373

1C3X (

} FISH

CALIFORNIA
FISH“ GAME

“CONSERVATION OF WILD LIFE THROUGH EDUCATION”

olume 5 — Sacramento, January, 1919

Vv

Number 1

BOARD OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONERS.

Commissioners appointed by the Governor, by and with the consent of the Senate.
_ Term at pleasure of Governor. No compensation.

VM: NEWBERT:.. Presidents ooo ee a Sacramento
M.-3; CONNEGDI, Gommissioner: 20 Se SB aaa eee Los Angeles
Hi; b.BOSQUI, Commissionert2o5) =) str pe ake eke ee Se San Francisco
CARL WESTERFELD, Executive: Officer.>- 7 ss os see ae San Francisco
J. S. HUNTER, Assistant Executive Officers. - e222 = eee San Francisco
RDA DU RARE: Aveo ee ye ee ea aa eae San Francisco
A. D. FERGUSON, ‘TVield Agent (on Furlough) —2--23224-_ =~ 22 35 eee Fresno

DEPARTMENT OF FISHCULTURE.

W: H: SHEBEEY, in: Charge: Fisheultureses) a s25 222 2s eee San Francisco
Bh. W. HUNT: Wield Superintendent 22420 08 ee ea eee San Francisco
G. H. LAMBSON, Superintendent Mount Shasta Hatchery_____---------_-- Sisson
W. O. FASSETT, Superintendent Fort Seward Hatchery and Snow Mountain

Sta torah see OE AR a a a a lege en cn Alderpoint
G. McCLOUD, Jr., Foreman in Charge Mount Whitney Hatchery and Rae

Beaks S Ca tron es a a TS ese Oe ee Independence
G. E. WEST, Foreman in Charge Tahoe and Tallac Hatcheries___-_---.----- Tallac
EB. Y. CASSELL, Foreman in Charge Almanor and Domingo Springs

Fiatchieriess. 3 ce ee Ae Ee iS Fae Keddie
L. PHILLIPS, Foreman in Charge Bear Lake Hatchery_---_---~_-~ San Bernardino
R. I. BASSLER, Foreman in Charge Klamath Stations____-----------=Hornbrook
JUSTIN SHEBLEY, Foreman in Charge Ukiah Hatchery_--_--_-~--------- Ukiah
J. B. SOLLNER, Assistant in Charge Wawona Hatchery___-------~---- Wawona
“®- BW. DONKEY, Fish: Ladder Surveyors 224) cose San Francisco
AS BS CULVER? Sereen::Surveyor 2:2 S322 a a ee San Francisco

A. M. FAIRFIELD, Inspector Water Pollution (on Furlough)----San Francisco

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES.

WN. BuO SCORTELD {Ful Clit eee a ee ee ___--San Francisco
i. Be NIDE VER} ASSig tern tes ai aay clk ay ON As pelea eae Long Beach
W... Be TPHOMBSO IN Assies tee ra tet a es I et ene Long Beach
HARLEY: DOW NENG “Assistants aS ce ne es San Francisco
©:- 8: BAUD, Asitetetre ts 5 Fe a a Los Angeles
"HY, COMO, Aastra tase Pacifie Grove
©. Hy BENMER,; Assistants ac 2 is ee toad Sacramento

BUREAU OF EDUCATION, PUBLICITY AND RESEARCH.
DR. H. C. BRYANT, In Charge. 20 sa oh eer

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

“CONSERVATION OF WILD LIFE THROUGH EDUCATION”

Volume 5 SACRAMENTO, JANUARY, 1919 “Number |
CONTENTS.
P ey Sins PAGE
SHRIMP FISHERIES OF CALIFORNIA_____ EERE Ue Corea! NV. B. Seofield lL

THE FISHES OF THE CROAKER FAMILY (Scienidw) OF CALI-

LENO RSS (Ls os SO Eee tee a Ee oe ee A ee ee ee ee H. C. Starks 138
BOE SGHNe SEEM SAINT PYAR 35 24S) eee fo EH. C. Starks 21
THE STICKLEBACK: A FISH EMINENTLY FITTED BY NATURE AS

ASH ICG DS) PLDT TKO EY SHI SCC] ice al ee C. L. Hubbs 21
BHARLY STAGES OF THE SPINY LOBSTER_______.____.__W. L. Schmitt 24
ME eCOVODE AS -AGDHME KILLER. 226 285. 2 eS se ino Vs Fotter’ 26
ERLISTE) St ba Ns a i lr a added spel Spas ieee aie SAC 5
DAMON TSS SFO OE CN OTE 221 Sates Bg 64 ODE GOS De cE 0
TAWA OSB ADU STAIN ty Daas Bes aioe emirate corel emia ake Roser rere Myre AL) 10 i oN Ce
COMMHERCIAT HISHERY NOTHS 22.207 2 sors 2 ea eee 0)
CONSERVATION IN OTHER STATWS-——-2---2.--__ Le: YEE ne een see ee
Tal eh eT Ope Ys MOMS a 22 ee Poe SR tet ye ae eh SAD,
REPORTS—

Misheryi we roducts. wWulye io september, Obes sees ee ena sat

Violations of Fish and Game Laws_____---_-______ aS Srl) PAPEL SALT PAT AG

BS UCTS CS ae nee et se ae ne Mee NP ee AG

Financial Report —--__-~- 5 AE es B80 Fe 2D, at ee ae ee RSL Bee:

SHRIMP FISHERIES OF CALIFORNIA.

By N. B. SCOFIELD.

As the question of removing the restrictions on the Chinese shrimp
or bag nets periodically arises at each session of the legislature, it is
thought best to give a brief history of the shrimp fishery in the state
and to describe the fishery as it has existed in the past in order that
those who eare to can learn of the great destruction to young fish and
young shrimps by the Chinese method of fishing.

The only account of the earliest shrimp fishing operations in the
state is supplied by Mr. A. Paladini, the venerable fish dealer of San
Francisco. He came to San Francisco in 1869 and engaged in shrimp
fishing. There were eight boats on San Francisco Bay engaged in this

42766

2 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME,

business, each boat manned by white men. They easily caught enough
shrimps to supply the demand, besides many flounders, sole, tomeod,
ete.. for the fresh fish market. Fish and shrimps were very plentiful
in the bay at the time. The shrimps caught were the same species as
now. but were much larger than those caught in later years during the
intensive fishing by the Chinese. This later reduction of the larger and
older shrimps as noted by Mr. Paladini is good evidence that the shrimps
were beine subjected to overfishing. The early fishing of the eight
boats of Italian fishermen was carried on with small-meshed seines, sixty
feet lone and eight feet deep, with a bag at the center. They used the
nets in the deeper water of the bay for there the catch was freer of
youne fish and of the small unmarketable shrimps. The manner of
fishing was to lay out the net, then anchor the boat down the tide and
pull the net along the bottom toward the boat by means of lines, always
pulling with the tide. The net was pulled directly into the boat. They
would make from three to five hauls on each tide and they caught from
fifty to seventy-five pounds of shrimps at a haul. This method of fish-
ing was far less destructive to young fish than that employed later by
the Chinese. They could fish in deeper water, where young fish and
young shrimps were fewer, and unlike the Chinese nets which are set
during the whole tide and kill practically all the young fish caught,
they were in the water only a short time—less than one-half hour—and
the small per cent of young fish caught were still alive and could be |
returned to the water. The shrimps thus caught were sold fresh at
the Long Wharf. Little thought was then taken as to whether a method
of fishing was destructive or not and there were few laws protecting
fish, for it was thought that the supply of fish in the bay and rivers
was inexhaustible. The Chinese had for some years been in the fish-
ing business and with their destructive methods of fishing had already
begun the extermination of the Sacramento perch and with their
fiendish sturgeon lines had inaugurated a method of fishing that has
resulted in the commercial extinction of that valuable fish which in the
early days was here in apparently inexhaustible numbers.

In 1871 the Chinese began fishing for shrimps and introduced the
destructive Chinese shrimp net. They made enormous catches with
these fine-meshed set nets and found it profitable to supply the markets
with shrimps at one and one-half cents per pound. The original eight
Italian shrimp boats were driven out of business and since that time
shrimp fishing has been almost entirely carried on by Chinese. From
the very start the Chinese dried the bulk of their catch for the Oriental
export trade. The shrimp fishery quickly grew to large proportions
and fishing was carried on at many places in San Francisco Bay and in
Tomales Bay in Marin County.

The first printed account of the shrimp fishery is contained in Vol.
II of “History and Methods of the Fisheries’’ by Goode, printed in 1885
by the United States Bureau of Fisheries. A more extensive investiga-
tion of the fishery was made by the author for the California Fish and
Game Commission in 1897. A subsequent investigation was made by
the author in 1910. There has always been serious objection to the
Chinese method of catching shrimps, and much of the legislature’s time
has been taken up by listening to discussions between those who would

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 2

conserve the fisheries resources of San Francisco Bay and rivers, on the
one hand, and the interested defenders of the Chinese, on the other.
Closed seasons were finally resorted to and the drying of shrimps was
prohibited, without greatly reducing the destruction of young fish. At
the 1910-1911 session of the legislature the use of Chinese shrimp nets
was prohibited entirely. The shrimps had been so reduced in numbers
that it was found unprofitable to catch them by the method formerly
employed by the Italians. It was also found to be unprofitable to
employ the shrimp trawl which was in successful use on Puget Sound.
In 1915 the legislature removed the restriction against the Chinese net
in South San Francisco Bay on the ground that in that part of the bay
the destruction to young fish was much less than in the upper bay and
for the further reason that in that part of the bay the kinds of fish
destroyed did not include the young of herring, smelt, shad and striped
bass as was the case in the upper bay. At the 1916-1917 session of the

Fig. 1. Chinese shrimp fishing junk on San Francisco Bay. Photograph by H. B. Nidever.

legislature a very strong effort was made to reestablish the fishery in
the upper bay by those who would be benefited in the way of rents,
selling of supplies, ete., and by those who would have the picturesque
industry for sentimental reasons. As this effort is sure to be resumed
at the 1918-1919 session it is believed an intimate description of the
industry as it existed up to the year 1910 will be of interest, especially
as the Chinese now operating in South San Francisco Bay are using
identically the same methods, with the single exception that they do not
eateh so many young fish in that part of the bay and the young fish
caught are not of the more valuable species.

Camps: The fishing has been carried on by what has been termed
‘‘camps.’’ Hach of these camps is a separate unit, which has its own
boat, wharf, boiling vat and drying ground, separate living quarters
and storehouses. Although one Chinese company may have owned
or controlled several camps, even side by side at the water’s edge, they

4 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

did not co-operate in any way. ‘The camps were very similar in charac-
ter, consisting of a group of small, rude shacks of rough, unpainted
boards, placed near the edge of the water, with a rough wooden wharf
running out into the shallow water on hand-driven piling which
answered as a landing place for the camp’s junk. Very few of the
camps could be approached at low tide, for which reason they usually
fished the flood tide in order that they might more easily bring their
catch to the landing. The shacks which constituted the living quarters
and storehouses were, in the majority of cases, crowded on a narrow
beach between the water and the hills. The dry grounds of each camp
covered about an aere of the slope of the hills for the want of a better

Fig. 2. Scenes on board Chinese shrimp junk on San Francisco Bay. Photographs by
H. B. Nidever.

place, and were usually floored with boards. In two or three of the
camps the drying ground was partly on a platform built out over the
‘water. In 1897 there were 26 camps operating on San Francisco Bay
and in 1910 this number had been reduced to 19. The camps on
Tomales Bay were abandoned some years prior to 1897. Of the 19
camps found in 1910 three were in the cove just above South San
Francisco, five were at Hunter’s Point, four in Contra Costa County
south of Point San Pablo in Marin County. The three camps near
South San Francisco were controlled by one company, the Fook On
Ing Company of San Francisco. They furnished no fresh shrimps
for the market but dried their entire catch. Their fishing ground was
in Alameda County about three miles east of San Bruno Point. Each

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 5

of their three junks used sixty Chinese shrimp nets such as are described
under ‘‘Methods of Operating Nets.’’ Two of the five Hunter’s Point
camps, located on the south side of the point, were owned by the Quong
Lee Chong Company of San Francisco. Each of the two boats fished
forty nets and they dried their entire catch. Their fishing ground was
about a mile off shore, a little west of south from the point, which
brought them within San Francisco County. Of the three camps on the
north side of the point, the two camps nearest the point were controlled
by the Fook On Lung Company, also known as the California Shrimp
Company. The third camp on the north side of the point belonged
to the Union Shrimp Company, a Chinese company of San Francisco.
The three last-named camps sent part of their catch to the fresh shrimp
market and dried the rest. They fished in Alameda County a mile south
of the Alameda mole. The four Red Rock camps were located in a
cove on the Contra Costa shore about two miles to the south of Point
San Pablo. These camps belonged to the Union Shrimp Company of
San Francisco and their four boats fished just to the north of Red Rock
in water from four to six fathoms deep. This depth is greater than
that fished by any of the other boats and it was not possible for them,
on account of the depth and tide, to use more than thirty nets to each
boat. Part of their catch went to the fresh market but the main part
was dried. Of the seven camps near Point San Pedro, Marin County,
one was situated in the first cove to the south of the point near the rock
quarry. It was an independent company drying most of its catch but
selling a few to the Union Shrimp Company, for the fresh market.
Their boat fished about one-half mile southwest of the point. The next
eamp to the north of the point belonged to the Union Shrimp Company.
Its boat fished about one-half mile off shore and sometimes across the
channel in Contra Costa County. This camp sent part of its catch to
the fresh market but dried most of it. One-half mile further to the
north was a Quong Lee Chong Company camp and next to it in the
same cove a Quong Sing Lung Company camp, while just to the north
in the next cove was a second camp of the Quong Sing Lung Company
and next to this two other Quong Lee Chong camps. These last five
outfits named, dried their entire catch and their five boats operated sixty
nets each. They fished far out on what is known as the ‘‘ Petaluma
Flats,’’ the furthest boat fishing one-half mile due south of the outer
Petaluma Creek Beacon, the other near but to the southwest. All five
fished within the county of Marin.

