The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1900-03-01
THE LAKE FISHERIES.
Census of 1900 Expected to Furnish
Surprises.
Great Increase in the Industry Dur
ing the Last Ten Years.
Foreigners In the
Business.

The census report for 1900 of the
great lakes fisheries is expected to con-
tain surprises in respect to the extern
sion of the fisheries during the last ten
wears 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
ters increased SO per cent. The capital
invested during the same period in
creased 10 per cent, and the fish
taken increased from 6s.00o,G00 to 49,
100000 pounds, or 70 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 in the num-
Der of fishermen, in capital invested in
these fisheries and in the amount of
fish taken has shown a ratio even la'rg-
er than prior to 1890, and il is for his
reason that some important surprises
are expected in the mex national cen
sus. Very few persons have any very
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 l,000,000,000 pounds of fish were
taken, which yielded the fishermen
S25 100000. In 1890 6.996 persons We're
engaged in the capture of fish in the
IL n Gta
rs, valued at S350,000, and 3.s16 vessels
and boats, worth S325.000. The APP
paratus used consisted of $500 pounds
net and trap nets, the value of which
was $s25,000; gill nets to the value OF
100000; 176 seines and other APP
paratus. The capital invested in shore
property directly connected with the
fisheries was nearly $1,000, 00. These
items give, as the total investment in
fishing property, about S3,o00.o0o The
quantity of fish taken was lls,00O,000
pounds, the value of which at whole
sale was s2,6l5,7s4, and ut retail prob
ably $5,o00,ooo.
One curious reason given to account
for the increase of the lake fisheries is
the advent, especially in the more west
ern lakes, of many immigrants from
the fishing and maritime countries of
Europe. particularly Norway, Sweden,
Germany. Denmark and Finland. The
Scandnavians and natives of the Bal
tic provinces of Germany, as is well
known, are excellent fishermen, and
many of these Scandinavians and Ger
mans, after coming to the United
states. have taken up here the same
ayocations as they pursued i'll their
own countries. with the result that
there is near each 81 the great lakes
what may be called fisherman popula-
ton, lust as the enormous fisheries of
Canada are largely in the control OF the
descendants OF two classes of emf
grants the Bretons from France and
the Scotch and north OF Ireland fisher
men. In similar fashion much of the
extensive fishery business of the Pa
citc slope is in the hands of Scandi-
navian or Portuguese fishermen, and
New Bedford, Mass, still the headquar-
tiers of what remains of the once-cele-
brated and lucrative whale fisheries.
has still considerable local Portu-
guese 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 fish her
ring, trout. whitefish and sturgeon.
The catch Of lake trout, which is one of
the most important and highy-es-
tcemed fishes Of the great lakes, in
creased from 4,39f,s31 pounds, or 65
per cent, from 1889 TO ls90. 1t is most
abundant in Lake Michigan. Next to
herring whitetish is the most abundant
and most profitable catch in the great
akes.-N. Y. Sun.