CALIFORNIA FTSH'-GAME 5308S STATE OF CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF FISH AND GAME SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA EARL WARREN GOVERNOR WARREN T. HANNUM DIRECTOR OF NATURAL RESOURCES FISH AND GAME COMMISSION LEE F. PAYNE, Commissioner Los Angeles W. B. WILLIAMS, Commissioner Alturas DOM A. CTVTTKLLO. Commissioner Sacramento HARVEY HASTAIN, Commissioner Brawley EMIL J. N. OTT, Jr., Executive- Secretary Sacramento DALE LAPHAM, Administrative Assistant Sacramento BUREAU OF FISH CONSERVATION A. C. TAFT, Chief San Francisco A. E. Burghduff, Supervisor of Fish Hatcheries San Francisco Brian Curtis, Supervising Fisheries Biologist San Francisco L. Phillips, Assistant Supervisor of Fish Hatcheries San Francisco George McCloud, Assistant Supervisor of Fish Hatcheries Mt. Shasta D. A. Clanton, Assistant Supervisor of Fish Hatcheries Fillmore Allan Pollitt, Assistant Supervisor of Fish Hatcheries Tahoe R. C. Lewis, Assistant Supervisor, Hot Creek Hatchery Bishop J. William Cook, Construction Foreman San Francisco L. E. Nixon, Fish Hatcheryman, Yosemite Hatchery Yosemite Wm. Fiske, Foreman, Feather River Hatchery Clio Leon Talbott, Foreman, Mt. Whitney Hatchery Independence A. N. Culver, Foreman, Kaweah Hatchery Three-Rivers John Marshall, Foreman, Lake Almanor Hatchery Westwood Ross McCloud, Foreman, Basin Creek Hatchery Tuolumne Harold Hewitt, Foreman, Burney Creek Hatchery Burney C. L. Frame, Foreman, Kings River Hatchery Fresno Edward Clessen, Foreman, Brookdale Hatchery Brookdal© Harry Cole, Foreman, Yuba River Hatchery CamptonvIUe Donald Evins, Foreman, Hot Creek Hatchery Bishop Cecil Ray, Foreman, Kern Hatchery Kernville Carl Freyschlag, Foreman, Central Valley Hatchery Elk Grove S. C. Smedley, Foreman, Prairie Creek Hatchery Orick C. W. Chansler, Foreman, Fillmore Hatchery Fillmore G. S. Gunderson, Fish Hatchery Man. Serpioi.^i Hatchery Exeter Harold E. Roberts, Fish Hatchery Man, Mt. Tallac Hatchery Camp Richardson E. W. Murphey, Fish Hatcheryman, Fall Creek Hatchery Copco JoKeph Wales, r)isiricl Fi.«lieries Bioloaist Mt. Shasta Leo Shapovalov, District Fisheries Biologist Stanford University W'illia.m A. Dill r)isirirt f-'isheries Biolotrist Krfsri' Chester Woodhull, Junior Aquatic Biologist Stockton John Maga, Junior Sanitary Engineer San Franci.sco BUREAU OF GAME CONSERVATION J. S. HUNTER, Chief San Francisco Gordon H. True, Jr., Assistant Chief San Francisco Donald D. McLean, Game Biologist San Francisco R. E. Curtis, Game Biologist San Francisco Ben Glading, Game Biologist San Francisco Carlton M. Herman, Parasitologist . Berkeley Verne Fowler, Assistant Game Manager, Elk Refuge Tupman L. N. Cloyd, Assistant Game Manager, Gray Lodge Refuge Gridley J. S. Dow, Assistant Game Manager, Honey Lake Waterfowl Management Area Wendel Russell Bushey, Assistant Game Manager, Honey Lake Waterfowl Manage- ment Area Wendel Russell M. Reedy, Assistant Game Manager, Imperial Refuge Calipatria Roy M. Wattenbarger, Assistant Game Manager, Los Bancs Refuge Los Bancs Ralph R. Noble, Assistant Game Manager, Suisun Refuge Joice Island John R. Wallace, Supervisor, Predatory Animal Control San Francisco Norval Jeffries, Supervising Trapper .Monrovia Gerald McNames, Supervising Trapper Redding O. R. Shaw, Supervising Trapper King City Geo. D. Seymour, Supervising Trapper Sacramento BUREAU OF GAME FARMS AUGUST BADE, Chief Yountville E. D. Piatt, Superintendent, Los Serranos Game Farm Chino BUREAU OF MARINE FISHERIES RICHARD VAN CLEVE, Chief San Francisco S. H. Dado, Assistant Chief San Francisco W. L. Scofield, Senior Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island Frances N. Clark, Senior Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island Donald H. Fry, Jr., Senior Aquatic Biologist Terminal Island J. B. Phillips, Assistant Aquatic Biologist Pacific Grove Paul Bonnot, Assistant Aquatic Biologist Stanford University . W. E. Ripley, Assistant Aquatic Biologist Stanford University Geraldine Conner, Fisheries Statistician Terminal Island (Continued on inside back cover) f California Fish and Game "conservation of wildlife through education" Volume 32 ISSUED APRIL 1, 1946 No. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Twenty Five Years of the California Fisli and Game Commission J. S. Hunter 39 A Preliminary Report on the Fishery of Lake Millerton, California William A. Dill 49 Dnck Disease at Tulare Lake Donald D. McLean 71 AVandering of Pink Salmon and Other Salmonid Fishes into Southern California Carl L. Hubbs 81 A Progress Report on Beaver Management in California Arthur L. Hensley 87 NOTES— Effect of Red Water on Marine Life in Santa Monica Bay, California Hermann Sommer and Frances N. Clark 100 Recovery of a Tagged Souptin Shark William Ellis Ripley 101 IN MEMORIAM— Hiram L. Ricks 103 California Fish and Game is a publication devoted to the conservation of wild- life. It is published quarterly by the California Division of Fish and Game. All material for publication should be sent to Brian Curtis, Editor, Division of Fish and Game, Ferry Building-, San Francisco 11, California. The articles published herein are not copyrighted and may be reproduced in other periodicals, provided due credit is given the author and the California Division of Fish and Game. Editors of newspapers and periodicals are invited to make use of pertinent material. ^. , , ^ ^ t, .,j Subscribers are requested to notify the Division of Fish and Game, Ferry Build- ing, San Francisco li, California, of changes of address, giving old address as well as the new. 53088 (37) E TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION^ By J. S. Hunter Bureau of Game Conservation California Division of Fish and Game In the April, 1921 issue of California Pish and Game, Dr. H. C. Brj^ant told of the work of the Commission during the first 50 years of its existence and pointed out its outstanding accomplishments during that time. It is the intention of the writer, who has had the privilege of being an employee of the Commission for more than half of the 75 years of its existence, to carry on for the 25 years since the doctor's article was published. It will be necessary, however, to review somewhat the happenings of the first fifty -j^ear period. In the beginning, the Commission was a fish commission onlj'. In the late 70 's authority was extended to it to include game, but the appro- priations for game work were so meager (averaging until the Hunting License Act was adopted in 3907 less than $3,000 per year) that little could be accomplished. In the early 90 's, for example, the deer situation was so bad that the legislature saw fit to close the season entirely for a period of two years. During the first 37 years, that is, until 1907, all revenue for support was by appropriation and averaged approximately $18,000 per year — about the same as is now spent in five days' operation. The last appro- priation from the general fund was made in 1910. Since that time the Commission has been entirely self-supporting, obtaining no money what- soever from the general taxpayer. Income is derived chiefly from hunt- ing and fishing licenses, from deer tags, and from taxes on the commercial fishing industry. The passing of the Hunting License Act in 1907 really sets the date when serious conservation Avork started. Its passage was due to the ver}^ sincere work of the Chief Deputy, Chas. A'ogelsang, and to the coopera- tion of the serious-minded members of the senate and assembly. The result was that more money went into the Fish and Game Preservation Fund ($118,247.00) than had been appropriated for game work in all the previous years. At that time the work of the Commission consisted of law enforce- ment and fish culture. The Chief Deputy was the secretary' of the board and the directing head. "With additional money coming in, the Com- mission broadened its work. A game farm was created at Haj^ward and operated during the ten-year term of the lease. Trout and salmon culture increased greatly with the passing, in 1913, of the Angling License Act. The Commission realized the importance of the commercial fishing industry and in 1915 created the Department of Commercial Fisheries. The control of mountain lions as an additional measure for increasing the deer population was instituted. The Bureau of Educa- tion and Research, and the publication of California Fish and Game, were ^Submitted for publication, January, 1946. (39) 40 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME put under the direction of Dr. H. C. Bryant. Throughout the state the conservation work of the Commission was intensified. In 1913 the State Civil Service Act was passed and all employees were placed under its protection. In 1921 the annual expenditures of the Commission were $593,963.00. In the report of that 3'ear, the distribution of this amount was given as follows: administration 7.3% ; commercial fish culture and conservation 19.4% ; sporting fish culture and conservation 46% ; game conservation 27.3%. It is not possible to compare in detail the 1921 figures with those of 1945. In the above figures, under commercial fish culture and conservation are included commercial fish investigations and research ; and under sporting fish culture and conservation and game conservation are included the cost of law enforcement. By 1945 expenditures had increased 236% to a total of $1,392,217. These expenditures, which do not include capital investments, were dis- tributed as follows : Administration 7.3% Patrol and law enforcement 33.2% Marine fisheries 6.8% Fish conservation 26.1% Engineering (dams and ladders) 1.9% Game conservation 10.5% Game farms 5.6% Licenses 8.6% In 1921 an attempt was made in the legislature to take the Commis- sion into the Department of Agriculture. This bill did not pass, but in 1927 the Commission was absorbed by the newly created Department of Natural Resources under the title of Division of Fish and Game. There have been many changes of personnel of those directing the work of the Commission since !t921. Operating at that time under the original 1870 law, commissioners were appointed by the governor to serve at his pleasure, and in general each new governor appointed new commissioners. They received no salary but were reimbursed for expenses. In 1937 the legislature provided for a five-man commission ; and in 1940 a constitutional amendment was adopted providing for a five-man commission with six-year staggered terms. Definite dates were set for the retirement of the members of the first Board appointed under the new law and at such times new appointees were to serve for a full six year period. The combination of a five-man board with six-year terms means that every sixth year there is no outgoing member and therefore no change in the Commission. Commissioners now receive, in addition to expenses, $10 for each day actually spent on state business up to a limit of $50 in any calendar month. The 57 men who have been appointed to the Commission by the governors of our state are listed herewith. They have created the policy and laid down the foundation that the working staff has followed. The state has been fortunate in having, with very few exceptions, outstand- ing men as commissioners. Their devotion to the work has been sincere and constructive. Until recent years no compensation was allowed and their only reward has been in knowing that their acts were in accordance with their best judgment. If their work has been good, the conservation structure erected on the foundation laid down by them will reflect to their credit and to the credit of the commissions that will follow. CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 41 FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONERS, 1870-1945 B. B. Redding 1870-85 S. R. Throckmorton 1870-85 J. D. Farwell 1870-85 R. H. Buckingham 1885-86 A. B. Dibble 1885-86 T. J. Sherwood 1885-86 Joseph Routier 1886-91 J. Downey Harvey 1886-91 Chas. Josselyn 1886-91 Jos. D. Redding 1891-95 Raymond E. Wilson 1891-91 Joseph Morizio 1891-92 Hugh L. MacNell 1892-95 VVm. C. Murdock 1892-96 H. F. Emerie 1895-97 J. M. Morrison 1895-99 Alex T. Vogelsang 1896-01 C. B. Gould 1897-01 H. W. Keller 1899-03 W. W. Van Arsdale 1901-07 W. E. Gerber 1901-07 John Bermingham 1905-08 George Stone 1907-10 F. W. Van Sicklen 1907-10 M. J. Connell 1908-27 Lendal N. Gray 1910-10 David Starr Jordan 1910-11 P. G. Sanborn 1911-12 Frank M. Newbert 8/ 4/11 to Carl Westerfeld 1/ 2/12 to E. L. Bosqui 12/ 8/16 to I. Zellerbach 5/ 5/25 to G. H. Anderson 12/12/22 to Ralph H. Clock 12/ 7/25 to Geo. B. Clarkson 9/ 2/27 to Reginald S. Fernald__- 9/ 2/27 to C. S. Bell 8/18/30 to Earl B. Gilmore 1/ 1/32 to J. Dale Gentry 1/ 1/32 to Chas. N. Cotton 12/14/34 to Dr. E. C. Moore 2/ 2/35 to Elmer Houchin 2/ 5/35 to A. T. Jergens 1/ 7/36 to Newton A. Booth 4/15/38 to Ravmond Gray 4/ 5/38 to E. L. McKenzie 4/15/38 to K. I. Fulton 1/ 1/39 to F. W. Clark 1/ 1/39 to Phil S. Gibson 1/ 1/39 to E. L. Carty 9/19/39 to Germain Bulcke 9/19/39 to Nate Milnor 9/19/39 to Lee F. Payne 9/19/39 to W. B. Williams 9/19/39 (term to expire H. L. Ricks 3/ 6/44 to Dom A. Civitello 3/15/44 ( term to expire Harvey Hastain 3/23/45 (term to expire Lee F. Payne 1/25/46 (term to expire 8/ 1/ 12/ 7/25 12/ 8/16 12/12/22 1/ 1/39 5/ 5/25 9/ 2/27 /30 /31 1/ 1/32 12/12/34 2/ 4/35 2/ 4/35 1/ /39 1/ /36 4/ 5/38 1/13/39 1/ /39 1/ 1/39 2/ 8/40 9/19/39 9/19/39 1/15/43 1/15/44 1/15/45 1/15/46 1/15/47) 1/31/46 1/15/50) 1/15/51) 1/15/52) During the period of this report the following men have served as executive officer and secretary of the Commission : Chas. A. Vogelsang Resigned March, 1922 George Neale March 1922 to Dec. 31, 1925 B. D. Marx Greene Jan. 18, 1926 to Dec. 1, 1927 Eugene D. Bennett Dec. 1, 1927 to April 1, 1929 John L. Farley April 1, 1929 to Nov. 5, 1934 Herbert C. Davis Dec. 15, 1934 to Sept. 19, 1939 Lester A. McMillan Sept. 20, 1939 to Aug. 19, 1940 George P. Miller April 1, 1941 to Dec. 15, 1944 Emil J. N. Ott, Jr Dec. 16, 1944 to An extremely important change in the functions of the Commission was made at the 1945 session of the State Legislature when Sections 14 to 19.6 were added to the Fish and Game Code. These gave to the Com- mission wide regulatory powers, up to that time reserved to the legisla- ture, over the wildlife of the state, except with respect to species taken for commercial purposes. With respect to species taken for sport, the Commission may now regulate seasons, bag and possession limits, size limits, territorial limits, means of capture, and restrictions based on sex, maturity or other physical distinctions. A tabulation of the various bureaus and other titular divisions, show- ing their chiefs and the changes in their appellations, is presented at the end of this paper and shows that of the six bureaus now in existence, only 2—53088 42 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME three were functioning in 1921, the Bureau of Patrol, the Bureau of Fish Conservation, and the Bureau of Marine Fisheries ; and these three were then called by different names. Of the other bureaus which existed in 1921 or have been created since, some still stand as integral parts of the organization, but others have vanished ; tlie record, to one who can read between the lines, suggests much of interest. Bureau of Patrol and Law Enforcement In the early 20 's the patrol force numbered 46 deputies. These worked from three district offices: Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Francisco, under the direction of the man in charge of the respective office. With the reorganization of the Commission under the leadership of I. Zellerbach, its president, the number of deputies increased to 89. Patrol districts were created and a captain was placed in charge of each district, the captain being responsible to the Chief of Patrol in San Francisco. Later three district inspectors were appointed with head- quarters in Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Francisco and the patrol force increased to 108. During the biennial period of 1920-22, there were 2258 arrests for violations of the fish and game laws, and fines totalling $66,421.50 were imposed. During the biennium just previous to World War II there were 7262 arrests, and fines imposed amounted to $202,590.96. During the last biennium the force was greatly handicapped by war conditions and there were only 4298 arrests with fines totalling $152,508.00. At the present time there are 166 employees in law enforcement work. Transportation has been one of the difficult problems of the Bureau of Patrol. Twenty-five years ago the bureau possessed one Ford and the deputies used their own private ears on a mileage basis. Tlie results were not satisfactory and when money was available cars were purchased and transportation provided. Since the beginning of World War II Patrol, as well as all other bureaus, has been greatly handicapped by war restrictions and the loss of personnel to the armed forces. Bureau of Fish Conservation With the continually increasing demands from sportsmen for more and larger fish, and with a 200% increase in the state's population dur- ing the past 25 years, the problem confronting the Bureau of Fish Con- servation has been most complex. Larger fish can only be produced eco- nomically where water temperatures are right and where food can be secured at a reasonable cost. Many of the hatcheries and egg-collecting stations that were in operation 25 years ago have been abandoned and replaced by others in more advantageous localities. In some instances, egg-collecting stations have been made into hatcheries. The expenditure for fish food alone under present conditions practically equals the total cost of maintaining the hatcheries and egg-collecting stations of 25 years ago. During the 25-year period a total of 709,123,258 trout and 194,147,807 salmon have been planted in our streams and lakes, and 61,521,897 of numerous other species, mostly spiny rayed, rescued from overflowed areas for transfer to permanent waters. The total weight of trout planted in 1944 was 321,321 pounds, exceeding by lialf the weight of trout planted in any year prior to 1942. CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 43 In this increase of total weight planted three factors have been of major importance. One is the development of a brood stock of fall spa\^^lin<>: rainbows. The second is the development of abundant hatchery water supplies of such a temperature tliat offspring of the fall spawning stock can be grown to 6 inches and up by the following May. Hot Creek, Fillmore and Black Rock are outstanding in this respect. Third is the development of low cost food supplies, largely in the form of hitherto unutilized materials such as fluky beef liver, condemned canned fish and fresh fish of varieties not favored for human con- sumption. In the distribution end a great step forward has been the installation of aerating devices on all planting equipment so that the crews can dis- tribute their loads of fish in an orderly manner without fear of losses due to insufficient oxygen in the water. And to provide the information needed for a planting program and for other fish conservation measures, the Bureau established in 1937 a staif of trained biologists, decentralized in such a way as to provide geo- graphical coverage for the state. Among other things they have car- ried on a census based on voluntary reports from a sample of the angling licensees which has shown an annual catch in the neighborhood of 16,000,000 trout in recent years. Bureau of Marine Fisheries The importance of the commercial fishing industry was realized many years ago by the Commission but it was not until 1915 that the Department of Commercial Fisheries was created, now known as the Bureau of Marine Fisheries. It was realized that only by regulations based on sound scientific research could the industry be developed and maintained. No better man to head this important department could have been found than N. B. Scofield. During the first few years the legislature passed laws requiring the fishing industry to render reports from which statistical data could be secured to show just what was hap- pening to our commercial fisheries resources and what was needed for tlieir preservation, and providing that funds necessary to carry on the work be collected from the industry. Early in the 1920 's the California State Fisheries Laboratory was erected at Terminal Island where the research staff would have all the facilities necessary for carrying on its work. Many of the men trained here are now known as outstanding authorities in fisheries conservation. Space will not permit going into detail of the work of the department. Those interested may find full records in the Biennial Reports of the Commission, and in the "Fish Bulletins" of which 62 have been pub- lished. It will be sufficient to point out the fact that our fisheries have been developed to yield an average of approximately 170 pounds of fish annually for each one of the nine million residents of the state, and that California records show that one-third of all the fish taken in the United States and Alaska are brought into our California ports. The sardine catch, which seemed large at 30,000 tons in 1921, exceeded 548,000 tons in the 1944-45 season, the latest for which figures have been published. 