Fish Culture in Inland Waters 



233 



During August, 1918, and from June to the middle of July, 1919, 

 a preliminary survey of the waters in Bear Mountain and Harriman 

 Park sections of the Palisades Interstate Park on the Hudson River, 

 was begun by the Department of Forest Zoology, and continued by 

 the Roosevelt Wild Life Station of the New York State College of 

 Forestry, at Syracuse, in cooperation with the Commissioners of the 

 Palisades Interstate Park, and with the assistance of the United 

 States Bureau of Fisheries. The examination did not cover all of 

 the waters of the Park because of lack of time, but six ponds or lakes 

 and two stream systems were reported upon (Adams, Hankinson 

 and Kendall, '19). Concerning the waters of the Park the report 

 says : " The waters present a number of unusual features which 

 complicate the problem of fish culture more than is usually the case. 

 The uses to which the waters of the Park are devoted are relatively 

 more diverse than those of the us.ual wild waters. Furthermore the 

 newness of the waters, having been formed or enlarged by dams, and 

 their frequent changes of level, introduces uncertain factors which 

 are not usually met with in fish cultural operations, and only time and 

 further study can resolve this influence." 



This is one of the few efiforts that have been made to formulate a 

 fish cultural policy for a large forest park where the recreational and 

 educational interests are paramount, and where the officials wished 

 also to see the possibilities of food fish developed as much as pos- 

 sible. There is a very general and extensive movement for the de- 

 velopment of parks throughout America so that we may anticipate, 

 in the near future, the need of intensive studies of this problem. 



The New York Conservation report for 1919 says : " During the 

 last year the Commission was requested to consider the advisability of 

 a new hatchery to be located on Lake George. It is felt, however, 

 that it would be more advisable first to make a complete survey 

 of the lake, and reach definite conclusions as to which of the seven- 

 teen species heretofore introduced into the lake should be propagated 

 in the future. It is futile to expect results from a great many species. 

 It may be possible to determine to what extent angling in Lake 

 George is inferior to that of some other lake as to certain of the game 

 fishes, and to determine what species of game fishes may be expected 

 to produce the best results. Having made this determination, vigor- 

 ous efiforts should then be made to produce those results with the 

 species it is decided will produce the most food and sport. This same 

 policy should apply also to other lakes. There are other important 

 bodies of water, much used by fishermen, which at the present time 

 do not appear to be producing the maximum results. Illustrations are 

 Cranberry Lake, the St. Regis Lakes, Canandaigua Lake, and some 

 of the Finger Lakes. 



" Because of the necessity of determining questions of fish planting 

 policy, if the best results are to be obtained with the product of the 

 hatcheries, the Commission accordingly recommends an annual ap- 

 propriation of not less than $5,000 for this purpose." 



By an act of the Legislature of 1920 the Conservation Commission 