The following description of the boats, nets and fishing methods
applies to the industry today just as it does to the industry as it
existed twenty years ago:

Boats. The boats used by these camps are of Chinese pattern and
make. They vary in size, but the majority are about fifty feet long
and twelve feet beam, with rounded bottoms without a keel, and with
square sterns and rather blunt bows. They have one mast which
carries a Chinese cleated sail. About fourteen feet of the stern is
decked in and eonstitutes the lying quarters of the crew. This com-
partment is entered through a small sliding hatch and there the five
men of the crew cook their meals, eat and sleep. Just forward of this
is the open shrimp locker, about twelve feet square, for holding the
eatch, and next forward is a locker of similar size for holding the nets.

6 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

The remaining space forward is used for lines and gear. On the deck
hetween the erew’s quarters and the shrimp locker is a erude wooden
windlass placed horizontally and with four wooden spokes projecting
by which it is turned by the hands and feet of the operator. From the
drum of this windlass a line passes forward through a notch in the
elongated bow post of the boat. This windlass and line is used to lift
the series of nets from their fishing position at the bottom of the bay.
The boats are of sufficient size to carry sixty wet nets and ten to twelve
tons of catch.

Nets. Hach separate net is constructed in the shape of a funnel.
They are usually thirty-two feet long, with the larger opening or mouth
about eighteen feet in diameter, from which the net tapers to the narrow
opening a foot and one-half in diameter at the end of the sack. This
narrow or cod end of the net is closed by a string which can be untied to
remove the catch when the nets are pulled up. The nets are made in
China from a very strong and durable twisted grass-like fibre. The
net has a mesh of three and one-half inches near the mouth but the size
rapidly diminishes toward the small end until the sack has meshes of
one-half inch or less. This small-meshed end of the net, which has to
sustain the weight of the catch when the net is pulled from the water,
is usually reinforced by a net of coarse twine placed around the outside.
Jn making the webbing of these nets square knots are used instead of
the usual knot used by fishermen the world over. The nets are dried
and tanned about once a month and with care they will last a year.
Their cost is about $25 Mexican in China. After paying freight and
other charges and adding the hanging line around the larger opening
they cost here about the same amount in gold.

Method of Operating Nets. Each junk operates a set of nets, thirty
to sixty in number, which are set side by side at the bottom of the bay
with their larger openings or mouths open to the current. The nets
are held in place by a series of brails or speaders—2x38 inch sticks of
pine five feet long—each of which is held to a short stake driven in the
bottom of the bay by a line from either end, of sufficient length to permit
of the brails with the nets attached being lifted to the surface during the
slack water between tides, without detaching them from the stake. The
stakes to which the brails are attached are driven twenty-four feet
apart across the current in the muddy bottom of the bay in a very
ingenious manner. Kor driving these stakes a very long tapering pole
is used with a four-inch iron pipe fitted on the larger end so that a
hollow end of the pipe projects a couple of feet beyond the end of the
pole. Selecting a stake with lines and brail attached, its head is inserted
in the hollow end of the pipe where it fits loosely but is kept from falling
out by holding on to the brail lines while the pole is held in the vertical
position over the spot where it is to be driven. The pole with the stake
in place is then lowered from the boat until the stake is pressed into
the mud. The stake is then driven home by repeatedly lifting the pole
a short distance and then lowering it forcibly. The stakes are driven
twenty-four feet apart across the current so that each brail when it is
in position with nets attached will stand vertically on the bottom in
each space between the mouths of the nets. Attached in this way, the
net mouths instead of being circular are now rectangular in shape, the
opening being twenty-four feet across and about four and one-half feet

GALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. ff

deep. To remove any uneven strain on the nets and to prevent their
being carried away by the swift tide, a heavy anchor or stake is placed
about fifty feet out from each end of the row of stakes and in line with
them, from which runs a heavy line which is tied with a clove hitch to
the center of each of the brails. By anchoring this heavy line in line
with the stakes and sufficiently far out, the arrangement does not inter-
fere with lifting the brails and nets to the surface of the water when
the catch is to be removed just before the slack water at the end of the
tide. Besides the heavy anchor line running from brail to brail,
there is another and lighter one, the buoy line, which facilitates in
hfting the nets. This line, when the nets are set in fishing position,
extends from a floating buoy at one end of the string of nets to the
first or end brail, to which it is tied by a bight about a foot from its
top. From thence it runs to each brail in succession until the last
brail at the end of the string of nets is reached, from whenee it extends
up to another buoy on the surface of the water. This buoy line is in
place only when the nets are set. The nets are fastened to the brails

Fig. 3. Sorting and drying young fish obtained from shrimp nets, Point San Pedro, 1897.
Shrimp fishing endangers the fisheries by destroying young fish. Photographs by
N. B. Scofield.

and the buoy lne is attached just after the turn of the tide before the
current has become swift. The force of the current swings the series
of nets down onto the bottom where they are held by the brail lines
to the row of stakes, reinforced by the heavy anchor line. Here they
are left during the entire tide, the time varying from four to eight
hours, with their mouths open against the tide while the current carries
the shrimps and young fish into them. With this manner of fastening
the nets they can be used on either a flood or ebb tide.

When the nets are to be lifted at the end of the tide after the force of
the current has slackened sufficiently, an end of the buoy line is taken
at one of the buoys, passed through the notch in the bow post of the
boat and thence carried back to the windlass, where it is reeled in by
one man, thus bringing the first brail to the surface and lifting the net
with it. The other members of the crew detach the net and the buoy
line from the brail while the man at the windlass reels up the next
brail. Thus the nets are detached in succession, the catch being emptied
mto the shrimp locker and the nets placed in the net locker. The

8 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

Chinese are very expert in handling the nets and work rapidly, each
man with a particular duty to perform. The time in which the nets
have to be lifted is limited usually to about half an hour. They ean
not begin sooner for the nets can not be lifted when the current is
strong. If they are not gotten out before the tide turns the nets begin
to swing the other way and they become tangled and the catch is lost.
When tides are so strong that there is danger of carrying the nets away
they reduce the current pressure by tying the upper edge of the nets
farther down on the brails. If the tides are extremely swift they reduce
the number of nets.

Shrimp Drying. After the nets are all lifted the junk sails back to
the dock at its eamp, where the catch is carried in baskets, Chinese

Fig. 4. Shrimp boiling vat, showing skimmers and rakes hang-
ing on crude chimney. Point San Pedro, 1910. Photograph by
N. B. Scofield.

style, to the boiling vat. This vat is about four by eight feet and
eighteen inches deep, with wooden sides, the bottom being of sheetiron
bent up around the sides. It is built in with bricks and mud and to
heat the water both wood and coal is used. Fresh water to which rock
salt has been added is used in the vats. The shrimps, together with the
fish caught with them, are poured in, ten or twelve baskets at a time,
and boiled from ten to fifteen minutes. They are then dipped out with
a strainer and put into baskets to be carried to the drying ground.
Here the shrimps’ and fish, the latter usually small and delicate with
the flesh boiled from the bones, are spread out together to dry in the sun.
When the weather is good the shrimps will dry in about four days,
when they are gathered together and rolled with cleated, wooden rollers

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. i)

io break the shells from the meats. The whole mass is then carried to
a shed where it is run through a small fanning mill to separate the loose
shells, fish bones and pulverized fish flesh from the heavier shrimp
meats. By sereening and hand picking the shrimp meats are divided
into two erades, the unbroken meats in one and the broken meats in the
other. They are then sacked, 280 pounds to the sack. The shells, fish-
hones and fish flesh, and all fine particles and dust are saved and put
in sacks, 310 pean to the sack, and sold for use as a fertilizer. The
loss in drying is about 65 per cent, and for each pound of shrimp meats
there are two pounds of fertilizer or ‘‘shells.”’

Drying Fish. The amount of young fish taken in the Chinese nets is
always large, varying from 10 to 75 per cent of the entire catch. Form-
erly large quantities of these fish were dried. The larger fish were
picked out and hung on strings to dry while the very small fish, prinei-
pally the young smelt (Osmerus thaleichthys) were dried on trays
which had been covered with discarded net webbing. The small fish
were separated from the shrimps by dumping a basket of the catch in
a small vat of cold water where the live shrimps sank to the bottom, thus
allowing the small dead fish to be easily skimmed from the top. After
being prosecuted for catching young fish they ceased to dry the small
fish and boiled them with the shrimps to get rid of the evidence as
quickly as possible. They were nearly as valuable as a fertilizer as
they were as a food product. There has always been this incentive to
catch the young fish and experience has shown that it is impossible to
operate the Chinese net without catching great quantities of immature
fish, thus causing great damage to the fisheries of the bay and rivers.

Fresh Shrimps. In the camps that sent fresh shrimps to the markets
they had a special shed at the wharf where part of the catch was taken
and the larger shrimps sereened out by hand and all fish, seaweed and
dirt carefully picked out. The shrimps for the market were boiled
before the rest of the catch, in the same way as were those to be dried
except that less salt was used and they were not boiled quite so long.
After boiling, the shrimps were spread on matting on the sorting room
floor where they could cool and the surplus moisture evaporate. They
were then placed in baskets and conveyed by power launch to San
Francisco.

Three Species of Shrimps. Three species of shrimps are taken in San
Krancisco Bay. Fully 90 per cent of them are of one species, Crago
franciscorum. The remaining 10 per cent is made up of the two species,
Crago nigricauda and Crago “nigrimaculata.

The shrimps drift back and forth along the bottom of the bay with the -
tides but have the power in some measure to select their environment,
for in the winter time when the fresh water is entering the bay in
larger quantities they move farther down the bay. In the summer when
ihe blue sea water encroaches on the flats they move farther up toward
the river mouths. They appear to go on the shallower flats when they
are carrying their eggs. The smaller individuals are found mostly in
shallow water and in the deeper and swifter water more large ones are
found. They have a wide range, however, for they are found in the
deepest water as well as the shallowest and can be found in water per-
feetly fresh as well as in pure sea water. Very Lttle is known about
their life history. Females may be found carrying eggs attached to

249766

10 CALIFORNIA FISIT AND GAME.

her swimmerets at all seasons of the year. From evidence that has
been gathered it is certain that the eggs are carried at least two months
on the outside of the body before they hateh and the life of the shrimp
from the egg through one spawning time is not less than two years.
They feed on minute animal and plant life at the bottom. They may
at times feed near the surface for they can swim rather rapidly through
the water, moving with the head first.

Character and Quantity of the Catch. The catch of one junk for one
tide varied from ten hundred pounds to ten tons. An average day’s

catch for the boats using forty nets was six thousand pounds and for
ihe boats using sixty nets, eight thousand pounds. The nets always
contain young fish, the quantity varying from 10 per cent to 75 per cent
of the entire eateh. The boats using sixty nets each on the shallow
flats on the west side of San Pablo Bay caught the greatest proportion
of young fish. The reason for this is that most of the fish which enter
San Francisco Bay enter for the purpose of spawning. Among these
fish the valuable ones are the herring, smelt, striped bass, shad and
salmon. Besides these the young of other valuable commer cial species,
such as the crab and the sole, enter the bay for the purpose of feeding
and for protection. A bay with rivers entering it is always a nursery
for young fish. Where there is an intermingling of fresh and salt water
us in the upper San Francisco Bay there is a pr odigal growth of small
animal life, including shrimps and other species of small crustaceans.
Upon this small life the young fishes feed. The young fish are there
because the shrimps are there. A method of shrimp fishing such as
that employed by the Chinese, which catches the young fish as readily
as the shrimps and holds them until they are suffocated, is a serious
menace to the whole fishing industry of the bay and its tributary rivers.
Even if they caught only shrimps, there is a limit to the number which
should be caught for they are the food of our more valuable fishes, but
when the method of fishing takes the young fish themselves in vast
quantities, as did the Chinese nets in upper San Francisco Bay, it
should not be tolerated if we value the other fisheries, or if we value the
shrimp itself, for there is every evidence that even the shrimps were
being overfished. To appreciate the seriousness of the situation as it
existed in 1910, just imagine the nineteen Chinese junks with their
combined nets numbering one thousand, each one having a mouth open-
ing of 24x44 feet, straining the small fish and shrimps from the rushing
water, tide after tide. The total annual catch by the Chinese junks at
the time they were stopped from fishing in 1911 was considerably in
-excess of ten million pounds of fresh shrimps and fish combined. Of
this amount no more than eight hundred thousand pounds of the
shrimps were used fresh. The rest was all dried and marketed as
dried shrimp meat and fertilizer.

