FISHING INDUSTRY
The decline of the fur industry resulted in a lot of unused capital capacity such as the boats, outfits and even labor, the voyageurs. Resiliently, the voyageurs made use of their already existing capital and started the fishing business, which became Mackinac Island’s main industry as early as 1824 (Bailey 1899, 183). The fishing industry focuses on whitefish, weighed from 22-25 lbs., and trout, weighed about 85 lbs. The island served as the place where the fish were salted and packaged into barrels to ship. Between 1854 and 1860, the fishing trade increased to about two hundred and fifty thousand packages, an increase in value by over one million dollars. This industry continued to grow with the invention of trap nets in 1865. However, this also led to the decline in whitefish and trout population. The extinction of trout and whitefish forced the producers to introduce artificial hatching. In late 1800 and early 1900, the fish were primarily shipped to Chicago, packed in ice, as opposed to the old preservation method, salting.
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Mackinac Island Charter Fishing Today
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