Report of Fish Commissioners. 
40 7 
At Milwaukee there are four steam-smacks, and two sailirm- 
smacks engaged in fishing. These six smacks have a total of sixty- 
five miles of nets. Each smack takes an average of 400 pounds of 
fish each trip, during summer. During the month of October, 1874, 
each smack took from 18,000 to 20,000 pounds of fish, while in No¬ 
vember they increased the take to 32,000 pounds each. The sailing- 
smacks took about the same number each trip, but they made less 
number of trips. The total of fish taken at Milwaukee during the 
season of 1874 was not far from 270 tons of dressed fish. Each 
steam-smack cost about $7,000. The capital invested at that place 
is not far from $75,000. In former days the fishermen used nets 
of a larger mesh and took white-fish that weighed from 8 to 14 
pounds each, the latter figures being the largest known to have 
been caught. Now they have to use smaller-meshed nets and take 
smaller fish, the large ones being almost unknown. 
At Racine there are employed four sailing-crafts, using a total of 
thirty miles of nets; each trip average about 400 pounds, making a 
trip every day unless interfered by storms. During October and 
November the trips were tripled. A large per cent, of the fish 
taken during the last half of October and November were trout, as 
the spawning-grounds of this fish are no great distance from this 
place. Tons of this magnificent fish were taken when filled with 
ripe spawn. There were taken about eighty tons at Racine during 
the fish season. 
Kenosha employs four smacks, with about thirty miles of nets, 
and the catch is about equal to Racine. 
In these places, Kenosh, Racine, and Milwaukee, there is a total 
of one hundred and twenty-five miles of gill-nets used. There 
is a total of nets used in the waters of Lake Michigan to extend from 
one end of the lake to the other. 
During the year 1875, there has been great complaints of scarcity 
of fish, and there has been a falling oft of at least one-fourth; so 
that it is evident to all that the waters of Lake Michigan are being 
gradually depleted of fish. 
One of the Commissioners has been engaged a part of the last 
summer, in ascertaining by writing and correspondence, the depth, 
temperature, and nature of the bottom of several of the larger of 
our inland-lakes. The species of fish inhabiting these lakes have 
mostly been ascertained. These investigations were prosecuted with 
