﻿GREAT 
  LAKES 
  FISHERIES 
  

  

  305 
  

  

  Future 
  prospects 
  for 
  the 
  fisheries 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  fairly 
  encouraging. 
  Biologists 
  have 
  reported 
  

   that 
  the 
  hatch 
  of 
  white 
  bass 
  in 
  1970 
  was 
  the 
  best 
  since 
  1957, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  hatch 
  and 
  survival 
  of 
  

   yellow 
  pike 
  was 
  also 
  good. 
  The 
  yellow 
  perch 
  hatch 
  was 
  not 
  as 
  good 
  as 
  biologists 
  had 
  anticipated 
  

   but 
  was 
  better 
  than 
  any 
  year 
  class 
  since 
  1965. 
  

  

  Lake 
  Huron 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  2.4 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  17 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969, 
  and 
  the 
  

   smallest 
  production 
  on 
  record. 
  The 
  harvest 
  of 
  most 
  major 
  species--carp, 
  chubs, 
  white 
  bass, 
  white- 
  

   fish, 
  yellow 
  perch, 
  and 
  yellow 
  pike 
  — 
  declined 
  sharply. 
  However, 
  catfish 
  landings 
  of 
  225,600 
  

   pounds 
  increased 
  85 
  percent 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  

  

  Lake 
  Michigan 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  53.1 
  million 
  pounds 
  worth 
  $3.8 
  million 
  increased 
  5.6 
  million 
  

   pounds 
  and 
  $790,700 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  The 
  harvest 
  was 
  second 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  record 
  59-million- 
  

   pound 
  landings 
  of 
  1967. 
  

  

  Lake 
  Michigan 
  accounted 
  for 
  74 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  landings 
  and 
  59 
  percent 
  of 
  

   the 
  value. 
  Alewife 
  landings 
  of 
  33.5 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  4.2 
  million 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1969, 
  and 
  were 
  

   63 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  Lake 
  Michigan 
  production. 
  Compared 
  with 
  1969, 
  landings 
  of 
  chubs 
  (9.6 
  million 
  

   pounds) 
  increased 
  5 
  percent, 
  coho 
  salmon 
  (2.2 
  million) 
  increased 
  96 
  percent, 
  and 
  whitefish 
  (1.7 
  

   million 
  pounds) 
  increased 
  25 
  perce.nt. 
  Whitefish 
  landings 
  were 
  the 
  best 
  since 
  1952. 
  The 
  combined 
  

   landings 
  of 
  chubs 
  and 
  whitefish 
  were 
  only 
  21 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  harvest 
  for 
  the 
  lake, 
  but 
  their 
  

   combined 
  value 
  ($3.5 
  million) 
  was 
  71 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  value. 
  Lake 
  trout, 
  the 
  high-priced 
  spe- 
  

   cies 
  virtually 
  eliminated 
  by 
  the 
  sea 
  lampifey, 
  yielded 
  landings 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  87,000 
  pounds--the 
  

   best 
  harvest 
  since 
  1949. 
  The 
  apparent 
  rehabilitation 
  of 
  this 
  fishery 
  has 
  resulted 
  from 
  effective 
  

   lamprey 
  control, 
  restricted 
  fishing, 
  and 
  restocking 
  of 
  the 
  fishery 
  resource. 
  

  

  Lake 
  Superior 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  5 
  million 
  pounds 
  were 
  230,600 
  pounds 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969, 
  and 
  

   the 
  smallest 
  harvest 
  since 
  the 
  turn 
  of 
  the 
  century. 
  Since 
  1961, 
  production 
  has 
  trended 
  steadily 
  

   downward--principally 
  because 
  of 
  a 
  marked 
  decrease 
  in 
  landings 
  of 
  lake 
  herring, 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  

   the 
  mainstay 
  of 
  the 
  Lake 
  Superior 
  fishery. 
  Lake 
  herring 
  landings 
  were 
  1 
  . 
  4 
  million 
  pounds 
  — 
  40 
  per- 
  

   cent 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1959, 
  and 
  far 
  below 
  the 
  record 
  17.8 
  million 
  pounds 
  taken 
  in 
  1941. 
  Lake 
  trout, 
  

   another 
  important 
  species, 
  continued 
  a 
  sharp 
  decline 
  that 
  began 
  in 
  1959. 
  Lake 
  trout 
  landings 
  of 
  