44 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Bureau of Licenses This bureau is charged with distribution of all licenses. As has already been stated, the Division of Fish and Game is entirely self support- ing, the necessary revenue coming principally from hunting and fishing license sales and commercial fish taxes. The successful enforcement of a license law depends on how simple it is to secure the license. It has therefore been the policy of the Commission to place licenses within easy reach of the applicant and for that reason it has endeavored to have them available even in the most remote places. All the agents are bonded and it is essential that they have on hand approximately the number of licenses the locality will require. Licenses were formerly distributed through county clerks and agents on a 10 per cent commission basis. This has been reduced to 5 per cent, thus effecting a saving of thousands of dol- lars. In 1921 there were issued : angling licenses 176,873 ; hunting 225,454 ; commercial fishing 4,462. In 1945 the sales had increased to : angling over 500,000 (final figures not available) ; hunting 321,888 ; com- mercial fishing 10,871. The issuance of deer tags and of special antelope, elk, and other seasonal licenses set up by various laws during recent years is also the responsibility of this bureau. Bureau of Game Conservation Game conservation was not set up as a separate bureau until 1935. Part of the work that it now carries on was previously done by the Patrol Department and later by the Bureau of Game Refuges. Everything that affects game other than law enforcement is the responsibility of this bureau : predatory animal control, including mountain lions ; the investi- gation of field conditions ; game censuses ; management of game refuges and public shooting grounds ; and all federal aid in wildlife restoration, or Pittman-Robertson, programs. The Commission has paid for the killing of mountain lions since 1907. Until 1918 the bounty was $20 on either sex. In that year it was increased to $30 on females. During the legislative session of 1945 this was again increased to $50 on males and $60 on females. The first lion hunter was employed in 1918, and three other hunters later. Coyote and wildcat control was instituted in 1928. From time to time the number of trappers has been increased as money was made avail- able. Twenty-two men are now trapping and about that same number will be added as soon as equipment can be secured. Predatory animal work has resulted in the taking of nearly 10,000 lions. By December 31, 1945, trappers had accounted for 27,437 coyotes, 7,806 bobcats and 16,688 other predators, mostly feral housecats. In the late 20 's it was apparent that waterfowl were on the decrease and that additional protection was needed. Duck hunters had become so numerous that practically every waterhole had one or more guns to keep the birds from the resting areas. Through the assistance and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Waterfowl Refuges appointed by the governor in 1927, 4 refuges totalling approximately 10,000 acres located in the duck areas of the state were purchased. On these the birds could find a haven on which they would be undisturbed. This act of the Commission was prior to the refuge program of the federal CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 45 government and resulted in the preservation of thousands of birds that returned to the northern breeding areas and later came back to California many fold for the benefit of our hunters. From time to time the study of the diseases and epidemics that occa- sionally occur in wildlife has been undertaken by the division but it was not until recent years that this important part of the game management program Avas given the attention it deserves. The future of our game depends on thorough knowledge of the relationship between game and livestock and the determination of the extent to which game in the field acts as a carrier of livestock diseases. We now have in Berkeley a reasonably Avell equipped laboratory where this study is carried on. Real progress has been made but it will be a long time before we know all the answers. With the passage of the Pittman-Robertson Act by Congress and the adoption by our legislature of enabling acts, California began in 1080 to participate in the benefits of the federal appropriations for tlie acquisi- tion of land and the study of wildlife problems. Under the authority of this act we have acquired approximately 31,000 acres of land ; have com- pleted several development projects; and have under way management studies of quail, deer and fur bearing mammals. Prior to the war, in order that we might have definite information regarding the game take, we sent out in cooperation with the Terminal Island Laboratory questionnaires to hunters in all counties asking them to send us a record of their year's kill. In 1040 11,000 replies were received; in 1941, 13,000. From these replies have been estimated the total take. By species, the kill in the two-year period was : 19^0 19f,l Quail 1,290,487 1,208,788 Dovos 1,711,862 1,368,464 Ducks 1,520,207 l,.'i79,651 (iooso 138,700 140,390 Pigeons 116,614 123,969 Phoasants 167,035 245,666 Kal)l.i(s 1,017,956 962,852 5,962,870 5,629,789 In 1027 llie deer tag Jaw was adopted requiring deer hunters to report their kill. These cards have been tabulated and show a total kill of 542,560 since that date. Bureau of Game Farms Responding to the demands of sportsmen, the Commission in 1925, with the cooperation of the Department of Finance, secured a deficiency appropriation of $50,000 for the construction of a game farm in Napa County near Yountville. In 1929 a southern California game farm was established near Chino. The farms have operated continuously and have raised thousands of pheasants, quail, chukar partridges and turkeys. These have been liberated in practically every county of the state. In order that the output of the farms could be increased, hundreds of hold- ing pens have been constructed in numerous counties where pheasants and other game birds could be received by sportsmen and employees of 46 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME the Commission for liberation. Due to the excellent work in releasing pheasants, an open season on tliese birds was declared by the legislature in 1933. Since that time Calitornia hunters have harvested thousands of pheasants annually. Administration of the details of the game management area law has been a responsibility of the Bureau of Game Farms since its enactment in 1939. This program was designed to increase pheasants and quail by encouraging private owners to release birds on their properties. The proportion of the planted birds which they may take, but in no case to exceed 80 per cent, is set by the Commission, as is the hunting season. Bureau of Hydraulics The Bureau of Hydraulic was established in June, 1926, as the ' ' Bureau of Screens and Ladders. ' ' It continued to have charge of these problems until June, 1933, when its work was taken over by the Bureau of Fish Culture. In 1935 a law was passed requiring the Commission to pay half the cost of tisli screen construction and Hydraulics was again set up as a bureau. In 1939 the name of the bureau was changed to Engineering and all construction and engineering work was placed under its direction. It installed many screens, ladders and other structures and completed various land surveys. In 1945 it was decided that the construction work of the Division should be carried on by the State Department of Public Works and the Bureau of Engineering was dissolved. California Fish and Game Magazine Tlu; first number of the quarterly magazine of the Division was issued in October, 1914 with Dr. Bryant as editor. On his resignation in 1930 to enter the National Park Service he was replaced by Leo K. Wilson, who served through 1932. James Moffitt was editor in 1933 ; J. 0. Snyder from 1934 to 1936 ; and Richard Croker from 1937 until his entry into the Army in 1942, since which time the work has been carried on by Brian Curtis. It has not been the policy of the Commission to make a sporting magazine of CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME but rather a medium in which to record the activities of the Division and to report its progress in scientific and other fields. Among conservatio)iists the magazine is regarded as one of the best published ; and it is continuously referred to in the bibliographies of scientific papers. Library In the years since the library was created in 1927, the Commission has built up one of the best conservation libraries in the country. On the shelves in San Francisco are well over 3500 volumes and more than 10,000 pamphlets on conservation subjects. At Terminal Island the State Fisheries Laboratory maintains a library containing thousands of volumes and pamphlets, published in the United States and in foreign countries, on fishery problems. This is considered the best fisheries library in the west. CALIFOliNlA 1<'1S11 AND GAAIE 47 Legal Department The legal department during the past several years has handled many cases that have a bearing on conservation both in the present and in the fnture. Until recently this branch of our work was carried on by attorneys appointed by the Commission in cooperation with the Attorney General 's office. Now the work is done entirely by the Attorney General through his deputies. The cases have been well conducted and reflect to the credit of the legal staff. Most of them have been re(;orded in previous issues of CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. A complete survey will be made the subject of future articles. HISTORY OF EXISTING BUREAUS 1921-1945 Year 1 921-25 1926-27 1927-29 1929-45 1941-45 1921-28 1928-31 1932-35 1935-3fi 1937-45 1921-28 1928-37 1937-39 1940-41 1941-45 1926-33 1933-45 1926-35 1935-37 1938-45 1929-35 1935-45 Name of bureau Patrol Service Patrol Service Patrol Service Bureau of Patrol and Law Enforcement. - Bureau of Patrol and Law Enforcement. . Department of Fish Culture Bureau of Fish Culture Bureau of F'ish Culture Bureau of Fish Conservation Bureau of Fish Conservation Department of Commercial Fisheries Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Bureau of Marine Fisheries Bureau of Marine Fisheries Bureau of Marine I''isheries Bureau of Finance and Accounts Bureau of Licenses Bureau of Game Farms Assigned to Bureau of Game Conservation Bureau of Game Farms Bureau of Game Refuges Bureau of Game Conservation Chief No chief* Hunter, J. S. Allred, K. P. fActing) Macaulay, E. L. Chappell, L. F. (Acting; Macaulay on military leave) Shebley, W. H. Shebley, W. H. Snyder, J. 0. Snyder, J. 0. Taft, A. C. Scofieid, N. B. Scofield, N. B. Scofieid, N. B. Van Clcve, R. Dunbar, H. R. Dunbar, H. R. Bade, August Bade, August Hunter, J. S. Hunter, J. S. * Patrol Service had no single chief prior to 1926, the Commissioners acting as Patrol Heads in their respective parts of the State. ** Position of Chief, Bureau of Marine Fisheries, was vacant December 1, 1939 to February 28, 1941. 48 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME HISTORY OF BUREAUS WHICH HAVE CEASED TO EXIST 1921-1945 (Including independent titles) Year 1921-23 1926 1921-25 1926 1927-28 1929-30 1930-33 1934 1924-26 1927-28 1929 1926 1927-33 1935-36 1936-40 1940-45 1926 1927-29 1929-30 1930 1927 1928-31 1932 1927 1927-28 1929-34 Name Department of Water Pollution. Bureau of River and Harbor Pollution. Bureau of Education, Publicity and Research Bureau of Education and Research Bureau of Education Bureau of Education and Research Bureau of Education and Research Bureau of Education and Research State Lion Hunter Assigned to Patrol Service Transferred to Bureau of Game Refuges Bureau of Screens and Ladders Bureau of Hydraulics Bureau of Research and Engineering Bureau of Hydraulics Bureau of Engineering Bureau of Publicity Bureau of Public Relations Bureau of Publicity Bureau of Publicity _ Commercial Fisheries Patrol Assigned to Department of Commercial Fisheries Transferred to Bureau of Patrol Bureau of Statistics and Game Problems Bureau of Research Bureau of Fish Rescue and Reclamation. Chief Fairfield, A. M. Watkins, R. G. Bryant, H. C. Bryant, H. C. Bryant, H. C. Bryant, H. C. Wilson, Leo K. Snyder, J. 0. Bruce, Jay C. Bruce, Jay C. Bruce, Jay C. Spencer, John Spencer, John Davis, H. C. Spencer, John Spencer, John WatUns, R. G. Vore, Frank H. Vore, Frank H. Wilson, Leo K. Ludlum, R. E. Ludlum, R. E. Neale, George A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE FISHERY OF MILLERTON LAKE, CALIFORNIA^ By William A. Dill Bureau of Fish Conservation California Division of Fish and Game Introduction Millei'ton Lake, impounded by Friant Dam on the San Joaquin River, was opened to fishing- for the first time in 1945. Its advance pub- licity— both as a key project in the Central Valley Plan and as a recrea- tional area — destines it to be one of the State 's important fishing waters. For this reason, and especially because many similar reservoirs in Cali- fornia have had disappointing histories after an initial short period of high fish production, it is desirable to present a description of Millerton Lake and its fishery during its early years. Aside from the collection of catch records no detailed studies have as yet been made. The material presented here is considered to be of value principally in that it may be used as a basis for initial management and future studies. Most of the detailed information on Friant Dam and its operation has been secured from members of the United States Bureau of Reclama- tion: Messrs. R. S. Calland, Nelson B. Hunt, R. B. Williams, and L. E. Cramer. Special thanks are due Mr. Williams, former Construction Engineer of Friant Dam, and Mr. Everett A. Pesonen, Recreation Spe- cialist of the Bureau of Reclamation, for their continued interest in the fishery of the lake. Mr. L. R. Bryan, Chief Guard at Friant Dam, was in charge of the collection of catch records. He and other guards of the Bureau of Recla- mation were assisted in this work by wardens of the California Division of Fish and Game under the supervision of Captain S. R. Gilloon. The photographs used in this report were furnished through the courtesy of the Fresno Bee. Friant Dam, Its Physical Features and Use The character of a reservoir's fishery depends in large part upon its physical features and its mode of operation (storage and draw-off). While but little correlation between these factors and the productivity of Millerton Lake is attempted here, the following descriptive data are considered to be indispensable for a full understanding of the lake's present and future problems. Friant Dam is located on the San Joaquin River, in Madera and Fresno Counties, just above the town of Friant, 20 miles from Fresno. It is owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and water is stored here for subsequent release for irrigation and flood control. It is a straight gravity-section concrete structure rising 295 feet above the 1 Submitted for publication, December, 1945. (49) 3—53088 50 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME streambed to a spillway crest at elevation 578 feet. Water can be dis- charged in several ways. (1) Tlirough four 110-incli river outlet pipes at elevation (invert) 375.4 feet. These outlets are equipped with needle valves and have a combined discharge capacity of about 15,000 c.f.s. under full reservoir. 600 _ Priocipol recreotionol seoson Swimming seoson i 500 400 -1 1 1 JvJaxMTium controlled level Typical wet-yeor 6 out of 35 years (1909, 'll,'l4,'l6,'38,4l,) 600 500 400 600 Maximum controlled level Typical moderate year 22 out of 35 yeors,(l908,'lO,'l2,'l5,'l7-'23,'25-'28 '32;33;35-37,'40,'42 500 400 "i 1 \ 1 Moximum controlled level 7 out pf 35 yeQrs,(l9l3,'24,'29,'30,'3l,34,'39) Jon. Feb. -Mor.- -Apr. Moy June July Aug. Sept. Oct. t^ov. Dec. TYPICAL FLUCTUATION OF WATER LEVEl Millerton Lake (Friant Reservoir) Problem 23 B Central Valley Project Studies Fig. 10. After Fig. 11 of Central Valley Project (1944). Note that a typical wet or dry year is anticipated after a series of wet years or dry years, not as an isolated phenomenon. FISHERY OF MILLERTON LAKE 51 (2) Over a spill waj^ with a lip elevation of 560 feet and eventual crest at elevation 578 feet. (It has been uncontrolled to date bnt will be equipped with 18-foot drumgates in early 1946. ) Its niaximmn discharge capacity is 92,000 c.f.s. (3) Through two irrigation canals. The Madera Canal is supplied by two 91-inch outlet pipes, at invert elevation 442.2 feet, controlled by needle valves. This canal, with a full capacity of 1,000 c.f.s., leads north for about 37 miles to Ash Slough, a branch of the Chowchilla River. It furnishes irrigation water either directly (through laterals) or indirectl}'- (percolation through river beds into the ground water supply), and has been in partial operation since June, 1944. The larger Friant-Kern Canal will be supplied with four 110-inch outlet pipes at invert elevation 459.4 feet. These are also controlled by needle valves and will have a combined discharge capacity of 5,000 c.f.s. Construction of this canal started in September, 1945, but it will not be completed for several years. It will convey water as far south as Bakersfield (160 miles) with lateral outlets for irrigation and domestic water supply. The river outlets and the canal heads are equipped with trash racks but not with fish screens. The general plans call for almost continuous operation of the canals, only short periods of spill, and comparatively small diseliarges through the river outlets. However, the ultimate operation of Friant Dam will be dependent upon its over-all relationship to Shasta Dam and to the many contemplated units of the gigantic Central Valley Project. Under the expected plan of operation the reservoir will be filling during the winter and spring months to reach a peak by June or July. During the summer and autumn it will be drawn down to supply the demands of irrigation. Sudden rises may occur when winter floods are being controlled. A more detailed description of water fluctuation in the reservoir will be found in Central Valley Project studies (1944). Even in the most favorable years a vertical fluctuation of at least 100 feet is anticipated, and this alone makes the continuance of good fishing dubious. Description of the Reservoir Millerton Lake lies in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Upper Sonoran life zone. It will be about 16 miles long when filled and is narrow and winding with its greatest expansion at the lower end. Here, at high water it will have a maximum width of about 2^ miles. About 3| miles above the dam it narrows perceptibly. From these nar- rows to the head much of the lake is confined to a canyon and is less than 1,000 feet in width. In places the lake shelves off quite rapidly but there are still many shallow coves and bays. The greatest development of shoal area is at the lower end. Some idea of the extent of these areas is shown by the fact that a 25-foot drop of water (from the flow line) will reduce the surface area of the lake 13 per cent; a 50-foot drop will reduce it 26 per cent. At maximum elevation (578 feet) the reservoir will have a surface area of 4,900 acres, a capacity of 520,550 acre-feet of water, and a shore- line of about 43 miles. At minimum expected elevation (466 feet) it will have an area of only 2,111 acres and a capacity of 129,745 acre-feet. The lake basin is primarily one of alluvium (cobbles, gravel, and sand) with outcrops of igneous and metamorphic rocks. The slopes are 52 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME L Pig. 11. Millerton Lake from dain, April 6, 1944. Fresno Bee. grassy. Predominant trees are blue oak, interior live oak and digger pine. Chaparral is especially common in the upper canyon. The reservoir site was cleared of brush and trees between elevations 400 and 583 feet. Con- sequently, there is but little shelter for fish except in the form of tree stumps, rocks, and some driftwood. A fairly good plant cover of turkey mullein {Eremocarpus setigcrus), filaree {Erodium hotrys and E. mos- chaUim), tumble weed (Amaranthus graecizans) , vinegar weed (Tricho- stema lanceolatum) , and other plants has followed the shoreline down as the water has receded during the first years. However, the steeper slopes are losing their soil cover to assume the barren character common to fluc- tuating reservoirs. The only permanent stream entering Millerton Lake is the San Joa- quin River. Controlled by six other reservoirs and 11 hydroelectric power plants, its inflow is subjected to considerable artificial regulation. As measured near Friant its average discharge during the 1907-40 period was 2,316 c.f.s., with a maximum recorded flow of 77,200 c.f.s.