Conservation Commission 341 



In the Adirondack lakes the prevailing whitefish was formerly 

 described as the Labrador Whitefish, and this form reappears in 

 Otsego Lake where it is represnted by a small race locally known as 

 Otsego bass. Attention will be called farther on to all the different 

 species, not only of whitefishes, but also of lake herring and tullibee 

 thus far observed in our waters. 



The choicest of the species for food are included among those 

 recorded in our State. A list of all the known forms follows 

 herewith. 



THE NEW YORK WHITEFISHES AND RELATED SPECIES 



Saginaw Bay Herring, Leucichthys liarengus 

 It is taken in great abundance in Saginaw Bay, where it is 



largely salted for commercial purposes. It is the most important 



fish in the fisheries of Saginaw B'ay. 



This herring has been discovered recently in Hedges Pond, 



Washington county, N. Y., where it is very abundant. It is said 



that the pond and adjacent lakes were stocked from Lake Saint 



Catherine, in Vermont. 



Seneca Lake Herring, Leucichthys osmeriformis 

 This is sometimes called Seneca Lake Smelt. It is known from 

 Seneca Lake, Keuka Lake and Skaneateles lake. The so-called 

 " Frostfish "of Lake George, the best known bait for Lake Trout, 

 is probably the same fish. 



Specimens of a cisco very much resembling the Cisco of Lake 

 Tippecanoe have been taken in Otisco lake and probably Canan- 

 daigua lake. ~No complete studies of this fish have been made, 

 and it is not clearly identified. 



Ontario Herring, Leucichthys ontariensis 



This has been described from Lake Ontario and Cayuga lake. 

 It is the " 'Greenback Herring' 1 of Sodus Bay which has fur- 

 nished a large number of eggs for some of our State hatcheries 

 during the past fall. This is an excellent food fish and reaches 

 a length of 13 inches or more. 



