﻿THE 
  COMMERCIAL 
  FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  INTERIOR 
  LAKES 
  AND 
  

   RIVERS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  AND 
  VERMONT. 
  

  

  By 
  John 
  N. 
  Cobb, 
  

   Agent 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  statistical 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  commercial 
  fisheries 
  of 
  the 
  

   interior 
  lakes 
  and 
  rivers 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  Vermont 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  

   writer 
  in 
  1896. 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1903 
  a 
  second 
  canvass 
  was 
  made, 
  when 
  

   data 
  were 
  gathered 
  showing 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  during 
  the 
  

   calendar 
  year 
  1902. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  and 
  the 
  

   Hudson, 
  Delaware, 
  and 
  Susquehanna 
  rivers 
  in 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  the 
  Con- 
  

   necticut 
  River 
  in 
  Vermont, 
  all 
  lakes 
  and 
  rivers 
  in 
  the 
  two 
  States 
  were 
  

   visited 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  thought 
  conmiercial 
  fishing 
  might 
  be 
  carried 
  

   on. 
  The 
  writer 
  is 
  under 
  great 
  obligations 
  to 
  the 
  Forest, 
  Fish 
  and 
  

   Game 
  Commission 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  especially 
  to 
  its 
  secretary, 
  Mr. 
  John 
  

   D. 
  Whish, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  Commissioners 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  and 
  Game 
  of 
  Ver- 
  

   mont, 
  for 
  many 
  courtesies 
  extended 
  to 
  him. 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK. 
  

  

  New 
  York 
  is 
  dotted 
  with 
  numerous 
  lakes, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  — 
  such 
  as 
  

   Oneida, 
  Champlain, 
  Seneca, 
  and 
  Cayuga 
  — 
  of 
  great 
  extent, 
  while 
  there 
  

   is 
  a 
  veritable 
  network 
  of 
  rivers, 
  creeks, 
  and 
  canals 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   State. 
  The 
  principal 
  aim 
  of 
  the 
  authorities 
  has 
  been, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible, 
  

   to 
  confine 
  the 
  fishing 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  lakes 
  and 
  streams 
  to 
  sportsmen, 
  

   who 
  are 
  attracted, 
  not 
  only 
  from 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  but 
  from 
  other 
  

   States 
  and 
  even 
  from 
  foreign 
  lands 
  by 
  the 
  excellent 
  fishing 
  afforded 
  in 
  

   these 
  waters. 
  Such 
  pleasure 
  seekers 
  are 
  usually 
  liberal, 
  and 
  the 
  sums 
  

   expended 
  by 
  them 
  net 
  a 
  larger 
  profit 
  to 
  the 
  community 
  than 
  would 
  be 
  

   obtained 
  by 
  the 
  unrestricted 
  use 
  of 
  fishing 
  apparatus 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  

   local 
  fishermen. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  estimated 
  that 
  the 
  sportsmen 
  leave 
  behind 
  

   them, 
  in 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  railroads, 
  hotels, 
  guides, 
  boatmen, 
  etc., 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  million 
  dollars 
  each 
  j^ear. 
  

  

  Whenever 
  possible 
  without 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  sport 
  fishing, 
  the 
  State 
  has 
  

   permitted 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  nets 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  principally 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  reducing 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  the 
  commoner 
  species 
  of 
  fishes, 
  which, 
  

   when 
  in 
  excessive 
  numbers, 
  do 
  serious 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  game 
  fish 
  b}^ 
  

   devouring 
  spawn 
  and 
  fry. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  difficult 
  matter 
  

   to 
  guard 
  waters 
  so 
  extensive, 
  however, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  there 
  is 
  much 
  

   illegal 
  fishing. 
  During 
  1901 
  the 
  authorities 
  seized 
  803 
  fyke 
  nets, 
  443 
  

  

  227 
  

  

  