FisJi Culture in Inland Waters 215 



large quantities of every kind of available game fish in a body of 

 water was a most desirable consummation. So, while most estimable 

 species native to the waters were neglected (figure 20), exotic species 

 (figure 21) were brought from other states, and even from foreign 

 countries. It was a long standing practice, which to some extent still 

 prevails, to exchange fish locally plentiful in one state for fish from 

 other states and foreign regions. 



These efforts to meet the rising demand were made without 

 knowledgeor consideration of the existing conditions of the waters 

 or the possible effects of the introduction upon either the native or in- 

 troduced fishes. In this respect early fish cultural distribution was of 

 the nature of a venture rather than a rational procedure or experi- 

 ment. But it was a natural and unavoidable concomitant of the dis- 

 tribution of non-indigenous forms, the nature and requirements of 

 which the fish culturist of those days was necessarily ignorant. The 

 trouble lay in not realizing that new factors were likely to disturb 

 norjnal conditions, and that the way to regulate conditions already 

 disturbed was to restore as nearly as possible original or normal 

 conditions. 



Indiscriminate planting of fish in the past and even today is the 

 cause of much of the present unsatisfactory situation. Instead of 

 trying to maintain a supply of fish in those waters to which the fish 

 were known to be adapted and in which they formerly thrived, the 

 fish have been scattered broadcast into large lakes and little ponds, 

 near and remote, without regard to the habits or physiological re- 

 quirements of the fish, and often to the detriment of the fish native 

 to the waters into which the transfers were made. 



As an example, the landlocked salmon of Maine, naturally occur- 

 ring in only this one state, may be mentioned. It was one of the earli- 

 est fish to be propagated and distributed. In that State, too, the brook 

 trout existed in untold numbers, and in some waters attained a very 

 large size, — trout of 10 and 12 pounds being recorded. For years 

 a chain of lakes in the northwestern part of the State was famous 

 for its huge trout and renowned for its fishing. 



The State Commission proceeded, as they thought, to add to the 

 piscatorial attraction of the lakes in question. The first act was to 

 plant sea salmon and later to transfer landlocked salmon from their 

 native waters to those lakes. Not only were the salmon planted in 

 the large lakes, but also in almost every little pond in the vicinity. 

 This also holds true of most of the other principal lakes of the 

 State. Even though it was regarded as possible and desirable to 

 plant salmon in the larger lakes, it is hard to conceive of reasons why 

 it seemed necessary to introduce them into every small accessible 

 lake and pond already supplied with brook trout. 



In the larger lakes of the particular chain mentioned the salmon 

 has thrived, but at the expense of the original inhabitants. In the 

 smaller ponds the only results obtained have been the decrease of 

 trout and the capture of a few salmon now and then, which had 

 grown up from the original plant. They did not thrive and reproduce 

 because the conditions made it impossible. 



