The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1876-01-20
FISH.
Something About Fishing and Fish
Hatching.

As fishing forms one Of the prin-
cipal industries of this region, the
following items from the report of
the Fish Commissioners of this
State may not prove uninteresting.
The article on Matching is from
The Green Bay Gazette:
We are happy to say that the public mind
is fast bec0mii educated on the subject
-1ffaer~ceasf1eration. Newspapers and stand
ard nerlodicals devote much Of their salu /,
bic space in giving Informatto. vu.., .. y
ect We should have been glad, in this
report, to have given complete statistics as to
the extent of the fsh-nterest in Wisconsin,
but the compiling OF complete information
on that subject would require much careful
la or and time, and we have not felt at lib
erty, from the small appropriation in
our hands to incur the neces stry
expense This should be done without
unnecessary delay, and az one of our Com
missoncrs, (Dr. HoY,l in the opinion of his
assoc ates, is peculiarly fitted for that task,
we hope it may be done sometime during
the coming season. We give such informa-
ton on the subject as we have been able to
obtain, and the extent of the fisheries at a
few points Oh the lake.
At Mil waukce there are four steam -snacks,
and two sailing snacks engaged in fishing.
These six smacks have 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 $4,000 to 90
900 pounds OF fish, while III November the Y
increased the take to $4,000 pounds each.
The sailing smacks took about the same
number each trip, but they made a less num-
ber 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 $1,000.
The capital invested at that place is not
far from $4,000 In former days the
fishermen used nets of a larger mesh and
took white-fsh that weighed from to ii
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 al
most unknown now.
At Racine there are employed four sailing
crafts, using total of thirty miles of nets
each trip averages about 400 pounds, max
ing 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 taden about eighty tons at
Racine during the fsh-season.
Kenosha employs four smacks, with about
Z rtv nf fc hp fnh 10 oh nut
equal to Racine,
In these places, Kenosha, Racine, and
Milwaukee, there isa total of one hundred
and twenty-five miles of gil-nets used There
| is 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 falling off of at least one
/ fourth; so that it is evident to all that
the waters of Lake Michigan are being
gradually depleted Of fish.
ERAL, AND THE EXPERIMENT AT pENsAUKEE
IN PARTICULAR.
I'VE presume that it is not generally
known that the State has a fsh-hatchine
house at Pensaukee, on the bay shore, twenty
three miles north of this city, but such is the
fact. However it is yet in its infancy. The
legislature two years ago made small ap
preparation for fsh-culture, and appointed
| Messrs. Welch, Palmer, and Hay as Fish
Commissioners The appropriation, as We
/ understand, was very small--only 81, 900
but there still remains an expended balance
which is being invested at Pensaukee, under
the immediate charge of Mr. John Palmer
who is son of Alfred Palmer the Commis
sforer He is assisted by Wa Petherick