The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-02-24
FISHING ON THE LAKES.
N IMPORTANT WINTER INDUS
TRY OF THE WEST.
Tho FISH supply for Eight Great
States - Tho Kind OF Boats and
Nets Used In tho Business.


H industries are more intcrestin
or of greater public importanc
than the fisheries OF the grea
lakes. The charming blue Of the waters
their freshness, the beauty Of the specie
of fish taken aud the methods cmployel
render them -Fsosurusque as well
-fr0m the depths Of these great seas ar
taken tens Of thousands Of tons Of isl
overy year, and the food supply OF a
least eight States 10 vastly richer ant
better for It. Lake whitefsh. trout and
pike find welcome place in their season
on the menus OF hotels throughout the
North, and caviar is manufactured o
such quality and quantity that not only
the homo demand Is supplied In tho
main, but considerable amount Is ex
ported to Germany and other European
countries.
Each lake has distinct character In
Its fisheries. Whitefish are the great fish
of Lake Superior, lake trout OF Huron
und Michigan, and herring AMI blue pike
of Erie. All species arc found in all tho
lakes, and considerable quantity OF
each is taken in every ono OF them, but
tho predominant species caught gives in.
dividuality and character to tho whole.
I'm sisc or catch~ Erfo ranks nrst, with
Michigan second, Huron coso third
and Superior fourth. Lake Eric alone
yields about twenty five thousand tons Of
fish annually, two-flfths OF VIII ch IL lake
herring, smaller species Of tho white
fish family that rarely exceeds Il foot IN
length and pound in weight, but rivals
tho whitcfsh itself IN beauty OF scale and
the mother of.pcarl effects Of sunlight
ON its silvery sides when taken from tho
water. Bluo pike comprises another
fifth, rivaling tho color of fino blucd
steel in splendid metallic luster.
About one-tcnth is sturgeon, tho
largest species Of lako fish, and one OF
the most uncanny looking. They are
moro common in tho eastern oDl of Lake
Erie, aud sometimes reach many pounds
in weight. Their rocs, which havo boon
taken weighing as much as sixty pounds,
when properly picked and sp;ccd, arc
the caviar Of commerce, while from their
ibladdcrs isinglass is made. This fish, in
the early days OF lake fishing, was highly
esteemed, but smoked sturgeon is now
cured IN large quantities and sells read
lily in all the principal markets OF the
country. The remaining three .tcnths
arc whitcfsh, saugcrs or sandpikc, porch
and bass.
Moro than half tho great catch Of
Lake Eric is sold while fresh. 1t IS
shipped on ice to oil tho cities and
towns Of Western Now York and Penn
'sylvania and of Ohio and Indiana. About
5000 tons arc salted aud sold over a
wide area in tho familiar exits" and
quarter barrels, while 1000 tons arc
frozen hnd 1900 smoked. The three
greater lakes together produce loss than
go, 600 tons annually, total 81 yantic In
itself, but small indeed compared with
the product OF little Eric.
The fsheries Of the lakes are carried
on prinSipally with tw0. kinds Of nets-
tho pound and q iIansss~s-' 'ssknss-
sometimes used, aud grapncls are en-
ploycd to somo extout in sturgeon fish,
ing, but at least ninety five per cent. of
ali the fish taken is by tho two means
named. The gill net is tho only device
used in deep water. Where the depth
exceeds fifty feet the pound net is un-
profitable aud impossible, and usually is
not employed in greater depth than
twenty-five feet. The gill net is about
six feet wide, u single sheet OF meshcs.
varying in opcnness with tho size OF fish
to be taken. Each net is about 300 feet
long, aud they are set together in gangs
Of forty to sixty nets.
Thus each stretch of gill nets is be-
tween three and four miles In length.
by means of floats on one side aud sink
crs on the other it takes an upright posi-
ton Oh the bottom of the lake, wEcrc 1t
is anchored and its place marked by
buoys and little flags ut the surface. The
fish in swimming UP or down the lake
strike this mazy stretch Of twine. push
through 10 if- tioy can, ana those that are
too large to pass through are caught by
the gills and held. 1t IS o cruel method,
because if the net Is not lifted in few
hours the fish is drowned aud will then
soon become worthless. Not infrc.
quently in November the storms prevent
visit to the nets for several days, and
often when they aIc lifted under such
circumstances there are hundreds Of dead
and bloatcd fish IN them.
= The pound net is q much more humane
contrivancc. 1t takes the fish alive and
keeps them so Mnt!i the fishermen come
to remove them. 1t was first intro
duccd On the lakes about 1880, and is
the familiar net of Connecticut fisher
men. 1t has three parts-lcaders, fun
mel or heart and bowl or pot. The fish
strike the leaders, and if too large to
pass through its meshes turn aside and
follow along to the funnel, and thence
through it into the bowl, from which
they rarely escape. Lifting pound net
consist, accordingly, of simply raising
the bowl and scooping the fish from it
into the boat, while the whole gill net
must he taken up and changed and
washed every time it is visited.
A few years ago the fishing tug was a
rarity. The dingy and POUNDING. sail
boat were almost universal. But with
the development of the industry the EN-
ployment of the steam iYg Of from five
II twenty tons burden came in rapidly.
A score of them are now in the business
In Erie, Penn, nearly as many in Cleve.
land, and many more in Sandusky. They
will soon about entirely supplant the
sailboat, as steam is more certain thar
the tickle wind, and getting fish to mar