^ Kerck- hoff Powerhouse, a stream flow plant of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, is situated on the river about three-fourths mile above the lake. About eight miles above this plant is its diversion point, Kerckhoff Dam, which is impassable to the upward migration of fish. In some seasons the section between this dam and its power plant is reduced to standing pools with but little flow. All of the other tributaries are intermittent foothill streams with wide variations in flow, and only one of these has a considerable drainage or fish fauna — Fine Gold Creek, a permanent trout stream near its head- waters but often dry in its lower reaches. During the 1936-43 water years - These figures include the flow from other tributaries of the lake. FISHERY OF MILLERTON LAKE 'oS its discliarj^'e varied from over 10,000 c.f.s. to no flow at all. Much of the fishin^r in Millerton Lake is done in tlie coves where the tributai'ies enter. .Some of tliese streams may provide spawning? areas for trout and some of the native fishes. Otherwise tliey will play but a minor role in tlie lake's fishery. Air temperatures in the Millerton basin are decidedly hijrh dui'injr the summer months. Kecoi'ds for Fi'esno, 20 miles away, show that dur- ing July and Aujiust the avera^^e maximum temperature is about 98^ F. and the average minimum is about 64'^ F. The mean annual temperature at Fre.sno is 63.3° F. (recorded extremes range from 17° F. to 115° F.), and the so-called agricultural growing season extends from February 16th 1o December 1st or for 289 days. Precipitation is light ; the average annual rainfall at Friant is only 12.56 inches. Strong winds are common at the lake, and in 1945 they resulted in wave action which endangered some boat fishermen and made the water so turbid at times that fishing was poor. Friant Dam was completed, except for control valves and spillway drumgates, in December, 1942. During the period September 6 to November 11, 3941, closure of the tcmyjorary diversion conduits was in progress. Since then the river has flowed through the outlet pipes and the level of the reservoir has fluctuated with the flow of the stream and the requirements of downstream water users. The first complete control by the river outlets commenced on February 21, 1944. In that year the reservoir rose to elevation 526.6 feet on July 7th and then descended to elevation 453.5 on October 26th. It again rose and in 1945 attained an elevation of 560 feet to overflow the spillway from June 23d to July 17th followed by subsidence to 501.5 feet on October 29th. • Pig. 12. A creek mouth on Millerton Lake, September, 1943. Fresno Bee. 54 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME During each of these successive rises much organic matter was inun- dated and the lake appeared to be rich in p]a)ikton. When the spillway drumgates are installed an additional marginal area will be flooded for the tirst time. This new fertilization (from the plant cover) will create additional planktonic food, but it is not known how long land vegetation will continue to reestablish itself after the top soil has been removed. No extended series of water temperatures has yet been taken. Occa- sional readings made at the lower end of the lake in 1945 indicate that the surface water had attained a temperature of 74° F. by April 23d and did not drop below this point until sometime after September 17th. The maximum recorded surface temperature in this year was 79° F. on August 2d. Such records show that the lake belongs to the ' ' warm-water type, ' ' more suited for bass-like fishes than for trout, and has favorable growing conditions. While rather detailed recreational plans have been made for Miller- ton Lake (see Central Valley Project, 1944) no special facilities for fish- ermen such as docks or rental boats had been provided up to the close of 1945. The Fish Fauna In recent years prior to the construction of Friant Dam the follow- ing fishes had been observed in the San Joaquin River near Friant. Those marked with an asterisk are not native to California. Family Petromyzonidae. Lampreys Pacific lamprey, T'JniosphcnuH iridculiiliis Jirook lamprey, Lantpefra plancri Family Saimonidae. Salmons and Trouts Kiiifl salmon. OncorhinicJiKs fshairi/tsclni Rainbow trout, Salino galrdnerii *BroAvn trout, Salmo trutta Family Catostomidac. Suckers Sacramento large-scaled sucker, Vafosfoiuiis ocvidentalis Family Cyprinidae. Minnows or Carps Sacramento blackfish, OrtJiodon wicrolepidotus Hardhead, Mylopharodon conocephalus Hitch, Lavinia exilicauda Sacramento squawfish, Ptychocheilus grandis California roach, Ilesperolcticiis symmeli ivus *Carp, Cyprmus carpio Family Ameiuridae. Catfishes and Bullheads *Unkno\vn species (probably Ameiurus nehulosus and/or Ictalurus catus) Family Poeciliidae. Top Minnows * Western mosquitofish, Gavihusia a finis affinis Family Gasterosteidae. Sticklebacks Three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteiis aculeatus Family Centrarchidae. Black Basses and Sunfishes *Black crappie, Pomoxis nigro-maculatiis *Green sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus *Bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus *Largemouth bass, Huro salmoides *Smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu Family Cottidae. Scaleless Sculpins Sculpin, Cottus sp. Family Embiotocidae. Viviparous Perches Fresh-water viviparous perch, Hysterocavpus traslci * Not native to California. FISHERY OF MILLERTON LAKE 55 Other species have been recorded from this area but had not been noted in recent years. Aside fi'om the sport fish those species noted most frequently by anglers were the large minnows, Ptychocheilus and Mylopharodon, and the sucker. The first two are frequently confused by fishermen who know them variously as : "hardheads," "river trout," ' ' lake trout, " " pike, " " whitefish, " "' steelhead, ' ' etc. The predominant sport fishery in the river here was for king salmon, but Friant Dam cut off about 16 miles of stream in which the salmon spawned and confined it to the river below. The last run above the dam was made in 1941.^ In the immediate vicinity of Friant the next most important game species was the smallmouth bass while farther upstream rainbow trout increased in abundance. There was a limited amount of fishing for cat- fish, and some largemouth bass, sunfishes, and crappie may have been caught here. However, it is believed that only a few of these centrarchids were present. Our knowledge of the fishes now found in Millerton Lake is lim- ited almost solely to the examination of fishermen's catches in 1945. Those taken by angling only are known to have included : rainbow trout, Sacramento sucker, hardhead, Sacramento squawfish, green sunfish, blue- gill, largemouth bass, and smallmouth bass. Carp have been observed in the lake and sculpins have been seen in bass stomachs. The abundance of the various sport fishes as shown by the catch records is discussed later. Fish Stocking and Early Management During the time of construction work only a small "pond" existed above the dam site, but in anticipation of the new reservoir it was stocked with largemouth bass and sunfish in 1941 and 1942. During these two years 32,440 largemouth bass, 317,750 green sunfish, and 375 bluegill were planted through the combined efforts of the California Division of Fish and Game and the Fresno County Sportsmen 's Club. (See Table 1.) Some of the bass were raised in the sportsmen 's rearing pond ; the other bass and the sunfish were rescued from overflow areas. There were i-equests from some sportsmen for further fish planting, but this was disapproved by the Division of Fish and Game on the grounds that natural propagation by the seed stock would suffice to stock the lake. TABLE 1 Summary of Stocking Records for Millerton Lake Size Number of fish stocked Species 1941 1942 Totals Largemouth bass Adults.. .. ._ 377 17,793 377 Green sunfish Fiiigerlings* Adults. .. . 14,270 1,750 316,000 32,063 1,750 316 000 Fingerlings Bluegill Adults .... 375 375 * Fourteen thousand of the 1941 plant of bass averaged about 7}^ inches in length. Of the 1942 plant, at least one-half were about 3 inches long, but several thousand ranged from 7 to 11 inches in length. 3 No fishway was recommended for Friant Dam because of the very limited salmon spawning ai-eas left above the reservoir. The construction of KerckhofT Dam in 1920 had already barred salmon from farther progress up the San Joaquin River. 56 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Occasional observations dnring the 1941-44 period disclosed the presence of many fish bnt fishinpr was not permitted. At first, the Bnreau of Reclamation kept the lake closed because of the war emergency; and even when this danger had subsided, public entry was prohibited because of a fire hazard (on the grasslands) and the fact that no agency had offered to take over recreational management of the area. In 1945 the Division of Fish and Game recommended that Millerton Lake be opened to fishing, pointing out that satisfactory fish populations often became established very quickly in new lakes and that it was inad- visable to delay their cropping. In May the National Park Service took charge of the recreational administration of the lake and the Bureau of Reclamation opened the reservoir under temporary regulations for sport fishing purposes only. The lake was opened on very short notice and a great deal of credit must be given to the Reclamation Service 's workers for their immediate installation of safety measures, traffic control, and a catch record system. About two miles of shoreline were burned off on the southern side near the dam to reduce the fire hazard, and some grass Fig. 13. Parked cars of boat fishermen at Millerton Lake, May, 1945. Fresno Bee. was also burned off on the opposite shore. An attempt was made to concentrate the entrance points of fishermen by announcing that all boats were to be launched at one point near the south end of the dam, and that cars (other than those belonging to boat fishermen) were to be parked just outside the lake area near a checking station. However, there were no restrictions on people who wished to park their cars elsewhere and w^alk over to the lake to fish from the buriied-off area. Moreover, it was FISHERY OP MILLERTON LAKE 57 permissible to take boats into the upper end of the lake at Sullivan Flat over a county road, and shore fishermen were allowed to fish here even though the grass had not been burned. A few people also entered the lake area over private roads. Nevertheless, the wording of the regula- tions as well as the convenience of entry did concentrate most of the fishermen at one entrance gate. The 1945 Catch Records Methods The detailed methods used in collecting records will not be described here. Briefly, one or more checkers (sometimes as many as five during the first few days of the season) were stationed at the gate where most of the anglers entered and left the lake. These men kept a record of most anglers entering the gate and examined the catch of most of those leaving. Fish were recorded only as "bass," "sunfish" and "trout" except during periods when sample counts of the individual species were made. Fish were not measured nor weighed. No separate record was kept of ' ' zero catches ' ' nor of the number of hours fished. As a general criticism it should be noted that during the first weeks of the count (up to about July 10th) both the total catch and the catch per fisherman-day were probably somewhat higher than the records show. (During a portion of this period an unknown number of fishermen were checked in but their catch was not recorded as they left.) It is quite true that this creel count lacked the precision which would have been desirable. However, limited personnel and the sudden open- nSHERMEN SUNPISH BASS SEPTEMBER Fig. 14. Weekly fluctuations in the number of fishermen and in the number of bass and sunflsh caught at Millerton Lake during the 1945 fishing season. The dates represent the last day of each calendar week. Each plotted point represents the total number of men fishing or number of bass or sunfish taken during a full calendar week except for the May 29-June 2 period and the October 28-31 period, 4 — 53088 58 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME ing of the lake made it impossible for the two agencies involved to work out a fully unified plan of procedure. It has proved impossible to apply any statistical methods which would convert the figures into "accurate estimates." For all practical purposes, however, the records may be considered to provide a reasonahly accurate "picture'' of the species composition, intensity of fishing, and degree of fishing success throughout the season. SuflScient personnel was not available to make enough counts of the number of unchecked fishermen to arrive at a satisfactory estimate of the completeness of the catch records. Various observers from both the Bureau of Reclamation and Division of Fish and Game have agreed that Ihe records cover at least 75 per cent of tlie fishing effort in 1945, and the few actual counts of unchecked fishermen indicate to the writei' that they are about 90 per cent complete. Number and Kind of Fish Caught During the five-month season of 1945 (May 29th to October 31st, inclusive) a total of 162,166 sport fish were recorded as taken by 27,.396 anglers (fishermen-days). Sample counts of complete catches indicated that almost all of the bass taken were largemouth, and that at least 10 out of every 11 sunfish taken were bluegills.^ It is believed that all trout caught were rainbow. The species composition of the total recorded catch as estimated on the basis of these counts is shown in Table 2. A few Sacramento squawfish, hardheads, and suckers were also caught. Most people discarded them and no count was made of the few Avhich were taken out. No crappie nor catfish are known to have been taken. TABLE 2 Estimated Species Composition of Recorded Catch at Millerton Lake in 1945 Species Number caught Per cent of total catch Bluegill 129,349 19,638 12,935 148 96 80— Largemouth bass 12+ Green sunfish- .. . 8— Smallmouth bass 0.1 Rainbow trout 0 06 All sport fish 162.166 Angling Success Sport fish were caught at the average rate of 5.92 per fisherman-day for the entire season. Weekly averages varied from 4.51 to 9.13 fish per fisherman-day. Obviously the catch of sunfish alone (i.e., bluegill and green sunfish combined) coincided closely with these figures varying * Unfortunately, only a few sample counts could be made. The ratio of large- mouth bass to smallmouth (133:1) used here was based on a complete count of only 402 black bass. General observation indicated that the percentage of smallmouth bass taken during the season was much less than this. The ratio of bluegill to green sunfish (10:1) was based on complete counts for 4,386 sunfish on seven sample days. The proportion of bluegills to green sunfish rose steadily until on the last day of sampling (when 2,320 individuals were examined) the ratio was over 33 to 1. It is probable that the calculated number of bluegills taken throughout the season should be much higher. FISHERY OF MILLERTON LAKE 59 from 3.22 to 8,95 with an average seasonal catch of 5.19 sunfish per fisherman-day, Bass fishing showed a decided variation, dropping from a weekly high of 2,35 bass per fisherman-day during the first week to only 0.13 at its lowest point. The average seasonal catch of bass was 0.72 per fisherman-day.^ (See Fig, 15.) 8- 1 1 1 I till 1 1 1 r 1 1 1 t 1 1 1 1 1 t 1 -» I CHAJCtCiJ ' \ B - ^(jNr lofi -- — — •■- — - -- BASS / / / V \ -a 7 ' > / \ V- ' V ( \ \ -7 cr / \ ' r / * (^ Ul ' * V ii. • \ / \ _)6- \ f \ -a J \ \ < / \ 1 \ >- s 0) "' ' » f \ $ 1 ^ OS- f / ^ / \ -i z i /" * " '\ / s I < ' ^ / \_- '"^^ i 5 * ^ / "-J ^ ( 1 / \ r , /- \' \ in*- " -.( V -4 li- / ce UJ / Q. h- r3- -3 o D < U r \ t/i u. 2- \ -2 t \ a UJ \ (D 5 , \ D '- Z •- - -■ """ •^. \ J 1 1 le 23 1 I 1 1 30 i 14 21 \ 28 . 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ■i 11 16 21 1 ft IS 22 2fl. « 13 20 27 31 " JUNE ; JULY AUGUST ; SEPTEMBER ; OCTOBER Fig. 15. Weekly fluctuations in average catch per unit of fishing effort (fisher- man-day) at Millerton Lake during the 1945 fishing season. Tlie dates represent the- last day of each calendar week. Each plotted point represents the average num- ber of fish caught per fisherman-day during a full calendar week except for the May 29-June 2 period and the October 28-31 period. Seasonal Variations in the Catch Although the average catch of bass was comparatively high during the first few days of fishing it descended very rapidly, fluctuated close to the seasonal average until about the middle of August, and then showed a more or less constant decline throughout the remainder of the period. On the other hand, the catch of sunfish per fisherman-day showed two well-separated major peaks (at the end of June and in mid-October) and never dropped far below the seasonal average. It is of considerable interest to note that a large portion of the total seasonal catch of bass was removed shortly after the fishing season opened. By the close of the first week (five daj^s) one-third of the bass caught during the season had already been taken. Three-quarters had been removed after only eight weeks of fishing. The removal of the sun- fish did not proceed at such a rapid rate. Only one-sixteenth had been caught by the close of the first week, and 14 weeks elapsed before three- quarters of the seasonal total had been removed. 5 All of these averages are, of course, based on the catch of all fishermen as no segregation could be made between "bass fishermen" and "sunfish fishermen." Obvi- ously, anglers fishing primarily for bass took more than an average of 0.72 bass per fisiherman-day throughout the season. 60 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME This phenomenon — the removal of a large percentage of the seasonal catch of bass within a short period of time — is similar to that reported for all fish in Norris Reservoir in 1940 by Esehmeyer (1942). At that lake 71 per cent of the fish caught during six months of the 1940 season Avere taken in the first month of fishing (June), and the average catch l)er unit of effort dropped decidedly after the first month. The decline in fishing success at Norris Reservoir during the remainder of the season was at first attributed to the heav;>^ removal during the first month. How- ever, later work attributed the summer decline in the catch to a sudden and decided increase in food (young fish) which made the game fish less easilv caught. (See: Esehmeyer, 1944, and Esehmeyer and Manges, 1945.) A third interpretation is also possible at Millerton Lake. During the first few days of the season the majority of the anglers appeared to be "bass fishermen"; i.e., most of them were equipped with plug rods and used large artificial lures designed to catch bass and of little value as lures for small pan fish. Furthermore, many of the first fishermen were known to be fairly expert and bass fishing was uppermost in the minds of most people. In other words, during the first days of the season most people fished for bass only. (The fact that the opening day's count showed 3,617 bass and only 1,753 sunfish is a good indication that these observations are correct.) However, the percentage of good bass fisher- men soon declined and a correspondingly large percentage of ' ' bluegill, ' ' "cane pole," and inexpert fishermen visited the lake, resulting in an increase in the sunfish catch. Other factors may, of course, have oper- ated here also : fish frightening due to concentration of shore fishermen on a relatively small area of the lake ; seasonal changes in temperature and turbidity ; fluctuation of the lake ; etc. For example, shore fishing for bass was greatly disturbed on windy days and when the rising water washed charred material into the coves. Fishing Intensity and Fishing Yield On the basis of the recorded figures alone the number of fisherman- days during the five-month season of 1945 averaged 6.2 per acre of lake. The recorded yield of sport fish (bass and sunfish) during this same period was 36.58 fish per acre.^ Obviously, both the total fishing intensity and total yield per acre were somewhat higher. We have very few catch records for other warm-water lakes in California. Curtis (ms.) states that in four warm-water reservoirs in San Diego County there was an average catch of six fish per fisherman- day and a yield of 48 fish per acre per 12-month season during the 1929-44 period, under a fishing intensity of eight fishermen-days per acre. Fishing is considered to be good in these reservoirs. A six-month creel census in 1940 at the heavily fluctuating Norris Reservoir, Tennessee, showed an average catch of 1.2 sport fish per fish- erman-day or 4.5 per acre. The fishing intensity during this period amounted to four fishermen per acre. (Esehmeyer, 1942.) At two natural lakes in Wisconsin, Frey, et al. (1939) reported that in the most heavily fished one (AVaubesa) there was an average catch of 8.85 sport fish per fisherman-day, a yield of 37 per acre, and a fishing intensity of *The surface area of the lake varied between 2967.5 and 4,433 acres during the fishing season. The maximum area attained during this period has been used in these computations. FISHERY OF MILLERTON LAKE 61 4.2 fishermen per acre during a five-month season in 1938. Twelve natural lakes in southern Michigan were reported by Hazzard and Eschmeyer (1938) to have a yield of 31.6 fish per acre and a fishing intensity of about 7 fishermen-days per acre during a five-month period in 1936. Fig. 16. Fishermen on Miilerton Lake, May, 1945. Fresno Bee. "Without attempting detailed comparisons it can be said that the fishing success at Miilerton (as based on numbers of fish caught per fisherman-day) and its yield in number of fish per acre compared favor- ably Avith that recorded for other warm-water lakes both in California and other states. The fishing intensity was reasonably high for a warm- water lake but not excessively so. Both the yield per acre and tlie fishing intensity was decidedly lower than at many California trout lakes. The 310-acre June Lake, for example, had a fishing efi'ort of almost 64 fisher- man-days per acre and a yield of 180.5 trout per acre during a five-month season in 1942. However, the average catch per fisherman-day was only 2.8 trout. (Vestal, 1943.) Size and Condition of Fish Only general statements can be made regarding the size of the fish taken at Miilerton Lake. It is probable that the size of the largemouth bass retained did not greatly exceed the range of 9 to 20 inches in total length. Many of these bass were between 9 and 11 inches, but there was also a fairly large number around 15 or 16 inches or over two pounds in weight. All largemouth bass seen were in excellent condition. Many catches of bluegills averaging about six inches in total length were 62 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME checked and some are known to have reached 10 inches. Altliougli a few green snnfish up to nine inches long were seen, their average size was considerably less than that of the bluegills. All of the snnfish were in good condition. Ten of the 96 rainbow trout reported as caught aver- aged 17 inches in length (range, 11.0-22.25 inches from tip of snout to fork of caudal fin). These were all splendid deep-bodied fish, pale silver in color with hardly a trace of a rainbow stripe. (They were confused Avith salmon by some anglers.) There were complaints by some fishermen that there were too many small bass in the lake, i.e., fish close to or less than the legal size of nine inches. Specific reasons for complaint were various. Some men believed that the 1945 opening was a mistake and that it should have been delayed for one or two more years in order to give these small bass a chance to grow up. Others claimed that "thousands" of less than legal-sized bass Avere thrown back in a mutilated condition, or that part of the catch of legal but small-sized fish was discarded after larger fish had been caught. A considerable number of people simply seemed to be "both- ered" by the large number of small bass regardless of whether or not they could catch ' ' keepers, ' ' Preliminary study indicates that most of the "small" bass caught in early 1945 belonged to the 1944 year-class. Such fish would be expected to reach desirable size very soon. Furthermore, if the spawning season of 1945 were successful we might expect the fisherman to be "bothered" by another crop of small fish in 1946. It is readily agreed that many thousands of small bass (less than desirable size for catching or eating) were found in Millerton Lake. However, it was entirely pos- sible for good fishermen to make very satisfactory catches, and many "limits" (10 bass) were comprised of no fish under 12 inches in length and included several bass 15 inches or over in size. Fishing Methods Almost every conceivable type of sport fishing tackle was used : bait casting rods with artificial lures ; fly rods with spinners, bass bugs or flies; surf rods; cane or willow poles; handlines. The use of live bait fishes was not permitted, and worms were the most popular natural bait — especially for snnfish. Generally speaking the smaller bass were taken by people who fished from shore using short casts with flies or small spinners in shallow or top water, or Avho used bait. Those who fished from boats and/or with large artificial lures or (at times) who fished deep were the ones who caught the larger bass. Problems of Management Many forms of fisheries management have been devised and a long list of suggestions might be offered here. However, since neither the need for nor the feasibility of utilizing most of these measures at Millerton Lake has been demonstrated, tlie discussion which follows will concern itself with only a few major considerations.'