After the Chinese method of fishing was stopped it was found that the
Italian method as employed in the early days was not profitable, for
the shrimps were too scarce and there were no more flounders or tomeod.
Neither was the shrimp beam trawl profitable for the shrimps were not
plentiful enough for that method and the nets were torn on the Chinese
shrimp stakes driven all over the bay. As no other method of catching
shrimps was employed and as the market was bare of shrimps, the

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. ata

presence of which had been for years a feature of Califormia, the ban
was lifted from the Chinese nets in southern San Francisco Bay in
1915. The nets do less damage in that part of the bay as there are
fewer young fish there of valuable varieties for the reason that there
is little fresh water flowing in that portion of the bay. The young of
the herring are not found there, as they spawn in the upper bay, nor
are the young of the smelt, shad, striped bass or salmon found there, for
they are hatched only in the larger rivers and as they descend to the bay
they distribute themselves in the brackish water nursery of the upper
or San Pablo Bay. Shrimps were not very plentiful in south San
Francisco Bay on account of the former heavy fishing and on account of
the gradually inereasing salinity of the water. Drying of shrimps had
also been prohibited and it was found not very profitable to fish for the
fresh market only. During the first year after they resumed fishing
the markets took less than 350,000 pounds of shrimps. They could
have had more but there was not the former demand. The amount of

Fig. 5. Drying shrimps at Point San Pedro in 1910. Photographs by N. B. Scofield.

fresh shrimps marketed has increased each year until now the amount
is equal to that of any former year when shrimp fishing was at its
height. The shrimps have increased in numbers in all portions of the
bays, as also have the number of small fish, especially the young of the
striped bass. It has now become profitable to use the shrimp beam
trawl which, towed with the tide, catches the shrimp with a very small
per cent of young fish. As illustrative of the damage done by the
Chinese nets in former years the following is quoted from my note
book of 1897:

‘“‘The average catch, per day for each boat at the San Rafael
(Point San Pedro) fishery, during the last two weeks of July, was
seventy baskets, each basket weighing about ninety pounds, making

in all six thousand three hundred pounds. The average number
of boats out each day was seven, making in all a daily catch of
forty-four thousand one hundred pounds. For thirteen days (the
time they were under continual observation) this number is swelled

12 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

to six hundred sixty-one thousand, five hundred pounds. One-half
of this eateh consisted of small fish, the principal species being
smelt, California anchovy and seulpin.

The small smelt, two and one-half to three and one-half inches
long, were very abundant, making up over one-fourth of the entire
eateh. The estimated amount of these young smelt taken in the last
fifteen days of July is 165,375 pounds, or about 16,537,500 small
fish. When the nets are brought to the surface of the water, these
small smelt are dead, so that to throw them back would do no good.”’

Later, in the year 1910, we made the following notes :

“Oct. 25, 1910: Visited two San Pedro Point boats as they
lifted their nets. One had 30 per cent of young fish, mostly smelt
and sole. They also had a good many undersized female edible
crabs, which were alive, but they had not attempted to throw them
back. The other boat had 20 per cent of young fish.

Oct. 28, 1910: Six boats out of San Pedro Point. Ming’s boat
had eighty baskets on this tide, of which 30 per cent was fish,
mostly young smelt, young sole, and tomeod. One boat had forty
baskets, two boats fifty baskets each, and the remaining two had
seventy-five each. The amount of young fish was about 20 per
cent. Ming says he uses forty nets and has averaged seventy bas-
kets a day for September and October. The five camps above him
use sixty nets each and their catch is much larger.

Oct. 29, 1910: Again visited San Pedro Point boats. Five
boats out. The catch the same as yesterday. Three boat crews
have been arrested in the last few days for catching young fish,
but when visited yesterday and today they made no attempt what-
ever to throw back even the few fish that were alive. Wing had
used a sereen to get out the fish, but his catch was still 30 per cent
fish. Their nets were all set wide open, as the tides are not
so strong now.”’

The above notes are selected to give a conservative idea of what
the average catch consists in upper San Francisco Bay. The greatest ~
damage is done on the shallow San Pablo Bay flats. During the
winter months large numbers of small striped bass are killed in the
nets. The boats which fished below San Pablo Bay in the deeper
water near Red Rock and the.Stone Quarry caught smaller quantities
of young fish than those above, but they caught more of the young
striped bass than any others. The late increase in the number of
striped bass is undoubtedly in large part due to the abolition of the
Chinese nets in the upper bay, and if we value that fine food and game
fish the destructive shrimp nets should be kept out.

The Chinese operating in South San Francisco Bay catch fewer
young fish and the varieties caught are not of the valuable species.
The lower bay can easily supply the fresh markets without serious
injury to any of the other fisheries. But even there, the nets should
be prohibited as soon as a less destructive method of shrimp fishing
can be developed.

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 1)

THE FISHES OF THE CROAKER FAMILY (SCIAENIDAE) OF
CALIFORNIA.

By EDWIN CHAPIN STARKS, Stanford University.

The fishes of this family have a peculiar silvery skin that is unlike
the bright, burnished silver of some fishes, the herrings for instance,
lat suggests rather frosted silver. The head is closely covered with
seales, more or less irregular in size and shape. and the pore-bearing
seales of the lateral line extend onto the caudal fin. The bones of the
skull are variously exeavated with tunnels and open channels (cav-
ernous), and the chin is usually provided with large pores or barbels.
Two dorsal fins are present; the first composed of spines and more or
less triangular in shape. The anal fin has one or two spines, sometimes
very small and slender or sometimes the second one is very much
enlarged.

The croakers are carnivorous fishes rather distantly related to the
basses. Many of them make a peculiar noise from which the common
names of croaker, grunter, and drum have been derived. The noise 1s
supposed to be made by forcing the air (or more properly, gas) from
one part of the swim bladder to another. The species are numerous on
sandy shores, and are most abundant in warm and tropic seas. At
Panama, for instance, there are between 40 and 45 representatives of
this family. Of the eight that occur on our coast only two are found
in abundance as far north as San Francisco. Most of the others occa-
sionally stray that far, but are common only on the southern coast.
All of them are very good food fishes, and some are classed as game
fishes.

The common or popular names of these fishes are even more mixed up
and poorly applied than usual. Cynoscion nobilis, the “‘sea bass,’ is
not a bass, and Seriphus, sometimes called the herring, does not even
remotely resemble the herring. The young ‘‘sea bass’ is known as ‘‘sea
trout.’’ No possible stretch of the imagination could make it suggest
a trout, and having wrongly called its parent a bass, to call it a trout
is a very good commentary on how loosely common names are used.
(ronyonemus, the fish that is usually known as the kingfish, is some-
times ealled ‘‘tomeod’’ on the southern California coast. It resembles
a tomeod as little as Scriphus, the queenfish, resembles a herring.
When Genyonemus, the kingfish, is ealled *‘tomeod’’ the name kingfish
is transferred to Seriphus, the queenfish, or white croaker. Cynoscion
parvipinnis, a close relative of the ‘‘sea bass,’’ is sometimes ealled
‘*hluefish,’’ though it has nothing whatever in common with the famous
bluefish of the Atlantic. The names croaker, roneador, and corvina
are not at all consistently appled, but are shuffled back and forth
between various of these fishes.

Hence in the use of vernacular names among these or any other fishes
the reader is again cautioned that there is no constaney nor rule for
their application, and he ean only be sure of definitely indicating a
given fish by using its scientific name. Though such names. will
probably never be used by people at large, and certainly not by unlet-
tered fishermen, the scientific name is nevertheless the one true name
for a species, and a name that will be recognized by scientific men in
all countries the world oyer.

14 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

KEY TO THE FISHES OF THE CROAKER FAMILY IN CALIFORNIA.

i Lower jaw projecting beyond tip of snout, which is sharp.
2 Base of second dorsal fin about equal in length to base of anal fin.

Queenfish or White Croaker. Seriphus politus. Page 15.

2-2. Base of second dorsal fin very much longer than that of anal fin.

af Teeth at middle of upper jaw little if any enlarged. Pectoral fin
more than half the length of head. Its tip reaching about as far
back as tips of ventrals. White Sea Bass. Cynoscion nobilis.
Page 15.

3-3. One or two long teeth pointing backward at the middle of upper

jaw. Pectoral fin less than half the length of head. Its tip not

reaching as far back as tips of ventrals. California Bluefish.

Cynoscion parvipinnis. Page 16.

1-1. Tip of snout blunt and projecting beyond tip of lower jaw.

4. A single short barbel or appendage at tip of lower jaw.
ay, A large thick spine at front of anal fin. The first spine of the
first dorsal mot longer than the spines just behind it. The tip of
the first dorsal reunded. Yellowfin Oroaker. Umbrina ronca-

dor. Page 17.

5-5. No enlarged spine at front of anal fin. The first dorsal spine
longer than the others, making the tip of the first dorsal very sharp.
California Whiting. Menticirrhus undulatus. Page 17.

4—4. No single barbel at tip of lower jaw.

6. A large thick spine at front of anal fin.

13 A large black spot on front of pectoral fin. Pectoral fin as
long as head, and reaching past tips of ventrals. Caudal fin
concave behind. WSpotfin Croaker. Roncador stgarnsi. :
Page 18.

—7. No spot at front of pectoral, but a dark spot usually present
on hind edge of gill cover. Pectoral fin much-.shorter than
head and not reaching to tips of ventrals. Caudal fin not
concave behind. Black, or Chinese Croaker. Sciaena sat-
urna. Page 19.

a |

6-6. No enlarged spine at front of anal fin. Kingfish. Genyonemus
lineatus. Page 20.

GLOSSARY.

Anal fin: The single fin on the lower side of the body towards the
tail.
Barbel: A small fleshy projection or appendix. Jn these fishes it is
on the lower jaw.

Caudal fin: The tail fin.

Dorsal fin: The fin on the back. In these fishes it is divided into
two fins: the first composed of spines, and henee called spinous dorsal ;
the second composed of soft rays.

Maxillary: The flattened bone bordering the mouth above.

Pectoral fir: The pair of fins, one on each side, situated close behind
the gill opening.

Preoperculum: A bone of the gill cover that borders the cheek
behind. It is considerably in front of the hind edge of the gill cover,
and has a free edge,

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 15

Snout: The part of the head that lies in front of the eyes except the
lower jaw.

Ventral fins: The paired fins on the lower part of the breast; close
under the pectorals in these fishes.

The Queenfish, or White Croaker (Seriphus politus).

The length of the base of the second dorsal fin is about equal in length
to the base of the anal fin. The tip of the snout is rather sharp and the
tip of the lower jaw projects beyond it when the mouth is closed. The
mouth is long and narrow, and the maxillary does not quite reach to
vertically below the hind border of the eye. The dorsal fins are well
separated, and the spines of the first dorsal are slender. The color is
bluish above with the sides and belly bright silvery, the fins yellow, and
the base of the pectoral dusky.

|

idl Midoliuli dn tle

li”

Fig. 6. The queenfish (Seriphus politus).

On the southern California coast this fish is ridiculously called her-
ring, a name that should decidedly be discouraged, for it has nothing
in common with the herring, is not related to it, and does not even look
like it. It also in the same region shares with Genyonemus lineatus, the
name of kingfish. The latter is almost universally so known and hence
has the best right to the name.

This fish reaches a length of about a foot, and is an excellent pau-fish. |
It is salted and smoked to some extent in southern California and
marketed as herring. It is common on sandy shores of the southern
-and Lower California coasts, and has been taken as far northward as
San Francisco.

The White “Sea Bass” (Cynoscion nobilis).

The snout is sharp and the tip of the lower jaw projects beyond it
when the mouth is closed, while the length of the base of the second
dorsal is three or more times the length of the anal base. The length
of the pectoral fin is more than half the length of the head, and the tip
of the pectoral reaches about to opposite the tips of the ventrals.
There are no greatly enlarged teeth pointing backwards at the front
of the upper jaw. The mouth is large and the maxillary nearly or quite
reaches to vertically below the hind border of the eye. The caudal fin

16 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

is concave behind. Very fine dark points are everywhere dusted over

the silvery color, making it more or less dusky bluish. The inner sur-
faces of the peetoral and ventral fins are dusky.

Fig. 7. The white sea bass (Cynoscion nobilis).

Though this fish is only distantly related to the bass, it is in California
almost universally known as the sea bass or white sea bass. On the
Atlantic coast fishes of this group are known as weakfishes. This
species is one of our most valuable food fishes, reaching a weight
of 90 or more pounds, and having firm white flesh. It is found in con-
siderable abundance along the California coast and southward to
Lower California. It has been reported as far north as Puget Sound.
The young has dusky bands extending down from the back onto the
sides. Fishermen call the small ones sea trout.

The California “Bluefish” (Cynoscion parvipinnis).

As in the white sea bass the snout is sharp; the tip of the lower jaw
projects beyond it when the mouth is closed; and the base of the second
dorsal fin is much longer than that of the anal fin. It may be known
from the white sea bass by the pectoral fin being less than half the length

SOIO™

A ae

MLE L LL Ere a

Fig. 8. The California bluefish (Cynoscion parvipinnis).

of the head, and its tip not nearly reaching as far back as the tips of
the ventrals. It is also distinguished by having one or two long sharp
teeth pointing backwards from the middle of the upper jaw: The dor-
sal fins are close together. The color is steel blue above and silvery on
the lower parts and sides. —

This fish closely resembles the white sea bass—in fact it is not. recog-
nized as different by many fishermen. It does not reach as large a size,

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. an

probably not exceeding a couple of feet in length, and it is said to be
much inferior to it. Its flesh is soft and it does not bear transportation
well. It is found from southern California southward along the coast
of Lower California.

The name bluefish as applied to this species probably is on account of
its color, and not because it is thought to be the same as the famous
bluefish of the Atlantic. The latter is a very different fish, not at all
related to this species.

The Yellowfin Croaker (Umbrina roncador).

This fish may be known from its relatives by a short fleshy barbel,
or appendage, that projects from the chin, and, in addition, by a large
thick spine at the front of the anal fin. The enlarged spine is the
second anal spine, there being a very short one in front of it. Its snout
is blunt and projects over and above the tip of the lower jaw. The
mouth is nearly horizontal, and the maxillary reaches to under the
middle of the eye. The edge of the bone that bounds the cheek behind

Fig. 9. ‘The yellow-fin croaker (Umbrina roncador).

(preoperculum) is set with fine spines. The spinous dorsal is triangu-
lar in shape but rounded at its upper angle at the points of the first
spines. The pectorals are rather short and do not reach as far back as
the ventrals do. The caudal is coneave behind; and the upper lobe is
longer than the lower. Brassy and golden reflections overlie the silvery
color. The back is bluish, and over the back and sides are many wavy
dark lines that extend upward and backward following the rows of
scales. The fins are mostly yellow.

