Biological Survey — Erie-Niagara Watershed 25 



food organisms that are eaten by trout. Abundant proof of this 

 assertion is to be found in the works of Forbes, Juday, Pearse, 

 Needham, Greeley, Sibley and others. It is not necessarily true, 

 however, that trout, except possibly small fingerlings and advanced 

 fry, would suffer to any material extent by this competition. If it 

 were, we might have to assume that minnows are superior to trout 

 in their ability to observe and capture food ; that they are livelier, 

 more aggressive and able to protect themselves in combat with 

 trout. It is of course conceivable that minnows might exist in 

 such large numbers that there would be small chance of trout secur- 

 ing insect food but one must remember that minnows, in them- 

 selves, are good food for trout and if insects are not available, 

 trout may help themselves to minnows. 



Trout fishermen have furnished us some of the best proof that 

 trout will eat minnows. They have found that the smaller sizes of 

 minnows constitute one of the most successful baits not only for 

 brown trout but likewise for brook and rainbow trout. A rather 

 large proportion of the anglers in central New York are now using 

 minnows for this pur])Ose with great success. 



When it comes to the smaller sizes of trout — advanced fry and 

 small fingerlings — there is little doubt that competition with min- 

 nows may be severe. The excessive mortality among young trout 

 may be due in a large measure to competition for food and to 

 predatory habits of the larger minnows. 



If a stream is otherwise suitable for trout, it is believed that a 

 large population of minnows will not seriously interfere with the 

 activities of trout of normal yearling size or above and we there- 

 fore see no reason to alter our usual stocking policy for such 

 streams, that is, to plant the full quota of trout of the larger sizes 

 in order to make the competition more severe for the minnows. 

 In the writer's opinion this would seem to be the best corrective 

 for minnows-infested trout streams, and in the surveys of the past 

 three summers stocking recommendations have conformed to this 

 principle. 



