TO-! REPORT OF THE COMMISSIOI^ER OF FISHERIES. 



York was .S4T0,()()6; in Pennsylvania, ^495,959; in Ohio, $1,205,002; 

 and in Michigan, $24,830. 



The products of the fisheries aggregated 23,188,556 pounds, for 

 which the fishermen received $780,015. Of this quantity, 12,-148,089 

 pounds, Aalued at $408,821, was taken by vessels, and 10,740,467 

 pounds, valued at 1311,194, b}'^ boats. The yieki in New York was 

 2,949,305 pounds, valued at $128,445; in Pennsylvania, 8,367,707 

 pounds, valued at $305,244; in Ohio, 10,748,986 pounds, valued at 

 $317,027; and in Michigan, 1,122,658 pounds, valued at $29,299. In 

 the vessel fisheries the products were all taken with gill nets, except 

 27,000 pounds of turtles, valued at $1,620, which were caught in turtle 

 nets. In the shore fisheries, pound nets took 4,471,824 pounds, valued 

 at $142,272; trap nets, 1,365,596 pounds, valued at $32,004; fyke nets, 

 959,987 pounds, valued at $18,239; gill nets, 937,733 pounds, valued 

 at $49,097; seines, 2,633,267 pounds, valued at $45,724; lines, 341,260 

 pounds, valued at $22,986; and other forms of apparatus, 30,800 

 pounds, valued at $872. The species taken in largest quantities were 

 herring, 8,788,625 pounds, $333,844; blue pike, 4,915,357 pounds, 

 $188,033; German carp, 3,546,752 pounds, $59,198; sauger, 1,940,855 

 pounds, $47,697; wall-eyed pike, 908,484 pounds, $49,462; yellow 

 perch, 830,403 pounds, $27,001; suckers, 721,089 pounds, $8,695; 

 fresh-water drum, 642,445 pounds, $4,513; white-fish, 302,805 pounds, 

 $22,988; and sturgeon, including caviar, 300,103 pounds, $26,480. 

 About 93 per cent of the herring and 64 per cent of the blue pike 

 were taken by vessels, the two species forming over 90 per cent of 

 the products of the vessel fisheries. Yellow perch and saugers were 

 also caught in large quantities b}^ vessels. ,The German carp, except 

 270 pounds, valued at $2, were taken in the boat fisheries. 



The fisheries of Lake Erie in 1903 were less extensive than in any 

 of the recent years (1890, 1893, or 1899), for which statistics are avail- 

 al)le. Comparing the returns with those for 1899, the year for which 

 the last canvass was made, there has been a decrease of 1,001, or 27 

 per cent, in the numl)er of persons employed; $524,157, or 19 per 

 cent, in the investment; 35,205,308 pounds, or 60 per cent, in the 

 quantit}^, and $370,880, or 32 per cent, in the value of the products. 

 The decrease in products was principall}' in herring, ))ut there was 

 also a large decline in the catch of cat-fish and bullheads, l^lack bass, 

 fresh-water drum, wall-eyed pike, sauger, white bass, white-fish, yellow 

 perch, and various other species. The onl}- important species in 

 which there was an increase is blue pike. 



