FISHES OF THE CONNECTICUT LAKES. 17 



cultural distribution of fishes in New Hampshire. It is found that 

 the following species have been planted in the Connecticut Lakes: 



Whitefish (Coregonus clupeiformis). 



Quinuat, or chinook, salmou {Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) . 



Landlocked salmon {Salmo sebago). 



Rainbow trout {Salmo irideus). 



"German brown trout" (Salmo fario). 



"Mackinaw," or "Lake," trout {Cristivomer namaycush). 



Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis.) 



Smelt {Osmerns mordax). 



Of these the brook trout and the lake trout are native, as of course 

 is known. The dates of introduction of the other species and number 

 planted will be found under the respective species in the list. 



New Hampshire was the first of the states to undertake fish propa- 

 gation and distribution. The enterprise was taken up with great 

 enthusiasm, and notwithstanding the fact that the state fish commis- 

 sion has been more or less hampered by lack of funds, a vast quantity 

 of young fish have been propagated and introduced into New 

 Hampshire waters. In the early enthusiastic distribution of fish, 

 however, which was somewhat indiscriminate, species were intro- 

 duced where they should not have been, with occasional disastrous 

 results, the cause of which was not always apparent. Such results 

 may be of at least two kinds : First, to the introduced fry themselves, 

 and, second, to the native fish. Fish introduced into unsuitable 

 waters will, of course, not long survive, and to plant pike, pike perch, 

 or black bass in trout ponds is hazardous. It may be added, too, that 

 caution shoiUd be used in planting salmon and lake trout unless they 

 are jDreferred to other trout already in the waters. 



It is a prevalent opinion that since smelts survive, thrive, and in- 

 crease so prolifically in almost every body of water into which they 

 are introduced, angling is detrimentally affected thereby, for the smelts 

 afford the game fish so much food that the latter do not get hungry 

 enough to take a hook. This is disputed by others, however, who 

 claim that game fishes when feeding will take the hook readily no 

 matter how abundant the food is. In our experience the latter seems 

 to be the case, provided the right kind of lure is used and the fish are 

 there. This suggests the question often asked, " What has become of 

 all the fish planted?"' and of the native fish, too, for that matter. 



It must be recognized that there are many waj^s by which lakes 

 and streams become depleted. Logging operations are destructive to 

 fish life in several ways, such as shutting the fish from spawning 

 grounds, destroying young fish by log driving, and by winter fishing 

 to supply the camps with food ; and there are but few waters that have 

 not felt the effects of excessive fishing before protective laws were 

 enacted, and from poaching afterwards. Nets, spears, and giant 



