REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 129 



auritus), common sun-fish {Eupomotis gihhosus), yellow perch {Perca 

 flavescens), and five other minor species, which raise to twenty-one the 

 list of forms known from the lake. 



SENECA LAKE, NEW YORK. 



This is one of the largest of the interior lakes of New York. No 

 critical examination of its fish fauna appears to have been made, 

 although it is extensively^ resorted to by anglers, has certain ichthyo- 

 logical features of special interest, and at one time or another has 

 supported commercial fisheries of some importance. It also appears 

 to be a field in which fish-cultural work may profitably be conducted. 

 In August, 1899, a brief visit to the lake was made by Dr. H. M. 

 Smith for the purpose of determining the nature and abundance of 

 the fish life, and arrangements were made by which the fishes were 

 collected throughout the year. When the extent of the fauna has 

 been fully determined, a special report on the fishes of the lake will 

 be issued. Meanwhile, a few notes on the principal species will here 

 be given. 



Seneca Lake is about 36 miles long and 1 to 4 miles wide, with a 

 maximum depth of 500 to 600 feet. The lake, whose surface is about 

 450 feet above sea level, occupies an eroded valley flanked by bold 

 hills. It is fed by small streams and discharges into Lake Ontario by 

 means of Seneca River, Cayuga Lake, and Oswego River. 



Various forms of commercial fishing are permitted in the lake, as 

 shown by the following extract from the fisher j^ law of New York : 



It shall be lawful to fish in waters of Seneca Lake with nets or seines, the meshes 

 of which shall not be less than a 2-inch bar, from the 15th day of April to the 15th 

 day of August, both inclusive. It shall also be lawful to fish with spears in the 

 waters of Seneca Lake for all fish except black bass from the loth day of April to 

 the 15th day of June, both inclusive. 



The number of species of fishes known to inhabit Seneca Lake is 

 •small in comparison with the number recorded from the neighboring 

 Cayuga Lake by Dr. Meek,* although further inquiry will doubtless 

 show the existence of a considerable number of other species. The 

 occurrence in the lake of about 50 species has thus far been deter- 

 mined by the writer, of which about a third are food- fishes. 



The alewife (Pomolohus pseudoharengus) is one of the most abun- 

 dant fishes of the lake. The presence of this anadromous species 

 has given rise to much speculation, such as has been indulged in 

 with regard to the alewife in Lake Ontario and other New York lakes. 

 It is generally believed that this species was introduced into Seneca 

 Lake by Seth Green about 1872, but there is evidence to prove that 

 ' as early as 1868 it had, probably unassisted, reached the lake. The 

 I chief interest now attached to the species is the annual mortality to 



j * Notes on the Fishes of the Cayuga Lake Basin, Annals N. Y. Academy of 

 Sciences, 1889. 



F. C, 1900-9 