   188,000 
  were 
  11 
  percent 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  1969. 
  In 
  1970, 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time, 
  smelt 
  became 
  the 
  leading 
  

   species 
  in 
  Lake 
  Superior 
  with 
  a 
  production 
  of 
  1.6 
  million 
  pounds 
  — 
  almost 
  50 
  percent 
  greater 
  than 
  

   in 
  the 
  previous 
  year. 
  

  

  Research 
  . 
  The 
  four 
  NMFS 
  vessels, 
  Cisco 
  , 
  Kaho, 
  Musky 
  II 
  , 
  and 
  Siscowet 
  continued 
  to 
  support 
  

   research 
  studies 
  on 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes. 
  Research 
  continued 
  on 
  the 
  alewife 
  population 
  explosion, 
  

   pesticide 
  concentrations 
  in 
  fish, 
  and 
  botulism 
  organisms. 
  

  

  Sea 
  lamprey 
  control 
  . 
  The 
  final 
  count 
  of 
  sea 
  lampreys 
  captured 
  at 
  the 
  16 
  Lake 
  Superior 
  barriers 
  was 
  

   5,692 
  — 
  compared 
  with9,234 
  in 
  1969. 
  These 
  barriers 
  are 
  used 
  to 
  assess 
  the 
  effectiveness 
  of 
  1am- 
  

   pricides 
  in 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  larval 
  sea 
  lampreys. 
  Stream 
  treatments 
  are 
  continuing 
  on 
  Lakes 
  Huron 
  

   and 
  Michigan. 
  

  

  Other 
  information 
  . 
  Seasonal 
  variations 
  in 
  fish 
  landings 
  in 
  Michigan, 
  Ohio, 
  and 
  Wisconsin 
  can 
  be 
  

   ascertained 
  from 
  monthly 
  landings 
  bulletins 
  issued 
  currently 
  in 
  cooperation 
  with 
  the 
  fishery 
  de- 
  

   partments 
  of 
  these 
  States 
  . 
  Additional 
  specific 
  data 
  on 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  fisheries 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   daily, 
  monthly, 
  and 
  annual 
  reports 
  published 
  by 
  NMFS's 
  Fishery 
  Market 
  News 
  Service 
  Office 
  in 
  

   Chicago, 
  111. 
  

  

  Acknowledgments 
  . 
  The 
  following 
  organizations 
  helped 
  collect 
  the 
  data 
  appearing 
  in 
  this 
  section: 
  

   Dominion 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Statistics 
  of 
  Canada; 
  Illinois 
  Department 
  of 
  Conservation, 
  Division 
  of 
  Fish- 
  

   eries; 
  Indiana 
  Department 
  of 
  Conservation, 
  Divisionof 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game, 
  Sectionof 
  Fish 
  Management; 
  

   Michigan 
  Department 
  of 
  Natural 
  Resources, 
  Fisheries 
  Division, 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  Fisheries; 
  Minnesota 
  

   Department 
  of 
  Conservation, 
  Division 
  of 
  Game 
  and 
  Fish, 
  Section 
  of 
  Fisheries; 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  De- 
  

   partment 
  of 
  Environmental 
  Conservation, 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  Fisheries 
  Station; 
  Ohio 
  Department 
  of 
  Natural 
  

   Resources, 
  Division 
  of 
  Wildlife, 
  Section 
  of 
  Fish 
  Management; 
  Pennsylvania 
  Fish 
  Commission; 
  and 
  

   the 
  State 
  of 
  Wisconsin, 
  Department 
  of 
  Natural 
  Resources, 
  Fish 
  Management 
  Division. 
  

  

  