COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 11 



water and spawn, coupled with the fact that the fry pass the first year or 

 two of their life in fresh water, would make such a landlocking possible. 

 In mining operations on the Pacific coast the Pacific salmon have 

 often been artificially landlocked and in these cases have lived and 

 spawned. On the other hand in certain lakes where the landlocked 

 salmon exist that are not at the present time cut off from the sea, 

 there seems to be no evidence that such interruption of water passage 

 has taken place, and it is often difficult to see just how such conditions 

 could occur. 



Geographical Distribution. — -The only known natural occurrences 

 of landlocked salmon are in the lakes of North Eastern America and 

 certain lakes in Sweden. In the United States they are found only 

 in the lakes of Maine and are known as the Schoodic or Sebago 

 landlocked salmon. The Canadian form differs a little from the 

 Maine variety, and is known as the "ouananiche." 



The Sebago salmon has been quite widely distributed throughout 

 New England by artificial introduction. 



Habitat. — The clear cool water of deep lakes is the environment 

 most adapted to the landlocked salmon. They have been known to 

 endure a temperature of over 80°, but refused to eat when the tem- 

 perature became over 75°. 



Reproduction. — The spawning season occurs between October and 

 November. The fish usually select a place where the water is shallow 

 and rapid and the bottom gravelly. In different lakes both incoming 

 and outgoing currents have been selected. The eggs are heavy and 

 non-adhesive and are slightly over one-quarter inch in diameter. 

 The average number of eggs per fish is about 1,500, and many as 

 4,000 to 5,000 have been obtained from one fish. The eggs hatch 

 in about 169 days at a temperature of 37°. 



Food. Carnivorous. Usually insects and small fish. 



Size. The average size is about three pounds. The largest on 

 record was a male caught at Sebago Lake which was said to weigh 

 27 pounds. 