This fish reaches a length of 15 or 16 inches, and it is rather common
on the southern California coast. Its range extends southward into the
Gulf of California while an occasional one strays northward as far as
San Francisco. It is a very good food fish, and ts eaught in considerable
abundanee by the anglers on the piers and beaches of southern Califor-
nia. It is a very handsome fish when it is first drawn from the water,
hut its iridescent colors soon fade.

The California Whiting or Corvina (Menticirrhus undulatus).

This is a well marked fish that may be known by a fleshy barbel, or
appendage, that projects from the chin, the first dorsal spine longer than

38—42765

18 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

the others, making the fin sharply pointed above, and the eaudal fin with
its lower angle rounded and its upper sharp. The barbel at the chin is
longer than in the yellowfin croaker. It may be known from that
species at once by its lacking an enlarged spine at the front of the anal.
The upper jaw projects considerably over the lower, the mouth is hori-
zontal, and the maxillary barely, or scarcely, reaches to below the front
edge of the pupil. The edge of the preoperculum is divided into fine
points which are membranous and not bony spines as in the yellowfin
eroaker. The pectoral is rather long and reaches to about the tips of

ey Sie a
ot ee EB i poh ee) LI ~ a ai Big : ree nes a
Week Z Nee eee galls Se eee eigen
ene ag SO ate
Ups

Fig. 10. The California whiting (Alenticerrhus andulatus).

the ventrals. The color is grayish with bright reflections. On the back
und side are many dark wavy lines that run upwards and backwards.
The back sometimes has faint dark bars crosswise to the body.

This fish is rather common on sandy shores of southern California,
and is known southward into the Gulf of California, while individuals
are sometimes taken as far northward as San Francisco. It is a very
good food fish and reaches a length of 18 or 20 inches.

The Spot, or Spotfin Croaker (Roncador stearnsi).

This fish may be known at once by the large black spot at the base
of the pectoral fin. It is not only on both sides of the pectoral, but is
also somewhat on the body behind the pectoral base. As in most of the

Fig. 11. The spot (Roncador stearnst).

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 19

eroakers, a blunt snout extends over a horizontal mouth. The mouth
is moderate in size, and the maxillary reaches to below the middle of
the eye. The preoperculum is set with fine sharp spines. The first
dorsal has stout spines and the second spine of the anal is enlarged, the
first spine being, as usual, small. The pectoral is as long as the head,
and reaches considerably past the tips of the ventrals. The color is
grayish silvery, lighter below. Wavy dark lines follow the rows of
seales extending upwards and backwards. These are less conspicuous
than in the yellowfin roneader. Two dusky streaks usually run back
from the throat to the ventrals and thence to each side of the anal.

This fish is abundant on the southern California coast, and, like most
of the others, has occasionally been taken as far north as San Fran-
cisco. It is of some importance as a food fish, and reaches a weight
of 5 or 6 pounds.

The Black Croaker, or Chinese Croaker (Sciaena saturna).

The following combination of characters will identify this fish from
its relatives: The snout blunt and projecting over the tip of the lower
jaw; no barbel at the chin; the second anal spine large and thick; no

Fig. 12. The black croaker (Scicna saturna).

black spot at base of pectoral; the pectoral shorter than the head and
not reaching to the tips of the ventrals. The mouth is small, the lower
jaw closes within the upper, and the maxillary reaches to below the
middle of the eye. The scales on the head are small, rough and uneven.
The preoperculum has a membranous edge that is divided into very fine
points which are scarcely noticeable without the aid of a magnifier.
The dorsal spines are rather stout, but not nearly so stout as the second
anal spine. The caudal is slightly convex, or with its middle rays the
longest. The color is dusky with reddish coppery reflections. A pale
band usually extends downward from between the dorsals to opposite
the tips of the ventrals. This often fades with age. The lower parts
are silvery but dusted over and obseured by dark specks. The side of
the head is more brilliantly coppery color than elsewhere. The ventral
fins are dusky or black. A black spot is present at the edge of the gill
cover just above its angle.

20 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
Its range

This fish has not been reported north of Santa Barbara.
It reaches a

extends southward alonge the coast of Lower California.
length of about 15 inches, and is a fairly good food fish.

The Kingfish (Genyonemus lineatus).
The characters of the first sentence separate this fish from its rela-
tives. The blunt snout projecting over the tip of the lower jaw; no
harbel at the chin; no enlarged spine at the front of the anal. The
The lower jaw closes within the upper, and

mouth is rather oblique.
the maxillary reaches to under the middle of the eye or a trifle farther.

The edge of the preoperculum is membranous and without fine bony
points. On each side of the lower jaw just behind the chin are several
very small barbels, so small that they scarcely show without the aid of
« magnifier. The spines of the dorsal are slender. The pectoral ends

opposite to the very slender points of the ventrals, or reaches a little
The caudal fin is slightly concave behind.

past. Brassy reflections

Jiuwstetthitih
ning

Hh fli

5 oe

Fig. 13. The kingfish (Genyonemus linéatus).

overlie the bright silvery color. Very faint wavy lines follow the rows
of scales upwards and backwards. The fins are usually yellowish, and
there is a small dark spot just behind the base of the upper pectoral

rays.

This fish and the white sea bass are the only ones of this family that
are found in any abundance as far north as San Francisco. It runs
southward along the Lower California coast. It 1s commoner in sum-
mer than in winter, and more abundant on the southern coast than the
It searcely exceeds a foot in length, but its abundance makes
it a food fish of considerable importance. When fresh it is a very good
food fish, but its flesh is rather soft and it does not keep very well. It
is sometimes called tomeod in southern California. This name should
not be used, for it in no way, shape, nor manner resembles the tomeod.

northern.

NOTE ON THE SAND DAB AND CALIFORNIA BONITO.
By EDWIN C. STARKS.

Through an oversight in the paper on flat-fishes that appeared in the
Jast number of CaurrorNtA FisH AND GAME the old name of soft flounder
was used as a common name of the fish that has in recent vears been
known as the sand dab (Citharichthys sordidus). This name, sand dab,

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. a

has almost entirely supplanted the older name on our coast and for that
reason should be used. It is, however, one of those unfortunate names
borrowed from another fish from another part of the world. The sand
dab of the Atlantic coast (Hippoglossoides platessoides) has the best
right to the name, for it was first so called. It bears little resemblance
to our sand dab. So in your copy of CaurrorNiA FisH AND GAME please
write sand dab in place of soft flounder.

Also in light of the fact that the names skipjack and bonito have been
so interchanged in southern California it will be best not to use the
name skipjack at all. It is a poor name to use in any event, for there
are a dozen or more unrelated fishes known by this name in various
parts of the world. So in the paper on mackerel-like fishes in the July
number of CALIFORNIA Fish AND GAME please change the name skipjack
to Calitornia bonito.

The name oceanic bonito, over which there has been some question, had
better stand, for it is so known from Australia to the Mediterranean
(either as oceanic bonito or as bonito) and it is well not to eall it differ-
ently on our coast.

THE STICKLEBACK: A FISH EMINENTLY FITTED BY
NATURE AS A MOSQUITO DESTROYER.

By CARL L. HUBBS.

Since it has been proved that malaria, yellow fever, and other dread
iliseases are carried by mosquitoes, there has developed a wide interest
in these little insects, which hitherto had been regarded more as a
nuisance than as a menace. Many studies have been undertaken in
order to determine the best methods by which mosquitoes may be
exterminated or at least greatly reduced in numbers.

The use of window screens, the draining of swamps, and the oiling
of waters, as well as the spread of natural enemies, are methods of
control that have received attention with very notable success. For
instance, the building of the Panama Canal has been made _ possible
by the destruction of mosquitoes and the consequent control of yellow
fever.

A word as to the main methods of mosquito control. The use of
screens does not eliminate the evil. The draining of swamps has been
very successfully practiced in New Jersey, and is appleable to other
regions where large, swampy tracts occur. The use of oil, which
spreads as a film over the water, forms a sufficient control, but requires
continued attention and expense, and can scarcely be applied to most
ornamental ponds or reservoirs or to pools from which animals drink.

There is thus need for other methods, and of these the spread of the
natural enemies of the mosquitoes is by far the most important. These
natural enemies are numerous, and the most valuable of them all for
the purpose are fishes, which destroy the young stages of the mosquitoes
us well as the adults when they alight on the surface of the water.

Among the fishes extensively used in mosquito control, the little
kallifishes or topminnows may be mentioned, but there are others which
can be strongly recommended. This short report is written to call
further attention to the value of the stickleback (Gasterostceus) as a
mosquito destroyer in California, particularly in the coastal regions.

22 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

am

FACTORS RENDERING THE STICKLEBACK AN EFFICIENT MOSQUITO
DESTROYER.

1. The stickleback uses mosquitoes as food. This point is to be
proved first of all. The evidence is convincing. The stickleback has
been seen snapping up adult mosquitoes thrown into the water. Mos-
quitoes are unable to breed in waters inhabited by sticklebacks. This
conclusion, previously arrived at in regard to the stickleback and the
salt-marsh mosquito of San Francisco Bay, has been rigidly tested out
in many of the streams from San Francisco south to the Mexican
border. Only a few examples from the observations can be made here.

In San Francisquito Creek, near Palo Alto, pools were repeatedly
found near one another and apparently similar except in this respect:
in the one pool sticklebacks were plentiful, but no mosquito wrigglers
could be detected, while in the other pool sticklebacks were absent,
while mosquitoes were breeding in abundance.

The swamps, pools and streams of the coast region of San Luis
Obispo and Santa Barbara counties appear as ideal breeding waters
for mosquitoes, yet the people there enjoy unusual freedom from these
pests and dangers. A study of the region makes it almost certain that
these people have the stickleback to thank for the service thus rendered.
But, even in these regions mosquitoes breed in abundance in the moun-
tain canyons into which the sticklebacks can not penetrate because of
the steep descent of the bouldery stream beds. The mosquitoes are
forced back, however, into the mountains where there are fewer people
for them to torment.

In Mission Valley in San Diego sticklebacks are, for some unknown
reason, entirely absent, but mosquitoes and gnats are very troublesome
during the summer months. From the valley the mosquitoes are blown
up the canyons to the city on the mesa above. During the summer
the surface waters of the San Diego River, which flows through Mis-
sion Walley, are reduced to a series of pools. In these pools three
introduced fishes, the golden bream (Notemigomus crysoleucas), the
bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus), and the green sunfish (Lepomis cya-
nellus) ave generally abundant. It seems that the stickleback is more
efficient in the control of mosquitoes than are these three other fishes
together.

During an entire summer’s study of this problem, I never noted a
considerable number of either mosquito wrigglers or sticklebacks in
the same pool together. Wherever the stickleback can penetrate, and
they go as far as they can, the mosquitoes are effectively destroyed.

2. Abundance of other food will not deter the stickleback from feed-
ing on the mosquito wrigglers. This conclusion is evident from field
observations, and is confirmed by the size and structure of the fish: its
mouth, small even for such tiny fishes, will not permit it to feed on
large insect larve such as those of dragon flies, which, by the way,
upon emerging as the adult insect, feed upon the mosquitoes in the air.

3. The stickleback feeds at all levels of the water, from bottom to
surface. Because of this fact, mosquito wrigglers of different habits are
all picked up. Statements published by Seal, and by Lutz and Cham-
bers for the stickleback of the East Coast, make it appear a bottom
feeder, At least, such a conelusion does not apply to the stickleback of

CALIFORNIA, FISH AND GAME. 23

California. I have thrown mosquitoes into a pool of the Los Angeles
River, and scarcely would one of them drop below the surface before
one of these little fishes would dart from some hidden corner and
devour it.

4. The habits of the stickleback render it destructive to mosquitoes.
This little fish hangs at any level of the water, tail bent to one side or
the other, passively waiting for a stimulus to move. The wriggler is
spied, and the stickleback snaps it up with pike-like speed and voracity.

5. The sticklehack itself is largely immune to the attacks of larger
fishes. This is a fact of much importance, giving the little spiny and
armored stickleback a distinct advantage in many waters over other
mosquito-eating fishes, as the topminnows. Sticklebacks live abundantly
with rainbow trout, as in the Ventura River; and with black bass, as in
the San Luis Creek. In ponds and reservoirs the waters could thus be
stocked with both game fishes and sticklebacks, whereas the topminnows
would, under such circumstances, soon be devoured.

6. The stickleback is a widely distributed fish. This little fish (Gas-
terosteus aculeatus), of several varieties, is found along the shores of
all northern regions in the brackish waters of the bays and estuaries,
and in the coastal streams. The stickleback in the streams of Califor-
nia extend their ranges from the estuaries as far up into the mountain
canyons as they can penetrate. At high water they spread out and
are trapped in many little pools from which mosquitoes are thus
eliminated.

7. The stickleback lives and breeds in small pools. These pools include
not only those along stream sides, but also the little shallow ponds and
reservoirs about houses, which if not stocked with fishes, become. breed-
ing grounds for mosquitoes. For this purpose the stickleback is emi-
nently fitted by its size, structure and habits. After planting once it
requires no further care. Observations in California have led to these
conclusions.

8. The rise in temperature during the summer months seems not to
kill. the sticklebacks. Where other fishes might be killed off in summer
in shallow ponds and reservoirs, the sticklebacks seem to live on. These
little fishes have even been found in the hot springs of Tia Juana, near
the Mexican boundary.

9. The abundance of sticklebacks in the streams of California pro-
vides an ample supply of these fishes for the stocking of artifical and
natural pools, ponds and reservoirs. A fine meshed minnow seine, or
one made of from four to six yards of cheap cloth, can be used to
obtain these fishes in the waters in which they live.

