Erie Fishing: Part Four

Lake Erie 2010

The kinds of fish caught on Lake Erie changed over the years. Many of the popular fish decreased in availability from over fishing, huge buyer demand, environmental factors, and the loss of the spawning waters. For example, the sauger, with blotched brown or gray sides, 12 to 18 inches long, and a long sleek body similar to a walleye, grew scarce because of over fishing and habitat loss. 

Fish Caught in Lake Erie                                                                                                    

	1700s	1800s	1900s	2000s
Popular Fish	black bass, catfish, lake trout, perch,  muskellunge, northern pike, whitefish, lake sturgeon,	cisco, whitefish, lake trout	northern pike, walleyes, blue pike, smelt, white bass, whitefish, carp, goldfish, yellow perch, suckers,	catfish
Declined in number during this time		muskellunge, lake sturgeon	herring, northern pike, bluepike,   sauger, suckers, whitefish	cisco, lake trout

Ways of Fishing

            Even though the Seneca used nets, most Erie fishermen first used hook-and-line fishing to bring in fish.

With the introduction of the seine net by Thomas Horton in 1830, fishermen caught more fish at one time. The seine is a long rectangle net with a weighted bottom.

            The gill-net which tangled a fish’s gills came into use in the 1850s. The holes in the net are made a size that a fish’s head can go through but not its body. As the fish struggles, the cord slips behind its gills trapping it.

The seine or the gill net needed many men working together to haul them in over the side of the boat. Later, mechanical net pullers cut down the need for so much crew.

In 1902, fishermen used an estimated 800 miles of nets in Lake Erie

The End of the Industry

            The number one reason for the end of Erie fishing came from the new supermarket style of merchandising in the early 1900s. Until that time, people went to a fish market to buy fresh fish. The supermarkets wanted their products in packages ready to put out for sale at an inexpensive price. Salt-water fish could be obtained cheaper than Erie’s fresh-water fish.

To reduce the number of fish of endangered fish being caught, the government banned the use of gill nets in 1996. The seine net was also prohibited for most species. This caused the final collapse of the Erie fishing industry. Bringing in the quantity of fish needed to make a business thrive grew too difficult. 

 References

Applegate, Vernon C. and Harry D. Van Meter. “A Brief History of Commercial Fishing in Lake Erie.” Fishery Leaflet 630, April 1970 Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Interior. pubs.usgs.gov. Web 24 April 2017.

Arway, John A. “Lake Erie Commercial Fishing – 2016.” Fishandboat.com. Web 6 May 2017.

Gwynn, David. “A Quick History of the Supermarket.” Groceteria.com, 1999-2018. Web 4 Jan 2017.

Roddy, Dennis B. “Caught in a Net of Laws and Bans, Fishermen Lost Their Livelihood.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 30, 2010. Web 6 May 2017.

Smith, Kristina. “Ohio wants to bring two fish species back to Lake Erie.” Port Clinton News Herald.com, April 16, 2015 Web 4 Jan 2018

Watkins, Charles A. “A Good Day’s Catch: Commercial Fishing in Erie.” Pennsylvania Heritage, Vol. IX, No. 2, pages 12-17. Harrisburg: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Spring 1983.  Print.