Uiifida Lukt- I-'islus 259 



Of the 80 square miles (or 51,200 acres) of Oneida 1-ake, about 13 square 

 miles are less than 12 feet deep. ITiis area amounts to 8,320 acres, which if it 

 produced 50 pounds per acre annually, would give 416,000 pounds or 208 tons of 

 fish; if it produced 100 pounds per acre it would total 832,000 jwunds of fish, 

 or 416 tons. If the remainder of the lake only produced 10 pounds jx-r acre 

 annually for its 42,880 acres, it would give 214.4 tons. If to this last amount we 

 add the estimate of 208 tons for the 8,320 acres under 12 feet in depth, the total 

 for the lake is 844,800 pounds or roughly over 422 tons of fish. This is probably 

 a very conservative estimate because, in 1902, Cobb (i>. 239) rejKirtcd the com- 

 mercial capture of 616,900 pounds of suckers from Oneida I^ke, taken with 

 seines, and the total for all fish was over 700.000 ]x)unds. This total did not 

 include the Tullibee or the Oneida River Eels. This means over 300 tons of 

 suckers alone. Possibly we may calculate 13 square miles at 100 pounds per 

 acre, and 67 square miles at 25 pounds, or a total of 416 tons and 536 tons, 

 respectively, for the two depth areas. This would give a total of 952 tons annually, 

 or alKJUt 2.6 tons for each day in the year. Such estimates, however rough and 

 ine.\act they must necessarily be, serve at least to show that we are here dealing 

 with a resource of considerable magnitude and one certainly worthy of thoughtful 

 consideration. 



.\fter preparing the preceding estimates a re(inest was made of Mr. C. F. 

 Davison, of Hrewerton, the best informed fish dealer on the lake, for his opinion 

 on these matters. His son, Mr. .'^. l*". Davison, sent their estimates for the entire 

 lake as follows: — 



■ The annual catch of fi.sh from Oneida I^ke is very difficult to estimate as 

 we have no accurate means of knowing. But we believe that the catch amounts 

 to 250-300 tons, not including about 50 tons of carp recently taken. This gives 

 300-350 tons annually. Of ci>ursc you understand that this is just a guess but 

 wc believe that the above is a conservative estimate. We believe that this total 

 would be alH>ut 50^1 game fish ( Pike, Pickerel and Hass). We are estimating 

 everything, the summer hook and line, the ice fishing, as well as the illegal net 

 fishing." Date<l March 20, 1928. In res|)onse to a later re<]uest they add the 

 following: — 



■■ Vou write that in I<p2 the sucker catch amounted to alMiut 617.000 ikhukIs. 

 It must Ik.' rememlKTe<l that this was under license from the State and was carried 

 on extensively. When the barge canal was put through it ruincti the sucker 

 grounds at this en<l of the lake and conse«|uenlly this stopjH'd the business t>f 

 hauling the seine for suckers. It is our opinion that the sucker catch at that time 

 would amount to or e<|ual the entire catch of fish (Ixith game and otherwise) at 

 the present time. Under jirescnt conditions we «lo not In-lieve that the catch would 

 amount to over one ton daily. However we believe that uiuler a license from the 

 State this total would Ik- increased to two or three tons daily without greatly 

 <liminishing the fish life in the lake. We are assuming that the .State woiilil only 

 license the t.iking of the cull fish, returning the game fish to the water with as 

 little injury as |M)ssible." Dateil .\pril 24, 1928. 



A General Policy. The shallow, wann water of Oneida I -ike with its 

 abundance of vegetation and fish foinl makes it an unusually suitable and imjMtrtant 



