Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1899-09-06
THE LAKE FISHERIES.
Census of 1000 Expected to Furnish
 Surprises
Great Inerease In the Industry Dsr- ing the Last Ten Years Foreigners in the
 HusinCss-

The census report for 1900 of the great lakes fisheries is expected Co con tain surprises in respect Co the eNten- sion of the fisheries during the last ten years in the great lakes of superior Michigan, Huron. Erie and Ontario. From 1880 to 1890 the number of hsh- crmen actually engaged in these wa ters increased 8 per cent. The capitai invested during the same period ln- creased no per cent, and the fish taken increased from 6s,Ooo GOO to lle,- oO0. 900 pounds. or 70 per cent Lake Ontario was the only one Co 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 a factor in the matter.
 Since 1890 the increase in the mum Der of fishermen, in capital invested m these fisheries and in the amount oi fish taken has shown a ratio even larg- CT than prior to lsg0. and it IS for this reason that some important surprises are expected in the next national cen sus. Very few persons have any very a | ness in fish of the waters of the great lakes. An estimate based on the ] known uroduction showed that in the decade terminating with the census ui . 1890 l.O00. 0.0G1. 600 pounds of fish were ! taken, which yielded the fishermen ] sas.oU0. 900. In 1890 6,g96 persons were i engaged in the capture of fish in the great lakes. These employed lg7 steam CTS valued at S3s0000. and 3.s.6 vessels and boats. worth S325,Ooo. The ap- uaratus used consisted of $500 pounds me, and trap nets. the value of which was Ssa5. 900; gill nets to the value oi . S41a Dgp: fsG seiues and other ap- uaratus. The capital invested in shore property directly connected with the
 fisheries was nearly Si,oo0.oo0 These items give. as the total investment lr fishing property. about S3,oo0,001- The ogautity of fish taken was lls,ooo,uQ, uo1nJs. the value of which at whole
 sale was s2,6l5.Ts4. and at retail prob
 ably S5.0O1,0oo.
 One curious reason given to account
 for the increase of the lake fisheries i' the advent. especially in the more west eru lakes. Of many immigrants iron
 the fishing and maritime countries o'
 Europe. particularly Norway, Sweden
 Geruauv. Denmark and Finland. lhi
 Scandinayians and natives of the Bal
 ,ic provinces of Germany. as IS vel
 known. are excellent fishermen, anS
 many of these ScandinaVans and Ger
 mans. after coming to the United States. have taken up here the sam'
 avocatious as they pursued in then
 own countries, with the result tha
 there IS near each ut the great Iakei
 what may be called q fisherman popula
 tion. just as the enormous fisheries o Canada are largely in the control or th'
 descendants of two classes of emi
 ,,rants-the Bretons from France anc
 the Scotch and north of Ireland fisher . men. In similar fashion much of th'
 extensive fishery business of the Ia cifc slope is in the hands of Scandl
 navian or Portuguese fishermen. an' New Bedford. Mass, still the headquar
 rers of what remains of the once-cele
 brated and lucrative whale fisheries i. has still a considerable local Portu , guese population devoted 10 the busi = ness of whaling. Two-thirds of tn catch of the fisheries of the great lake !, is made up of four kinds of fish-her , ring. trout. whitefsh and sturgeon |, The catch of lake trout, which is one O | the most important and highiy-es
 teemed fishes of the great lakes, in . creased from 4.397,03l pounds, or G I per cent, from 1889 to 1890. IL is mos
 abundant in Lake Michigan. Next t'
 herring whitefish is the most abundan
 and most profitable catch in the grea .IoLaS-N Y Sun.