150 Conservation Department 



VI. PISHES OF THE ERIE=NIAGARA WATERSHED 



By J. R. Greeley 



Inslniclor in Zoology, CorncU Univerfiity 



As in the two preceding- watershed surveys, the program in- 

 cluded a study of the fish life of the region. The problem was, 

 primarily, to gather data regarding the distribution and habits of 

 the various species of fishes, the conditions of environment under 

 which they are found, their relative abundance, and their relative 

 economic importance. As a part of the work, collections were sup- 

 plied for stomach examinations, for physiological experiments, for 

 parasite examination and for the colored illustrations. 



The collecting party was made up of seven members and was 

 equipped to divide into three sub-units* or to work as one unit. 

 Collections, totalling over 2,000 lots of specimens, were made in 

 Lake Erie, the Niagara river and in all tributary stream systems, 

 as well as in ponds and small lakes of the region. Representative 

 series of specimens have been placed on record at the New York 

 State ]\Iuseum at Albany. The chief reliance in collecting was upon 

 a number of fine mesh seines, ranging from 6 to 200 feet in 

 length. Gill nets formed an important supplement to these. Fyke 

 nets, trammel nets, s])ears and bobinette dip nets were used as 

 circumstances required. Collecting- was done by day, usually, but 

 much seining was done at night in Lake Erie, since better catches 

 could be secured then during the warmer weather. 



Considerable work had been done on the fishes of the region 

 previous to the survey, although this area had never been so ex- 

 tensively collected. A review of the information in regard to the 

 species known from Lake Erie may be found in ''A Provisional 

 List of the Fishes of Lake Erie" by J. I\. Dymond.' Additional 

 records are given in ''A Check-List of the Fishes of the Great 

 Lakes and Tributary Waters," by C. L. llubbs.- An account of 

 fish life in streams near Buffalo is presented in "A Preliminary 

 Report on a Fish Survey in Western New York," by T. L. Ilank- 

 inson.^ Several interesting records were added from specimens at 

 the United States National IMuseum wliicli were collected by A. J. 

 Woolman in 189.3. From June 1 to June 15, 1928, T. L. Hank- 

 inson made collections in streams of the eastern part of tlie drain- 

 age, and provided many of the specimens used in making the 



* Mr. T. T. Odell, assisted by Mr. F. J. Trembley, gave particular attention to 

 collecting along the shore of Lake Erie. Dr. D. J. Leffingwell. with Mr. W. C. Ritter, 

 seined in streams primarily. The writer, assisted by Mr. C. E. \'an Deman, acted 

 as a separate sub-unit or, more often, worked with either of the other groups. Mrs. 

 .1. R. Greeley served as curator of the collections, labelling and cataloguing the 

 specimens. 



^ Publications of the Ontario Fisheries Research Laboratory No. 4, 1922. 



2 L^niv. of Mich. Museum of Zool. Miscell. Publications No. 15, 1026. 



3 Bulletin of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, Vol. XIII, 1924. 



