548 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



The records in Table 96 show occasional specimens taken in the chub nets on No- 

 vember 19, 1920, 17 miles NNW. and 17 H miles NW. by N. % N. of Michigan City, 

 Ind., in 28 to 32 fathoms, and on March 4, 1921, 15 miles NW. by N. %, N. of that 

 port in 28 fathoms. Out of Northport pilot are known to occur with the herring 

 in 2 or 3 fathoms for about two weeks when the ice leaves around April 1, but else- 

 where no nets are set for pilot in spring, and hence nothing is known of the move- 

 ments of the species in spring. 



Data on the occurrence in summer. — A few fishermen have tried to take the pilot 

 in commercial quantities in the summer. John Ellafson, of Washington Harbor, 

 says that he has taken them in August and September at depths of 6 to 12 fathoms 

 on sand. Otto Anderson, of Arcadia, claims to have found them in 8 to 10 fathoms 

 in September. Robert Gibson, of St. James, says that several years ago, in July 

 and August, in 5 to 8 fathoms on sand and gravel around Garden and Hog Island of 

 the Beaver group, he caught on an average of 500 to 600 pounds of these fish at a 

 lift in 8,000 feet of nets, when lifted after two nights out. In September, Mr. Gibson 

 says, the fish disappeared and could be found neither shallower nor deeper. The 

 other St. James fishermen and Mr. Schrader, of Northport, concur with Mr. Gibson 

 in the assertion that the pilot schools are very erratic in their movements. They 

 visit and leave certain grounds for no apparent reason, and can not be followed in 

 their migrations. Out of Washington Harbor, Northport, Traverse City, and the 

 Beaver Islands an occasional specimen becomes entangled in the trout nets at 

 depths of 6 to 16 fathoms during the summer months. 



No individuals have been seen by me or reported by the fishermen from the 

 13^-inch nets that are set at 30 fathoms out of many ports for bloaters, and none 

 have been seen by me in the chub nets, except those from off Michigan City in 28 

 to 32 fathoms in November and March, so that the maximum depth to which the 

 species retires is probably about 30 fathoms. 



The records indicate, then, that the pilot are found inshore in numbers on 

 honeycomb rock and gravel in November and into December. Little is known of 

 their movements during the remainder of the year, but at one locality, at least, 

 they are found on the beaches again when the ice leaves in the spring. Fishing 

 operations have been conducted for the species out of several ports in July, August, 

 and September, and these operations have disclosed the presence of the species at 

 depths of 5 to 12 fathoms. Casual specimens have been taken out of many ports 

 as deep as 16 fathoms and out of one port as deep as 28 to 32 fathoms, so that 32 

 fathoms probably marks the upper limit of the depth range of the. species. 



BREEDING HABITS 



The fall inshore movement is for the purpose of spawning. There are no more 

 definite data available than that the fish can be taken abundantly in November 

 and even in December if the weather permits fishing so late. Spawning takes place, 

 according to the fishermen, on honeycomb rock and gravel in 2 to 6 fathoms of water . 



FOOD 



No studies have been made of the food of the species in Lake Michigan, except 

 that small individuals taken on July 30, 1923, off South Manitou Island were feeding 



