﻿CUMMEECIAL 
  FISHEEIES 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  AND 
  VEKMONT. 
  287 
  

   SENECA 
  LAKE. 
  

  

  Next 
  to 
  Oneida 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  largest 
  lake 
  wholly 
  within 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  

   the 
  State. 
  It 
  extends 
  almost 
  directly 
  north 
  and 
  south, 
  is 
  about 
  36 
  

   miles 
  long, 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  4 
  miles 
  wide, 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  maximum 
  depth 
  of 
  

   500 
  to 
  600 
  feet, 
  occupying 
  an 
  eroded 
  valley 
  flanked 
  by 
  bold 
  hills, 
  and 
  

   discharging 
  into 
  Cayuga 
  Lake 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  short 
  outlet. 
  It 
  is 
  

   unique 
  among 
  New 
  York 
  lakes 
  in 
  that 
  the 
  surface 
  is 
  never 
  entirely 
  

   frozen. 
  

  

  Gill 
  nets, 
  spears, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  fyke 
  nets 
  and 
  hand 
  lines 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  

   commercial 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  gill 
  nets, 
  which 
  average 
  in 
  length 
  about 
  

   110 
  yards 
  each, 
  with 
  bar 
  mesh 
  of 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  2 
  inches, 
  are 
  used 
  prin- 
  

   cipally 
  for 
  lake 
  trout 
  and 
  are 
  operated 
  between 
  May 
  1 
  and 
  October 
  15 
  

   of 
  each 
  year. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  spears 
  is 
  permitted 
  from 
  April 
  15 
  to 
  June 
  

   15, 
  inclusive. 
  The 
  principal 
  fishing 
  towns 
  are 
  Himrods, 
  Dundee, 
  Hec- 
  

   tor, 
  North 
  Hector, 
  Caywood, 
  Starkey, 
  Dresden, 
  and 
  Geneva. 
  

  

  The 
  sportsmen 
  complain 
  that 
  the 
  lake 
  trout, 
  which 
  are 
  very 
  numer- 
  

   ous, 
  will 
  not 
  take 
  the 
  hook. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  this 
  may 
  be 
  owing 
  to 
  

   the 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  alewives 
  {Pomolohus 
  pseudoharengus) 
  in 
  the 
  lake, 
  

   upon 
  which 
  the 
  trout 
  feed. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  believe 
  quite 
  generally 
  

   that 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  introduced 
  into 
  Seneca 
  Lake 
  by 
  Seth 
  Green, 
  

   about 
  1872, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  case, 
  the 
  fish 
  having 
  been 
  known 
  there 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  years 
  previous. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  great 
  trouble, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  annual 
  mortality 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  subject 
  here 
  as 
  in 
  Lake 
  

   Ontario. 
  During 
  the 
  summer 
  large 
  numbei's 
  die 
  and, 
  decaying 
  on 
  

   the 
  shores, 
  cause 
  much 
  annoyance 
  to 
  the 
  inhabitants, 
  while 
  doubtless 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  sink 
  and 
  pollute 
  the 
  waters. 
  The 
  mortality 
  has 
  not 
  

   been 
  as 
  heavy 
  as 
  usual 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  two 
  summers. 
  

  

  German 
  carp 
  are 
  becoming 
  quite 
  plentiful 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  

   but 
  very 
  little 
  use 
  is 
  made 
  of 
  them. 
  

  

  SENECA 
  RIVEK. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  outlet 
  directly 
  or 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  short 
  streams 
  of 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  lakes 
  in 
  central 
  New 
  York. 
  It 
  discharges 
  into 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  

   through 
  the 
  Oswego 
  River, 
  the 
  latter 
  being 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  

   Seneca 
  and 
  Oneida 
  rivers. 
  There 
  is 
  an 
  immense 
  amount 
  of 
  illegal 
  

   fishing 
  practiced 
  in 
  this 
  river, 
  despite 
  the 
  strenuous 
  efforts 
  of 
  the 
  

   State 
  authorities 
  to 
  suppress 
  it. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  length 
  and 
  general 
  

   inaccessibility 
  of 
  the 
  stream, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  difl[icult 
  matter 
  to 
  guard 
  it. 
  

   Almost 
  the 
  only 
  commercial 
  fishing 
  concerning 
  which 
  reliable 
  data 
  

   could 
  be 
  obtained 
  was 
  that 
  with 
  hand 
  lines 
  and 
  traps 
  for 
  fishes 
  and 
  

   with 
  spears 
  for 
  frogs. 
  The 
  principal 
  fishing 
  towns 
  are 
  Weedsport 
  

   and 
  Savannah. 
  Considerable 
  complaint 
  is 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   of 
  the 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  ling 
  and 
  German 
  carp 
  in 
  the 
  river. 
  Black 
  

   suckers 
  also 
  are 
  very 
  numerous. 
  

  

  