10. The stickleback is a hardy little fish and will stand transportation
from its native streams to artificial ponds, in open buckets or in cans,
such as those used to transport fish fry for planting in streams distant
from the hatcheries.

PRACTICAL USE OF THE STICKLEBACK IN THE CONTROL OF
MOSQUITOES.

No artificial cistern, pool, pond or reservoir should be left unstocked
with fishes, and for this purpose the stickleback is probably the most
practical fish in California, for the reasons which have already been
outlined. By its use the breeding of mosquitees about houses would

94 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

be prevented, and a troublesome nuisance and a real source of danger
would be largely eliminated, for the mosquitoes which attack us have
mostly been bred close by.

There would remain, however, many isolated pools in the salt marshes,
along the sides of the lower courses of the streams, and in their upper
canyons. These pools are usually without fishes, and in some of them
dangerous mosquitoes breed in abundance. The stocking of these
pools with sticklebacks would doubtless, in many cases at least, prove
hoth possible and advisable. This might be done independently by
those people interested in their own welfare, or perhaps better by some
public official. It is quite probable that in the swampy lands and in
the rice fields along the Sacramento River, the little topminnows would
prove more efficient enemies of the malaria mosquitoes than the stickle-
backs. The California Fish and Game Commission is working with
that idea in view.

The control of mosquitoes is quite possible, in part by the use of the
stickleback, as advocated in this article, and in part by other methods,
such as the draining of swamps, ete. It is to be hoped that the proper
authorities in California will increase their energy in this field, for
the effective control of mosquitoes within its borders would make
California an even safer and more pleasant place in which to live than
it is now.

EARLY STAGES OF THE SPINY LOBSTER TAKEN BY THE
BOAT ‘‘ALBACORE.’’*

By WALDO L. SCHMITT, United States National Museum.

The investigations of the Fish and Game Commission boat, the
‘‘ Albacore,’ have recently yielded some valuable returns, during her
scientific investigations of the commercial fishes and fisheries of southern
California, in the shape of hitherto unknown larval stages of the Cali-
fornia spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus ).

Under the auspices of the United States Bureau of Fisheries and
through the courtesy of the Scripps Institution the writer recently
spent some months in California primarily for the purpose of making
a study of the Seripps Institution’s extensive series of plankton samples
in the hopes of shedding some light on the life history of the spiny
lobster. Though in considerable number, only the earlier larval stages
were represented in their collections. t

*Mr. Waldo L. Schmitt of the United States National Museum, has made a
special study of marine crustacea, and the opportunity to provide him with material
for the study of the early stages of the spiny lobster was a very welcome one to the
Fish and Game Commission. His visit to this coast came at a time when the
scientific work of the ‘‘Albacore’’ was but fairly under way, and the fact that it
was able to provide him with material which seems to be of very considerable value
should be of happy portent for the future. The superintendence of the hauls and of
the handling of the nets was very competently done by Mr. Elmer Higgins, attached
to the “‘Albacore’’ as a scientific assistant during her work on larval fish.

It will be well to call attention to the significance of the wide distribution of the
larval lobsters. These flat, transparent organisms are found floating freely in the
water, and are distributed by the currents. Although we do not know, of course.
what proportion of the larvee are carried along the coast by the currents, nor what
numbers ot them finally succeed in obtaining a suitable footing on the completion
of their development, yet it should be fairly clear that there is an interdependence
between widely separated regions inhabited by the spiny lobster.—Will F. Thonvpson.

_ TSubsequent to the taking of the large phyllosomes referred to’ below, one of like
size was found in the Scripps Institution collections. It is interesting to note in this
connection that in one of their large aquarium tanks they succeeded in hatching
out the first phyllosome stage this past summer from the eggs carried by a single
berried female. : i

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. M5

But on August 29, 1918, while the writer was aboard the ‘‘ Albacore,’’
four phyllosomes of large size, the largest ever taken off California, were
secured with the vessel’s small otter-trawl. These specimens average
about an inch in length, of body proper, and were obtained about 16
miles west of the Coronados Islands in 75 fathoms of water. One of
these specimens is shown in the accompanying figure (fig. 14).

Ineluding the above-mentioned specimens, the ‘‘ Albacore’’ had taken,
up to the time of the writer’s return from California, some fourteen
lots of large and intermediate sized phyllosomes, and another rare stage

Fig. 14. Large phyllosome, an heretofore undiscovered larval
form of the spiny lobster.

known as the puerulus. Some of these lots contained numerous indi-
viduals. The puerulus is the stage intermediate between the pyhllo-
some, the form in which the ‘‘lobster’’ is hatehed from the egg, and the
definitive form of the adult. These collections were well distributed
through the southern California waters ranging as far as 150 miles off
shore and to a maximum depth of 75 fathoms. This-is a rather sur-
prising range for such a well known littoral form.

So far as a preliminary examination of the material taken by the
** Albacore’? together with that obtained from the Seripps Institution
goes, it appears that the early life history of the California spiny lobster
is ina fair way of solution. <A full report of the results of the summer’s
work is in preparation,

26 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

THE COYOTE AS A DEER KILLER.
By E. V. JOTTER.

Although we have long known the coyote as a predatory animal it has
only been recently that we have obtained evidence of its destructiveness
to big game. Heretofore known as a destroyer of quail, grouse and
domestic stock such as pigs, sheep and poultry, the coyote must now be
classified alone with the mountain lion as a deer slayer.

In that many persons have been slow to believe that the coyote is a
factor in our deer supply we have attempted to gather some evidence
tending to prove that this animal is responsible for a considerable loss
each year in Trinity County. This evidence is presented herewith.

Fig. 15. Male coyote taken in trap January 31, 1918, 14 miles south of Douglas,
Trinity County, California, by C. O. Fisher. The stomach contained deer hair
and meat. Photograph by C. O. Fisher.

Bert Higgins, who runs a trap line within the Trinity Game Refuge,
reports finding along this one line during one month, the remains of
fifteen deer killed by coyotes. Ranger Bucklew in April, 1916, saw a
full grown doe, apparently in good condition, pulled down by one
covote.

Mr. Wm. Friend writes as follows concerning his experience with
coyotes in the Game Refuge:

“In regard to the deer I found killed by coyotes in the Game Refuge, will say
I commenced trapping between Little Creek and Bear Creek on February 1, 1916,
and between that date and March 2, 1916, I found the remains of seventeen deer
killed by coyotes.

They were all sizes from large bucks to fawns, but mostly small deer. The snow
was about two feet deep and the deer had collected near the river and in gulches.
After the snow settled the coyotes could run on top, but the deer broke through, so
it was an easy matter for the coyote to catch them. In one gulch I came down I
found eight deer that had been killed at different times—one of them had heen killed

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. pis

recently and none of them were over ten days. In many other sheltered places I
found remains. In one instance about Feb. 1, T. H. Campbell and I were riding
along the road near Philip Habor’s place and saw where coyotes had just killed a
spike buck and were enjoying a feast when we frightened them away. I also have
a large pair of antlers I brought home from one of their victims. It is not only
when the snow is on, but in the spring when the deer are weak, and poor, that they
destroy a great many. I was coming home from my traps after the snow had gone
and not half a mile from the Van Matre place I saw two coyotes that had a large
buck run down and would have killed him if I had not happened along at that time.
The deer was not able to get up the bank then.”

Ranger Gray’s report on the coyote 1s given in full:

“T would like to emphasize the necessity for a state-wide campaign against the
coyote and other predatory animals, in which all the people of the state are to a
certain extent interested and would help to bear the expenses of such work. It goes
without question that a great public benefit would be derived in ridding the country
of coyotes, either by increased bounties or by other means that would encourage more
trapping. It seems that an increased bounty would be the most effective means of
encouraging trapping, and in obtaining the desired result. I have conversed with
a great many stockmen and local people during the season with a view to getting
actual cases where the coyote has been observed killing game or stock. The result
is, few people have been found that have actually seen the coyote killing either wild
game or domestic stock ; however, they know beyond any question of a doubt that he
is responsible for certain large losses in both cases. There is one good reason among
others why he is not more often detected in the actual work of killing, for his wan-
dering and search for food is generally done in the hours of the night. In his wild
nature he very carefully shuns man, usually selecting the most secluded places in
which to carry out his destructive work. Earl Moore, T. Flournoy and other men
who have been handling sheep for many years in these mountains advise me that
they never saw a coyote actually. kill a sheep. However, they state that they have
seen them driving and worrying the sheep and upon following the trail they invari-
ably found dead sheep scattered along the route. The greatest losses among this
class of stock from the source mentioned is to small bunches separated on the range
from the main bands, and left on the range during the night unprotected. W. H.
Atkeson of Hoaglin advises me that he saw a coyote kill two small pigs near his
ranch house. Many others disappeared in only a few days in the same locality.

Fred Becker, who resides on Pilot Creek, states that he saw four or five coyotes
chasing a small deer. He did not know whether the deer was killed. Ben. B. Iliff
of this place tells me that during the past winter a blood trail was noted crossing
the road near his ranch house. The tracks of a deer were impressed in the snow
together with small tracks that resembled those of small dogs. ‘The trail was
followed and Mr. Iliff asserts that in a short distance he found the carcass of a large
deer and upon his approach two coyotes scampered away. C. W. Vann of this place
cites an instance where he saw a coyote catch and kill a quail. Mr. Vann states
that while hunting he approached a clump of low brush (poison oak) and flushed a
buneh of quail. The quail in leaving the brush were quite close to the ground and
he very clearly saw a coyote jump and take one of the birds as it‘passed very near
him. I have found only a few other cases similar to these already mentioned.”

Mr. W. T. Shock of Hayfork writes this letter:

“In reading over the weekly Trinity Journal I noticed the letter from W. O.
I'riend in regard to coyotes and as the Forest requests any good evidence against
coyotes I submit the following: As I have trapped and hunted the coyote all my
life, I will write a little of my experience. I find that the coyote is very destructive
to many kinds of game of this county, not only deer, but all kinds of birds, such
as grouse and quail, the nests of which it robs. A coyote can catch plenty of deer
when there is no snow, but it destroys more when the snow is deep. Many deer that
are found along the rivers are killed in this way. When the heavy snow comes, the
deer gather along the rivers and low ground, as the snow is less there. When
coyotes get hungry they take after a deer, and if they catch it before it gets to the
river they kill it, but if the deer makes into the water, the coyote goes after another
one. The coyote will not go into the water, but the deer that run into the water are

28 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

so hot and weak that they freeze to death before venturing out again. I have seen
coyotes after deer, and running the coyotes away, I have tried to make the deer get
out of the water and could not until I helped them out almost dead, and some have
died while I was taking them out of the water. I trapped on the Hayfork Creek
above the Game Refuge and near Mr. Dockery’s place on Carr Creek last winter
and a number of deer were gathered at Mr. Dockery’s lower barn eating hay with his
cattle. Between the first day of January and the twenty-seventh of February I
found the remains of twenty deer, either killed by coyotes or run into the creek and
killed. and I caught eleven coyotes.”

Mr. Edward Shock, who lives within the Hayfork township
and within a few miles of the town of MHayfork, upon his
own ranch property, ealled at our office and made some _ state-
ments concerning the damage done by the coyote, for which
he personally vouches. He states that last summer, he does
lot remember the exact date, while he was working in his garden
he heard a noise on the side hill adjoining the garden plot, and
upon glancing up, saw a fawn coming down the hill and it ran into his
wire fence three or four times before it managed to get through.
Closely pursuing the fawn were two coyotes. Shortly after they got in
sight they saw Mr. Shock, stopped, then turned and went back into the
bushes. The fawn came into the field and quite close to Mr. Shock,
then saw him, became frightened, turned and went back through the
fence and up the hill in about the same direction the coyotes had taken.
The coyotes no doubt later caught the fawn, since they would merely
hide away in the bushes for a little while when interrupted in a pursuit
of this kind, then take the track and follow on.

Another instance of Mr. Shock’s observation was during this fall
while setting a coyote trap. He set his rifle down a few feet from him
and in finding a place to drive the stakes to hold the trap he had moved
a few feet away from the rifle. While busily engaged he heard a noise
and looking around saw a young deer without horns, presumably a doe,
come running along closely followed by two coyotes, one of which caught
the deer while yet in sight of him. Mr. Shock quickly went for his rifle,
but when he got it the coyotes had taken alarm and had left the deer.
Its tongue was hanging out and it seemed to be just about run down,
but it of course went on out of sight. Mr. Shock is firm in his belief,
based on his experience, that in such instances the coyotes were merely
interrupted and would take the trail again and no doubt catch the
deer.

He trapped nine coyotes within two weeks around his place and states
that in opening up some of them to see what the contents of the stomachs
were he found that they were largely composed of venison, there being
evidence in meat, bones and hair. He also states that the coyotes he has
caught were all very fat. Mr. Shock says that the reason for his trap-
ping activity was on account of the coyotes catching the chickens. He
has found it impossible to raise pigs unless they are well penned. Mr.
Shock is a far better trapper than the average settler and has some
inethods of trapping that seem to get better results than the ordinary
trapper. He says, however, that the coyote is a very difficult animal to
trap and that he has found that he gets him more through his curiosity
than any actual desire for food. Mr. Shoek’s experiences concerning
the coyote are not at all unusual and could be duplicated by a great
many of the settlers throughout the Trinity Forest.

GALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 29

These are specific, authenticated facts, which could be repeated by
every man who has his eyes open. It really is not surprising that the
attitude of mind expressed by the following exists. ‘* Why shouldn’t I
have a deer,’’ the settler says, ‘‘which will be eaten anyway by the
coyotes; especially when I have killed one or more coyotes myself.”’
Or, as the trapper would say, ‘* Why can’t I get a deer, or three or four,
during a year? Even if I kill only one panther or trap only six coyotes,
I have done more to protect and to increase the deer than any other
person or organization has done.”’