^ It is believed that we should attempt to manage the lake primarily for largemouth bass and for bluegill. The former is an attractive game fish while the bluegill is highly desirable both as a pan fish and as a ■ A more extended discussion will be found in Dill (1943). FISHERY OF MILLERTON LAKE 63 forage fisli for bass. Furthermore, its ease of capture lias made it possible for many inexpert fishermen to enjoy good fishing at the lake. There is some question as to the desirability of the green sunfish here. At the State's Central Valley Hatchery it seems to be a preferred forage fish by the bass, and perhaps it has a place at Millerton on this account. However, the average size of those caught at the lake was far less than that of the bluegill, and in some waters their slow growth rate and/or predatory habits do not compensate for their other values. Ben- nett (1943) considers this species to be undesirable in artificial lakes, and it is classed as a "coarse fish" in Michigan. In 1944 it was classed as an undesirable fish to be used for stocking in California although it still retains its status as a "game fish" under State laws. It is considered impracticable to try to increase the supply of either smallmouth bass or rainbow trout. This bass has never been very suc- cessful in California reservoirs, and it would be surprising if it were to become abundant except in the swifter waters at the head of the lake. Similarly, the catch of rainbow trout is not expected to be of much importance except in the river above the lake. Stocking The introductory stocking appears to have been very successful in establishing three species of fish in Millerton Lake, and there is every indication that the population of these fishes is high. It has not been California's usual policy to stock warm-water fish for maintenance; i.e., to plant them continuously in waters where desirable breeding popula- tions have been established. And it is the general agreement among fisheries workers today that such stocking is not only of little value but may even be harmful. (See Hazzard, 1945.)^ The natural productivity of such warm-water sport fishes as are present in Millerton is extremely high. Some indication of the enormous reproductive potential of these fish ma^^ be gained by noting that the catch of at least 130,000 bluegill in 1945 occurred only three years after the stocking of only 375 adults. (The ratio of these stocked bluegill to those recorded as caught was 1:345.) Such an increase may seem phenomenal, and since a few bluegill had been reported from the Friant area prior to the time of stocking there is no certainty that all of these fish resulted from the plant in 3942. However, calculations based on more than reasonable assumptions (a production of 16,000 fry per female, maturation at one year, a 50 per cent natural mortality of the 375 adults which were planted, and natural mortalities of 99 per cent for each year-class produced in 1943 and 1944) show that more than 1,200,000 bluegills might have survived for the 1945 fishing season from the 1944 year-class alone. On the basis of such estimates the fisherman's recorded catch in 1945 would have accounted for only a little more than one-tenth of the bluegills produced in the previous year alone. Some of the work in other states indicates that from one-quarter to one-half of the standing crop of warm-water fish may be removed safely each season. Hence it might be better to worry about overpopulation by bluegills at Millerton rather than underpopulation. No such similar increase of either the bass or the green sunfish which were stocked is indicated by the catch records. In fact, the number of * This excellent summary on warm-water fish management was reprinted in Cali- fornia Fish and Game, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 19-26. 64 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Fig. 17. Catch of sunfish from Millerton Lake, May, 1945. Fresno Bee. these fish caught in 1945 was considerably less than the number stockerl. (The ratio of stocked fish to fish recorded as caught was as follows : large- mouth bass, 1:0.6; green sunfish, 1:0.04.) However, frequent observa- tions at Millerton Lake make it a certainty that the number of bass caught represented only a fraction of the standing crop. Thousands of yearling and adult bass were observed near the surface especially in April, May and early June, and they appeared to be the most abundant fish in the lake. Fluctuation of Water Level The effect of the extreme fluctuation at Millerton may be visualized more easily if one realizes that the normally expected annual drop in water level of at least 100 feet reduces the surface area 50 per cent. With such a rise and fall of water elevation we can not expect the establishment of rooted aquatic plants (valuable as cover and as a habitat for food organisms), nor of an abundant fauna of bottom foods. Possibly plank- ton production will compensate for the scarcity of bottom organisms as it does in some other fluctuating reservoirs, and the latter 's absence will not be as serious as it might be in a trout lake. The lake will drain down well and but little stranding of fish is expected. Luckily, the damage to the eggs or fry of bass and sunfish may not be great since the lake will normally be rising rather than falling during most of the anticipated spawning period. There is not much accurate information on the spawning seasons of centrarchids either at Millerton FISHERY OF MILLERTON LAKE 65 Lake or anywhere in California.^ Observations at the lake in 1945 indi- cated that almost all of the largemouth bass had spawned before June 1st and it is probable that most of this spawning occurred in May. Many nests of bluegill and green suiifish were noted in early June of 1945 and many ripe fish of both species were still being caught at the end of this month (when observations were terminated). Both of these fish are known to have a rather extended spawning season. Apparently but little information exists as to the harmful effect of rising water on centrarchid nests. However, it may be noted that a very good crop of young bass was produced during the 1944 season when the water level rose 63.6 feet during the month of May. Unfortunately, no observations on spawning time were possible in that year, and the bulk of the spawning might have occurred during April, a month when the total fluctuation did not exceed 1.5 feet. If future studies should show that fluctuation is harmful to spawn- ing in Millerton Lake, and if it is also true that some regulation of water level is possible without affecting the usefulness of the reservoir for stor- age— it would be desirable to plan such regulation. (In 1945 the total rise in water level was held to only 10.6 feet during the anticipated large- mouth bass spawning season of April-May.) Whether or not the over-all effect of fluctuation or other factors associated with draw-off is harmful to the fishery, it must be realized by the fisherman that Millerton was not designed to be a fishing lake and that its primary purjDose demands that it rise and fall. Regulation of Fish Populations If spawning should continue to be successful, a major problem may actually be that of controlling populations or achieving a better balance between competing species. Since no netting operations have been car- ried on at the lake we have but little knowledge of the abundance of fishes other than the centrarchids and trout. And even here it is quite possible that the catch was not a true reflection of their comparative numbers or abundance. It is impossible to say now what changes may occur in the population at Millerton. Different species will probably have their periods of ascendancy and their periods of decline, and a minor species in 1945 may be a dominant species within a year or so. Preliminary observation indicates that neither the native coarse fish, such as minnows and suckers, nor the introduced carp are numerous. This is in decided contrast to the situation at Shasta Lake, a somewhat similar reservoir on the upper Sacramento River. Here, in 1944 (less than a year after storage commenced) the abundance of squawfish and hardheads was very striking. However, no centrarchids are known from Shasta. A few observations on older California reservoirs have sug- gested that the native minnows have not held up well after the estab- lishment of black bass and other centrarchids. Carp have become numerous in some of these lakes, however, and in some a decline in bass fishing has been coincident with a rise in the populations of sunfishes, crappies, or catfishes, » The general range of the largemouth bass' spawning season in the San Joaquin Valley and foothills of central California is Itnown to extend throughout most of the March-July period, but it is commonly assumed that most spawning in the warmer waters is completed by the end of May. 5—53088 66 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME If a similar pattern of events should follow at Millerton, major attempts at regulation may have to be directed against the sunfishes or carp rather than against the native coarse fish. The fecundity of such fishes is high and if they should gain the upper hand it may be difficult to readjust the picture. The stocking of more bass does not appear to improve fishing in such lakes and the direct reduction in numbers of the undesirable fishes — coupled, perhaps, with attempts to increase the nat- ural productivity of the bass — seems to be the most advisable measure. Whether such reduction should be accomplished by seining, trapping, poisoning, or removal of catch restrictions on the undesirable species may be a problem for future study. Luckily, Millerton Lake — unlike some California lakes — will probably always have a high percentage of sun- fish fishermen W'hich will help to keep them under control. Fishing Regulations The present State regulations at Millerton Lake include the fol- lowing laws for taking warm-water sport fish : fishing season from May 29th to October 31st, inclusive ; a daily bag limit of 10 black bass (of all species in the aggregate) and 25 sunfish (bluegill and green sunfish in the aggregate) ; a size limit of nine inches on black bass and none on any other species. Trout may be taken here (under State law) from May 1st to October 31st, inclusive. The daily bag limit is 25 fish ; there is no size limit. These bag limits should allow an ample daily catch for any fisher- man— whether his interest lies in sport or food. It is entirely possible, however, that the limit on sunfish may prove too severe for the good of the fishery and promote overpopulation. And while the five-month season for bass may allow a good daily catch of bass during this period, it may not afford one except at the start of the season. That is, if the season were to be opened earlier it might afford a higher catch per fisher- man-day and a much fuller utilization of the lake's resources without harm to the fishery. With this in mind, an experimental year-round open season is now being tried at Norris Reservoir and other T. V. A. impound- ments. (See Eschmeyer, 1944.) Various warm-water lakes in Califor- nia have had a 12-month open season for many years, and some of these provide excellent fishing despite their proximity to large centers of population and a heavy fishing effort. Although no changes are recommended for Millerton Lake at present it is probable that more lenient rather than stricter regulations will be called for here eventually. Interference With Fishing by Speed Boats A potential menace to fishing here is the use of high-speed motor boats. Their effect at Bass Lake, a nearby reservoir in Madera County, is well known: they cause large waves which roil the water when they reach the shore and both the silting and turbulence spoil fishing. There is a considerable and well-founded antipathy to their unrestricted use among many local fishermen. Under the temporary fishing regulations at Millerton no speeding or boat racing was permitted, and the few offenders of this notice received heavy criticism from anglers. The extent to which speed-boating would be injurious at this lake is unknown, but it might be expected to be great FISHERY OF MILLERTON LAKE 67 especially in the narrow passages and shallow bays. It would be of value to conduct actual experiments on the lake (test runs) before allow- ing speeding or making specific regulations. Among the suggested mea- sures of control (or alleviation of harmful effect) are: establishment of periods during which speeding is prohibited ; closure of certain sections of the lake to speed boats ; barring of certain areas by log booms designed to break the wash as it piles inshore. Other Problems Some fish have escaped into the Madera Canal and a few were washed over the spilhvay in 1945. Such escapes are not of as much importance as if the lake supported migratory fishes, but checks on such losses are contemplated both on the Madera and on the Friant-Kern canals. Both canals may be considered as potential fishing water but such conduits afford but few resting places for fish and it is probable that fishing wil] be confined mainly to checks and headings where the water is quieter. Kainbow trout fishing is reported to have improved in the San Joaquin River immediately below the dam and catfish are said to have "moved out." Trout have always been present in this area but their increase can be attributed to the somewhat colder water now being released from the dam. The effect of the dam on salmon is well known and has been discussed in several reports appearing in Catjfornia Fish and Game. The (|nes- tion of whether or not sufficient water will continue to be released from FrJant Dam for fish life has not yet been answered satisfactorily. Above the lake the river has been made more accessible through c.von- tion of the reservoir and the fishing intensity has increased here. Summary of 1945 Catch Records (1) Various observers have estimated that the 1945 catch records for Millerton Lake are from 75 to 90 per cent complete. The following figures are based solely on the recorded catch of 27,396 anglers (fisher- man-days) during the five-month season Ma}^ 29th to October 31st, inclu- sive. Even these records are subject to some error due to faults in sampling but the amount of error is not sufficient to change any of the conclusions markedly. (2) During the five-month season these 27,396 anglers caught 162,166 sport fish. It is estimated that 129,349 (80- per cent) were blue- gill, 19,638 (12+ per cent) were largemouth bass, and 12,935 (8- per cent) were green sunfish. A few smallmouth bass (0.1 per cent) and rainbow trout (0.06 per cent) were also taken as well as a few Sacramento squawfish, hardheads and suckers. (3) Sport fish were taken at the average rate of 5.92 fish per fisher- man-day throughout the season, with the weekly average rate varying from 4.51 to 9.13 fish per fisherman-day. Sunfish (both bluegill and green sunfish) were caught at an average seasonal rate of 5.19 fish per fisherman-day ; the weekly average rate ranged from 3.22 to 8.95. Black bass were taken at an average seasonal rate of 0.72 bass per fisherman- day ; the weekly average rate ranged from 0.13 to 2.35. (4) The average catch of bass per unit of fishing effort was high during the first few days of the season but descended rapidly. The catch 68 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME of sunfish per fislierman-day showed two well separated peaks (at the end of June and in mid-October) and never fell far below the seasonal average. (5) A large portion of the total seasonal catch of bass was removed very quickly : one-third of the bass caught during the season were taken during the first five days; three-quarters had been taken after eight weeks of fishing. Kemoval of the sunfish proceeded at a much slower rate : one-sixteenth of the sunfish caught during the season were taken during the first five days; 14 weeks elapsed before three-quarters had been taken. (6) During the five-month season 6.2 fisherman-days were spent on each acre of the lake. (7) During this same period the lake had a recorded yield of 36.58 sport fish per acre. (Both the fishing intensity (6) and the yield per acre are based on the maximum area which the lake attained during the 1945 season.) Conclusions With the erection of Friant Dam to form Millerton Lake, a consider- able fishery for largemouth bass and sunfish has been established on a section of the San Joaquin River which formerly contained only a limited supply of warm-water sport fishes. The dam has cut down the spawning grounds for king salmon, however, and the future of tliis species is uncer- tain until minimum releases from the reservoir have been established. The first year of fishing at Millerton Lake provided satisfactory fishing for largemouth bass and sunfish, and their success has answered the question of sportsmen as to whether this was a "bass lake" or a ' ' trout lake. ' ' Fishermen in general were well pleased with the opening of the lake and their fishing, although there were complaints by some because of the abundance of small bass (close to or below legal size). Apparently most of these smaller bass were the result of the 1944 spawn- ing season and were a prediction of a good crop in 1946 rather than an indication of a slow growth rate. The fish caught in largest numbers (bluegill, largemouth bass and green sunfish, in this order) apparently resulted in large part from the introduction of these species in 1941 and 1942 as seed stock. However, from the standpoint of numbers alone the ratio of stocked fish to fish recorded as caught was decidedly uneven. That is, while approximately three-fifths of a largemouth bass was caught for every bass planted, there were 345 bluegill caught for each planted bluegill, and only one twenty-fifth of a green sunfish caught for each one planted. Tlie other sport fish taken from the lake (smallmouth bass and rainbow trout) had not been planted in this area for many years. The total yield of desirable fish in 1945 (as measured in number caught per acre) was reasonably high and compares well with the yield from other reservoirs and natural lakes containing warm-water species. The average degree of fishing success (as measured by the number of fish taken per fisherman-day) was reasonably high for all fish. The removal of approximately one-third of the seasonal yield of largemouth bass during the first five days of the season, with a subsequent decided drop in the average catch of bass per unit of fishing effort, seems FISHERY OF MILLERTON LAKE 69 to have been due in part to concentrated fishing for bass only during the first days, but other coincidental factors may have contributed. It is quite possible that the sudden decline in fishing success for bass at Miller- ton may be similar to the phenomenon observed in other waters where the fish simply refuse to bite as readily with the onset of summer. Fish- ermen have made such observations on many waters both in California and in other states. At Norris Reservoir, Tennessee, a decided drop in the catch after early June has been correlated with a shift in feeding habits. (With an increase in the supply of easily available forage fish, young-of-the-year, the adult game fish show a reluctance to take the lures of anglers.) If subsequent studies at Millerton Lake should show that a large percentage of the standing crop of bass is left untouched simply because the fish can not be caught readily during the summer there Avill be reason to consider a lengthening of the fishing season here. Detailed plans can not yet be made for the management of the lake and will always be subject to change. Further stocking, either of addi- tional species or of the resident species, is believed neither necessary nor desirable. Maintenance of good fishing depends far more upon the continuance of a good food supply, good conditions for natural repro- duction, and freedom from undue competition by undesirable fishes. At present the number of coarse fish in the lake seems to be quite low ; but the number of sunfish is very high and unless these fish are kept under control by the bass and by heavy fishing they may become detri- mental to the fishery. Recreational planners should realize that the greatest recreational use of Millerton Lake will be made by fishermen, and that the latter 's pleasure should be given great consideration if conflict develops between the use of the lake by fishermen and its use by speed boaters. The initial success of fishing should not blind us to the fact that this reservoir is still not operating under its "normal" working conditions. It has not yet reached its highest level nor has it undergone the severe annual fluctuation which may be expected shortly. Many similar reservoirs have had a short period of flourishing production followed by a decline. Millerton Lake offers an admirable o])portunity for the close study of a heavily fished warm-water reservoir subject to extreme fluctuation. No other California reservoir of this type has ever been studied inten- sively, and the projected plans for other lakes on Central Valley streams requires us to have a greater knowledge of their fishery problems. Sufficient observations, including an improved system of catch records, should be made on the lake and its fishery to furnish such information. 