Fish Culture in Inland Waters 329 



desirable to have some sort of arrangement by which these fish 

 might become available for food, at least locally. Elsewhere in 

 this bulletin the statement was made that no small body of water 

 can afford an unlimited supply of food fish. If a market fishery 

 is carried on in inland waters for sport fish, it is impossible for 

 the stock to be naturally maintained. But under proper regula- 

 tions such waters might be capable of yielding a limited, though 

 appreciable and appreciated, amount of food fish without damage 

 to the sport fish. 



In northern Maine a chain of lakes contained, besides indigenous 

 lake trout and brook trout and various " coarse fishes," three kinds 

 of whitefish, all of which, excepting the trouts, were very abundant 

 in 1903 v/hen the present writer visited the region. 



All three whitefishes ascended the streams connecting the lakes 

 to spawn. In this locality no commercial fisheries were permitted, 

 but occasionally the native French inhabitants were allowed to net 

 the whitefish under restrictions during the spawning runs. In report- 

 ing upon the conditions as observed in the region the present writer 

 said : " The fishing as now regulated is chiefly important to the 

 sportsman, but the abundance of whitefish in a lake system of such 

 extent suggests a possible commercial fishery under proper regula- 

 tions, which would afford the inhabitants of Aroostook County at 

 least, a delicious fish for the table, both fresh and cured. A limited 

 net fishery, restricted to the summer months and to certain locali- 

 ties, would do no more damage, if as much, as is done by fishing on 

 the spawning beds, which is now permitted." (Evermann, '05, 

 p. 104.) 



The State propagated whitefish, obtaining most of the eggs in 

 this region, and distributed them in various waters of the State, with 

 what object it is difficult to see, since the fishing was almost wholly 

 restricted to hook and line, and but few were caught in that way. 

 Now the sport fishing in the same region has greatly declined, for 

 the same reason that it has in many other waters of the Eastern 

 States. This subject need not be dwelt upon. 



In New York State there are a number of extensive lakes some 

 of which support a relatively large number of fishes other than game 

 fishes, but as the report previously quoted states, they are not 

 generally allowed to be caught by other than angling methods. 



As examples of such lakes, let us take the largest two outside 

 of the Great Lakes. One of these is wholly within the State 

 borders. The other is of interstate as well as, to some extent, of 

 international interest. 



The first is Oneida Lake. As indicated by Adams and Han- 

 kinson ('16) the game fish as rated by the president of the 

 Anglers' Association of Onondaga, in the order of preference, are : 

 Small-mouth blackbass, pikeperch, large-mouth blackbass, yellow 

 perch, pike (" pickerel "), and bullheads. The food fish as similarly 

 rated by a fish dealer at Brewerton comprised a dozen or so species 

 listed in classes •, ( i ) eel, pikeperch, yellow perch, bullheads and 

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