Two important factors in the reduction of a game species are preda-
tory animals and the hunter. We attempt to compensate for loss by
the second factor by closing the season for a period of years to allow
recuperation. Why could not similar results be obtained by reducing
the toll taken by predatory animals? Although it is true that a ecer-
tain balance is established between a species of game and its enemies
when left to nature alone, it has been frequently demonstrated that man
ean alter such a balance very much to the advantage of the species that
has been preyed upon.

Residents of Trinity County are agreed that by far the most pressing
need in efficient game protection hes in the control of predatory animals.
The hberal bounty on the mountain lion has eliminated this animal as
a serious menace, but the coyote still remains abundant enough to be
an important factor in conservation. An increase in deer, quail and
grouse can best be effected by a vigorous campaign against the coyote
and other predatory animals preying upon them.

30

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

A publication devoted to the conserva-
tion of wild life and published quarterly
by the California State Fish and Game
Commission.

Sent free to citizens of the State of Cali-
fornia. Offered in exchange for ornitho-
lozice), mammalogical and similar period-
icals.

The articles published in CALIFORNIA FISH
AND GAME are not copyrighted and may be
reproduced in other periodicals, provided
due credit is given the California Fish and
Game Commission. Editors of newspapers
and periodicals are invited to make use of
pertinent material.

All material for publication should be
sent to H. C. Bryant, Museum of Verte-
brate Zoology, Berkeley, Cal.

February 3, 1919.

“Game laws are not passed with the idea
of furnishing sport for a limited number
of people, but to protect useful birds and
animals for the benefit of the people as a
whole.”

THE 1916-1918 BIENNIAL.

Although due to war economy the 1916-
18 biennial report of the Board of Fish
and Game Commissioners is not so large
or so attractively colored as the last re-
port, it, nevertheless, contains some inter-
esting facts regarding the activities,
receipts, and disbursements of the com-
mission during the past biennial period.

Outstanding features of the work of
the past two years have been the erec-
tion of a splendid new fish hatchery in
Inyo County, the building of a new patrol
boat to be used in enforcing the laws in
southern California waters and in the
carrying on of fishery investigations, the
enlargement of the activities of the com-
mercial fishery department, including the
administration of the kelp industry, an
extensive educational and publicity cam-
paign and the splendid results obtained
in enforcing fish and game laws.

New laws enacted by the 1917 legisla-
ture have proved valuable. The Supreme
Court decisions sustaining the state law
prohibiting parcel post shipments of
game has effectively stopped a much-used
method of evading fish and game laws.
The spiked-buck law continues to contrib-
ute much toward the conservation of deer,
and at the same time has reduced the
number of hunting accidents. Seventeen
new game refuges created in 1917, com-
prising a total of 839,180 acres, have

CALIFORNIA FISH

AND GAME.

been well received by the public and are
serving as safe breeding places for game.

The output of the fish hatcheries has
been very gratifying, reaching a total of
25,697,420 in 1917 and 36,425,898 in 1916.
A 16 per cent increase in the number of
trout fry reared has been attained.

Scientific investigations of the fisheries
have been undertaken and already valu-
able light on the habits and life history
of the albacore have been obtained. ‘The
educational and publicity work of the
commission is being well received by the
publie.

The principal recommendation for new
legislation has reference to discretionary
powers. Such legislation enabling the
commission to close seasons, reduce bag
limits, prohibit certain kinds of fishing
apparatus, and in general take such im-
mediate steps as will in their opinion
afford prompt and effective relief and
save from destruction by human hand
that part of the wild life which has sur-
vived the adversity of nature, is pointed
out as the greatest need.

Only a small edition of the biennial
has been printed and it will be available
only to those sufficiently interested to
write to the commission for it.

FISH AND GAME COMMISSION NEEDS
PLENARY POWERS.

The most important piece of fish and
game legislation which the legislature will
be called upon to enact this spring will
pertain to the granting of plenary powers
to the Fish and Game Commission. The
need for this legislation has already been
pointed out in these pages. The commis-
sion is not seeking more power, but simply
a chance to make regulations which will
allow better administration of the state’s
wild life resources. It should be clearly
understood that regulations can not be
enforced at will by the commission, but
only after a hearing has been held and
the regulations signed by the governor.
The proper administration of the Migra-
tory Bird Treaty Act is dependent upon
regulations issued by the Department of
Agriculture under authority granted it
by Congress. Tio make the administra-
tion of state laws efficient, similar pewers
should be granted the commission man-
aging the fish and game resources.

—_—*-Pro ee

=~? a

‘a.

—— = a

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. Sul

CALIFORNIA LAWS WILL BE MODI-
FIED TO AGREE WITH FEDERAL
GAME LAWS.

California was one of the first states
to make the game laws conform with those
enacted by the federal government and
the state has persistently upheld the Fed-
eral Migratory Bird Law. It is to be
expected, therefore, that at the next legis-
lature the few laws which do not conform
with the new Migratory Bird ‘T'reaty Act
will be modified. The state law still
allows hunting one hour before sunrise
and one hour after sunset. To agree
with the federal law this section of the

fied or the meat tested to prove that it
is venison so that this plea as a rule is
of little avail.

The same sort of defense has been
offered by a violator recently arrested in
Tulare County for having in possession
the skin of a mountain sheep. This de-
fendant at first maintained that the sheep
was not a true wild sheep and later
claimed that he killed the animal in self-
defense. It will be an easy matter to
prove at the trial that the skin held in
possession was that of a wild mountain
Sheep and the violator will undoubtedly
be heavily fined.

Fig. 16. Transporting fish to Salmon Creek in Monterey County. Although packed for ten
miles on horses, the fish arrived in excellent condition. :

code will have to be modified so as to
prohibit all hunting except between sun-
rise and sunset of each calendar day.
The limit law on geese will havé to be
changed and the dove season made to be-
gin on September 1. In the few cases
where the California laws are more
stringent than those of the federal govern-
ment no change will be made.

VIOLATORS MAKE QUEER DEFENSE.

After some chronic violator of the game
laws has been apprehended and a quantity
of dried venison confiscated the usual plea
is that the confiscated meat is bear meat
or goat meat. The bones can be identi-

MONTEREY STREAMS STOCKED.

Through the efforts of Senator E. §.
Rigdon, Salmon Creek in southern Mon-
terey County has been- successfully
stocked with trout. Although this stream
is by nature a splendid trout stream, a
large waterfall one mile from the mouth
of the creek has made the upper reaches
of the stream barren of fish life. It was
with difficulty that 18,000 rainbow and
steelhead trout recently planted in the
stream were transported from the rail-
road. <A fifty-mile haul with auto trucks
from San Luis Obispo to Sanco Pojo
Creek and then a ten-mile transport by
horseback was necessary. The trip was

32 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.
accomplished, however, without any ap-|seen. The number of birds which fell
preciable loss in the fish. One variety of | yictims to the disease is estimated at

trout was placed in one branch of the
ereek and another in the other branch,
about ten miles in all being stocked.

From all reports the fish are doing well.

DUCK DISEASE AGAIN APPEARS.

During October, duck disease appeared
in the Marysville Butte section of the
Sacramento Valley. Hitherto, the disease
of

has been restricted to the vicinity

alkaline lakes in the southern part of the
San Joaquin Valley. Many hunters
hunting near Colusa and Maxwell on the
opening day of the season threw away
their ducks after they had discovered

many sick and dying birds about some
of the ponds. The fact that an epidemic
of anthrax had prevalent in the
same vicinity led many persons to believe

been

that the ducks had contracted the same
disease. This, however, seems very un-
likely “in that all birds under artificial

conditions are largely immune to the dis-
ease, and it is not to be expected that
birds of any kind would contract the dis-
ease under natural conditions. Sick birds
secured showed every symptom of “duck
sickness,” a which is now well
known through the investigations of the

disease

United States Biological Survey. Mr:
Alexander Wetmore, assistant biologist,

describes the symptoms as follows (The
Duck Sickness in Utah. U. S. Dept.
Agric. Bull., 672): 1. Paralysis of nerve
centers controlling the muscular system
(birds affected are able to support them-
selves in the air for short distances only
or have the wings entirely helpless) ; 2,
respiration is difficult and spasmodic; 3,
pulse abnormal when bird is excited and

in severe cases is weak and irregular;
4, nictitating membrane of eye reacts
slowly (a test of the activity of this

membrane is an important symptom) ; 5,
eyes usually swollen and a discharge is
noticeable ; 6, alimentary tract practically
empty, intestines shrunken, firm and
much reddened: 7, excreta loose and
watery, more or less greenish and voided
at frequent intervals; 8, birds appear
drowsy and lethargic though alert at the
approach of danger.

sy November 1 the epidemic had sub-
sided and no more sick ducks were to be

‘cookery.

shot oven method of cooking.

5,000.

FEDERAL PERMITS.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act jro0-
vides for the issuance of scientific collec-
tors’ permits to all those interested in
collecting either specimens or eggs, and
also to breeders who desire to breed
migratory or insectivorous birds. Permits
to collect specimens are issued to properly
accredited persons only and are required

in addition to those issued under state
laws. Applications for federal permits

can be obtained when applying for a new
state permit.

FISH COOKERY DEMONSTRATIONS.

For the purpose of stimulating the
utilization of fish products, the United
States Bureau of Fisheries has been con-
ducting a series of demonstrations in fish
Demonstrations have been held
in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and
Alameda, about 40 in all, with an average
attendance of more than 100 women at
each class. Mrs. Evelene Spencer and
Mr. H. L. Kelly have been in charge.
These demonstrations are made of prac-
tical value by securing the little-used and
low-priced fishes, preparing and cooking
them in front of the class, explaining
every detail, and then serving each one
present with a portion to taste. Hven
minute details of the proper way to skin
a fish, remove the backbone, and slice it
are shown. With the class watching, it
is prepared for the oven, cooked and
served.

Mrs. Spencer recommends the diseard-
ing of the frying pan, in favor of the
Advantages
are found in the elimination of unpleasant
odors, the use of less than half the amount
of fat usually required, and greater ease
for both the cook and the one who has
the serving of the fish. This is the
method she uses in doing the work her-
self, and all who eat the cooked fish agree
that it far excels in flavor the same kind
of fish fried in the old-fashioned way.

The making of salads, both from
freshly steamed fish, or from left-over fish
is explained as is also the making of
souffles, creamed dishes and imitation

Sa eee eee? eet

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. ao

chops. Soups, which for flavor are the
equal of any which can be made from
meats or oysters, are made from the heads
and trimmings ordinarily considered as
being only fit for the garbage can.

Thirty-four varieties of fish, not in-
cluding salmon and halibut, have been
used in the demonstrations. Thus, it has
been shown that a housewife can cook
fish any day in the month, if she wishes,
and not have the same kind twice. Of
these, the most pepular were small sole,
skate, sablefish, mackerel, kingfish, yellow-
tail, shark, shad, rockcod and salmon milts.
The price of these fish ranges from 5 to 15
eents per pound, and many hundreds of
women were surprised to find a number of
them they preferred to even salmon or
halibut, which cost from 25 to 40 cents
per pound.

Needless to say. theSe demonstrations
have proved very popular with house-
wives, and have added materially in in-
creasing the demand for flounder, shark,
skate, squid, sablefish and other low-priced
fishery products of the California markets.

INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF FISH
NECESSARY.

Increasing the consumption of fish is
far more urgent today than during war
times. ‘There is now no submarine men-
ace; there are more ships and there are
200,000,000 people who must be fed if
they are to be saved from starvation.
Every ton of nonperishable goods possible
must be sent to HBurope. The use of
fresh fish releases easily-shipped meat
products for exportation.

There is absolutely no limit to the
amount of fish which is now waiting in
the ocean, and more are growing to sup-
ply our needs. The people of California
have responded to every call made on them
thus far, and we urge that they con-
tinue to show their patriotism and hu-
manitarianism, by a still greater use of
fresh fish.

NOTES ON THE NEW GAME REFUGES.

The following notes relative to the
recently-formed game refuges have been
culled from forest officers’ reports for
1917. Apparently, the new refuges are
filling the place for which they were set
aside, ;

All refuges in California are created
under the districting act and so must be
designated as a “fish and game district.”
Each refuge is lettered with the number
of the main game districts of the state
in which the refuge is situated prefixed
to it.

Fish and Game District 1-A, located in
the Ilamath National Forest, is admira-
bly situated for the purpose for which
it was withdrawn, being a natural breed-
ing ground. It covers an area of about
one township and varies in elevation from
about 1,700 feet at the Klamath River
to about 7,000 feet at the highest point,
thus giving both winter and summer feed-
ing ground. The general exposure of the
entire area is southwestern, which makes
it the very best from a climatic stand-
point. There is*also one of the largest
salt licks known near the center of this
refuge.

When the refuge was first created there
was much opposition to it. but lately the
sentiment has been more favorable.

Fish and Game Districts 1-B and 1-C
n Modoe County are ideal breeding places
‘or game and there is absolutely no doubt

s to the wisdom of the move in having
hese reas set aside. The people, as a
vhole, are strongly in favor of them.

Fish and Game Districts 1-I and 1-J,
n the Tahoe and El Dorado National
‘Torests, have not been in existence long
nough to note any change in game con-
litions. While the people most affected
iecept the establishment of the districts

s a matter of law. some criticism is
oiced relative to the location. Why was
t not located ‘“‘somewhere else’ is the
sual comment. This attitude will grad-
ally disappear after a time if the dis-
ricts receive proper administration.

