Fishery bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Service - NOAA

WHITEFISH FISHERY OF LAKES HURON AND MICHIGAN 305
one million pounds only 5 times (1897, 1898, 1905, 1909, and 1912) during the 45 years.
The average annual production of 1895-1939 was 1,333,000 pounds. This average
may be accepted as an estimate of normal production in Georgian Bay. The relatively
good yields of 1933-1935 suggest an increase comparable (but less pronounced) to that
which took place in the same years in the Ontario waters of Lake Huron proper. Again
it may be observed that the change in the territory covered by the statistics collected
after 1921 showed no effect on the figures of yield.
It may be noted here that the periods of decline and of increase in the production
of whitefish in the Michigan waters were followed a year or two later by similar periods
in the Ontario waters of Lake Huron. This correspondence suggests that the annual
fluctuations in ecological conditions on the two sides of the lake may be similar. The
changes in take in the Georgian Bay waters, however, showed no similarity with those
in Lake Huron proper.
The totals for the entire lake indicate that the earlier years of the fishery were the
years of the heaviest yields. Especially noteworthy was the high production in the
period, 1889-1894, when the average annual catch was 6,295,000 pounds. 8 Subsequent
to 1894 the production of whitefish was relatively stable over a long period. The catch
rose above 3 million pounds only once (1916) in the period, 1895-1925, 10 and dropped
below 2 million pounds only 5 times (1897, 1898, 1905, 1912, and 1913). The average
production in this period (with the catch for 1908 omitted) was 2,351,000 pounds, which
yield may be accepted as the normal for the entire lake. Good catches in both Canadian
and United States waters made possible yields that were consistently above 3
million pounds in the years, 1926-1929 (average, 3,298,000 pounds). It was in the
period, 1930-1934, however, that the production of the modern fishery reached its greatest
heights. The take was greater than 4 million pounds in all 5 years and exceeded 5
million pounds in 3 years. The average was 5,087,000 pounds. The most recent of
the earlier years with comparable production was Í893. It is to be noted that Canadian
waters were largely responsible for the high production of the early years (1893 and
earlier), whereas in 1930-1934 United States waters accounted for the bulk of the
catch. In fact, the Canadian production exceeded that of the United States in every
year except 1914, 1922, 1926, and the years, 1930-1934. By reason of a continuous
decrease in production the average yield for 1935-1939 was only 2,645,000 pounds. The
catch of 1,645,000 pounds in 1939 was the lowest for which there is a record. The small
yield in that year can be attributed in large measure to the collapse of the fishery in
United States waters.
LAKE MICHIGAN
The first acceptable records of the production of whitefish in Lake Michigan
(table 1), as in the United States waters of Lake Huron, begin with the year 1889.
(The 1890 record for the State of Michigan includes species other than whitefish.) 11
Attention will be given first to the production in the State of Michigan waters, the
area with which the present report is most concerned. It is. true also that the data
are more complete for the State of Michigan waters than for other regions of the lake
and that the production in these waters dominates the catch in the entire lake.
The production of whitefish in the State of Michigan waters of Lake Michigan
was between 2 and 3 million pounds in 10 of the 19 years, 1889 and 1891-1908.
(See fig. 3.) The catch was less than 2 million pounds in 6 years, (less than lYz
million pounds in the 3 years, 1894-1896) and was more than 3 million pounds in only
3 years (1889, 1907, and 1908). The 1889 yield of 5,005,000 pounds was the highest
for which there is a dependable record. The average for the period was 2,370,000
pounds. Production tended to decrease in the earlier span of years but to increase in
the later part of the period.
» It is unlikely that the inclusion of the catch of pilote in the production figures of whitefish in Slate of Michigan waters in 1890 affected this
average materially.
» No data for 1IW9-19U; the production of 3,060,000 pounds in 1908 may bs discounted because of the questionable accuracy of the data for
the Ontario waters of Huron proper in that year (p. 381 ).
" See appendix A for a discussion of the defeats in the statistics for 1879 and 1885 and for the State of Michigan waters in 1890 and appendix D
for the 1940-1942 records.