FISHES AND FISHING IN SUNAPEE LAKE. 33 



It is not known to the writer how many an^lcM-s fish at Sunapoe, 

 but Mr. Graham states (op. cit.) that 10 ano;lers were fishing there in 

 1910 to 1 twenty years ago. In Forest and Stream of October 23, 

 1S90, it is stated that "as many as 25 boats liave been anchored in 

 one string at Sunapee Lake." Allo\\ang only one angler to a boat, 

 tliere woukl be 25 lishermen on this one ground alone. A very low, 

 or at least conservative, estimate, it wouhlseem, would be 200 anglers 

 on an average at Sunapee Lake each season at the present time. Set- 

 ting the catch for 1909 and 1910 at 600 undoubted chinooks, this 

 allows only 3 fish to each angler in two years' fishing, and unless a 

 sufficient number of other species are caught to satisfy the anglers 

 this must be considered a very poor return for the money invested. 

 Again, 600 fisli is less than four-lifths of 1 per cent of the number of 

 young chinooks planted. But, of course, there is no way of ascer- 

 taining how many of those planted survived or how many are still 

 in the lake. It is therefore possible that nearly all the survivors were 

 caught, or that only a small per cent of them were taken. 



The unsuccessful efforts in the fall of 1911 to catch cliinooks in 

 breeding condition indicate either that the fish were ver}^ scarce or 

 else that they had not reached maturity. If the latter is the case 

 the fall of 1912 ought to reveal their presence, being about the fifth 

 year from the time of hatching. If few or none can be secured in 

 1912, it will indicate that probably the 1908 plant has practically 

 ceased to exist. Breeding fish of the 1910 plant, if the fifth year is 

 correctly set as the breeding time, will manifest itself one way or the 

 other in 1913, and so on. The angling record of 1912 will also con- 

 tribute to the data for predictions. As it is, the fact seems obvious 

 that the number of chinooks planted has not been sufficient to afford 

 what may be called even good fishing, and unless the stock of the 

 lake will reproduce to that extent the introduction of this fish may be 

 considered a failure, for enough have been planted to demonstrate 

 wliether or not the lake can be made self-sustaining, so far as this fish 

 is concerned. 



There are those who have thought that the chinook successfully 

 acclimated in fresh water as a permanent resident might reverse the 

 laws of nature and continue to live after spawniing. If there were 

 not sufficient other evidence to the contrary, such hopes would be 

 blasted by the report of the experiences with this fish in the Trocadero 

 Aquarium, Paris, France, by Eugene Juillerat. After discussing the 

 merits of the fish, he writes: 



By all of these qualities the Salmo quinnat recommends itself especially to the 

 attention of fish culturists, and its culture would haA'e been undertaken on a large 

 scale if it were not for a serious drawback. After spawning in closed waters it always 

 dies. For 20 years they have been cultivated at the Trocadero Aquarium, and never 

 have I seen this fish live more than some months after the act of reproduction. So 

 97705°— 13 3 



