18 FISHES AND FISHING IN SUNAPEE LAKE. 



mental to the fishing, many anglers averring that smelts afford such 

 an abundant food supply that the game fish will not bite so readily 

 and that the fly fishing has been ruined thereby. 



The following is a list of the nonindigenous fishes in the order of the 

 dates of first introduction : 



Landlocked salmon, 1867. 

 Black bass, 1868. 

 Smelt, 1870. 

 Whitefish, 1871. 

 Wall-eyed pike, 1876. 

 Blueback trout, 1878. 

 Round whitefish, 1881 (?) 



Loch Leven trout, 1888-9. 

 Brown trout, 1888-9 (?) 

 Rainbow trout, 1888-9. 

 Chinook salmon, 1904. 

 Grayling, 1906. 

 Silver salmon, 1909. 

 Lake trout (?) o 



Of these the whitefish/ wall-eyed pike, blueback trout," Loch 

 Leven trout,'^ rainbow trout, silver salmon, and grayling have never 

 been reported. 



Omitting those which have not been authentically recorded, the 

 list of species inhabiting Sunapee Lake in greater or lesser numbers 

 will comprise 16, as follows: Hornpout, sucker, chub, blackspot chub, 

 redfin, blacknose dace, chinook salmon, landlocked salmon, brown or 

 Loch Leven trout, common trout, white trout, eel, pickerel, sunfish, 

 black bass, perch. The status of each of these will be discussed 

 under their respective headings. 



There are various reasons why some of introduced species have 

 never again been observed. The water may be unsuited to them, 

 bemg too cold or too warm; there may be too many enemies, and the 

 newcomers may have been all devoured by predaceous fishes; if they 

 survive they may escape detection for a long time, or they may so 

 closely resemble known species that they may not be recognized when 

 caught. The latter is a very common occurrence, as evinced by the 

 fact that when one of these forms has at last been recognized there 

 were always those who remember to have caught one or more and to 

 have thought them only variations of some known species. 



THE ENTIRE FISH FAUNA. 



Hornpout (Ameiurus nehulosus) . 



The hornpout is the only representative of the catfish family in New 

 England, where it seldom attains a weight of over a pound. In Suna- 

 pee Lake it is said to be fairly common, and it seems to be indigenous. 



a There is no record of the introduction of this species, but some have been caught. Its occurrence is 

 probably accidental, the young having become mixed with some other young salmonids. 



b There are some vague traditions of whitefish having been taken in the lakes, but apparently none is 

 there now. They could possibly be there and not be detected, but, by the methods of still fishing as prac- 

 ticed by the summer fishermen, if present, an occasional whitefish would probably be taken. 



c Assuming that the white trout is an indigenous species and not the result of the plants of bluebacks. 

 This question is discussed in another place in this report. 



d "Loch Leven trout" of large size have been reported, but photograph and descriptions indicate that 

 the supposed Loch Leven trout were bro^vn trout. 