The people all seem to think that the
Shimney Meadow Refuge (Tish and
tame District 1-L.) will be of great value
<o the deer as it is the wintering grounds

| for all the deer in the Cannell Meadow

District. Vhos. Smith and John Johnson
claim that they counted 75 deer in one
band last spring in Long Valley, which
is a part of this new refuge. There are
a great number of hunters from Los
Angeles and the Mojaye Desert that hunt
in this proposed refuge, and it will require
a regular paid game warden in that vicin-
ity to properly administer the refuge.
Fish and Game District 2-A covers a
fine piece of deer country, having both
summer and winter range. The estab-
lishment of the refuge was very well
received by the public, and it is believed
that very little hunting has been done
within its boundaries. Considerable com-
plaint was made by hunters and others,
because the boundaries of the refuge were
not posted. This should surely be done
before the opening of the next hunting
season.
The people are in favor of Fish and
Game Districts. 4-A and 4-B, comprising

34

600,000 acres within the Angeles National 1
Forest. Deer are becoming more and
more plentiful. If anyone is benefited by
reason of an open season, it is the resort
owners, and yet with the possible excep-
tion of one owner, a man who has been
in court several times for alleged game
violations, I have yet to find a _ resort
owner who is not in favor of the continu-
ance of the game refuges.

When Fish and Game District 4-C was
first formed the sentiment against it was
yery strong. This has changed and one
finds very few hunters who do not favor it.
The deer are increasing and one sees them

in regions where there have beén no deer
for several years. With ‘the increase
of the deer a noticeable increase in

mountain lion*signs are also seen. Sev-
eral lions have been killed, and many of
the better class of sportsmen are talking
of plans to rid the range of this pest.
Our greatest trouble, however, is not the
lion, but the unserupulous hunter who
sneaks over the boundary of the refuge.

A NEW GAME FARMING PROJECT.

A beautifully illustrated prospectus en-
titled Wisconsin Zoological Park, for the
Propagation, Improvement, and Utiliza-
tion of Wild Life has recently been issued
by a newly-formed corporation with head-
quarters in Chicago. The intent of the

organization is set forth as follows:
it will win this
becomes the duty of
everyone to give careful consideration to
all plans to increase our food supply.
The American farmers, responding to
their country’s call, are planting every
available foot of their land, which means
that we have about reached our maximum
in food production unless we can devise
some way of utilizing the undeveloped re-
gions. Naturally, our thoughts turn to the
nearby cut-over timber lands as a possible
solution of this problem. We all under-

stand the difficulties that have presente
|

Food, is said,

And it therefore

war.

an almost insurmountable barrier to the
development of these sections and the
necessity, on account of the searcity of
labor, of finding some use for this land
without having

rocks and timber.

The Wisconsin Zoological Park was
created chiefly for the purpose of dealing
with this problem. It proposes that these
lands be used just as they are, in the
breeding and raising of wild life objects
as a source of supply.

This is a comparatively new idea, and
to be understood and appreciated must be
carefully studied. The purpose of this
booklet is to explain some of the most
important features of this enterprise.

This company proposes to demonstrate
in « practical manner how cut-over land
can be quickly and profitably utilized in
accordance with the ideas above set forth,
and at the same time carry on extensive

to clear away stumps,

CALIFORNIA FIS

H AND GAME.

experiments towards the development, im-
provement and preservation of wild ani-
mals.

It is hoped the company will become
self-sustaining, but if it does not, those
responsible for it have not been actuated
by selfish motives. They appreciate that
pioneers in any great enterprise must
take chances of loss, but are confident of
their ability to eventually work out a
plan which can be followed with profit
by others.

To the uninitiated the plan is a very
plausible one, and it will doubtless appeal
to many. In view, however, of the success
thus far attained in game farming, the
outcome of the project as a commercial
enterprise seems doubtful. If it will lead
to the setting aside of large areas as
breeding grounds for native animals, it
will be very much worth while.

LOUISIANA ORIGINATES NEW DUCK.

The Department of Conservation of
the state of Louisiana is attempting to
secure a new duck for their marshes by
breeding. The experiments are being
carried out on the: assumption that if a
eross between the summer mallard or
black duck and the winter visitant green-
head mallard could be established a race
of nonmigratory ducks could be produced
for the Louisiana marshes. The new
type of mallard is in the third generation
and a type has been selected which ap-
pears to have characteristics of both the
mallard and the black duck. Whether the
new duck will become a permanently resi-
dent bird capable of being introduced
remains to be seen.

ALASKA FISHERY PRODUCTS.

The Fisheries Service Bulletin states
that although final figures showing the
value of the fishery products of Alaska
in 1917 are not yet obtainable, the statis-
tics are practically complete so that a
reasonably accurate statement of produc-
tion can now be made. Compilations
indicate that the total value of such pro-
ducts was $51,405,260 in 1917. Of this
amount 93 per cent, or $47,778,081, rep-
resents the value of the salmon products
which consist of 5,947,286 cases of
canned salmon, valued at $46,804,090, and
16,347,367 pounds of mild-cured, pickled,
dry-salted, fresh and frozen salmon,
valued at $1,473,991. The halibut. fish-

ey See ee ae ee ae ee oer

}
3

S
a
.
.
4
:
h
x
a
<
3

.

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. ao

eries rank second with an output of pro-
ducts valued at $1,120,226. In the order
of production, the herring fisheries come
next, with a yield of products valued at
$767,729. ‘The value of the cod products
was $744,976. Whaling operations re-
turned products worth $653,852. The
production of miscellaneous fishery pro-
ducts including clams and other shellfish
aggregated $340,396 in value.

This unprecedented yield of fishery pro-
ducts in Alaska at a time when the world
is in need of food is called an achievement
for which the country may justly feel
gratified.

The fur products of Alaska are also
of considerable importance and value, as
evidenced by the fact that in the year
from November 16, 1916, to November
15, 1917, shipments from that territory
reached an aggregate value of $1,031,688,
exclusive of fur-seal skins and fox skins
shipped by the government from the
Pribilof Islands. In the calendar year
1917 the government shipped from the
Pribilof Islands fur-seal skins valued at
$274,291 and fox skins valued at $35,680.
—wNcience, June 7, 1918.

NOVA SCOTIA USES WAR METHODS
TO CAPTURE VIOLATORS.

he fact that most of the illegal fishing
in Nova Scotia has been carried on by
gangs of men in the darkest hours of the
night when it is impossible to discover the
offenders without some means of artificial
iNumination has prompted authorities to
furnish wardens with “Trench Light”
pistols. These lights which have been
very effective by the allied armies and
navies are contained in metallic cartridges
and are fired from a breach loading four-
bore pistol which throws the magnesium
stars to a distance of 400 or 500 feet. The
lights burn for five or ten seconds and
light up the whole neighborhood so that
everything can be distinctly seen even on
the darkest night. In addition to its
efficacy in illuminating, it acts as a
weapon of self-defense which poachers will
learn to fear as much as the revolver.

.

The “trench light” has been decided upon
only after experiments with acetyline
searchlights, electric searchlights, and
magnesium Roman candles.

CALIFORNIA TRAPPERS AND THEIR
CATCH.

For the open season 1917-18, nearly 4000
trappers’ licenses were issued. As the
trappers’ license law provides for the kill-
ing of fur-bearers destroying poultry and
domestic animals, no record can be ob-
tained of those so killed and the reports
of trappers of the take for the year do
not give the total number of animals
taken. However, the reports do give a
basis for a computation as to the value
of the annual take of furs. According to
the reports of those holding trappers’
licenses the take for last year was as
follows :

a —$—$—$———
)

ne - Number Average
Species taken price
Btn ke tee eee ne 10,480 | $1 74
Minh S25 so eos cee es | 804 | 2 95
Pine Maltese see eee aa 127 | 5 90
Mishoo) ees ea OR. eae eee
WéGHSBl ee os emce otra oan ae i Jl eae pepe ©
PaO ely sees oe sae eee i en aL i
RACCOOM eee ate et nS 2,309 1 87
Ring-tailed cat ----------.._- 1,381 | 40
River-Otterssaeeee seca eanone Yc Ya) ee pl nies
POX, Sooo es eee ae 2,268 | 216
Boa eee ae ee eee Selo eee
Coyets? Se 1,941 8 00
Mountain lion, 2222-22 22 (| em ete eS,
Wild Gateos. eee eee 1,488 | 1 73
Hous? C#ie fo 228 ee 1G Uy eee eect
Opossum) 2222. .2e5=— = eee ee ae ae
MUSKIE: pS eee =a eo
Woodvat - 22-8235 ease es 20 ten see are at
Mole. Det Sel eee Pile rer

The wolverine is apparently a very rare
furbearer and not a single skin of this
animal was reported. It is also interest-
ing to note that such well-known fur-
bearers as the marten and fisher are so
reduced in numbers in this state that
only a small number were taken in 1917-
18. The average price indicated was ob-
tained by averaging the amount received
for at least 100 different pelts of a species.

36 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

FACTS OF CURRENT INTEREST.

A recent report from the United States Supreme Court does not
concern the present regulations regarding migratory birds, but relates
to the regulations in effect previous to the signing of the treaty with
Canada. The present regulations are based on a treaty and will be
in effect for fifteen years, unless abrogated by consent of both con-
tracting parties. Because the present regulations are based on a
treaty they can not be reviewed by any court.

as & &

On information furnished by deputies of the Fish and Game Com-
mission three violators cf the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act have
been arrested and each is being held under a $250.00 bond.

a a a

Steelhead trout fishing in the Russian River will be excellent this

year. The bar is open and there is plenty of water.
Fd a Fd

February 1 will mark the close of one of the best quail seasons in
many years.

a Fad &

The elimination of market hunting by federal enactment has
reduced to a minimum viclations of the laws protecting waterfowl.

a a a

The game refuges created by the last legislature have now been

posted and hunters will have no excuse for hunting within them.
a ad a

Plans are being made to secure some moving pictures of the commer-

cial fisheries of southern California to be used in educational work.
a a ad

The State Game Farm at Hayward was discontinued on November
16, 1918.

& Fd a

Deputies of the Fish and Game Commission in the areas where there
is waterfowl] shooting have been appointed federal wardens. Twenty-
one deputies now hold federal commissions.

- a aS) a

Federal permits allowing a rice grower to herd ducks from his fields
put a stop to agitation relative to depredations by ducks. No appre-
ciable damage to rice when in the shock was reported.

Pad a Fad

The epidemic of duck disease in the vicinity of the Marysville Buttes
was of short duration and less serious than similar epidemics which
have occurred at Tulare Lake in past years.

'

GALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 37

HATCHERY NOTES.

W. H. SHEBLEY, Editor.

FISH DISTRIBUTION, 1918.

While the fish distribution operations
for all of the hatcheries were completed
by the forepart of October, complete re-
ports have not, as yet, been filed. How-
ever, it is possible to give an approxima-
tion of the total distribution from the
different stations for the season of 1918.

Big 17.

[neva as) be

MT. SHASTA HATCHERY.

Wild geese at fish pond, Mount Shasta Hatchery, September 30

MT. WHITNEY HATCHERY.

The past season has been most favor-
able for oyerations at the Mount
Whitney Hatchery, and the trout distrib-
uted were some of the finest fish ever
reared at any of our hatcheries.
of the eastern brook and Loch Leven trout

Some

distributed this year were from four to

, 1918. Photograph

Stinnett.

five inches in length, which is a very re-

The approximate total number of fish} markable growth for one summer. TF ol-

distributed for the season was as follows:

13,500,000 quinnat salmon.
2,600,000 rainbow trout.
1,100,000 eastern brook trout.
1,600,000 Loch Leven trout.
2,000,000 steelhead trout.

230,000 black-spotted trout.

Two fish distribution cars were operated
during most of the distributing season.

The fish were all strong and healthy, and| from the

nearly all applicants reported that con-
signments were received and planted in
the streams in good condition. Mount
Shasta Hatchery is now being put in
readiness for the coming season’s trout
operations and for the salmon work.

lowing is an approximation of the number

of fish distributed :

1,000,000 rainbow trout.
83,000 eastern brook trout.
70,000 Loch Leven trout.

240,000 steelhead trout.
240,000 black-spotted trout.
400,000 golden trout.

The golden trout eggs were obtained
Cottonwood Lakes Station,
which was established for the purpose.

Owing to the remoteness of this station
from railroad lines and the rough, almost
inaccessible country through which the
eges had to be earried by pack animal to
the Mount Whitney Hatchery, the extent

38

of our operations was necessarily limited,
hut we feel that the results obtained have
justified all the hard work and expense.
Although several efforts have been made
in past years to collect the eggs of the
golden trout, this is the first attempt that
has been successful. The success of the
operations this season is due to the skill
and resourcefulness of Mr. George Me-
Cloud, Jr., who was in personal charge
of the golden trout egg collecting opera-
tions at Cottonwood Lakes and of the
Mount Whitney Hatchery, at which sta-
tion the eggs were hatched and the fry
reared. The golden trout are very difli-
cult to rear, but the results obtained in
this delicate work far exceeded our expee-
tations.

Plants of golden trout were made in the
Santa Ana River, San Bernardino County,
and in Mammoth Creek and Convict Lake,
Mono County. A shipment of golden
trout was planted in Lake Tahoe, and a
consignment sent to Mount Shasta Hatch-
ery to be liberated in the McCloud River
at a later date. Practically all of the
waters of southern California and the
lower San Joaquin Valley counties were
stocked with fish from the Mount Whit-
ney Hatchery this season.

Fish Distribution Car No. 01 was de-
tached from distribution operations at
Mount Shasta Hatchery the forepart of
September and sent to southern California
to undertake the shipping of fish from the
Mount Whitney Hatchery. The work
was completed in a little over a month.
After the completion of the season’s fish-
cultural operations the crew was assigned

to make the improvements on the Mount | Pyerville.

Whitney Hatchery grounds, and this work
is now progressing nicely.

MT. TALLAC HATCHERY.

