456 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



of water (record 13); and numbers of small individuals were collected on July 26, 

 1923, in a pound in Grand Traverse Bay (record 45). In view of these records, the 

 fact that no other Leucichthys is known to venture so near the shore in summer 

 (excepting aljpense, which does not answer the fishermen's description) tends, in my 

 opinion, to substantiate the identification of the fish reported above as hoyi. 



From the data from all sources it appears that at some season of the year the 

 bloater may be regularly common from the shore waters out to depths of 50 fathoms. 

 In such situations it is taken abundantly by the pound nets, 13^-inch bait nets, and 

 2% to 2%-inch chub nets. On one occasion it has been known to be common in 

 water deeper than 50 fathoms, but numbers of individuals may not venture often to 

 such depths except where they are in proximity to shoals, as on the edges of banks 

 and reefs. It is likely, furthermore, that large and small individuals have a different 

 behavior, as on several occasions the latter occurred not uncommonly in the meshes 

 of nets that would have gilled full-grown specimens easily if they had been present 

 (records 18 and 52) ; but the population density of both classes of individuals probably 

 fluctuates between the limits designated above. 



BREEDING HABITS 



The time of spawning of the species and several of its breeding areas are known. 

 On March 20, 1919, 12 miles west of Grand Haven, Mich., in 50 to 55 fathoms, and 

 on March 24, 1919, off Milwaukee, Wis., in 50 fathoms (records 31 and 15), such 

 specimens as were collected from the chub nets were spent or sexually ripe. It is 

 not known that the nets in either case were on the actual spawning grounds of the 

 species, but they could not have been far removed. On March 2, 1921, a lift of 

 23^-inch gill nets made 21 miles NNW. of Michigan City, Ind., in 30 fathoms (record 

 28) contained 81 per cent of bloaters, most of which were spawning or nearly ripe. 

 A lift made on March 4, 1921, 15 miles NW. by N. ^2 N. of the same port in 28 

 fathoms had 96 per cent of bloaters (record 29). 



The character of the bottom is unknown. No traces of bottom material were 

 present on the anchor stones, and as clay is found commonly sticking to the anchors 

 when the nets are lifted from such bottom, it may be that the bottom on this occasion 

 was sandy. Most of the fish were ripe, and in the nets there were often two to four 

 fish side by side in the meshes, probably having been gilled in the act of spawning 

 or attempting to spawn. The specimens taken in the gang averaged larger than 

 any other catch of hoyi seen on the lake and contained the largest individuals I have 

 ever collected. There were fewer small individuals entangled in the netting than 

 is usual at other seasons of the year, and possibly the small individuals have their 

 own spawning areas. The lift of fish was very light (1,000 pounds in about 5 miles 

 of netting, six nights out), considering the fact that the fish were spawning, and it 

 may be that the bulk of the species was spawning on other grounds near by or had 

 not yet come onto the grounds. 



In a letter dated February 21, 1925, Lester Smith, of Port Washington, reports 

 that large quantities of bloaters, heavy with spawn, are being taken in the shallow 

 waters off that port. Considering probabilities, there seems to be no reason to 

 doubt Mr. Smith's identification, and his observations may be taken to supple- 

 ment my own. 



