Series 2 of record group 75-34 consists of material relating to commercial fishing in Michigan, from the Michigan Department of Conservation, Fish Division (and its successor, the Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division) for the years 1867-1967. Most of the material is of a quantitative or enumerative nature, but some important narrative elements appear in the series as well. The most valuable statistical records are those which give the volume of fish caught each year and each month in the four Great Lakes adjoining Michigan; the amount of fish caught each year in the state's major bays; the amount of fish annually brought into various commercial fishing ports around the state; and the amount of fish caught each year by species. The narrative portion of the series deals with issues such as fishing laws and regulations; fishing gear statistics; spawn taking records for whitefish, yellow pike, and lake trout; information about deep trap nets; and the history of commercial fishing in Michigan.