70 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Literature Cited Rpnnett, Goorgc W. 1043 Manafrcmcn) of small artificial lakes. Illinois Natural History Survey, Bulletin, Vol. 22, Article 3, pp. 357-376. Central Valley Project 1944 Central A'^alley Project studies. Report of the Committee on Problem 23. Recreational uses of project. U. S. Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation. May, 1944. ix+66pp. Appendixes 10 pp. (Mimeographed.) Curtis, Brian 1945 Fishery problems of the reservoirs of the San Diego City water supply. Ms. Unpublished. Dill, William A. 1943 A preliminary report on the potential fishery of Millerton Lake with sug- gestions for its management. California Division of Fish and Game, Bureau of Fish Conservation. 32 pp. (Mimeographed.) Eschmeyer, R. W. 1942 The catch, abundance, and migration of game fishes in Norris Reservoir, Tennessee, 1940. Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science, Vol. XVII, No. 1, pp. 90-115. 1944 Norris Lake fishing 1944. Tennessee Dept. of Conservation. 18 pp. Eschmeyer, R. W., and D. E. Manges 1945 Effect of a year-round open season on fishing in Norris Reservoir. Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science, Vol. XX, No. 1, pp. 20-34. Frey. David G., Hubert Pedracine, and Lawrence Vike 1939 Results of a summer creel census of lakes Waubesa and Kegonsa, Wisconsin. The Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 243-254. Hazzard, A. S. 1945 Warm-water fish management. Michigan Conservation, Vol. XIV, No. 9, pp. 6-9. Hazzard, A. S., and R. W. Eschmeyer 1938 Analysis of the fish catch for one year in the Waterloo Project area. Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and I^etters, Vol. XXIII, 1937, pp. 633-643. Vestal, Elden H. 1943 Creel returns from hatchery trout in June Lake, California. California Fish and Game, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 51-63. DUCK DISEASE AT TULARE LAKE' By Donald D. McLean Bureau of Game Conservation California Division of Fish and Game After the spring floods follow- ing the heavy winter of 1937-38, a great area of agricultural land in the Tulare Lake Basin was left inundated with varying amounts of water. Levees had broken one after another in front of the tor- rents coming down the Kings River, the Tule River, and various smaller channels. Many were broken by crews to relieve the pressure on other more important ones. The Oohn Levee, on the west side, was the only major one remaining, and at one time it was doubted that it would hold. To the north, east, and south, the water spread out over a great area of both agricultural and waste land. Access roads were closed because of flooding and the town of Corcoran was threatened. Pig. is. Flooded grain fields at Tulare Lake, 1938. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of wheat, cotton, and other crops were lost as field after field was inundated. As the water in these flooded fields began to recede, either from evaporation or from being pumped back into the lake bed proper, the Avater temperature began to increase in the shallower parts and decom- position of vegetable and animal matter set in. This resulted in provid- ing an ideal medium for the development of Clostridium hotulinum, Type C. This bacterium produces a toxin which, when ingested by birds, results in a highly fatal disease known as western duck disease. According to a U. S. Department of Agriculture release of December 26, 1930, western duck disease " is a form of botulism, caused by the poison elaborated by a bacterium known to science as Clostridium Botulinum, Type C. Experimental work has shown that duck sickness symptoms including all the reactions characteristic of that disease may be imparted to healthy, nonimmune birds by feeding certain body tissues of birds that had died of the sickness after these tissues had undergone a period of incubation. The product of this process of incubation is highly toxic. The uniformity with which duck sickness symptoms may be pro- duced through this means has not been equalled in other experimental work of the investigation. 1 Submitted for publication, December, 1945. (71) 72 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Cultures of muds from infected areas, and of the tissues of birds themselves have jnelded results that fully corroborate theories enter- tained by field workers," Birds infected with the disease become weakened in the wing, leg and neck muscles. The inability to fly is ordinarily the first incapacitat- ing symptom, followed by the loss of ability to walk and the swinging of the head from side to side or back and forth. The nictitating mem- brane of the eye and in advanced cases the eyelids fail to function and the eyes remain closed and sealed by excretions. The bird finally remains prone and breathing is slow and in gasps. The disease has been found in most of the birds of all species feeding upon the water or muddy ground in infected areas and also in most of those species feeding on the carcasses of sick or dead birds. We found the most effective treatment methods were the removal of the sick bird from the infected area. The digestive tract was washed out with fresh water pumped through the bird by use of a glass tube attached to a rubber bulb and inserted down the gullet into the crop. A little mineral oil was added in severe cases. The excretion on the eyes was washed off and continually treated until the use of the movable parts of the eye mechanism had been restored. Plenty of fresh running drinking water was available at all times and those birds unable to drink were watered by hand with the glass tube and bulb. Care must be taken to get the water into the crop as the very sick birds are easilj^ strangled bj^ getting a drop or two into the respiratory passages. As soon as the bird is able to walk, it begins to feed and from then until release food and grit are consumed in quantities. Pens should be flushed out to prevent reinfection. 1938 Season By the first of October, 1938, the duck disease epidemic in the Tulare Lake Basin had spread to include about 50 sections of land. Men Avere put in the field to pick up sick birds. Although there were five men on the job all of the time and 10 about one-half of the time, it was estimated that there was a loss of from 15,000 to 20,000 ducks that year. Certain sections of land had 1,000 siek or dead ducks to the square mile, but the average was about 350. It was estimated that there were about 100,000 ducks in the region at the beginning of the hunting season on October 15th. One thousand three hundred and ninety-one sick ducks were picked up, of which 131 died and 1,260 were released after recovery. The loss after treatment was 9.4 per cent. Record of Sick Birds Treated in 1938 Species Picked up Loss Release Sprig 845 . 72 773 Green-winged Teal 435 44 391 Spoonbill 60 12 48 Cinnamon Teal 27 2 25 Fulvous Tree Duck 20 1 19 Mallard 4 0 4 Totals 1,391 131 1,260 DUCK DISEASE AT TULARE LAKE 73 Great difficulty Avas encountered in capturing the sick birds in the boggy fields -with the high temperatures encountered even as late as October. The members of the crew would be completely worn out after a day of chasing flapping sick birds through the mud and water. The outbreak in 1938 had apparently run its course by October 28th. By that date the surface water temperature had dropped from an average high each day of 82° F. at 1 p.m. to 64° F. at the same hour. We noted little disease at surface temperatures under 70° F., and heaviest incidence where the surface temperatures ranged above 72° F. 1939 Season Conditions in 1939 were about the same as 1938, except that the flooded area was lessened in extent. Duck disease was active from late July into the last week of October. About 45 sections of land were infected, but the degree of infection was much less than in 1938. It was estimated that there were about 250,000 ducks in the area at the beginning of the hunting season. A total of 1,394 birds was retrieved, of which 215 died, making a total of 1,179 released. Of these, 855 were banded. The loss after first treatment was 15.4 per cent of the total birds picked up. The worst areas were the same as in 1938, but considering the number of birds present the loss Avas not as high, nor were sick birds as evident to the observer in the field. All in all, it Avas a better year. Record of Sick Birds Treated in 1939 '^IK'cies Picked up Loss I'deuse Ihiinhd SpriK 689 99 U'M) 'im ( J reeii -winged Teal 548 71 477 477 Spoonbill 85 23 H2 iVl Cinnamon Teal 45 12 .'!.■> .'t.*! IMallard 8 3 5 5 Rnddy Duck 11 4 7 7 American Widgeon 4 2 2 2 Cxadwall 1-11 Blue-winged Teal 1-11 Eared Grebe 2 111 Totals 1,394 215 1,179 855 1940 Season The duck disease situation in 1940 was much worse than in either of the two previous years for two obvious reasons : first, the increase in the amount of flooded land to about 70 sections; and, second, a duck population of over 600,000 birds on the first of September, the most critical period of the botulinus season that year. There were about 8,000 ducks August 7th, 600,000 September 1st, and 100,000 October 14th. The decrease during the latter part of September was due to the drying up of the fields after the irrigation was completed following harvest. 74 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Five tlioiisaiid one hiuulred and seventy-six birds were retrieved and treated ; 1,219 died ; and 13, 957 recovered and were released, of which 3,211 Avere banded. The loss after the first treatment was 23.5 per cent. Record of Sick Birds Treated in 1940 Species Picked up Loss Release Banded Spris 2,61)7 611 2,086 1,905 Green-winged Teal ],.^>26 341 Spoonbill 6r,2 184 Cinnamon Teal 121 34 Mallard 78 23 Ruddy Duck r,7 20 American Widgeon 17 3 Gadwall 4 Redhead 3 Fulvous Tree Duck 3 3 Mudhen 15 Dowitcher 2 Godwit 1 Totals 5,176 1,219 3,957 3,211 1,185 829 468 327 87 57 55 52 37 9 14 7 4 4 O 3 1.5 15 2 2 1 1 1941 Season This year was by far the worst of any during recent times. Approx- imately 125 sections were infected, nearly twice the average in any of the previous years. There were probably 2,000,000 ducks in the region dur- ing the peak of the irrigation season in mid-September. AVe estimated a loss of 250,000 ducks. Two crews w^ere maintained, one working out of Hauser Camp Hos- pital pens at the south side of the lake and the other working out of the newly constructed Stratford pens. The crew working out of the Strat- ford pens assisted the other on the south and southeast sides of the area, since the north and west sides were not as heavily infected and cleared up early. The crew at Hauser consisted of five men and the one at Stratford of from three to four. Five thousand seven hundred and eleven sick birds were retrieved, of which 799 died during treatment, and 4,912 were banded and released. The loss was 13.9 per cent after first treatment. This improvement in the recovery rate over the 1940 season was because of more manpower and better care of the birds. Hours were long and strenuous. From 6 :30 to 7 :30 a.m. we doctored and fed the birds in the pens. We then went to the fields after sick birds, returning at about 6 p.m., and from 6 to 9 p.m. we doctored the birds just brought in and those in the pens requiring further treatment. The men comprising the rescue crews are to be commended for their excellent work, not only during this particular year, which was by far the worst, but for the other years also. Never once did anyone complain of the hours or the miserable conditions under which the work was carried on. Their one goal was to save as many ducks as possible. DUCK DISEASK AT TULARE LAKE 75 Record of Sick Birds Treated in 1941 Species Picked up Loss SpriR 4,505 524 Green-winged Teal 604 139 Spoonbill -- 824 65 Mallard 146 81 Cinnamon Teal 71 17 Ruddy Duck 6 3 American Widgeon 8 3 Redhead 9 4 Fulvous Tree Duck 3 — Mudhen 5 2 P^ared Grebe 3 2 Stilt 14 2 Bittern 1 — Great Blue Heron 2 — (Jodwit 4 2 Western Grebe 2 — Black-bellied Plover 5 3 Avocet 4 3 Totals __— 5.711 790 Banded and released 3,981 465 259 115 54 3 1 3 3 1 12 1 2 2 2 2 1 4,912 1942 Season In 1942 the ranchers adopted a new system of irrigation. The water was not, as formerly, allowed to remain on the flooded fields for long periods of time. As soon as a field was soaked, a matter of only a few days, the small, retaining levee was broken to allow the water to rnn into the next lower field. This kept the water moving and did not allow time for the decomposition of vegetative matter. The duck population was greater than during any previous year, but the birds did not remain on individual fields to feed for consider- able periods of time. Instead, they followed the water's edge as it flowed from field to field and thus kept moving to new, uninfected ter- ritory. Most of the duck disease was encountered on fields which had low areas where small flocks remained to feed after the water had drained from the higher parts. Most of the fields had been leveled with land planes and few such spots remained. The estimated duck population was : August 6 S.OOO August 7 11,000 August 14 12,000 August 22 2.''..000 August 80 -, .W.OOO September 5 X 90.000 September 10 200,000 September 15 .WO.OOO September 20 8.50,000 September 25 1,-500,000 September 27 2,000,000 October 4 2,.500,000 October 8 8,500,000 October 15 3,000,000 October 16 2,500,000 The peak population was present at the end of the irrigation season. 76 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME A lota! of 461 sick birds was picked up, of which 73 died after the first treatment, leaving 388 to be banded and released. The loss was 15.6 per cent. Record of Sick Birds Treated in 1942 Species Picked up Lo,ss Banded and released Sprig 2.^)7 47 210 Green-winged Teal 108 17 91 Spoonbill 54 6 48 Mallard 34 1 33 Cinnamon Teal 5-5 Ruddy Duck 2 2- Blue-winged Teal 1-1 Totals 461 73 388 There Avere abont the same number of square miles irrigated by flooding as in previous years, the same kinds of stubble, weeds, and trash on the ground, and weather conditions were comparable. It was there- fore obvious to those of us who were on the ground that the decrease in the incidence of duck disease was due to the new method of irrigation. Fig. 19. Decaying vegetation and dead carp, Tulare Lake, 1940. 1943 Season The season of 1943 was not much different from that of 1942. The new irrigation method continued to be practiced by the farmers which again resulted in holding down the loss of birds. As in 1942, most of DUCK DISEASE AT TULARE LAKE 77 the losses which did occur were in tlie borrow pits and low spots in various fields which did not drain properly. The duck population in the regrion was estimated on the follow- ing days: August 11 15,000 August 18 20,000 August 25 75,000 September 2 100,000 September 9 250,000 September 16 650,000 September 24 2,000,000 October 2 3,000,000 October 10 4,000,000 October 15 3,500,000 A total of 576 birds was retrieved, of which 92 died after being- brought in for a loss of 16.2 per cent, leaving 484 that were banded and released. Record of Sick Birds Treated in 1943 Species Picked up Jjotm Handed and released Sprig 418 m 349 Green-winged Teal 107 10 97 Spoonbill -.'A 6 25 Mallard 10 2 8 (Jiunamon Teal 7 3 4 kedhead 2 1 1 . Ruddy Du«-k 1 I Totals 576 92 484 1944 Season The fall of 1944 was much the same as that of 1943. The irriga- tion was carried on the same way. More extensive land leveling opera- tions, with gradual sloping of the fields toward the lake bed, made for better drainage and an almost complete run-off of water from flooded fields. This left fewer low spots with standing water remaining behind to form foci of duck disease infection. There was an almost complete lack of duck disease as far as fatalities were concerned, but a number of birds showed typical symptoms of dis- ease, particularly on the west side of the lake in the old Goodfellow tract now operated by Hill and Howe. Few of these birds became sick enough to capture. There were large numbers of birds in the region with estimated populations as follows : August 8 50,000 August 15 150,000 August 20 500,000 August 25 1,100,000 August 30 1,400,000 September 14 2,750,000 September 19 2,750,000 September 24 2,750,000 September 29 3,500,000 A total of 91 sick birds was retrieved during 1944, all of which recovered. Only 10 were very sick; the others were unable to fly but were active enough to require some hard chasing to capture them. Twelve dead birds were seen on the west side of Tulare Lake during the total 78 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME period of operations and no sick or dead birds were seen on the east side at any time. Record of Sick Birds Treated in 1944 Species Picked up Loss Bainled and released Sprig 47 - 47 Green-winged Teal 30 - 30 Redhead 6-6 Mallard 4 - 4 » P^ilvous Tree Duck 2-2 Ruddy Duck 1-1 Cinnamon Teal 1-1 Totals 01 - HI 1945 Season Three trips were made to the Tulare Lake area during the late sum- mer and fall of 1945. Only two birds were noted that showed any indi- cation of duck disease and these were not sick enough to be flightless. The same methods of irrigation were in operation. The peak of the duck population was about the twenty-fifth of September, when there were probably 2,500,000 to 8,000,000 present in the region. On October 10th and 11th, when most of the irrigation was over, there were about 1,500,000 ducks present. Summary The outbreak of duck disease, caused by the toxin produced by the baccillus Clostridium Botulinum, Type C, started in the Tulare Lake area in 1938 after the heavy run-off floods of that spring and summer. It continued each late summer and fall through the years following until 1945 when little or no disease was in evidence. The peak years were 1940 and 1941. During the years immediately following the first flood and through 1941, the local farmers irrigated their land following the harvest by flooding the fields and withdrawing the water slowly. This resulted in extensive decomposition of vegetable and animal matter, producing a medium in which the anaerobic botulinus bacillus found ideal conditions. The water temperatures remained high since the water was either stag- nant or moved very slowly. Tlie worst spots were those where the water was less than a foot deep and nearly motionless. When fields remained in that condition for some time and were then stirred up by a wind, a heavy incidence of sick birds would show up immediately. Little new infection was noted after the surface water temperature dropped below 70° F. in the fall. Sick birds could still be found but were apparently those that had been sick for some time. Infection seemed to be most prevalent when the surface water temperatures went above 72° F. dur- ing the day. Air temperatures as high as 120° F. were recorded in the sun and 116° F. in the shade. The maximum surface water temperature of 96° F. was recorded on several occasions on larger bodies of water, and over 100° F. in some shallow spots. A fairly complete record was kept of the weather, water tempera- tures, air temperatures, wind velocities and directions during the rescue DUCK DISEASE AT TULAKE LAKE 79 season each year. Except as noted above, these data can not be correlated with the development of the disease. In 1942 the methods of irrigation were changed. Water, instead of being allowed to remain on a field, was drained off as soon as the land was soaked by breaking the levee to the next lower field. This kept the water in motion and did not give stubble and other vegetation an opportunity to decay. Also, the continued land leveling operations filled in various low spots where water formerly remained to cause trouble. Water now is pumped out of the lake bed to the highest part of each farm and is pumped back into the lake at the lowest end after progressively passing through one field after another. This movement also keeps water tem- peratures down. It is the writer's opinion that this improved water manipulation has had more to do with the reduction of duck disease in the Tulare Lake Basin than any other factor or group of factors. In the case of future floods during which levees will be broken and lands flooded for long periods, we can expect additional duck disease outbreaks, but as long as the present system of irrigation and water control is practiced, the situation will probably remain pretty well in hand. TABLE 1 Summary of Operations at Tulare Lake From 1938 to 1944 on all Birds Retrieved (Including GO of species other than ducks) Year Pick up Loss Release Banded Per cent loss 1938 1,391 1,394 5i.l76 5,711 461 576 91 131 215 1,219 799 73 92 1,260 1,179 3,957 4,912 388 484 91 9.4 1939 855 3,211 4,912 388 484 91 15.4 1940 23.5 1941 13.9 1942 --- 15.6 1943 16.2 1944 Totals - 14,800 2.529 12,271 9,941 17.07 TABLE 2 Summary of Sick Duck Pick Up in Tulare Lake Area Species 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 Total ducks picked up Sprig or Pintail Green-winged Teal Sooonbill 845 435 00 4 27 689 548 85 8 45 11 2,697 1,526 652 78 121 57 3 17 3 4 4,505 604 324 146 71 6 3 3 9 257 108 54 34 5 2 418 107 31 10 7 1 47 30 9,458 3,358 1,206 Mallard _ . 4 1 1 2 284 Cinnamon Teal Ruddy Duck . 277 78 20 28 4 24 Redhead 2 6 20 1 1 5 Blue-winffed Tpal 1 2 Totals 1,391 1,392 5,158 5,671 461 576 91 14,740 80 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME TABLE 3 Summary of Duck Loss in Tulare Lake Area After Pick Up Species 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 Total ducks lost Sprig or Pintail 72 44 12 2 99 71 23 12 3 4 2 611 341 184 34 23 20 3 524 139 65 17 31 3 2 4 47 17 6 69 10 6 3 2 1 1,422 Green-winged Teal 622 Spoonbill 296 Oinnamon Teal 68 Mallard 1 2 60 Ruddy Duck 30 American Widgeon 7 Redhead... 1 5 Fulvous Tree Duck.. . 1 3 4 Gad wall. . Blue-winged Teal. Totals 131 214 1,219 785 73 92 2,514 Percentage of loss in ducks, 17.05 per cent. TABLE 4 Summary of Duck Release in Tulare Lake Area After Hospitalization Species 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 Total ducks released Sprig or Pmtail Green-winged Teal Spoonbill 733 391 48 4 25 590 477 62 5 33 7 2,086 1,183 468 55 87 37 3,981 465 259 115 54 3 3 1 5 210 91 48 33 5 349 97 25 8 4 47 30 6 4 1 1 2 7,996 2,736 916 N allard 224 Cinnamon Teal Ruddy Duck 209 48 Fulvous Tree Duck 19 24 2 14 3 4 17 Redhead 1 9 Gadwall 1 1 5 Blue-winged Teal 1 2 1,220 Totals... 1,178 3,939 4,886 388 484 91 12,186 TABLE 5 Summary of Operations at Tulare Lake on Species Other than Ducks From 1938 to 1944* Year Pick up Loss Release Banded Per cent loss 1939 . - 2 18 40 1 1 18 26 1 18 26 50 1940 1941 14 35 Totals . 