﻿SECTION 
  8 
  - 
  GREAT 
  LAKES 
  FISHERIES 
  

  

  United 
  States 
  and 
  Canadian 
  fishermen 
  in 
  the 
  five 
  Great 
  Lakes, 
  Lake 
  St. 
  Clair, 
  and 
  three 
  of 
  

   the 
  five 
  international 
  lakes 
  of 
  northern 
  Minnesota 
  and 
  Canada 
  landed 
  113 
  .7 
  million 
  pounds 
  of 
  fresh- 
  

   water 
  fish 
  — 
  a 
  decline 
  of 
  13.7 
  million 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  U.S. 
  landings, 
  however, 
  increased 
  

   from 
  68.5 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $6.1 
  million 
  in 
  1969 
  to 
  71.6 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $6.4 
  million 
  in 
  

   1970. 
  U.S. 
  landings 
  were 
  63 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  production. 
  Canadian 
  fishermen 
  landed 
  42.1 
  

   million 
  pounds 
  — 
  16.7 
  million 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969. 
  Two 
  species 
  (smelt 
  and 
  yellow 
  perch) 
  dominated 
  

   the 
  landings 
  and 
  accounted 
  for 
  7 
  3 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  Canadian 
  harvest. 
  

  

  The 
  increased 
  U.S. 
  production 
  was 
  caused 
  principally 
  by 
  greater 
  landings 
  of 
  alewives 
  — 
  33.5 
  

   million 
  pounds 
  in 
  1970 
  compared 
  with 
  29.2 
  million 
  in 
  1969. 
  Taken 
  chiefly 
  in 
  Lake 
  Michigan, 
  ale- 
  

   wives 
  accounted 
  for 
  47 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  U.S. 
  landings. 
  Compared 
  with 
  1969, 
  landings 
  of 
  carp 
  (5.6 
  

   million 
  pounds); 
  chubs(11.0 
  million); 
  coho 
  salmon(2.2 
  million); 
  suckers(1.4 
  million); 
  and 
  white- 
  

   fish 
  (2.4 
  million) 
  increased 
  moderately, 
  but 
  lake 
  herring 
  (1.4 
  million); 
  sheepshead 
  (1.1 
  million); 
  

   smelt 
  (3.6 
  million); 
  white 
  bass 
  (1.1 
  million); 
  and 
  yellow 
  perch 
  (4.3 
  million 
  pounds) 
  declined. 
  

  

  Wisconsin 
  led 
  in 
  volume 
  of 
  landings 
  with 
  37.7 
  million 
  pounds, 
  followed 
  by 
  Michigan 
  with 
  

   21.2 
  million; 
  Ohio, 
  8.4 
  million; 
  and 
  Minnesota, 
  2. 
  5 
  million 
  pounds 
  . 
  Four 
  States 
  (New 
  York, 
  Penn- 
  

   sylvania, 
  Illinois, 
  and 
  Indiana) 
  supplied 
  the 
  remaining 
  1.8 
  million 
  pounds. 
  The 
  five 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  

   in 
  order 
  of 
  total 
  production 
  were 
  Michigan, 
  53.1 
  million 
  pounds; 
  Erie, 
  9.5 
  million; 
  Superior, 
  5.0 
  

   million; 
  Huron, 
  2.4 
  million 
  pounds; 
  and 
  Ontario, 
  333,000 
  pounds. 
  Lake 
  of 
  the 
  Woods 
  landings 
  

   (1.1 
  million 
  pounds) 
  accounted 
  for 
  96 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  U.S. 
  production 
  in 
  the 
  boundary 
  lakes. 
  

  

  Fishermen 
  and 
  vessels 
  . 
  In 
  1970, 
  1,470 
  fishermen 
  operated 
  231 
  vessels 
  (5 
  net 
  tons 
  or 
  more) 
  and 
  

   614 
  smaller 
  craft 
  in 
  the 
  U.S. 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  — 
  a 
  decline 
  of 
  207 
  fishermen, 
  38 
  vessels, 
  and 
  

   133 
  smaller 
  craft 
  compared 
  with 
  1969 
  . 
  

  

  Processed 
  products 
  . 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  processed 
  seafood 
  items 
  was 
  $36.5 
  million 
  — 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  $3.2 
  

   million 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Ohio 
  led 
  with 
  products 
  valued 
  at 
  $19.5 
  million, 
  followed 
  by 
  Illinois 
  

   and 
  Indiana 
  together 
  with 
  $5.4 
  million; 
  Michigan, 
  $5.1 
  million; 
  and 
  Wisconsin, 
  $4.1 
  million. 
  

   New 
  York, 
  Minnesota, 
  and 
  Pennsylvania 
  supplied 
  the 
  remaining 
  $2.4 
  million. 
  There 
  were 
  2,122 
  

   persons 
  employed 
  in 
  199 
  wholesaling 
  and 
  processing 
  plants 
  in 
  the 
  eight 
  States. 
  

  

  U.S. 
  landings 
  by 
  lake 
  . 
  

  

  Lake 
  Ontario 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  333,000 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $78,800 
  were 
  39,500 
  pounds 
  and 
  $35,100 
  

   more 
  than 
  in 
  1969. 
  The 
  harvest 
  was 
  the 
  third 
  largest 
  since 
  1952. 
  Compared 
  with 
  1969, 
  the 
  value 
  

   of 
  bullheads 
  ($28,600) 
  increased 
  89 
  percent, 
  white 
  perch 
  ($27,600) 
  increased 
  290 
  percent, 
  and 
  

   yellow 
  perch 
  ($3,700) 
  increased 
  127 
  percent. 
  The 
  total 
  gain 
  in 
  value 
  resulted 
  from 
  the 
  higher 
  

   prices 
  fishermen 
  received 
  for 
  these 
  three 
  species 
  . 
  

  

  Lake 
  Erie 
  . 
  Landings 
  were 
  9.5 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $1.3 
  million 
  — 
  a 
  decrease 
  of 
  14 
  percent 
  

   in 
  volume 
  and 
  11 
  percent 
  in 
  value 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Landings 
  were 
  5.7 
  million 
  pounds 
  less 
  

   than 
  the 
  10-year 
  average 
  (1960-69) 
  and 
  the 
  smallest 
  harvest 
  on 
  record. 
  Compared 
  with 
  1969, 
  the 
  

   production 
  of 
  catfish, 
  sheepshead, 
  white 
  bass, 
  yellow 
  perch, 
  and 
  yellow 
  pike 
  declined 
  sharply. 
  

   Carp 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  major 
  species 
  to 
  increase 
  in 
  volume; 
  carp 
  landings 
  of 
  3.4 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  

   381,300 
  pounds 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1969. 
  

  

  The 
  fisheries 
  of 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  were 
  curtailed 
  sharply 
  when 
  the 
  States 
  of 
  Ohio 
  and 
  Michigan 
  closed 
  

   the 
  lake 
  to 
  commercial 
  fishing 
  in 
  April 
  1970 
  because 
  of 
  possible 
  contamination 
  from 
  high 
  levels 
  of 
  

   mercury. 
  Ohio 
  soon 
  reopened 
  its 
  fisheries, 
  but 
  Michigan's 
  remained 
  closed 
  during 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  

   year. 
  After 
  the 
  closure, 
  a 
  small 
  production 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  State 
  of 
  Michigan 
  waters 
  because 
  net- 
  

   ting 
  operations 
  were 
  being 
  tested. 
  

  

  