322 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



concerned. The selection should be based upon a scientific exami- 

 nation, that all essential conditions may be assured. In such waters 

 no fishing should be allowed and the waters should be preserved for 

 fish cultural purposes. It would be possible to manage such a reserva- 

 tion so that a future Q.%g supply would be practically permanent. 



Game Fish versus Food Fish. In 1903, an agent of the United 

 States Fish Commission canvassed the interior waters of the State. 

 In his report (Cobb, '05) he said: "New York is dotted with 

 numerous lakes, many of them such as Oneida, Champlain, Seneca, 

 and Cayuga, of great extent, while there is a veritable network of 

 rivers, creeks, and canals throughout the State. The principal aim 

 of the authorities has been, as far as possible, to confine the fish- 

 ing in the interior lakes and streams to sportsmen, who are attracted 

 not only from all parts of New York, but from other States and 

 even from foreign lands by the excellent fishing afforded in these 

 waters. Such pleasure seekers are usually liberal, and the sums 

 expended by them net a larger profit to the community than would 

 be obtained by the unrestricted use of fishing apparatus on the 

 part of local fishermen. It has been estimated that the sportsmen 

 leave behind them, in the hands of the railroads, hotels, guides, boat- 

 men, etc., several million dollars each year." 



In this bulletin it has been previously indicated that in the major- 

 ity of interior waters the angling sport has come to be regarded 

 as of paramount importance, although the general public " pays the 

 freight." Without doubt there are large nvimbers of anglers but 

 there is no angling license fee. As concerns productive game fish 

 waters under present conditions, it is no doubt true, as claimed, 

 that the game fishes of the inland waters of the State are a far 

 greater asset than a commercial fishery in those waters would be. 

 But there are over fifty species of fishes inhabiting the interior 

 waters of the State which are or might be important food fishes, 

 and many of them are not accounted as game fishes and do not 

 attract the angler. Such fishes are more common in the larger lakes 

 rather than in the streams and small ponds. As has been shown, 

 only a few of the fish indigenous to the State are propagated or 

 raised and distributed by the Conservation Commission. 



It is contrary to law to fish in many of the interior waters by any 

 method other than with hook and line (figures ^2, 43, 44). Under 

 present conditions this is doubtless a good provision so far as the 

 fish which can be taken by those methods are directly concerned. 

 But many excellent species of food fish cannot be so taken efifec- 

 tively, if at all ; and in practice these are usually taken illegally, for 

 licensed netting is restricted or forbidden in certain waters. Besides 

 these species there are others, so-called coarse or cull fish, which are 

 not generally held in favor as food fish, and some of which are re- 

 puted to be harmful in one w^ay or another to game fishes. Their 

 destruction has often been advocated by anglers. Most of those 

 species are really good food fish, and, as a matter of fact, are locally 

 esteemed as such. 



