FISHES AND PTSIIINC TN SUNAPEE LAKE. 57 



in the fall. The ivasoiis luv the foregoing. To phuil them in the lake 

 in the spring wouKl only subject them to further disadvantages in 

 the way of hungry and voracious fishes. Wliile food is plentiful 

 enough hi the lake during the summer the shallow water that the 

 young salmonid would naturally seek is not only too warm but 

 infested with enemies, as is also deep water to which thoy would be 

 compelled to resort for sufficiently cool temperature. Disregarding 

 the lack of food, the late fall is undoubtedly the b-?st time for plant- 

 ing them in the lake, as then the shore waters are cool and compara- 

 tively free from enemies. 



Blueback Trout {Salvelinus oquassa). 



This species of trout was origuially discoven^d in the upper lakes of 

 the Rangeley cham and was described by Girard in 1854. It has 

 always been considered as peculiar to the llangeley Lakes, where it 



Fig. 2.— Blueback trout. 



abounded in the early years, ascendmg a few streams in countless 

 multitudes ui October to spawn, and where it was caught in dip nets 

 by the barrel and even by the cartload by the inhabitants, and cured 

 for winter use. In the course of time the fish became so diminished 

 in numbers that the commission(^rs brought about the enactment of 

 a protective law for this fish which hitherto had nev(T been protected, 

 but it continued to decrease until the present time, when it is 

 nearly, if not absolutely, extinct in those waters. The alleged cause 

 of the decrease was the excessive and unseasonable fishmg by the 

 inhabitants of the shores of the lakes. But these people had fished 

 in the same way and to the same extent for more than 50 and perhaps 

 100 years with no perceptible diminution in the number of trout. 



One of the first acts of the State fish commission after its establish- 

 ment was to introduce landlocked salmon in the Rangeley Lakes. 

 The dimmution in numbers of bluebacks was in direct ratio to the 

 increase in numbers of salmon. The salmon now abound in those 

 lakes. The bluebacks are no more, and not only that, but trout have 

 decreasinl in numbers notwithstanding the bounteous annual plants 

 of young. 



