32 FISHES AND FISHING IN SUNAPEE LAKE. 



Observations made upon a few fish taken in Sunapee Lake and 

 elsewhere show that some permanent fresh-water residents of this 

 species do reach maturity, but suggest that they do not all mature 

 at the same time. It is not only possible, but quite probable, that 

 there may be no definite breedmg season. This may be accounted 

 for by the fact that in its natural habitat there are two, or even 

 three, more or less distinct runs, accorduig to locality, so that the 

 spawning covers nearly all summer and fall; and to be considered 

 with this is the change to environment lacking the normal stimuli. 

 In other words, any approach to innate regularity in this respect 

 may be disturbed by permanent residence in fresh water. The 

 habits of this salmon in Pacific coast waters indicate almost, if not 

 quite, conclusively that on the spawning beds must be quick-flowing 

 water of certain degrees of temperature, such as are found in the 

 highland sources and tributaries of the rivers ascended. 



Tributary streams with sufficient volume of water to allow the 

 ascent of salmon to suitable spawning beds are wanting at Sunapee 

 Lake. While m the absence of such streams salmon reaching spawn- 

 ing condition might deposit their eggs on shoals along shore or in the 

 lake, the chances of more than an inconsiderable number, if any, 

 hatching and reaching adult size are very slight. 



It therefore devolves upon the fish culturist to assist the fish in 

 making the stock self-sustaining. In order that this may bo done 

 there must be, as previously mentioned, fish enougli secured in the 

 fall to supply the requisite number of fertilized eggs to produce an 

 adequate return to the lake. The question then arises, What con- 

 stitutes the requisite number and adequate return? 



There is no way of even approximately ascertaining how large a 

 plant of young is necessary to produce what might be considered 

 good average fishing in the lake. The results of the plant of one 

 year may be very different from those of another, and what con- 

 stitutes good fishing for a few anglers might afford a very poor 

 general average for the many in a season. The fishing season ex- 

 tends variably from about April 15 to September 15, or approxi- 

 mately five months. More salmon are caught during the first half 

 of the season, however, than the latter half, and it seems fair to 

 estimate 100 days as the average sahnon-fishing season. The num- 

 ber of chinooks planted in 1904 may be regarded as a negligible 

 quantity in the catch of fish in 1909 and 1910, and assuming that 

 none was planted between 1904 and 1908 (there are no records of 

 such plants), the plants contributing to the catch of 1909 and 1910 

 would be those of 1908 and 1909. In round numbers there were 

 78,000 fingerlings planted in those two years, and the estimated 

 catches of 1909-10 amounted to between 500 and 650 fish. 



