48 Conservation Department 



.sections, while in i)lace8 where tlie current is slow the prevailing' 

 type of bottom is silt and mud. A long stretch of the river near 

 Letchworth Park flows over bedrock. 



The greater part of the Genesee river may be considered a 

 warm stream, though the upper w^aters are rather cold. Rainbow^ 

 trout are taken as far downstream as Belmont, but below that 

 point they become rare, and warm water fishes, such as the small - 

 mouthed black bass, become common. 



A number of falls and dams form barriers to the upward migra- 

 tion of fishes in the river. The Genesee falls at Rochester are an 

 unsurmountable obstacle to Lake Ontario fishes which enter the 

 river. No fish could climb the Portageville falls. Other barriers 

 are : Geneseo dam, Mt. Morris dam, Belmont dam. It is prob- 

 able, how^ever, that many water-falls are passable to fishes going 

 dowaistream. At least seven species of fishes are found betweeji 

 the up])er and middle falls at Letchw^orth Park and some of these 

 have probably entered this stretch of water by coming over the 

 upper falls, a drop of 71 feet. 



The Genesee river has probably gained a few s])ecies of fishes 

 by means of man-made connections wdth other bodies of w^ater. 

 The Genesee valley canal, for example, which is now abandoned, 

 once connected the Allegany and Genesee rivers; the Erie canal 

 now connects Lakes Erie and Ontario wdth the Genesee river. 



Fishes of the Genesee Region. — Sixty-six species of fishes 

 representing 21 families are listed as occurring in the Genesee 

 region. Of these, at least 5 species (German carp, alewife, brown 

 trout, rainbow trout, muskalonge) were introduced directly by 

 man; 7 species (lake sturgeon, long-nosed gar, spot-tailed minnow, 

 alewdfe, two-spined stickleback, bow^fin, calico bass) are Great 

 Lakes species wdiicli enter the Genesee river only below Rochester ; 

 3 species (common eel, w^hite bass, sheepshead) are Great Lakes 

 s]:>ecies W'hich have entered the river above Rochester falls. The 

 remaining S])ecies are probably native to the region although man 

 has wrought so many changes that we cannot be certain that some 

 others w^ere not introduced. 



Food and Game Fishes. — There are 26 species of food and 

 game fishes. These are: hike sturgeon, common bullhead, black 

 bullhead, common sucker, 2 si)ecies of red-horse suckers, German 

 carp, common eel, alewife, wdiitefish, brown trout, rainbow^ trout, 

 lake trout, brook trout, chain ]nckerel, northern pike, muskalonge, 

 calico bass, rock bass, common sunfish, small-mouthed black bass, 

 large-moutlied black bass, i)ike-i)erch, yellow ])erch, cisco, white 

 bass, and shee])shead. Of these ') species (lake sturgeon, muska- 

 longe, calico bass, white bass and sheej)shead) have ])ractically 

 no im|)()rtance in this stream system due to rarity. The more 

 important fishes of this region as food or game I'esources are: 

 small-mouthed black bass, bi-o\vn trout, |)ike-i)ei'ch, brook trout, 

 iu)rthern i)ike, large mouthed black bass, chain i)ickei'el, yellow 

 ])erch, common bullhead, rainbow Iront. rock bass, and ?> sjx'civ's 

 of suckei-s. 



