NOTES ON ONEIDA LAKE FISH AND 

 FISHERIES 



By Chas. C. Adams and T. L. Hankinson. 



"A systematic study of the water life of our State should be made 

 without delay and with the utmost thoroughness in detail. * * * Infor- 

 mation of this kind is greatly needed, and is received slowly because 

 the number of observers in the field is very limited. New York has 

 not done as much work in the study of the life histories of its fish 

 as some other States, and yet the importance of its assets in this 

 direction is out of all proportion to the outlay of effort and money 

 devoted to biological surveys." Dr. T. H. Bean, Fourth Annual Report, 

 New York State Conservation Commission for 1914, p. 333, 1915. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse 

 is located within less than an hour's trolley ride of 

 Oneida Lake. This lake is the largest body of water 

 wholly within the state. It has an area of about 80 

 square miles, of which about 13 are of shallow water, 

 abounding in water plants, fish food, and suitable breed- 

 ing places for a large number of species. From the 

 standpoint of food and game fish this lake is one of 

 great importance and there has been no comprehensive 

 working plan for the lake toward which its management 

 might be directed to produce the maximum amount of 

 food and game fish. Thousands of people from Syracuse 

 and the smaller neighboring towns fish there. This is 

 a very important lake for eels and other food fish, and 

 the frog industry is the most extensive in the state, and 

 one of the most important in the United States. Clearly 

 such a large lake should not be managed solely to the 

 angling interests, but should produce an abundance of 

 fresh food fish for this part of the state. There is as 

 much reason for the diversified use of the waters, causing 

 them to be used for recreation (picnics, boating, angling, 

 etc.), for the production of food, as a part of the canal 

 system (for transportation and for water storage) as 

 there is for the diversified utilization of farm and forest 

 lands (cf. Adams '16, Diversified Forestry, Jour. N. Y. 

 State Forestry Associa., Vol. 3, pages 25-26). Econ- 



