2o8 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



15 years. This appears to indicate that the salmon had ceased to 

 " abound " in Lake Champlain as early as 1823, although more or 

 less sporadic occurrences were afterwards reported. In his History 

 of \'ermont the Rev. Zadock Thompson ('42), says of the salmon: 

 '■ Only straggling individuals are now met with in Lake Champlain. 

 I have heard of onl}- one being taken here during the past summer, 

 and that I did not see.'" 



Salmon used to occur in Lake Ontario and frequented streams in 

 Xew York and Ontario for spawning. In Xew York the most 

 important stream appears to have been Salmon River, but they also 

 ran up the Little Salmon and Oswego Rivers, and Little Sandy and 

 Fish Creeks. With a view of the possible restoration of Salmon 

 River as a spawning place for salmon, the United States Fish Com- 

 mission instituted inquiries in that region in 1894. The oldest in- 

 habitant interviewed was 90 years old. He stated that he moved 

 to the locality- in 1808 and remembered the rivers as far back as 

 1810. According to him salmon plentifully ascended the riA^er to 

 spawn, until the first dam was built in 1838. Another aged resident 

 had speared and seined saknon for 70 years, and still another had 

 fished there since 1835. Others had known the river and fished for 

 salmon from 1850. Concerning the early abundance of salmon the 

 following statements were elicited from those interviewed : Salmon 

 were always plentiful until prevented from ascending the river by 

 dams, or until about 1840. One man had known of 300 salmon being 

 taken bv a skift' in a single night. Another had seen 106 salmon 

 taken in one haul of the seine. Notwithstanding the impeded ascent 

 of the salmon, the river continued to be productive below the dam 

 for a number of years. About 1850 it was said that an average 

 night "s catch was about 20 to 50 salmon to a boat, and that about 

 50 or 60 men were engaged in fishing for them. 



In i860, it was stated than 2 men in a skifif would get 30 salmon 

 in a night and that 9 men, between Selkirk and Pulaski, made a 

 partial living by salmon fishing. In 1868, a dozen salmon to a skift 

 in a night was considered a good catch, and in later years one per- 

 sistent fisherman succeeded in catching i to 12 salmon in a season, 

 although it appears that about 1880 from 60 to 100 salmon were 

 taken in a day by giUnets. near the mouth of the river. 



The foregoing indicated very little as concerns the actual abun- 

 dance of salmon in the earlier days. That there was a decrease is 

 manifest. The unknown factors are too many for definite computa- 

 tions. The duration of the fishing period may be approximately- 

 ascertained, but the number of days of actual fishing in that period 

 is not known. The number of fishermen also would affect the com- 

 putation. When the one man got 300 salmon in one night's fishing, 

 how manv other fishermen were there and how many fish did they 

 get? By taking the stated average quantity of fish to a boat in a 

 night, the stated number of fishermen at the same time, and assum- 

 ing when the average was maintained, a result is obtainable which 

 mav or mav not more or less definitelv indicate how numerous the 