60 15 45 45 25 • Of these 60 birds, 20 were mudhens and 14 were stilts. Black-bellied plover, eared grebe, and a few other species Dccurred in small numbers. WANDERING OF PINK SALMON AND OTHER SALMONID FISHES INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA^ ]{i/ Carl L. Hubbs Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California A pink or humpback salmon, Oncorhynchus gorhnscha (Walbanm), was speared in the ocean at I^a Jolla, California, on September 30, 1945, by Ramiro Comas, one of the group of expert boy divers who call them- selves the ''Manta Rays. " Through his goggles he saw the large silvery fish, of a kind unknown to him, as it swam slowly and alone about a foot above the plant-covered rocky bottom and about seven feet below the surface, off Goldfish Point at the west end of the famous La Jolla Caves. Diving down, he impaled the rare prize with his spear. At the suggestion of Curtis Zahn, outdoor writer who happened to be at the scene, Ramiro brought his catch to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and kindly presented it for preservation as a specimen (S. I. 0. No. 1453) . Various characters proved the oddity to be a pink salmon. The caudal fin was prominently marked wdth the large oblong dark spots that are diagnostic of the species. There was a light tip on the anal fin, which liad a base decidedly longer than the longest of the 33 principal anal rays. The branchiostegals numbered 13 on each side; the gill-rakers, L3 -f 17 rr 30 on the left side and 13 -f 20 = 33 on the right. The scales were very small, numbering 198 on the left side and 204 on the right, in about the second row above the lateral line. The specimen was a rather small adult female 450 mm. in standard length. Its body cavity was filled with mature eggs about 7 mm. in diameter. The jaws w^ere slightly hooked and the canine teeth near the tip of the mandible were considerably enlarged. The scales lacked a central nucleus, of close-set circuli, that would have indicated a period of stream growth. This observation is in line with expectation, for this species passes do\ATistream to the sea early in its first year of life and does not form a stream-growth nucleus on the scales (Gilbert, 1913, p. 21, pi. 10, fig. 17 and ])1. 17, fig. 29 ; and subsequent studies by others). The single definite winter ring showed that the fish was completing its second year of growth and hence was approaching the age at which, as a characteristic life-history feature, this species invariably spawns, insofar as is known from the extensive studies by Gilbert and subsequent investigators. The one annulus is located nearly halfway out on the scales. Not far beyond there is another mark that is interpreted as an accessory annulus rather than as another winter mark, because it lies so close to the true annulus and is often weak or barely evident on some fields of the scale. From the focus to the accessory line the ridges are rather closely spaced, but beyond this mark they are stronger and more widely separated. About midway in this outer area of the scale an accessory 1 Contributions from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, New Series, No. 278. Submitted for publication, December, 1945. (81) 82 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME check appears on some of the scales, but its failure to completely encircle any of the scales examined, its indefinite appearance as well as incon- sistency and its failure to involve more than three circuli indicate rather definitely that it is not a winter mark. This is the opinion of A. L. Pritchard, of the Pacific Biological Station at Nanaimo, British Colum- bia. Scales from marked salmon of known age, sent for comparison by Pritchard, are remarkablj^ similar to those of the La Jolla specimen in all items described above. Leo Shapovalov, of the California Division of Fish and Game, who has also checked the determination, remarks that the scales of one specimen "show some spawning absorption or erosion along the outer margin. ' ' The scale characters confirm the species identi- fication. Within the history of the salmon fishery Oncorhynchus gorhuscha has apparently never been a common fish anywhere in California. Even in the years when salmon catches in the Sacramento River were large, it is reported that this species was so rare as to be dubbed "the lost salmon." Taft (1938) reported that prior to 1937 the last known capture of the species within the state was in Mill Creek, a Sacramento River tributary, in 1933. In 1937, however, he found evidence of a run into several coastal streams of northern California. Scofield (1916) mentioned specimens from San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz County, as constituting a southward extension of known range. It is probable that the species occurs farther south chiefly or entirely as a migrant in the sea, for the two or three known occurrences in southern California are marine. Leo Shapovalov tells me that in Asiatic waters also the species wanders in the sea far south of its breeding streams, according to Pravdin (1940). The only previous definite locality record for southern Cali- fornia is for an adult that was caught off Santa Monica on September 12, 1927 (Walford, 1928). Later Walford (1937, p. 160) stated that the habitat of the species extends northward "from the coast of southern California off Catalina Island." but gave no definite basis for the estab- lishment of this southern limit (which is now extended) . It is quite possible that pink salmon wander southward as far as San Diego County more frequently than the lone record would suggest. Fish thought to be salmon but not checked for species identification are caught from time to time in salt water near San Diego. Curtis Zahn estimates that in recent years he has heard of a dozen such catches in Mission Bay and in the sea between Pt. Loma and Los Coronados Islands. Ill the spring of 1945 a member of the exclusive "Bottom Scratchers Club" speared a "salmon" off the Beach Club not far from where the pink salmon was taken later in the year. This fish, as described to me bj' Jack Prodanovich, was certainly a salmonid, but it was not examined to determine which species of Oncorhynchus it represented, or whether it might have been a steelhead trout. Some of the other locally caught "salmon" may also have been Salmo gairdnerii, but some were probably pink, king or silver salmon. The king salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ^ (Walbaum) has also been recorded from southern California. Jordan and Gilbert (1881 : 39) gave its range as extending northward from Ventura River, I believe on the basis of an observation by Evermann. Subsequent authors - 1 follow the original spelling of the specific name as given by "Walbaum (1792:71). SOUTHWARD WANDERING OF SALMONID FISHES 83 repeated this statement of southern limit. Croker (1930) reported one that was caught near San Pedro and later (1936) stated that ''nearly every summer a few are caught by commercial net fishermen in the neighborhood of San Pedro" and gave records for specimens of this species that were caught by anglers in Santa Monica Bay, off San Clemente in Orange County, and from the Scripps Pier near La Jolla. Anita E. Daugherty (MS) of the California State Fisheries Labora- tory will supply one other record, for an 18-pounder that was caught in San Pedro Harbor in a net, by the fishing boat "President," There appear to be no published records of the dog or chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum), or of the silver salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum), from southern California. A specimen of the silver salmon, however, was reported by Scofield (1937) as having been taken near Los Coronados Islands, in Baja California just south of the inter- national border. Furthermore, a fish that was caught from the bridge near the mouth of Mission Bay just before the war was identified as a silver salmon by Tom Smith and E. H. Glidden, wardens of the Division of Fish and Game, Steelhead trout (Salmo gairdnerii, subspecies) must occur in some numbers along the coast of southern California. The Division of Fish and Game reports large and consistent runs into Ventura and Santa Clara rivers, and Division employees have recorded runs into several streams of Orange and San Diego counties. Carl I. Johnson and other anglers, as well as E. H. Glidden, local warden, tell of steelhead catches in the estuary of San Juan Creek in Orange County and of consistent runs into San Mateo and San Onofre creeks in San Diego County. Alan C. Taft reports that rescue operations for young steelheads are carried out in San Mateo Creek and that an effort is made to keep the run in this stream under annual surveillance. Mr. Glidden states that trout weighing up to about 20 pounds run far up the San Mateo, and that he has ])ersonally observed the runs in San Mateo and San Onofre creeks for 20 years. He knows of steelheads having been caught in San Diego River and about 1927 saw two that were taken in the lower flowing ]>art of Tijuana River, on the California side of the international border. Local anglers have reported catching fish, thought to be steelhead trout, in San Luis Rey River, in the estuary of San Dieguito River, and in Mission Bay and connected waters, such as the slough near the Cudahy packing house. There appear to be few records for the capture of steelheads in coastal waters of southern California, though its occurrence there must be inferred. An immature female specimen 211 mm. in standard length was caught hy S. Carmen with smelt and kingfish in the Los Angeles Harbor area on March 16, 1938. It was thought by J. F. Janssen, who made the entry in the files of the State Fisheries Laboratory, that this fish had been washed down to sea during the preceding torrential rain, Salmo gairdnerii was no doubt a native species in southern Cali- fornia. A specimen was collected in Ojai Creek, Ventura County, in 1875 (Jordan and Henshaw, 1878, pp. 195 and 200) . Records were given by Smith (1880) for "fresh water streams at Pala, and near Smith's Mountain, San Diego county." Eigenmann (1892, p. 142) wrote that "it is abundant in the streams rising in Smith Mountain and emptying into the San Luis Rey River. ' ' A specimen from Pala which I examined 84 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME about 1915 in the collection of the San Diego Society of Natural History- was deep-bodied and unusually coarse-scaled and may have represented a sliofhtly differentiated fresh-water race. In all proljability any native trout in the region, whether land-locked or sea-run, has long since been supplanted by or mixed with introduced stock. It is not known to what extent the present occurrence of steelheads in southern California coastal waters is due to the stocking of trout in the streams of this region ratlier than to a southward wandering from central California. Nor is it known, or predictable with assurance, whether the southernmost vagrants are capable of establishing regular trout runs south of San Mateo and San Onofre creeks. Perhaps other stream conditions and ocean conditions would permit the establishment of such runs near the Mexican border, if the flow of the streams could be stabilized. Possibly small runs of salmon Avould also eventuate, although Monterey Bay is regarded by Davidson and Hutchinson (1938) as the natural southern limit of common occurrence for the Pacific salmons as a group. It will be noted by examining the data of those authors (p. 167, fig. 2), however, that if the salmons extended into as warm water in the eastern Pacific as they do in eastern Asia, they would range down to the middle of Baja California. Southward wandering steelheads may occasionally migrate into the streams along the northern part of the outer coast of Baja California, though no such runs seem to have been definitely recorded. Tjco Shapova- lov states (in letter) that he has received reports of ' ' trout ' ' from various places in Lower California (but it should be remembered that the name "trucha" or "trout" is also applied to other fishes, including the moun- tain mullets, Agonostomvs. The establishment of rainbow trout in tribu- taries of Rio Santo Domingo (Eigenmann, 1892, p. 142 ; Evermann, 1908 ; Snyder, 1926 ; Needham, 1938) ma.y well have resulted from such southern vagrancy, at some relatively recent time. Since steelheads occur in the ocean as far south as Tijuana River there is no reason to doubt that they may range considerably farther. During at least some years the waters close inshore along the northern part of the outer coast of the peninsula may be very cool locally, even during August and September (McEwen, 1916, p. 260, pi. 9). That these coastwise waters are ordinarily rela- tively cool is further suggested by recent studies, respectively by E. Yale Dawson and the present writer. These investigations indicate that the algae, the fishes, and at least some of the invertebrates of the intertidal reefs of northern Baja California are of an even more northern assort- ment than are the corresponding types of the San Diego region. We may expect therefore that trout (and salmon) wander at least occasionally a considerable distance down the coast of Baja California, from which in times of high water in the winter they may occasionally run into the intermittent streams as far south as the San Antonio, as trout do in San Diego County, California. It may be objected that the Baja California trout has been regarded as a distinct species, Salmo nelsoni Evermann, and is therefore probably of ancient origin. Shapovalov (1941, p. 443), however, regarded it as "a good possibility" that Salmo nelsoni will eventually be regarded as a subspecies or even as a synonym of 8. gaird- nerii. 1 find nothing in the published accounts of 8. nelsoni to justify its separation even as a subspecies from the coarse-scaled rainbow trout (8. gairdnerii irideiis) of coastal streams in California. Nor do speci- SOUTHWARD WANDERING OP SALMONID FISHES 85 mens of the Baja California trout recently collected by Carl I. Johnson appear distinctive. There is therefore neither systematic nor ocea- nographical evidence to confirm the belief that the stock of trout in the Rio Santa Domingo system in the San Pedro Martir Mountains was orig- inally landlocked at a very remote, perhaps Glacial period. Possibly it still runs to and from the sea. Whether this stock has the expected fish- cultural values — nonmigratory habits and resistance to warm water — remains to be thoroughly tested. Acknowledgments Appreciation is expressed to Ramiro Comas, Curtis Zahn and Carl I. Jolnison for specimens and information and to W. 1. Follett for many literature references. Leo Shapovalov of the California Division of Fish and Game has been most helpful with criticisms. Other employees of the Division, including Frances N. Clark, Anita E. Daugherty, A. C. Taft and E. H. Glidden, have contributed comments or additions to the manuscript. Dr. A. L. Pritchard of the Pacific Biological Station at Nanaimo, British Columbia, has also offered useful suggestions. Summary A mature female pink salmon caught at La Jolla in September pro- vides a southern extention of the known range. The species probably ranges in the sea south of the streams in which it spawns. King salmon also straggle southward to San Diego Count}'. A silver salmon has been reported from Los Coronados Islands. Steelhead trout must occur in numbers along the southern California coast, as there are regular migra- tions into some of the streams and a few individuals run up rivers as far south as the San Diego and the Tijuana. These salmonid fishes probably straggle a considerable distance southward into the cool waters of the northern part of the outer coast of Baja California. Such wanderers may have given rise in relatively recent times to the stock of trout that inhabits the San Domingo river system. There is no warrant for the specific separation and probably no good reason for the subspecific recog- nition of Salmo nelsoni, the trout of that Baja California stream. Literature Cited Croker, Richard S. 1930 Unusual fish at San Pedro, California. California Fish and Game, vol. 16, no. 1, p. 77. 1936 King salmon in southern California, 1936. California Fish and Game, vol. 22, no. 4, p. 323. Davidson, Frederick A., and Hutchinson, Samuel J. 1938 The geographical distribution and environmental limitations of the Pacific salmon (genus Oncorhynchux) . Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Fish- eries, vol. 48, bull. 26, pp. 667-692, figs. 1-9. Eigenmann, Carl H. 1892 The fishes of San Diego. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, vol. 15, pp. 123-178, pis. 10-18. Evermann, Barton Warren 1908 Descriptions of a new species of trout iHalmo nelmni) and a new cyprin- odont {Fundulus meeki) with notes on other fishes from Lower California. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, vol. 21, pp. 19-30, fig. 1, pl.l. 86 , CALIFORNIA PISH AND GAME Gilbert, Charles H. 1913 Age at maturity of the Pacific Coast salmon of the genus Oncorhynchus. Bul- letin of the United States Bureau of Fisheries, vol. 32, pp. 1-22, pis. 1-17. Jordan, David S., and Gilbert, Charles H. 1881 Notes on the fishes of the Pacific-Coast of the United States. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, vol. 4, pp. 29-74. Jordan, David S., and Henshaw, H. W. 1878 Report upon the fishes collected during the years 1875, 1876, and 1877, in California and Nevada. Annual Report upon the Geographical Surveys of the Territory of the United States West of the 100th Meridian . . . by George M. Wheeler (Appendix NN of the Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers for 1878), pp. 187-200, pis. 1-4. McEwen, George F. 191G Summary and interpretation of the hydrographic observations made by I lie Scripps Institution for Biological Research of the University of Califoniia 1908 to 1915. University of California Publications in Zoology, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 255-356, figs. A-C, pis. 1-38. Needham, Paul R. 1938 Notes on the introduction of Salmo nehoni into California from Mexico. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, vol. 67, 1937, pp. 139-146. Pravdin, I. F. 1040 Review of investigations of the Far-Eastern salmons. (Title and text in Russian.) Bulletin of the Pacific Scientific Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, vol. 18, 107 pp. (Reference supplied by Leo Shapovalov.) Scofield, N. B. 1916 The humpback and dog salmon taken in San Lorenzo River. California Fish and Game, vol. 2, no. 1, p. 41. Scofield, W. L. 1937 A silver salmon at Los Coronados Islands. California Fish and Game, vol. 23, no. 3, p. 245. Shapovalov, Leo 1941 (not "1940") The fresh-water fish fauna of California. Proceedings of the Sixth Pacific Science Congress of the Pacific Science Association, vol. 3, pp. 441-446. Smith, Rosa [1880] A list of the fishes of San Diego, California. 1 p. Snyder, John Otterbein 1926 The trout of the Sierra San Pedro Martir, Ix)wer California. University of California Publications in Zoology, vol. 21, no. 17, pp. 419-426. Taft, A. C. 1938 Pink salmon in California. California Fish and Game, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 197-198. Walbaum, Johannis Julius 1792 Petri Artedi Sueci genera piscium . . . Ichthyologiae Pars III. Grypes- waldia. 723 pp., 3 pis. Walford, Lionel A. 1928 Humpback salmon taken off Santa Monica. California Fish and Game, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 90-91. 