Fisli Culture in Inland Waters 305 



should be planted. A good many were caught from the tributary 

 streams when they still had the red spots which they carry until eight 

 or nine inches long. After the investigation we decided it was use- 

 less to attempt to stock a lake like that, unless we could carry the fish 

 through the smolt stage. The State today has one lake entirely 

 under its control, posted and screened, where they have been planted 

 for three years to determine the possibility of developing a source 

 of supply for eggs." 



Basing the view upon the known habits and habitat conditions 

 of fry and fingerlings it would appear to be a reasonable assump- 

 tion that the best places to plant such young salmon would be in 

 streams which afford the requisite conditions for the young fish 

 until they attain the size or age when they descend to the lake. This 

 point has been discussed in preceding pages. 



What determines the time of migration or descent to a lake has 

 not been ascertained, and it is a subject which should be investigated. 



If, however, it is necessary to plant young fish directly in a lake 

 whether there are suitable tributaries for breeding fish or not, they 

 should be reared to the stage suggested by both Titcomb and Keil. 

 It appears very probable that the widespread lack of success with 

 landlocked salmon stocking and the decline of the fish in their 

 original lakes may be due in part if not largely to planting fish, 

 when too young, directly into the lake or into other unsuitable 

 waters. However, as previously remarked, a self-sustaining stock 

 cannot be expected if not aided by natural breeding. 



Fishes Other than Salmonids. Many other species than trouts 

 and salmons are propagated by the Federal government and certain 

 states. Only a comparatively few of them are generally regarded 

 as game fish, although some may be game fish in one locality and 

 not so considered in another. Some species are propagated mainly 

 in the interest of the commercial fisheries, although one or more of 

 these may be regarded as game fish, at least locally. 



As previously noted the fish cultural attention of the New York 

 State Conservation Commission is principally directed to the trouts, 

 but it also propagates or rears other fish for either game fishing or 

 commercial fishing, or in some cases, for both purposes. 



The limits of this bulletin prohibit a detailed discussion of all 

 species of " artificially propagated " fishes, even if there was avail- 

 able information concerning them. Therefore, only those at present 

 distributed by the Conservation Commission are included in the 

 following discussions, and most of these not because any additional 

 light can be thrown on them but to call attention to the deplorable 

 dearth of knowledge concerning them, and to indicate the need of 

 investigations which they have never received and which they must 

 receive before success will follow the fish cultural efiforts. 



The Blackhasses a.nd Crappics. Probably next to the trouts the 

 blackbasses are the most ardently pursued game fish. There is 

 probably more detailed knowledge concerning these two species than 

 most other game fish, not excepting the brook trout. For that 



