Biological Survey — Oswego Watershed 87 



these according to their exact rank in importance, partly because of 

 the lack of a statistical basis upon which to consider their import- 

 ance. Even if the exact number of each taken by fishermen were 

 known, there might yet be some doubt as to the relative value of 

 the various species. Considered from the angler's viewpoint a 

 much sought game fish like a trout might be more important than 

 a less desired species such as the perch, irrespective of the numbers 

 taken. 



Statistics regarding the commercial fisheries of the larger lakes 

 and rivers of the region are given by Cobb.* Due to the decrease in 

 this type of fishing such figures cannot be applied at the present 

 time. 



Since angling is now more important than commercial fishing in 

 our region, the game fish may be considered the more important 

 ones. The principal species are : The brook, brown, rainbow and 

 lake trouts ; the small-mouthed and large-mouthed black basses ; 

 the pike-perch ; the northern pike ; and chain pickerel ; the bullhead 

 and spotted catfish ; the yellow perch, the rock bass, common sun- 

 fish and calico bass ; the common sucker, three species of red-horse 

 suckers (Moxostoma) and the eel. Other species of food and game 

 fish which are of less importance, due to restricted occurrence or 

 rarity are : steelhead trout, common whitefish, white bass, sheeps- 

 head, yellow bullhead, blue pike, sauger, long-eared sunfish, green 

 sunfish, lake sturgeon, eel-pout and smelt. A group of food fishes 

 that are seldom taken by angling are : cisco, tullibee, fine-scaled 

 sucker and the carp. Of the latter, however, a considerable num- 

 ber are speared and used for food. The carp has great possibilities 

 as a commercial fish within the Oswego watershed. 



Several species of fishes having inferior value as food are never- 

 theless occasionally so used. Among these are : hog sucker, chub 

 sucker, fall fish, horned dace, little pickerel and bowfin. As only 

 the larger individuals of most of the species are ever used for food 

 the group perhaps more properly belongs under the next subdivis- 

 ion, that of non-food, non-game species. 



Non=food, Non=game Species. — Here we may list 57 species. 

 This group is composed of the smaller fish such as the minnows 

 (Cyprinidae) along with a few of the larger varieties which are 

 not of use as food such as the gar-fishes (Lepisosteus) and in- 

 cludes the following: the lampreys (2 species), long-nosed gar, 

 bowfin, sawbelly, gizzard shad, nearly all members of the minnow 

 family (29 species), stonecats (4 species), mud minnow, barred 

 killifish, trout perch, darters (6 species), skipjack, sculpins (4 

 species) and sticklebacks (3 species). 



Bait Fish. — The use of small fish as bait for larger ones such 

 as pickerels and basses, is a very common practice among anglers. 

 Judging by the number of persons engaged in selling live bait 



* Cobb, Jolm N. The commercial fisheries of the interior lakes and 

 rivers of New York and Vermont; Kept. U. S. Com. of Fish and Fisheries 

 1903 (1905). 