1937 Marine game fishes of the Pacific Coast from Alaska to the Equator. Uni- versity of California Press, Berkeley, xxix -f 205 pp., 97 pis. and figs. A PROGRESS REPORT ON BEAVER MANAGEMENT IN CALIFORNIA^ By Arthur L. Hensley Rureau of Game Conservation California State Division of Fish and Game Introduction Those who have been acquainted with beavers in California diu-iuG; the last decade find it difficult to realize that in tlieir present numbers they are only a remnant of a once i^reat population that played an extremely important role in the early exploration and development of this State. The purpose of this paper is to review briefly the history and present status of beavers in California and to discuss the steps that are being taken to develop a plan of management for the five kinds of beaver now to be found in the State (see Fig. 20). There are the three native beavers, the Shasta beaver (Castor canadensis shastensis Taylor), the golden beaver (Castor canadensis subauratus Taylor), and the Sonora beaver (Castor canadensis repentinus Goldman), and two nonnative races, one from Idaho (Castor canadensis taylori Davis), and another from Oregon (probably Castor canadensis pacificus Rhoades). The latter have been introduced into the State during recent years by the U. S. Forest Service and the Division of Fish and Game. For much of the material pertaining to the history, distribution, and present status of beavers in California, the writer has drawn heavily on a report recently published by the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California and the Division of Fish and Game in cooper- ation with Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Project California 2-R (Tappe, Donald T., The status of beavers in California. Game Bulletin No. 3, State of California, Division of Fish and Game, pp. 1-59, 26 figs, 1942). The author wishes to express his sincere appreciation to Howard Twining and Donald T. Tappe, co-workers with him in beaver manage- ment, who would have collaborated with him in the preparation of this paper were they not in the armed forces. Thanks are also due to the many other employees of the Division of Fish and Game, particularly those members of the Bureaus of Game Conservation and Patrol who have suggested planting sites and assisted in trapping and transporting beaver, and to Gordon PI. True, Jr., of the Bureau of Game Conservation who assisted in the preparation of this report. History of Beavers in California The exploitation of California beaver, which began early in the nineteenth century, was at first limited to sporadic trapping expeditions on the part of individual groups of ''mountain men," but soon this new source of beaver skins attracted the attention of the large trading com- 1 Submitted for publication, January, 1946. (87) 88 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Fig. 20. Distribution map of beaver plantings in California. panies, particularly the Hudson 's Bay Company, These companies sent into California well-organized "fur brigades" that systematically trapped the available beaver territory until about the middle of the century when it became no longer profitable. James Ohio Pattie, who, with a party of seven, trapped the Colorado River in 1827, was probably the first to enter what is now California in search of beavers. A year later, in 1828, Jedediah Smith entered the Great Valley and traversed its length as far as the present site of Red Bluff, taking beavers on the American and Feather Rivers and on Butte Creek. He also found them in goodly numbers along the Sacramento River in the vicinity of Stony Creek, Deer Creek, and Toomes Creek. Smith also visited the Trinity and Klamath Rivers finding beaver signs near what was apparently the mouth of the latter. The Hudson 's Bay Company first sent an organized * ' fur brigade ' ' into California in 1828. This group of trappers, under the leadership of BEAVER MANAGEMENT IN CALIFORNIA 89 Peter Skene Ogdeii, trapped in the Great Valley during the winter of 1828-29 and returned to the Hudson's Bay Company headquarters at Fort Vancouver with a fine collection of pelts. Ogden also visited the upper Klamath and Sastise (Shasta) Rivers, and, according to his jour- nal, apparently found beavers in both streams. In 1832, another Hudson's Bay Company "brigade," under the leadership of John Work, was sent to California (Maloney, Alice Bay, Fur brigade to the Bonaventura. Special Publication No. 19, California Historical Society, pp. 1-112, 5 ill., Westgate Press, Oakland, 1945). The party crossed the present northern boundary of the State near Goose Lake and followed the Pit River to its junction with Hat Creek, taking a number of beavers along the way. The route then followed Hat Creek eastward for a short distance, crossed the Cascades between Bumey Mountain and Stony Butte, and entered the valley of the Sacramento by way of Cow Creek. Work's party trapped the Great Valley as far south as the mouth of the Stanislaus and explored the San Francisco Bay region and the north coast from Fort Ross to Tenmile River. It is interesting to note that Work reports a total absence of beaver in north coast streams such as the Gualala and Tenmile, in spite of the fact that they appeared well adapted for them (Maloney, 1945, pp. 45-50). Although Work visited the north coast during the rainy season, he advanced the theory that the absence of beavers might be due to the fact that the coastal streams "take their water not far off in the first range of Mountains and that there is [probably] little or no water in them during the dry season" (Maloney, 1945, p. 47). We are faced with precisely this same situation today in attempting to establish beavers in that part of the State. After this unsuccessful visit to the north coast, Work's party returned to the valley and traveled south into the lower end of the San Joaquin. In the delta region. Work's trappers found the beavers shy and difficult to trap due to the effect of the tides. These same difficulties are met by trappers today. Work's journal states that another Hudson's Bay Company party, under the leadership of Michel Laframboise, was trapping beavers in California during the winter of 1832-33 and that at least one party of Americans was also encountered. It is very evident that, oxen at that early date, the beaver population was showing evidence of depletion. The power of the Hudson's Bay Company began to wane about 1839 when General Sutter, who was also interested in the fur trade, induced the government to impose an export tax on beaver pelts. This act, coupled with the fact that beaver were becoming scarce, made trapping so unprofitable that by 1845-46 the Hudson's Bay Company had ceased trapping operations in California. During the last half of the nineteenth century individual trappers continued to take beavers in California with varying degrees of success. Unrestricted exploitation continued until 1911, when beavers were first afforded protection. History of Beaver Legislation Legislation pertaining to beavers was enacted for the first time in California in 1911 when, realizing that the beaver population was facing certain extermination, the State Legislature enacted a law providing com- 90 CALIFORNIA FISH AXD GAME '. s Pig. 21. Bailey live trap with captive Shasta beaver. August 28, 1940. plete protection. This law remained nnchanjied nntil 1917, by which time beavers, particularly in the delta region, had increased in numbers to a point where they were becomiufr a menace to reclamation works. The law was then amended to provide for the trapping of nuisance beavers under permit from the Fish and Game Commission in cases where the safety of levees and other reclamation Avorks was being threatened. This law was still further liberalized in 1925, when it was amended to permit the trapping of beavers and the possession of i)elts in Fish and Game Districts One, Two, and Three. Due to the fact that in 1925 beavers were not legally defined as fur bearers, the legislation enacted in that year had the effect of making it possible to trap them in the districts involved at any time of the year. It was not until two years later that this mistake was corrected. Meanwhile, wholesale trapping brought about rapid reduction of the beaver popula- tion and by 1933 the situation had become so alarming that beavers were again placed on the protected list, with the added provision that nuisance beavers could be taken under permit where satisfactory evidence of damage, actual or threatened, was presented. Under protection, the beaver population curve once more began to climb until, by 1939, owners and operators of reclaimed delta lands were clamoring for relief again. In response to their demands, the 1939 Legis- lature added a new provision to the beaver laws requiring the Fish and Game Commission to establish beaver control in areas where it could be demonstrated that beavers were damaging or threatening to damage or destroy lands, crops, levees, or other irrigation structures. The commis- sion was required to define the boundaries of such areas and to promul- BEAVER ^MANAGEMENT IN CALIFORNIA 91 gate the rules and regulations under which the nuisance beaver could be taken. Tliere has been no change in the laws pertaining to -beavers since 1939. Beaver Investigations In 1940, the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California and the Division of Fish and Game, in cooperation with Fed- eral Aid in Wildlife Restoration Project California 2-R, began a survey to determine the status of beavers in California. The main objectives of this study were : To determine the numbers of beavers in California and the location of existing colonies of both native and introduced varieties ; to ascertain the habitat requirements of beavers in California; to learn as much as possible of their economic status ; and to obtain information that might provide a basis for a beaver management plan. The report published upon completion of this survey (Tappe, 1942) indicated that there were probably no more than 1300 beavers in the State at that time, the Shasta beavers and golden beavers, in particular, occupying only a small fraction of their original ranges. The report stated that in spite of the fact that California beavers can not be reestab- lished throughout much of their former range because of the inevitable conflict with agriculture, there still exist many opportunities for beaver range extension Mdthout interfering with the interests of the farmer. Following the publication of this report, it was considered advisable to begin immediately an experimental beaver transplanting program aimed not only at the i-estoration of beavers in portions of their former range, but the extension of beaver range into suitable areas not previously occupied. Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Project California 5-R, "A Survey of the Fur Resources of the State of California," a project which up to that time had been devoted to the investigation of fur bearers other than beaver, was consequently amended in 1941 to provide among other things for a survey of the State to determine the location of suit- able sites for beaver colonies, and for a limited amount of experimental transplanting. One of the principal objectives of this study was to explore the possibility of successfully transplanting golden beavers from their native range on the valley floor to coastal streams and to those drain- ing the Pacific slope of the Sierra-Nevada. Another objective was to continue the investigation of the status of the Sonora beaver along the Colorado River and in adjacent irrigated areas. The results of the transplanting experiments were so satisfactory that, in 1945, it Avas decided to go one step further and initiate a large scale beaver transplanting program. Beaver Transplanting Prior to entering into a general discussion of the beaver transplant- ing program that has been carried on by the Division of Fish and Game with Federal Aid funds since 1941, mention should be made of the beavers that were planted by both the U. S. Forest Service and the Division of Fish and Game between 1934 and date of inception of the present program (see Table 1). In 1934, the U. S. Forest Service made two plantings of Idaho beavers, one in Plumas and another in Tuolumne County. In 1938 they 92 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Fig. 2l'. Bailey live trap being set in place. Fig. 23. Beaver transplanting equipment. The trailer lormerly in use is in left foreground, shipping boxes in the bacliground, and the holding pen in the right fore- ground. September 25, 1941. BEAVER MANAGEMENT IN CALIFORNIA 93 planted two pairs of Oregon beavers in El Dorado County and two in Tuolumne County. The Plumas County plant was particularly suc- cessful and has since served as a valuable source of stock for transplant- ing elsew^here on the Plumas, Tahoe, and Mono National Forests. Also, migrants from this same colony have established other colonies in the immediate vicinity without the assistance of the transplanting crew. In addition to introducing nonnative beavers from Idaho, the Forest Service made several plants of native Shasta beavers in Modoc and Siskiyou Counties (Table 1). All of the golden beavers that were transplanted between 1938 and 1941 were nuisance beavers taken from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley regions and planted in coastal streams at low elevations. When the experimental transplanting program under Project 5-R was first contemplated, the project staff corresponded with the game departments of other western States that have had experience in beaver management for the purpose of securing information on methods of live trapping and kinds of equipment used in transplanting beavers. These were tested and the ones that were found to be geared to California requirements were finally adopted (see below) for use by the present beaver transplanting project. Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Project California 18-D. Experimentation with various types of automotive equipment has finally demonstrated that a three-quarter ton stake-side truck with a four- si)eed transmission is the best for ti-ansporting beaver trapping and transplanting equipment over the steep, rough roads that must neces- sarily be traversed in this work. Power, load capacity, and high clear- ance combine to make it the ideal vehicle, far superior to the cumbersome trailer formerly in use (Fig. 23). In trapping beavers it is essential that a live trap be employed. During early trapping operations in the delta region, steel traps were used and it is estimated that at least 75 per cent of the animals taken by that method perished after transplanting. Since the live trap has been standard equipment, losses have been negligible. The Bailey live trap (Figs. 21 and 22) now in use is sturdily con- structed and may be depended on to operate with a minimum of failures. It is light in weight, about 35 pounds, and is consequently ea.sy to handle and transport. It is constructed so as to be adapted to a wide variety of sets, being far more versatile in this respect than the ordinary steel trap. If the live trap is set carefully and visited frequently, at least once in the morning and again before dark each day, there will be prac- tically no trapping fatalities. The removal of the beaver from the live trap must be done with care in order to prevent injury to the animal, the trapper, or both. To facilitate this operation the California beaver trapping crew makes use of a contrivance consisting of a circular piece of y^!' galvanized pipe, 12" in diameter, fitted with a 4' wooden handle. Spaced at regular intervals around the inner circumference of the pipe are four hooks from which an ordinary 100-pound burlap bag is suspended to form a net. When removing a beaver from a trap the net is placed directly opposite the opening of the upended trap with the sack extended. The trap is then opened slowly and the beaver will usually crawl directly into the dark- 94 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME ened tunnel formed by the sack. It is then an easy matter to pick the animal up and transfer it from the sack to the shipping: box. The alterna- tive method, that of picking the beaver up by the tail and holding the wriggling animal at arm's length, is a hazardous one and not to be recommended. The shipping box (Fig. 23), 24'' x 44" x 24" in size, is made of 20- gauge galvanized sheet iron braced around the top with 1" x %" angle iron. Additional support is provided by 1" x 4" wooden pieces bolted to the sides and 2" x 4" pieces on the bottom of the box as shown in the illustration. The box is fitted with a divided lid of hardware cloth stretched on iron frames. Adequate ventilation and drainage apertures are provided in the sides and bottom. Each box will accommodate from four to six adult beavers or from eight to twelve kits. In transit, the bottom of the box is cushioned with a layer of damp leaves, hay, or bur- lap, which serves not only to absorb road shock but to keep the tails and feet of the beaver moist, an essential to their survival. When the trap- ping crew is moving camp and the boxes are empty of beaver, each box will hold six Bailey live traps nested together. A portable holding pen (Fig. 23) is used to contain beavers during the short interval that frequently intervenes between trapping and trans- planting operations. This pen is 4' x 6' x 44" in size. It is made of 20-gauge galvanized sheet iron braced witli 1" x %" angle iron and so constructed that it may be taken apart for shipment. It has no top or bottom. When in use it is placed on a piece of chicken wire slightly larger than the pen. This effectively prevents the beavers from digging out. A heavy tarpaulin is placed over the top of the pen for shelter Pig. 24. A pack train taking beavers into the high country. Alpine County, 1943. \ BEAVER MANAGEMENT IN CALIFORNIA 95 against light and cold. A water pan, 18'' x 36'' x 8", holding approxi- mately 30 gallons of water, is placed in the pen when it is in use. Beavers held in the pens are supplied with the same foods that they were eating under natural conditions, and the diet is supplemented by a few cut carrots and apples which tend to prevent the often severe con- stipation caused by the lack of normal exercise. The water in the pan is changed at least twice daily. Under these conditions beavers can be held safely for several days. Before beavers are placed in the holding pen they are weighed and the sex determined. The two sexes are marked for later identification with colored string or by clipping the fur at the base of the tail. It is considered that a well-balanced plant of beavers should consist of not less than two pairs. An attempt is made to liberate beavers of uniform size and they must, of course, be in first-class physical condition. After beavers have been selected for planting, they are lifted from the holding pen with the net and transferred to shipping boxes for trans- portation to the planting site. However, where access to the planting site can not be gained by truck it is necessary to transfer the animals again, this time to individual carrying cages. The carrying cage is 12" X 12" X 18" in size, made of sturdy wire mesh, fitted with a hinged door at one end, and equipped with a convenient handle. Tt is light and can either be carried like a suitcase, or when pack horses are used, can be placed in a pack bag or box (Fig. 24). Upon arrival at the plantiiig site and just prioi- 1o liberation, each beaver is tagged for future identification. The tag is a small metal disk which is attached to the right ear. Each tag bears a serial number and the legend "Notify Cal. D. F. and G." The actual planting operation is .simple since the beavers are merely released from confinement at the selected site. They usually enter the water immediately and are quickly lost from sight. Beavers establish themselves at the selected site, or at least close to it, frequently enough so that the investigator can justifiably feel that he has made a reasonably accurate estimate of their requirements. In numerous instances, however, the animals completely ignore the opinions of others and sometimes travel long distances to establish themselves at other sites that for some unknown reason are better suited to their requirements. It is essential that the history of each planting be studied carefully and that the data obtained from these records be applied so that the ratio of successful to unsuccessful colonies may be increased as the beaver transplanting work progresses. Management Problems The management of beavers in California involves the problem of development on the one hand and that of control on the other. The object of the development program is to extend the range of California beavers in nonagricultural areas throughout tlie State, not only for the purpose of producing a valuable fur crop, but with the hope that full advantage may be taken of the water storage, erosion control, and aesthetic values that maj^ be derived from the presence of properly located beaver colonies. Certain existing colonies have already clearly demonstrated these values, and land management agencies such as the 9(5 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Fig. 25. End view of beaver dam showing portion of pond. This picture was taken at a time of year wlien the flow of the stream would normally be reduced to a mere trickle. Plumas County, August, 1944. U. S. Forest Service and U. S. Soil Conservation Service are actively interested in the transplanting program — to the point at which we are as yet unable to furnish enough breeding stock to supply present demands. There are other colonies, however, that due to habitat deficiencies may seriously deplete their food supplies if they are not brought under control. Beaver, unlike many other kinds of wild animals, are easily controlled and colonies that get out of hand may either be removed or reduced to the population level at which they are in balance with their environment. Thus far, all beavers that have been removed from col- onies that contain surplus animals have been used for transplanting and this situation will persist for some time to come. In the meantime, a plan must be worked out for a carefully controlled harvest of beaver in non- agricultural areas. In agricultural areas, particularly in the delta region of the Great Valley, a different situation exists. The entire problem there is one of BEAVER MANAGEMENT IN CALIFORNIA 97 Fig. 26. Beaver pond with house in foreground. Plumas County, August, 1944. control. There is no question that the ^olden beavers in the delta are a definite menace to levees and other reclamation works and their numbers must be limited. At the present time, the control of beavers in the delta is being handled entirely by the owners or lessors of reclaimed agricul- tural lands, who, under permit from the Division of Fish and Game, employ trappers and market beaver skins with little or no supervision. This haphazard system has resulted in a spotted pattern of control. There is a need for the development of a management plan under which delta beavers may be controlled on an area-wide basis that will give a sustained yield. The Sonora beaver which inhabits the Colorado River presents still another problem. Along the river the ])resence of beaver is desirable and the States of Arizona and California are presently developing a joint management plan designed to maintain the maximum beaver population consistent with the available food suj^ply. However, in irrigated areas adjacent to the river, such as the Palo Verde Irrigation District in Cali- fornia and the Gila Irrigation District in Arizona, beavers are definitely undesirable and must be trapped intensively in order to prevent damage to irrigation works. In 1940 (Tappe, 1942, pp. 23-27) a survey was made of the Colorado River by California and the numbers of beaver present were estimated. Joint surveys of the river from the Nevada line to the Mexican border were made by California and Arizona in 1943, 1944, and 1945, and a number of beavers were taken from the river and adjacent areas under the supervision of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The prob- lem of beaver management on the Colorado River between California and Arizona will be discussed in a later paper. lis CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAiMF Conclusion 111 concluding this discussion of beaver management in California, the -writer wishes to emphasize the necessity for proceeding with caution in the much needed development of a State- wide plan of management. It is felt that a sound plan, carefully followed out, can not help but prove beneficial to the land manager, the sportsman, the licensed trapper, and all lovers of the out-of-doors. TABLE 1 Beaver Plantings in California Date of plant Kind Male Female Sex unknown Total County trapped County planted Sept. 3, 1923 Sonera'.. 23 23 4 4 4 6 4 5 4 4 7 29 5 3 3 6 2 3 6 5 5 2 5 6 5 1 4 2 2 3 4 3 4 1 4 3 5 5 2 4 1 4 2 3 4 3 3 5 5 3 6 3 7 6 5 4 2 2 3 5 4 2 Riverside _ Plumas Aug. 27. 1934 Sept. 15, 1934 Sept. 22, 1936 Sept. 5, 1936 Sept. 11. 1936 Idaho2... Idaho2... Shasta'... Shasta^-.. Shasta'.