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_been so, man never could have*depleted these waters of fish as they now 
are. This same culturist found a reef that could be inclosed with net- 
ting and placed therein twelve white fish of each sex, where they could 
spawn in the natural way. The females weighed three and one-half 
pounds, and had an average of 36,000 eggs each. The percentage of eggs 
hatched was so surprisingly small that we do not wonder these waters 
have been depleted of white fish. Out of this enormous number of eggs 
one hundred thirty-five young fish came to life. 
Then, the white fish is a defenseless fish, has no way of protecting 
itself, and we can safely figure that at least three-fourths are destroyed 
by trout, perch and herring before they grow to maturity. Had these 
fish been as productive as some species, as for instance, the German carp, 
the lakes would have been so over-crowded that there would not have 
been food enough for them. The Almighty in His wise forethought 
had provided for this emergency, in letting such a small amount of eggs 
fertilize. _ Also His words are true, “Where thou sowest not, thou canst 
not reap.” | 
White fish are our most valuable food fish, and the most en caught. 
At certain times of the year they find their food in shoal water, along 
the shores and banks, where tons upon tons were dragged ashore with 
seines. ‘This was also the harvest for the pound net fishermen. Boat 
load after boat load was taken, the large ones sorted and sent to the 
markets, the small ones thrown back into the water after having died, 
or buried on the shores. There was no law prohibiting the catching, or 
wasting and millions of young fish were destroyed in this way. 
Gill net fishing has undergone a complete change. From small sail- 
ing smacks, and eighteen to twenty-four nets, we have developed to the 
use of steam tugs, and could run from ninety-six to one hundred fifty 
nets. Fishermen had made their meshes smaller, from five to three and 
three-fourths inches, which caught fish of one pound in weight, and be- 
fore the species had a chance to spawn even once in its life time. Fisher- 
men could run farther and fish later in the season with the tugs. ‘They 
planted nets by the thousands on reefs where the fish had crowded to 
spawn, and completely caught them away. The demand had increased 
with the growing population, fishermen concentrated all their energy 
on the catching of these fish, and with the small percentage of repro- 
duction it is easy to figure why they have decreased so alarmingly fast. 
It was simply harvesting where there was no sowing or planting, and 
white fish had become almost extinct in the south half of Lake Michigan. 
Between 1880 and 1890 many fishermen failed, some moved further 
north, where white fish were still plentiful, and others started in catch- 
ing our next most valuable food fish, the trout. This fish is more wary 
and never will be caught away as fast or as completely as the white fish. 
There are two distinct species, the Mackinaw or reef, and the deep 
water trout. The Mackinaw is a shoal water fish, and has its feeding 
grounds in from six to thirty fathoms of water. ‘T'wenty-five years ago 
they were very numerous in the north half of Lake Michigan, where 
their main breeding grounds are, but have been decreasing oradually 
‘from year to year. 
