2i8 CoUcijc of forestry 



31,200 per year for (3neida Lake Pike Perch and 71,500 for 

 Illinois Pike Perch. While these figures are at most rough 

 estimates, they nevertheless show that the number of small 

 fish in the lake must be large not only to feed the Pike Perch, 

 but also, the other predatory species, as the Small-mouthed 

 lilack Bass, Pickerel, and Common Pike. It also follows that 

 a large invertebrate animal population is necessary to provide 

 food for these small fish as well as an abundance of vegeta- 

 tion for the invertebrate animals to feed upon. These needs 

 have been shown to be met by the abundance of the plants 

 and bottom animals of Lower South Bay and vicinity. 



EsTiMATRi) Fisii Population 



It is realized that the data upon which the estimates of the 

 amount of food eaten by fish are based are very fragmentary 

 and imperfect, and the figures given below can be taken only 

 as rough estimates. The data concerning the available supply 

 of fish food, however, is believed to be accurate. It is infor- 

 mation concerning the amount of the different kinds of food 

 consumed in a given time by the fish that is lacking. The 

 quantity of food taken in winter, spring, and fall as compared 

 with summer should also be ascertained. 



There are several factors to be considered in computing the 

 number of fish that the bottom animals of Lower South Bay 

 will support. One group of mollusks, the mussels (Unionidse) 

 should perhaps be excluded from the estimate of fish food 

 because they are not at present known to be used by Oneida 

 Lake fish. These mussels are computed to number 9,013,265 

 individuals or about .01 of one percent of the number of indi- 

 vidual invertebrates of Lower South Bay. This percent is so 

 small that this factor may be ignored. It is not possible at 

 the present time to estimate the amount of invertebrate food 

 eaten by other carnivorous vertebrate animals, such as frogs, 

 turtles, and birds, but it is probable that the number of inver- 

 tebrate animals eaten reduces the amount available for fish 

 to a considerable extent. The amount of herbivorous and 

 detritus eating invertebrates eaten by carnivorous invertebrates 

 is probably not large enough to affect the total amount of the 



