Freshwater fish illustrations

Arranged by type of fish.

The Bureau of Fisheries is responsible for protecting and managing the 167 fish species that inhabit New York's four million acres of fresh waters. The bureau's functions are to: develop, implement, and monitor the statewide inland fisheries program; monitor statewide inland fisheries resources and their needs; conduct specialized studies or investigations with statewide implication; administer federally aided investigation and development projects; coordinate and standardize collection, storage, and analysis of fishery resource and user data; develop and implement strategies for resource and user inventories; produce and distribute the species and number of fish recommended for stocking throughout the state; conduct research on fish disease; provide technical assistance and assistance to private hatcheries;

develop, implement, and monitor the Great Lakes Fisheries Program; and develop and implement specialized studies or investigations of lakewide significance. The central office oversees regional fisheries units that do field work on species management. Regional offices often carry out special programs and projects under the broad supervision of the central office.

This series consists of 139 watercolor paintings and one black and white ink drawing depicting 127 freshwater fishes that inhabit one or several of the five major river systems draining New York State. (A link to selected digitized images is found below.) The drawings were produced in conjunction with the statewide Biological Survey conducted by the Conservation Department between 1926 and 1939. The drawings appeared serially in the biological survey reports published by the department between 1927 and 1940. Collection and specimen data is occasionally noted on the back of the paintings. The illustrations were executed on Winsor and Newton or Whatman watercolor board or Strathmore watercolor paper. The size of the drawings ranges from 15.2 cm to 73 cm. Species depicted include the lake sturgeon and the fourspine stickleback.

The illustrations represent the collective effort of field crews, an individual artist, and an ichthyologist. Field crews from the Biological Survey were responsible for collecting, transporting, and sustaining specimens until the artist and ichthyologist were satisfied that the illustration was accurate. Illustrations are the work of five artists who worked during the watershed survey: Ellen Edmonson, VK (known only by these initials), Hugh P. Chrisp, Elizabeth K. Burckmeyer, and Wilfrid Swancourt Bronson. Edmonson and Chrisp are responsible for the majority of the paintings. In preparation for the illustrations, in situ studies were completed at the capture sites. Specimens were then used to establish proportional and sectional details. Approximately 80% of the original specimens used in the process of illustration are still in the custody of the New York State Museum.

The illustrations were rendered with such accuracy and precision that fin-ray and scale counts can usually be ascertained from the drawings. Color is given similar attention; where the physical specimens that formed the basis of the illustrations have faded, the drawings themselves indicate original fish coloration. The figures were originally published in watershed survey reports of the Conservation Dept. in 1927-1940. During the 1980's the illustrations were reproduced in a variety of publications, most notably the DEC's The Conservationist and C. L. Smith's The Inland Fishes of New York State.

The series also includes 15 illustrations produced by the Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for publication in a monograph in 1986 (Smith, C.L. 1986. The inland fishes of New York state. N.Y. State Dept. Environ. Conserv., Albany.). Additionally, 19 black and white line drawings of larval fish complete the series. These drawings were produced by Marie Poland Fish for the Conservation Dept. for inclusion in U.S. Dept. of Commerce bulletins.

Item list.

This series was maintained by the DEC and its predecessor agency the Conservation Department. The DEC transferred physical custody of the illustrations to the New York State Museum in 2000. The State Archives accessioned the series in April 2001, and provides access by appointment.

Restricted access: by appointment only;New York State Archives.Kept in remote storage; access requires a minimum of one week advance notice.