FisJi Citlfitrc in Inland Waters 223 



notwithstanding the condemned " characteristic voracity of the 

 pike." Supposing that at some particular time the pike had been 

 rendered less voracious, the tendency then would have been toward 

 an undue increase of the natural objects of that voracity, which had 

 probably been relatively as voracious on their own part in devouring 

 the eggs and young of the pike. The increase of these forms might 

 have resulted in the extermination of the pike, which would natur- 

 ally have been reflected upon the other forms by depriving them of 

 a part of their customary and requisite food supply, consisting of 

 the eggs and young of the pike, and so have resulted in the de- 

 crease, deterioration, or extinction of these forms upon which the 

 pike had exercised that quality, which has been generally regarded 

 as superlatively bad. 



This is a phenomenon that is usually manifested as a result of 

 over-fishing, which amounts to the same thing as depriving the pike 

 of its voracity, and similar to what happens when blackbass are in- 

 troduced into pickerel ponds — of which there are many instances, 

 but the cause of which has not been fully recognized. For instance. 

 it has been recognized that blackbass have practically exterminated 

 pickerel in certain waters, but why the blackbass afterward 

 deteriorated in size and number did not seem explainable. These 

 facts may he equally applied to other fields and fishes, as respects 

 their artificial distribution, and particularly to the members of the 

 pike family itself, for it should be borne in mind that the reverse 

 process of the foregoing is just as effective. If the pike should be 

 rendered more voracious, or, what amounts to the same thing, un- 

 duly increased in number, it would signify that sooner or later the 

 food supply would be depleted, with the result that the pike would 

 be forced to depend more and more upon its own young and would 

 finally figuratively swallow itself (Kendall, '17). 



Let us consider a more specific but still somewhat hypothetical 

 example. It is stated that the main dependence of lake trout in 

 Lake George is the whitefish. Both fish are indigenous to the lake. 

 They were both factors in the original balance to which reference 

 was previously made. The original food supply of the original 

 trout was therefore in equipoise with the trout. Apparently some- 

 thing has happened to upset that equipoise which is manifested in 

 a decrease of size and number of lake trout. This should result in 

 an increase in number of whitefish, if there were no other whitefish 

 eaters in the lake. If this has happened the lake trout stocking 

 limit depends upon the present amount of whitefish as food, other 

 things being equal. The lake trout is said to have no competition 

 for that food. The main subsistence of the whitefish is Entomos- 

 traca, for which there are several kinds of competitors, such as min- 

 nows and the young of other species of fish. An over-increase 

 of competitors would decrease the food of the whitefish. A de- 

 crease of the whitefish food Would be at the expense of the whitefish. 

 An over-increase of competitors for the whitefish food would result 

 from a decrease of those forms which maintained the balance 



