A fish tug (also spelled fishtug or referred to as a fishing tug) is a type of commercial fishing vessel used primarily on the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
and the
Saint Lawrence Seaway
The St. Lawrence Seaway () is a system of rivers, locks, canals and channels in Eastern Canada and Northern United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North America, as far inland ...
in the 20th century.
History
Fish tugs evolved from small, open, motorised boats that had largely replaced sail-powered vessels on the Great Lakes by the early 1900s. To improve safety and efficiency, fishermen began enclosing cabins and installing mechanical net lifters. These early adaptations still left the forward deck and stern exposed.
By the 1930s, it became common to install pilothouses amidship or near the stern, and extend the cabin covering to the bow, forming what was known as a "sprayhood".
Steel-hulled boats began to replace wooden-hulled vessels in the late 1950s. In the 1970s, government regulations in the United States severely restricted
gill-net fishing, leading to a sharp decline in fish tug operations.
Present day
Today, few fish tugs remain in operation. Many surviving vessels have been preserved as historical artefacts and are no longer used for commercial fishing.
A number of fish tugs are still active on the Canadian side of
Lake Erie
Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...
, where gillnet fisheries are regulated and remain viable. Some operations continue on
Lake Huron
Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the lake is derived from early French ex ...
, and a few fish tugs are also used by tribal fisheries across the Great Lakes.
Notable example
The ''Katherine V'' is a wooden-hulled fish tug built in 1928 in Rogers City, Michigan. Operated until 1970, it was restored and donated to th
Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan It is believed to be the last intact wooden fish tug in existence.
See also
*
Gillnetting
Gillnetting is a fishing method that uses gillnets: vertical panels of netting that hang from a line with regularly spaced floaters that hold the line on the surface of the water. The floats are sometimes called "corks" and the line with corks is ...
*
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
References
{{fishing-stub
Types of fishing vessels
History of the Great Lakes