CHAPTER XXXI 

 THE RELATIONS OF FISH TO MAN 



The fishes constitute a group of animals that are practically 

 always beneficial to man. Fish are caught sometimes for pleas- 

 ure alone, as an exhilarating form of recreation; and the species 

 that are fished for in this way are called game fishes. More often 

 fish are caught as an article of food, and such are called the food 

 fishes. 



Game Fishes. — Every one is familiar with many of the fresh- 

 water game fishes. Among the common species are the perches, 

 trout, pike, muskallunge, and basses. 



Fresh-water Game Fishes. — The yellow perch (Fig. 155) 

 inhabits the fresh-water streams and lakes of the northeastern 

 United States, and ranges west to the Mississippi Valley. It is 

 perhaps the best pan fish among American fresh-water fishes, 

 and in many localities it is taken largely for market. It is not 

 a good game fish, but for the food market it has one advantage 

 — it is easy to catch. The perch has been introduced success- 

 fully into several small lakes in Washington, Oregon, and Cali- 

 fornia. It can be artificially propagated, but other fish, such as 

 whitefish, lake trout, and pike perch, are of greater commercial 

 importance and are, therefore, preferred for propagative pur- 

 poses to the yellow perch. 



The trout family contains a number of our finest game fishes. 

 The brook or speckled trout prefers clear, cool streams with a 

 swift current and a gravelly bottom. The mountain or cut- 

 throat trout is a large species inhabiting the streams and lakes 

 of the Rocky Mountain region. The rainbow trout (Fig. 170, A) 

 is also a western species. It is a good game fish and takes the 



285 