-. 2 2 1 2 2 2 3 Blaine County, Idaho Blaine County, Idaho Modoc Plumas Tuolumne Siskiyou 29 5 Modoc Modoc Mod 00 Modoc Oct. 17, 1936 Shasta'... 1 Modoc. Modoc Aug. 27, 1938 Oregon'.. Crooked River, Oregon Rogue River, Oregon San Joaquin Tuolumne Aug. 27, 1938 Oregon'.. El Dorado Aug. 29, 1938 Golden3.. Stanislaus Sept. 15, 1938 Golden'.. San Joaquin Napa Oct. 29, 1939 Oregon'.. Wheeler County, Oregon.. Merced Humboldt April, 1940 Aug. 30, 1940 Golden^.. Shasta'... 2 1 Tuolumne 3 6 2 Modoc -- - Siskiyou Aug., 1940 Golden'.. Merced Lake Aug., 1940 Shasta'-.. Modoc.. Modoc Sept., 1940 Dec, 1940 Golden^.. Golden!-. Golden*-- 2 3 1 1 Merced . Contra Costa 2 3^ 2 3 6 5 Merced Contra Costa Aug., 1941 Merced Plumas Aug., 1941 Shasta^— Shasta'— 1 1 Modoc Mono Aug., 1941 Modoc Siskiyou Oct., 1941 Golden<-- Golden*-- 1 i Yuba Mendocino Jan., 1942 Merced Ventura Feb., 1942 Golden*.. Yuba... Monterey April, 1942 Shasta*— Golden*. - Shasta*. -- Golden*.. Golden* - Idaho*-.. Golden*.. 1 2 2 1 2 2 Siskiyou Siskiyou July, 1942 2 Merced San Mateo July, 1942 Modoc Alpine Aug., 1942 1 1 2 3 3 Merced . San Mateo Aug., 1942 Yuba Butte Sept., 1942 Sept., 1942 Plumas. .. Alpine Merced Mariposa Nov., 1942 Golden*.. Golden*.. Golden*.. Golden*-. Golden*-. Idaho*.. - Idaho*- -- Golden*- - Shasta*— Golden*-. Golden*-. Golden*. - Golden*.. Golden*-. Golden*-. Golden*-. Golden*.. Golden*.. Golden*-. Golden^.. GoIden6.. Golden^.. Golden^.. Golden^.. Golden^.. Golden'-. Idahos... Idahos... Idaho^.-. IdahoS-.- Idahos... 1 1 2 2 3 3 I 1 1 1 2 1 1 I 1 1 3 2 1 3 1 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 Stanislaus Butte Feb., 1943 Merced . . Merced April. 1943 May, 1943 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 Stanilsaus Mariposa Yuba Butte June, 1943 1 Merced Mariposa July, 1943 Plumas --. Sierra July, 1943 Plumas Plumas Aug., 1943 1 Merced . . Mariposa Nov.. 1943 Modoc Modoc Nov.. 1943 I 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 2 \ 1 3 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 Merced Mariposa April. 1944 April, 1944 Mav, 1944 Merced San Diego Merced Mariposa 1 2 1 1 Merced Maripasa Mav, 1944 Merced Mariposa May, 1944 Merced Mariposa Aug., 1944 Monterey Tuolumne Oct., 1944 Mariposa Oct.. 1944 Stanislaus Mariposa Oct., 1944 Stanislaus Mariposa May 17, 1945 1 1 1 3 Stanislaus Fresno May 28, 1945 June 5, 1945 June 14, 1945 June 19, 1945 Stanislaus and Merced Stanislaus and Merced Stanislaus and Merced Stanislaus and Merced M onterey Sacramento Fresno Tuolumne Riverside July 6, 1945 2 Santa Barbara July 9. 1945 Monterey. . Monterey July 24, 1945 Plumas Lassen July 26. 1945 1 1 Plumas .. .- . Sierra Jujy 26, 1945 July 29, 1945 PI umas Sierra Plumas Nevada Aug. 3,1945 Plumas Sierra BEAVER MANAGEMENT IN CALIFORNIA 99 TABLE 1— Continued Beaver Plantings in California Date of plant Kind Male Female Sex unknown Total County trapped County planted Aug. 8, 1945 Idaho*.. - Idaho*... Idaho*... Idaho*... Shasta*... 3 3 2 I 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 3 4 5 4 2 2 4 4 3 4 3 3 4 4 4 5 Plumas . Aug. 14, 1945 Plumas.- Sierra Aug. 15, 1945 Plumas Nevada Aug. 30, 1945 Plumas . Plumas Sept. 14, 1945 1 Modoc Sept. 14, 1945 Shasta*... Shasta*-.. Shasta*... Shasta*-.. Shasta*-.. Shasta*-. Golden*-. Golden'. - Golden*.. Golden*.. 2 1 1 3 1 1 2 2 3 2 Modoc. . . . - Siskiyou Sept. 21, 1945 2 Modoc Shasta Sept. 25, 1945 Modoc Lassen Oct. 6, 1945 Modoc Shasta Oct. 6, 1945 Modoc. . Lassen Oct. 8, 1945 Modoc Oct. 22, 1945 Merced . San Dieso Oct. 22, 1945 Merced San Diego Oct. 28, 1945 Merced . . Tuolumne Nov. 10, 1945 Stanislaus . . Totals 102 94 142 338 ' Accidental escape from commercial fur farm. - Planted by U. S. Forest Service. 3 Nuisance beaver transplanted by Division of Fish and Game. ■* Experimental plants made by Project 5-R. 'Plantedby Project 18- D. * Donated to California Division of Fish and Game from Oregon Exhibit, Golden Gate International Exposition. EDITORIALS AND NOTES EFFECT OF RED WATER ON MARINE LIFE IN SANTA MONICA BAY, CALIFORNIA During the first half of June, 1945, red water occurred in abundance off southern California from San Luis Obispo south to Los Angeles Harbor and on June 19, dead and dying fish and shellfish were observed in Santa Monica Bay. The period of mortality lasted five or six days and reached a peak on the fourth day. Various marine animals were affected but the most conspicuous was the spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus. These crustaceans appeared in the surf in a weakened condition and were picked up in large numbers by people along the beaches. Mr. Carmi Savage, California Fish and Game Warden, and members of the Los Angeles County Health Depart- ment made a survey of the loss and estimated that four or five tons of lobsters were killed. In addition many spider crabs and various fishes were affected. These included halibut, sting rays and sharks. Bait fish- ermen reported that they experienced difficulty in keeping their bait alive. The fish would die in the net before they could be transferred to the bait tank. To ascertain the cause of this sudden mortality of marine animals and to be certain that the weakened lobsters were fit for human food, Mr. Savage and Dr. R. V. Stone, Los Angeles County Health Depart- ment, notified the Bureau of Marine Fisheries, California Division of Fish and Game, and the George Williams Hooper Foundation. The senior author took numerous w^ater and shellfish samples between Redondo Beach and Santa Monica on June 22d and 23d, and on June 24th and 25th representative samples Avere collected betweeen Santa Monica and Monterey Bays. One of the chief causes of concern was the possible presence of Gonyaulax catenella and the paralytic Gonyaulax poison. No paralytic poison could be demonstrated in any mussels and clams in Southern Cali- fornia as far north as Ventura. Traces were found in all samples between Pismo Beach and Santa Cruz. G. catenella was observed in the Santa Cruz water sample only, but in very small numbers. Inspection of Santa Monica beach on June 23d indicated that the disturbance had essentially passed as no lobsters were found. There was, however, still a good deal of dead sea life on the beach including many large sheep crab, Loxorhynchus grandis. The water between Redondo and Santa Monica was essentially of normal color, but showed frequent isolated red streaks. Water samples from Crystal Pier at Santa Monica contained an unusual number of the dinoflagellate, Polykrikos schwartzi, 10,000 to 50,000 per liter, with very few other species of dinoflagellates or diatoms present. There were also a large number of ciliates (tintin- nids). Water samples to the south as far as Redondo Beach showed essentially the same picture, although the number of organisms was smaller. (100) EFFECT OF RED WATER ON MARINE LIFE 101 Although the senior writer is not too familiar with the plankton picture in southern California, it would seem that the ciliates may be expected normally in considerable numbers, due to the pollution in near-by waters. On the other hand, mass cultures of Polykrikos appear to be quite unusual and may be the direct or indirect cause of the dis- turbance in the sea life near Santa Monica. Polykrikos is a large, faintly colored, colonial organism which feeds upon other dinotlagellates and diatoms and in mass culture would be expected to deplete the water of oxygen. Furthermore a mass culture of this species would logically presuppose the previous occurrence of some other colored form in large numbers, as food for Polykrikos. A great abundance of either Polykrikos or of some other colored form could decidedly disturb the shore animals, a fact which has been repeatedly observed. The digestive glands of the shellfish, mussels and claims, collected along the southern beaches were bulging with nutrients and of an unusu- ally strong reddish color. This would also indicate that mass cultures of some colored dinoflagellate must have preceded Polykrikos. Water samples from Santa Barbara and Pismo beaches contained in large num- bers almost pure cultures of the dinoflagellate, Ceratiiim (probably C. tripos) and it is not unlikely that this is the organism which pre- ceded Polykrikos in Santa Monica Bay, since a few organisms of this species were found in this locality also. The disturbance in the shore animals and the large number of deaths among fish and shellfish along Santa Monica Bay in mid-June was prob- ably due therefore to an unusually heavy growth of Ceratium tripos and subsequently of Polykrikos schwartzi with an accompanying disturbance in the oxygen-carbon dioxide equilibrium. The presence of Gonyaulax or its poison could not be demonstrated — Hermann Sommer, George Wil- liams Hooper Foundation for Medical Research, University of California, and Frances N. Clark, California Division of Fish and Game, November, 1945. RECOVERY OF A TAGGED SOUPFIN SHARK During 1943 the Bureau of Marine Fisheries tagged 80 soupfin shark with numbered celluloid disks fastened to the dorsal fin by german silver pins. Thirty-six soupfin were liberated in the region of Santa Barbara and Ventura during July and August. Forty-four were tagged in San Francisco Bay during October and November. Recently Tag A 3272, originally attached to a 110 cm. (43^-inch) female six miles south of Ventura, California, on July 18, 1943, was returned to the Division of Fish and Game by Mr. W. H. MacKenzie of the British Columbia Packers Limited at Hecate, B. C, who informed us that the tagged indi- vidual was taken by Mr. G. Johnson above Nootka Sound inside Bajo Reef on the west coast of Vancouver Island, B. C, on September 11, 1945. Although the shark could have covered a greater distance during the 26 months of freedom, it definitely migrated 1,000 miles up the coast between the time of tagging and recapture. The inside faces and edges of each of the two disks showed a slight amount of wear from constant contact with the shagreen of the base of the dorsal fin. No wear or cor- rosion could be detected on the pin. Judging from the external condition of the returned tag and pin, it would be safe to estimate that the tag could have remained out four to six times as long. 102 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME The return of this one tag alone does not prove a general migratory movement of the shark population, however it does corroborate other evidence indicating that the soupfin shark population along the West Pacific Coast is homogenous. It is requested that in the event that any other tagged soupfin are captured the following information accompany the returned tag: date, locality of capture, length of shark from tip of the nose to the end of the tail, sex, total weight and liver weight. — William Ellis Ripley, Bureau of Marine Fisheries, California Division of Fish and Game, October, 1945. IN MEMORIAM HIRAM L. RICKS The death of Hiram L. ("Toppy") Ricks, President of the Fish and Game Commission, occurred on January 31, 1946, in Eureka, after a period of treatment for a heart ailment. He had served on the commis- sion since March 6, 1944, and been president since December 1, 1944. Mr. Ricks was born in Eureka on August 4, 1890, and received his earlier education at the local schools. He went to the University of California, from which he graduated with the degree of B.Sc. in 1913, after which he continued at the School of Jurisprudence, receiving the Degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1915. He was admitted to practice in that same year. He served with distinction in the First World War, going overseas with the 91st Division as Captain of Field Artiller3^ On completion of his military duties in June 1919 he returned to Eureka, and spent the rest of his life there in practice of the law. In World War II he served as appeal agent for the draft board. He owned and operated a ranch; and had many hobbies, all con- nected with the out-of-doors, high among which ranked hunting and fishing. He will be greatly missed by his associates in the work of the Fish and Game Commission, whose respect he gained by his sound judg- ment and wide knowledge, and whose esteem and affection he held by his fair-mindedness, his friendly spirit and his sense of humor. — Brian Curtis, Editor, California Fish and Game. (103) 104 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME REPORTS FISH CASES October, November, December, 1945 Offense Abalones: no license, failure to show license; overlimit, undersize, refusal to show; unlawful possession, removal of abalone from shell below high tide ._ Angling: use of more than one line, spear on Mokelumne River, gaff hooks and spear; night fishing; other than hook and line, operating set line in Clear Lake, fishing 100 feet lower side of dam, possession of fish spear while fishing for mul- let on Alamo River, of spear within 300 feet of stream ; purchase of citizen license while an alien; transferring license Bass, striped: overlimit, undersize, no license, using more than one outfit Bass, black: undersize, closed season Catfish: using set line Clams: undersize, refuge, no license _ _ Commercal: no party boat license, no license, taking salmon commercially closed season, using set line closed area, selling clams no commercial license and fail- ing to keep recording triplicate Crabs: closed season Lobsters: undersize, no license Salmon: shooting, closed season, illegally taken, near dam, night fishing, snag hooks, sale of salmon, gaff, spawning area Trout : no license, overlimit, undersize, more than one line, closed waters Pollution Totals Number arrests 4H 55 64 3 1 29 13 1 9 83 13 5 324 Fines impased 11.117 50 1,590 00 1,572 50 75 00 25 00 810 00 670 00 25 00 158 00 2,690 00 290 00 275 00 $9,298 00 GAME CASES October, November, December, 1945 Offense Number arrests Fines imposed Antelope: illegal, transfer license and tag, altering license and tag, refuge, closed season... Avocet Curlew .- - - Deer: female, fawns, transfer deer tags, spotlighting, failure complete deer tags, spike buck, remove deer tag from antlers, mutilate deer tag, forked horn deer District 1%, carrying deer tags issued to another, night hunting, using 1944 deer tags, 2 deer in a 1 deer district, failure to validate deer tag, no tags, remove tag from antlers before expiration of ten days after closed season Deer meat: illegal possession, selling, failure to stamp, no permit Doves: overlimit, no license, shooting from auto, unplugged gun Ducks: shooting ducks from airplane, late shooting, herding, closed season, over- limit, refuge, shooting from power boat, unplugged gun Geese: late shooting, unplugged gun Grebe Grouse Hunting: night hunting, late shooting, no license, firearms on refuge, unplugged gun, false statement to secure license, shooting from public road, failure to show license, closed season, nongame birds Jacksnipe Non-game birds ... Pheasants: early shooting, using license of another, closed season, hen, shooting from vehicle Pigeons: no license Quail: early shooting, closed season, no license, shooting from vehicle Rabbits: spotlighting, closed season Robins.. Sage hens: closed season Shorebirds Squirrels Swans Totals 91 17 43 121 9 2 1 72 3 2 75 3 40 9 2 1 3 1 7 1375 00 25 00 25 00 4,930 00 1,310 00 1,160 00 3,992 00 220 00 40 00 50 00 1,935 00 75 00 35 00 4,802 50 27 50 646 50 130 00 40 00 50 00 110 00 50 00 400 00 507 $20,428 50 REPORTS 105 SEIZURES OF FISH AND GAME October, November, December, 1945 Fish: Abalones-._ 405 Bass, striped _ — 26 Bass, black — 5 Clams, ._ -- -- 534 Lobsters — 117 Lobster traps 36 Salmon. _ 53 Salmon, pounds -- 1,400 Trout ^ 31 Game: Deer 29 Deer meat, pounds - 280 Doves.. _ --- - 129 Duoks... .- --- - --- --- 120 Geese --- 23 Pheasants 6 Pheasants, hen : 24 Pheasants, cock — 52 Quail -. - 93 Rabbits .- 26 Robins ---- 9 Swans 3 Wilson snipe 1 53088 1-46 4300 printed in California state printing office (Continued from Inside front cover) BUREAU OF LICENSES H. R. DUNBAR, Chief Sacramento L. O'Leary, Assistant Chief Sacramento R. Nickerson, Supervising License Agent Los Angeles Lorraine Atwood, License Agent San Francisco ACCOUNTS AND DISBURSEMENTS D. H, BLOOD, Departmental Accounting Officer Sacramento BUREAU OP PATROL E. L. MACAULAY, Chief of Patrol San Francisco L. F. CHAPPELL, Assistant Chief of Patrol San Francisco CENTRAL DISTRICT (Headquarters, Sacramento) C. S. Bauder, Inspector in Charge Sacramento Northern Division Jos. H. Sanders, Captain Sacramento A. H. Willard, Captain Rocklin A. A. Jordan, Captain Redding B. O. Wraith, Captain Chico L. E. Mercer, Warden, Butte County Chico Rudolph Gerhardt, Warden, Butte County Gridley Taylor London, Warden, Colusa County Colusa Albert Sears, Warden, El Dorado County Placervllle B. C. Vail, Warden, Glenn County Willows L. M. Booth, Warden, Lassen County Susanville Louis Olive, Warden, Siskiyou County Tule I^ake Delmor Baxter, Warden, Modoc County Alturas Earl Hiscox, Warden, Nevada County Nevada City Nelson Poole, Warden, Placer County Auburn Wm. LaMarr, Warden, Placer County Tahoe City Charles Sibeck, Warden, Sacramento County Sacramento Eugene Durney, Warden, Sacramento County Sacramento Earl Caldwell, Warden, Shasta County Burney Walter Krukow, Warden, Shasta County Redding R. E. Tutt, Warden, Sierra County Loyalton Brice Hammack, Warden, Siskiyou County Yreka Fred R. Starr, Warden, Siskiyou County Dorris George D. McLean, Warden, Sutter County Yuba City R. W. Anderson, Warden, Tehama County Red Bluff C. L. Gourley, Warden, Trinity County Weavervilla C. O. Fisher, Warden, Yolo County Woodland R. A. Tinnin, Warden, Yuba County Marysville Don Chipman, Siskiyou County 7">unsmuir Southern Division John O'Connell, Captain Stockton S. R. Gilloon, Captain Fresno R. J. Little, Warden, Amador County Pine Grove L. R. Garrett, Warden, Calaveras County Murphys F. A. Bullard, Warden, Fresno County Reedley Paul Kehrer, Warden, P"'resno County Fresno C. L. Brown, Warden, Fresno County Coalinga Lester Arnold, Warden, Kern County Bakersfleld Donald Hall, Warden, Kern County Kernville Ray Ellis, Warden, Kings County Hanford H. E. Black, Warden, Madera County Madera Gilbert T. Davis, Warden, Mariposa County Mariposa George Shockley, Warden, Merced County Dos Palos Hilton Bergstrom, Warden, Merced County . Los Banos Wm. Hoppe, Warden, San Joaquin County Lodl Geo. Magladry, Warden, Stanislaus County Modesto W. 1. Long, Warden, Tulare County Visalla Roswell Welch, Warden, Tulare County PortervUle F. F. Johnston, Warden, Tuolumne County Sonora R. Switzer, Merced County ]\[eii'ed Dan Davison, Modoc County .' Alturas COAST DISTRICT (Headquarters, San Francisco) Wm. J. Harp, Inspector in Charge San Francisco Northern Division Scott Feland, Captain Eureka Lee C. Shea, Captain Santa Rosa Otis Wright, Warden, Del Norte County Crescent City Robert Perkins, Warden, Humboldt County Garberville W. P. Kaliher, Warden, Humboldt County Fortuna Robert Wiley, Warden, Humboldt County Eureka Ray Bruer, Sonoma County ^, Santa Rosa Northern Division — Continued Wm. H, Sholes, Jr., Warden, Humboldt County Areata Jack Sawyer, Warden, Lake County Lakeport R. J. Yates, Warden, Marin County San Rafael Ovid Holmes, Warden, Mendocino County Fort Bragg Floyd Loots, Warden, Mendocino County WiUits Garrie Heryford, Warden, Mendocino County Ukiah M. F. Joy, Warden, Napa County Oakville Karl Lund, Warden, Napa County Napa J. E. Hughes, Warden, Solano County Sacramento Bert Laws, Warden, Sonoma County Petaluma Southern Division O. P. Brownlow, Captain Oakland J. W. Harbuck, Warden, Contra Costa County Antioch J. G. McKerlie, Warden, Alameda County Alameda Warren Smith, Warden, Monterey County King City F. H. Post, Warden, Monterey County Salinas J. P. Vissiere, Warden, San Benito County : Hollister C. R. Peek, Warden, San Mateo County San Mateo C. E. HoUaday, Warden, Santa Clara County San Jose F. J. McDermott, Warden, Santa Cruz County Santa Cruz Owen Mills, Warden, Monterey Carmel Highlands SOUTHERN DISTRICT (Headquarters, Los Angeles) Earl Macklin, Inspector in Charge Los Angeles H. C. Jackson, Captain Los Angeles Western Division L. T. Ward, Captain Escondido F. W. Hecker, Captain San Luis Obispo Fred Albrecht, Warden, Los Angeles County Los Angeles Walter Emerick, Warden, Los Angeles County Los Angeles L. R. Metzgar, Warden, Los Angeles County Los Angeles A. L. Stager, Warden, Los Angeles County Pomona George Werden, Jr., Warden Los Angeles County Pomona Frank Bartol, Warden, Los Angeles County Los Angeles Theodore Jolley, Warden, Orange County Norwalk B. H. Glidden, Warden, San Diego County San Diego Henry Ocker, Warden, San Diego County Julian Orben Philbrick, Warden, San Luis Obispo County Paso Robles R. E. Bedwell, Warden, Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara H. L. Lantis, Warden, Santa Barbara County Santa Maria A. F. Crocker, Warden, Ventura County Fillmore C. L. Towers, Warden ; Los Angeles L. A. Golden, Warden, San Luis Obispo County Arroyo Grande John Spicer, Ventura County Ventura Eastern Division Tate Miller, Captain Arlington R. J. O'Brien, Warden, Imperial County El Centro C. J. Walters, Warden, Inyo County Independence James Loundagin, Warden, Inyo County Bishop Robert Stedman, Warden, Mono County Leevining W. C. Blewett, Warden, Riverside County Indio Cliff Donham, Warden, Riverside County Idyllwild B. H. G. Dennett, Warden, Riverside County Arlington W. C. Malone, Warden, San Bernardino County , San Bernardino Brol Greenleaf, Warden, San Bernardino County Big Bear Lake Otto Rowland, Warden, San Bernardino County Victorville Walter Shannon, Warden, San Bernardino County Redlands Geo. D. Werden, Jr., Warden, Riverside County Blythe MARINE PATROL C. H. Groat, Inspector in Charge Terminal Island Ralph Classic, Captain Monterey T. W. Schilling, Captain San Francisco Kennetli Hooker. Warden, Launch Minnow Tiburon Bolton Hall, Warden Tiburon Walter Engelke, Captain and Warden, Cruiser Bonito Newport Lars J. Weseth, Captain Terminal Island Robert Mills Newport N. C. Kunkel, Warden Newport Beach Leslie B. Lahr, Warden Wilmington Ralph Miller, Warden San Francisco Q. R. Smalley, Warden Richmond T. J. Smith, Warden San Diego Carmi Savage, Warden Santa Monica R. C. Schoen, Warden Terminal Island John Barry, Warden Terminal Island J. Ross Cox, Warden Watsonville N. J. Mullen, Warden Terminal Island MARINE PATROL AND RESEARCH BOATS Cruiser Bonito, Newport Harbor Cruiser Shasta, Redding Cruiser Rainbow III, Antioch Launch Shrapnel, Sulsun Launch Minnoto, San Rafael