34 FISHES AND FISHING IN SUNAPEE LAKE. 



certainly is this so that the symptoma which mark the approach of their spawning 

 are also those of their death. 



Such being the case, enough young must be planted every year to 

 supply the demand of a constantly increasmg number of anglers, as 

 well as a sufficient number to insure breeders to furnish the supply. 



The usual breeding age of chmooks on the west coast of the United 

 States and at the Trocadero Aquarium is quite positively stated to 

 be 4 years, although some, especially males, mature earlier than this 

 and some are retarded somewhat longer. In Alaska it has been 

 found that the usual breeding season occurs about the fifth year. It 

 has in this report been previously suggested that if the Sunapee 

 chinook has a regular breeding season it may occur m its fifth year. 

 Therefore, if this is correct, a practically complete disappearance of 

 each year's plant may be reckoned on by the end of the fifth year. 



The more fish planted and surviving, the more will the anglers 

 catch (unless there are enforced restrictions of the catches), and the 

 number to be planted to produce the additional supply of breeders 

 on that account must be increased and so on in an interminable pro- 

 gression. It is, therefore, as before remarked, obviously impossible 

 to estimate even approximately how many need be planted to afford 

 good average fishing and to insure breeders enough to maintain it. 

 Even if the exact percentage of survivors of each plant could be known 

 and the catch of each season could be regulated, it would be impossible 

 to know that the required number of breeders could be secured even 

 if present in the lake. 



The foregoing facts indicate, to the writer's mmd at least, that a 

 permanent self-sustaining stock of chinook salmon m Sunapee Lake 

 is unattainable. 



The other game fish at Sunapee Lake at present oft'ering any 

 attractions to anglers are landlocked salmon, ''native trout," white 

 trout, and black bass — principally the white trout and black bass. 

 The landlocked salmon still exists, but m very diminished numbers. 

 The "native trout" is very scarce in the lake. The white trout and 

 black bass are fairly common, but do not seem to attam as large a 

 size as in former years. Of the salmon family, then, the principal 

 fishing is for chinook salmon and white trout. 



The white trout began to decrease m numbers as the landlocked 

 salmon increased. But for some reason the landlocked salmon then 

 began and continued to fall off in numbers, perhaps for reasons 

 suggested in the discussion of that species. The white trout increased 

 gradually in numbers agaui under improved fish-cultural methods 

 and larger plants. Authentic instances have been cited where chinooks 

 have been found with one or more white trout in their stomachs. An 

 occasional white trout in the salmon's stomach does not prove that 

 it is particularly dangerous to the white trout, but as the chinook is, 

 like the landlocked salmon, notedly pisciverous, it is not unlikely 



