180 American Fisheries Society. 



regulated that approximately 6,000 of 8 to 10-inch fish could be 

 planted each season, and the records of 1912 show the catch coming 

 back to normal with 2,200 taken, averaging 2 pounds. 



It is not the intention in this paper to enter the controversy 

 that has arisen between fish-cultural workers over the relative 

 value for stocking purposes of fry, fingerlings, or yearlings; but 

 rather to point out that with fishes of these varieties, nature has 

 shown us in an unmistakable manner the time at which they should 

 be turned out into the open waters of lakes. It was while the 

 fingerlings were being planted and producing no results, that the 

 writer first began to doubt the prevailing belief that their disap- 

 pearance was due to predatory fish. It did not seem credible that 

 all of them should be eaten up however numerous the bass and 

 pickerel. This opinion was further strengthened by the peculiar 

 actions of the year-old fish that were planted, and by their disap- 

 pearance also. Why should 19-months-old fish of 8 and 9 inches 

 produce good results, and 12-months-old ones of 6 and 7, none 

 at all? 



During the summers of 1910 and 1911, the writer visited a 

 number of waters in New England where landlocked salmon were 

 being planted as advanced fry and fingerlings. In every instance 

 where good fishing had followed the planting of salmon in these 

 stages, it was found that the lakes either had good sized streams 

 emptying in them, or a considerable permanent overflow at the 

 outlet. At most of these places, while it was reported that the fish 

 had been planted directly into the lake, hundreds of small salmon 

 in both the fingerling and yearling ages were observed in the 

 streams tributary to or flowing from such lakes. One of the finest 

 locations for a study of these conditions was found at the Averill 

 Lakes in northern Vermont. These two lakes, which furnisfi 

 angling not to be excelled elsewhere in New England, are con- 

 nected by a stream of about a mile in length. Little Averill — the 

 upper lake, is fed by springs and by a small tributary inlet at the 

 northern end. In both this inlet and the connecting stream be- 

 tween the upper and lower lakes, many hundreds of salmon parrs 

 could be seen and readily taken by means of net or minnow trap. 

 They were of both the first and second summer's growth, with \hc 

 bars and red-spot markings very conspicuous. The length was 

 from lyi to 5 inches, and during three weeks of observation in 

 July, no examples were taken showing the least signs of assuming 



