Daily camera., 1899-08-23
THE LAKE FISHERIES.
Census Of 1900 Expected to Furnish
Surprises.
Great Increase in the Industry Dur
lag the Last Ten Years
FOfsiGneFs IN the
Business.

The census report for 1900 of the
great lakes fisheries is expected to con-
tain surprises in respect to the exten-
sion of the fisheries during the last ten
years in the great lakes of Superior,
Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario.
From 1850 to 1890 the number of fish
ermen actually engaged in these wa
tiers increased SO per cent. The capital
invested during the same period in
creased ll0 per cent, and the fish
taken increased from 6s, ,00O, 900 to 49,
100000 pounds, or 20 per cent. Lake
Ontario was the only one TO show loss.
In fact, the great lakes fisheries are
now the fisheries of the great lakes to
the west of Buffalo, and Lake Ontario
is no longer factor in the matter.
Since 1890 the increase i'll the num-
Der of fishermen, in capital invested in
these fisheries and in the amount of
fish taken has shown ratio even la'rg
cr than prior TO 1890, and it is for this
reason that some important surprises
are expected in the next national cen
sus. Very few persons have any very
clear idea of the wonderful productive
ness in fish of the waters of the great
lakes. An estimate based on the
known production showed that in the
decade terminating with the census of
1890 1000, 900 pounds of fish were
taken, which yielded the fishermen
S25, 100000. In 1890 6,996 persons were
engaged in the capture of fish in the
great lakes. These employed 107 steam
.rs, valued at S35O,0OO, and $50 vessels
and boats, worth S325,0O0. The APP
paratus used consisted of 3,sG0 pounds
net and trap nets, the value of which
WAS $4,000; gill nets to the value of
100000; l76 seines and other ap-
parutus. The capital invested in shore
property directly connected with the
fisheries was nearly Sl,O00,000. These
items give. AS the total Investment in
fishing property, about S3,O00,000. The
quantity of fish taken was lls,000,0oO
pounds. the value OF which at whole
sale was s2,613,7si, and at retail prob
ably >5,Oo0,0oO.
One curious reason given to account
for the increase of the lake fisheries is
the advent, especially in the more west
crn lakes, of many immigrants from
the fishing and maritime countries of
Europe. particularly Norway, Sweden,
Germany, Denmark and Finland. The
Scandinavians and natives of the Bal
tic provinces of Germany. as is well
known, are excellent fishermen. and
many of these Scandinayians and Ger
mans, after coming TO the United
States, have taken up here the same
as they pursued in their
own countries, with the result that
there is near each of the great lakes
what may be called a fisherman popula-
tion. lust as the enormous fisheries OF
Canada are largely in the control OF the
of two classes of emf
Rretons from France and
the Scotch and north of Ireland fisher
men. In similar fashion much of the
extensive fishery business of the Pa
ciiic slope is in the hands of Scandi-
nayisn or Portuguese fishermen, and
New Bedford. Mass, still the headquar-
tiers of what remains of the once-cele-
has still "A considerable local Portu-
gucse population devoted to the bust
ness of whaling. Two-thirds of the
catch of the fisheries of the great lakes |
is made up of four kinds of tish-her-
ring. trout. whiteiish and sturgeon.
The catch of lake trout, which is one OF
the most important and highly-es-
tccmed fishes of the great lakes, in
creased from 4,397,G3i pounds, or 65
per cent, from 1889 to 1890. 1t is most
abundant in Lake Michigan. Next to
herring whitefish is the most abundant
and most profitable catch in the great
akes.-N. Y. Sun.