Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-03-04
WISCONSIN CONSERVATION
COMMISSION
Division of Fisheries
BY JAMES NEVIN
Perch-The Poor Mans Fish


Some people think that the perch
are too common fish to be worthy to
pay much attention to in the way of
catching them for sport, or as food
fish. AS food fish there were ,649.-
122 pounds caught in the waters of
this state during 1917 The value of
the fish, as reported by the commercial
fishermen of the state and sold as a
food product, for some $S6,SS6.63. On
the whole-quite an item for the perch
production of the state.
In some waters the perch grow
much larger than in others. In Lake
Winnebago waters and in some of the
Madison Lakes, Little Sturgeon and
Sturgeon Bay, many perch are caught
That weigh over pound in weight.
At certain seasons the large perch
bring fancy prices, as there is no
sweeter meated fish swims than the
common perch and the larger the fish
inc better price they bring to the
fishermen.
The bulk of the perch are caught in
Green Bay waters in hoop and fyke
nets. Lake Winnebago is great
breeding ground for perch, and mil
lions of small perch as fry and fish
two or three months old, go down the
river every summer and fall and keep
the waters of Green Bay over sup
Piled whit perch. Perch are more
prolific than any other of our fresh
water fishes.
When a fellow who has seen and
knows of the great waste in the des-
truction of the many thousands OF
pounds of small immature perch that
have been caught in nets and placed
on the market for one-half cents to
two cents per pound, and many of the
dealers could not find way to dis
pose them to any advantage, that they
had to be sent to be the garbage
grounds on account of not being able
to find market for them before they
spoiled, and nobody got any value for
their time and labor and expense that
was attached thereto in the transac-
ton in the caching and handling OF
the fish, total loss to the dealer that
bought the fish. Perch have been
bought at times that are past gone
for as low as Csc per hundred pounds,
Great quantities of perch that are
caught and cannot be disposed OF
fresh on account of the over-supply
OF fish on the market, in this later
day period, bought by the wholesale
fish dealers and frozen and kept in
cold storage until such time there is
demand for such fish. During the
winter months when fish are scarce
and hard to get, the dealers have an
opportunity to unload the fish for fair
remuneration. At this time fish of all
kinds bring fancy prices.
The Perch Law
The Commission believes that the
S-inch perch law affecting the waters
OF Green Bay should be repealed. In
these waters great numbers of perch
are caught annually by fishermen with
fyke and gill nets. Soon after the g.
inch law went in to effect, fishermen
complained that if the law was strictly
enforced they would be driven out of
business. Pressure from fishermen
became so strong that the Commits
sion Instituted an investigation ex-
tending its inquiries to the dealers as
well as the fishermen and personally
examined the fish and kept tab on the
size and numbers as taken from the
nets when lifted by the fishermen.
This resulted in finding that not to
exceed five per cent of the perch
caught in Green Bay waters reached
the S-inch size.
Because of the war demand for food
production and conservation, the Com
mission decided not to enforce the
S-inch provision of the law, it being
clear that to do so would virtually
eliminate perch as a food supply.
We did not allow any perch to be
shipped out of the state under s inch
es, nor did we allow the fisherman to
place any perch on the market of less
than z inches in length, they were all
placed and sold in the home markets
of the state.
1t is question with the Commission
now whether many perch in the upper
end of Green Bay ever reach the g.
inch size as the food conditions are
not altogether favorable, or there is
an over-abundance of fish. Lower
down the bay from Little Sturgeon to
Washington Island, the fishermen
made no complaint about the 8-inch
law; in fact, they seemed to be we'll
satisfied with it. The same sentiment
prevails among the fishermen on the
Lake Michigan side of the peninsula,
The perch there seem generally to
grow considerably larger than those
caught in the upper reaches of Green
Bay.
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