

 investigations I could in the matter. At the time of my arrival, 

 shortly before the middle of the month, white-fish were beginning to 

 be caught in considerable numbers, though very few of the fish were 

 ripe. A week or so later the numbers caught increased greatl}", and 

 the spawning seemed to be at its height. The season was an unusually 

 stormy one, with strong northwest winds nearly every day, and one 

 northeaster of several days' duration. The temperature was low 

 during nearly the whole time and there were frequent snow flurries. 

 The fishermen said that probably, owing to the rough weather, the fish 

 did not go upon the reefs to spawn in such large numbers as was usu- 

 ally the case, so that the gill nets, set on the reefs, got comparatively 

 few fish, while many more were caught in the pound nets in deeper 

 water. I spent several daj^s both at Port Clinton and at the islands; 

 at the former place both pound-net and gill-net fish were brought in; 

 the fish landed at the islands were all taken in gill nets. 



Very few carp were brought in at either place, and none of them 

 was large, averaging probably less than two pounds. On one day 

 when I visited the pound nets with the fishermen, only two carp were 

 taken. The stomachs of most of those examined at Port Clinton were 

 empty, or nearly so, and in only two cases was any white-fish spawn 

 found. At the time the preliminary statement of this work was pub- 

 lished in 1903 (Report of the United States Commissioner of Fish and 

 Fisheries, for 1902, p. 130) only a general and rather superficial exam- 



