Why are fish scarce in Crater Lake in 1946?
Because of the similarity of fishing methods used in 1946 to those of previous years there can be little doubt that there has been a sharp decline in the fish population in Crater Lake. No defensible theory for the sharply reduced number of fish in Crater Lake in 1946 can be given at this time. Although all conditions appear now to be normal there is no way of knowing or ascertaining the conditions which existed and transpired between 1942 and 1946. Had observations and studies been made during this period it is highly probable that the present decline in population could have been predicted or at least its cause ascertained. Presumably there has been in the past five years and probably in the last three, a period unfavorable either to spawning or to the survival of small fish. The present decline in population serves only to emphasize the fact that Crater Lake is biologically a young and unstable lake and that a wise and successful fish management program can be developed and maintain