The Mount Tallac Hatchery was oper-
ated as in past seasons, black-spotted
trout eggs being taken from the _fish
ascending Taylor Creek to spawn. In
addition to the 1,200,000 eggs of this
species hatched at the station for distribu-
tion in the tributary streams of Lake
Tahoe in the vicinity of Mount T'allac,
shipments of eggs were made to Tahoe
Hatchery, Mount Shasta Hatchery and

CALIFORNIA FISH

AND GAME.

trout fry were also distributed in the
tributary streams of Lake Tahoe from
Mount Vallae Hatchery this season. ‘The
steelhead trout should thrive well in the
waters of Lake Tahoe, and the addition
of this valuable species of trout to the
other varieties in the lake will be greatly
appreciated by the anglers of the state
who enjoy the fishing in this region.

TAHOE HATCHERY.

Irom Tahoe Hatchery were distributed
15,000 rainbow and 420,000 black-spotted
trout fry in the streams and lakes in the
Tahoe Basin and in the vieinity of
Truckee.

FORT SEWARD HATCHERY.

The streams of Humboldt and Trinity
counties’ were stocked with rainbow and
steelhead trout fry to the number of
200,000 and 1,000,000 respectively from
Fort Seward Hatchery this season. Mad
River, tributaries of Humboldt Bay, and
Eel River and tributaries, received most
of the fish.

Quinnat salmon eggs received from
ege collecting operations on Hel River
near Bryan’s Rest last fall were hatched
at Fort Seward Hatchery, together with
‘shipments of eggs of the same _ species
from Mount Shasta Hatchery, and the
resulting fry to the number of 1,000,000
‘were planted in Mad River, tributaries
‘of Humboldt Bay and Eel River. As egg
collecting operations near Bryan’s Rest
were not satisfactory, a new experimental
station was established this fall on Bull
'Creek, a tributary of Eel River, near
Owing to the fact that there
was not enough rainfall to raise the river
sufficiently to enable the spawning fish
to ascend the stream, no Quinnat salmon
eggs were taken early in the season, but
later rains during the month of November
improved conditions.

DOMINGO SPRINGS STATION.

The season’s operations at Domingo
Springs Hatchery were very successful.
In addition to the rainbow trout eggs
sent to other hatcheries, 317,000 were
hatched and the fry planted in lakes and
streams in Lassen and Placer counties.
A shipment of 100,000 steelhead eggs was

the Feather River Experimental Station; |sent to Domingo Springs, and the result-
150,000 rainbow and 380,000 steelhead | ing fry planted in lakes in that vicinity.

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

UKIAH HATCHERY.
he streams of Mendocino and Sonoma
counties received their usual portions of
steelhead trout fry from Ukiah Hatch-
ery this season, 420,000 fish being planted
in the two counties.

ALMANOR HATCHERY.

Ege collecting operations at Almanor
Hatchery resulted in a take of less than
200,000 rainbow eggs. The resulting fry
were distributed in Lake Almanor and
near-by streams.

FEATHER RIVER HATCHERY.

Operations at the experimental station
established near Blairsden on the Western
Pacific Railroad were not successful, as
the water supply from Grey Eagle Creek
did not prove to be satisfactory for fish-
cultural operations. Rainbow and black-
spotted eggs were shipped to the station
to be hatched and reared, but they died
in great numbers both before and after
hatching. The station has been disman-
tled, and the equipment will be used at
one of the other stations.

BEAR LAKE HATCHERY.

Fish distribution operations were fin-
ished on September 5, and the station
closed after completing the most success-
ful season since the hatchery was estab-
lished. At the egg collecting station on
North Creek, 8,500,000 rainbow eggs were
taken. After being ‘eyed,’ they “were
shipped to Mount Shasta, Mount Whit-
ney, Tahoe, and Bear Lake Hatchery at
Green Spot Springs; 300,000 were also
hatched at the North Creek Station, and
planted in Big Bear Lake. A total of
1,075,000 rainbow trout fry were distrib-
uted in streams of San Bernardino
County, and in Big Bear Lake, from Bear
Lake and North Creek stations. At the
present time assistants are engaged in
making repairs and improvements at the
two stations. Negotiations are now under

39

| way for the purchase of a fine power boat
for use in egg collecting operations, trans-
ferring materials and supplies, ete., which
will greatly facilitate the work next
spring.

BROOKDALE HATCHERY.

Steelhead trout fry to the number of
700,000 were distributed in the streams
of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties
from Brookdale Hatchery this season, in
addition to shipments of steelhead eggs
made to Mount Shasta and Mount Whit-
ney hatcheries for distribution in other
sections of the state.

WAWONA HATCHERY.

The completion of the new hatchery
at Wawona enabled us to handle the fish
to much better advantage this year.
Streams in the vicinity of Wawona re-
ceived 75,000 rainbow and 195,000 steel-
head trout fry.

CLEAR CREEK HATCHERY.

A small hatchery has just been com-
pleted on Clear Creek, Lassen County,
near Westwood. Eggs will be shipped to
this station from Almanor and Domingo
Springs hatcheries next season, and the
fry hatched for distribution in the streams
in the vicinity of Westwood.

KLAMATH RIVER STATION.

The new Klamath River Hatchery,
which is being constructed by the Cali-
fornia-Oregon Power Company, and which
will be turned over to the California Fish
and Game Commission when completed,
in lieu of the construction of a fish ladder
over the Copco Dam, is well under way.
As it was not possible to complete this
hatchery in time to trap this year’s run
of Guinnat salmon, a temporary station
was established at Klamathon. Owing to
the failure of the main run of salmon to
reach the point at which the racks are
located, on account of the long dry fall,
the take is therefore much below normal.

COMMERCIAL FISHERY NOTES.

N. B. SCOFIELD, Editor.

TIDE CONDITIONS
FISHERIES.

The unusual conditions of water tem-
perature and currents along the Cali-
fornia coast during the past summer
were largely responsible for a greatly

INJURE

reduced catch of albacore in southern
California and evidently -caused the

appearance of new and strange fishes as
elsewhere noted in this magazine. They
also affected the catch of sardines and
salmon and seriously handicapped the

4() CALIFORNIA

erowth of kelp. For nearly five months
sardines were not found in sufficient num-
bers in southern California to keep the
canneries busy.

The kelp on the surface of the
water and the serious
shortage of this seaweed which occurred
made it very difficult for the kelp potash

Kelp.

ceased to grow

companies to secure enough to supply
their plants. It is feared that even the

new shoots, which come up and take the
place of the long stipes on the surface
of the water after they have been cut,
have been killed. The best growing time
of the kelp has usually been in the winter
how the stunted summer

months. Just

growth will affect the growth during this,

winter is as yet unknown.

It is now quite certain that the close
of the war will have the effect of putting
many of the California kelp potash com-
panies out of business. Before the war
the price of potash was -about $65 per
ton, but for the past year it has been
between $250 and $350 per ton. If the
price of potash decreases one-half, the
majority of the companies will have to
cease operations. Already the demand for
potash to be used in the manufacture of
munitions of war has ceased to exist. The
immense jdant of the Hercules Powder
Company near San Diego has discontinued
harvesting kelp and has issued notice to
its one thousand employees that shortly
their services will not be required. This
company has done a great deal of investi-
gation work in developing important by-
products the manufacture of
which they expected to be able to con-
tinue operations even after the close of
the war, but it has finally been decided
that in view of the market prices that
will have to be met shortly and the entire
lack at present of a market for certain
of the by-products, it will be best to
reduce the operations of the plant to a
very small scale and only two or three
by-products will be produced there with
a small force.

The salmon catch at Mon-
terey during the summer was only about

through

Nalmon.

half the usual amount. The fish almost
entirely disappeared before the end of
May. The catch for June, which is

usually large; was a failure. But the fish
which escaped the hooks of the fishermen
in Monterey Bay later made their appear-
ance in San Francisco Bay and the Sac-

FISH

AND GAME.

vamento River on their way to cast their
spawn in the river's headwaters. Their
appearance in the river was much later
than usual and at the time when the fish-
ermen and salmon packers were impor-
tuning the Fish and Game Commission —
and the Federal Food Administration to
extend the season the salmon put in their

appearance in great numbers. For a
period of two weeks the salmon kept
coming in such numbers that sufficient

help could not be obtained to take care
of the catch. The final result has been
that the combined catch of . Monterey
Bay and the Sacramento River was the
largest for several years. The amount
of salmon taken up to the end of Septem-
ber in Monterey Bay, outside of the
Golden Gate, San Francisco Bay and the
Sacramento River was 11,040,075 pounds.

The catch of salmon by trolling at Fort
Bragg was good; the total amount of
the catch reaching a million and a quar-
ter pounds. The run at Wel River
was considered a _ failure, the amount
taken being less than half the usual
catch. The run on the Klamath River
also shows a falling off.

THE SALMON INDUSTRY MENACED.
To dam the waters of the Sacramento

at the narrow Iron Canyon above
Red Bluff and thus make an immense

impounding reseryoir for flood control and
irrigation purposes, has for years been
a dream of those who would develop the
resources of the upper Sacramento Valley
and of those who have been interested in
controlling the floods on the lower river.
There have been frequent efforts to make
this dream come true, but it is only re-
cently that there have been hopes of its
realization.

Lis proposed by assessing the
land in the area to be benefited and by
the aid of the state and the United States
government to raise $20,000,000 for the
construction of the dam and irrigation
canals. The site of the dam is seven
miles above Red Bluff. The proposed dam
will be so high that salmon ascending
the river to cast their spawn will not
be able to pass even by means of the
best ‘fish ladders” which have been de-
vised. An impassable dam at the Iron
Canyon will cut the salmon off from all
the upper tributaries in which they natu-
rally spawn, with the exception of Mill

now

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

Creek, If remedial measures can not be de-
vised three-fourths of the present salmon
run will be lost.

Remedies which suggest themselves are
to attempt to establish runs in other
streams, especially in tributaries of the
San Joaquin and to establish a hatchery
at the dam. Many difficulties present
themselves in any plan to catch salmon
at the dam, chief of which is unsuitable
water temperature. Salmon of the spring
run will not be mature enough to warrant
holding at the dam for spawning purposes
and if eggs are collected at the dam from
the summer and fall run, the water avail-
able for the hatching will be too warm.
Piven if the eggs could be held in a hatch-
ery at the dam until they are “eyed”
at which stage they could be shipped to
other hatcheries more favorably located on
the river above, there would still be the
problem of getting the resulting fry down
over the dam in their seaward migration.

If such a dam is built, and it appears
now it will be built, the salmon industry
is sure to suffer an irreparable loss.

SPERM WHALE TAKEN OFF
MONTEREY.

On November 21, Monterey fishermen
found a dead sperm whale off Point Pinos
near Monterey. They towed the carcass to
Monterey where it was sold to one of the
local fish concerns for $300. The length
of the whale was 65 feet and it produced
ten barrels of case oil. This species of
whale is very scarce on this coast, and
according to old residents of Monterey this
is the first sperm whale that has been
taken in that region for at least forty
years.

LOCATING SARDINES BY AERO-
PLANE.

The serious shortage of sardines in
. southern California during the past sum-
mer has suggested the idea of locating
the schools of sardines by means of
aeroplanes. The great difficulty in catch-
ing sardines is in locating the schools
of fish. On account of light on the
surface of the water it is difficult to
locate a school of sardines unless the
boat runs into them. Fishing is usually
earried on at night, at which time the
phosphorescent glow caused by the swim-
ming fish is more easily seen, but even at
night this phosphorescent light can be
seen only a short distance. It is a well-
known fact that schools of fish can be

41

move easily seen from an elevation where
the observer is away from the glare of the
reflected light at the surface of the water.
From an aeroplane schools of fish are
easily seen which are invisible to a per-
son from the deck of a boat. At such
times as fishermen are unable to locate
schools of sardines, or of albacore for
that matter, it would be practicable to
employ an aeroplane for the purpose,
which adds one more argument for those
who would commercialize the aeroplane.

NEW WHALING STATION ON MON-
TEREY BAY.

The California Sea Products Company -
has almost completed a large, modern,
fully equipped whaling station at Moss
Landing on Monterey Bay, which will
employ forty men when in operation. In
addition to the whaling plant this com-
pany expects in time to operate a sardine
cannery and during off seasons to use
their boats to supply fish to the fresh
fish trade.

There has been some objection to the
establishment of a whaling station on
Monterey Bay for fear that it would in-
jure the sardine industry, under the be-
lief that it is the whales that drive the
sardines into the bay. This is an old
belief which comes to us from the Euro-
pean coast where at one time it was
believed whales drove the herring into the
sheltered waters of the bays and fjords.
Herring do not enter sheltered waters
along the coast to escape whales, but for
the purpose of spawning in the shallow
waters where their eggs are attached to
rocks and seaweed. ‘There is no evidence
that whales drive sardines into bays.

NEW FISH NET.

A new fish net has been devised for
catching sardines and other small fish
known as the purse-lompara net. This
net is in use at Monterey and is in all
respects a lompara net except that a
purse line has been added to the bunt of
the net which enables the operators to
pull the lead line in more quickly after
the net is partly in, thus impounding the
fish in the bunt of the net. With this
net it is easier to catch sardines in the
day time without their sounding and
getting under the net when it is operated
in deep water. By using this semipurse
arrangement a shallower net than other-
wise can be used, which makes its opera-
tion quicker and more economical,

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME,

CONSERVATION IN OTHER STATES.

CONSERVATION LESSONS FROM
MASSACHUSETTS.

The Massachusetts Fish and Game
Commissioners are calling attention to
the need of the conservation of fish by
means of “little lessons.’ One of them
follows:

“The advance of civilization always
decreases the natural fish and game sup-
ply. _Preach and practice conservation.

“Don’t take fish that are full of spawn;
leave them to deposit their eggs and the
small to grow into mature fish.

“Don’t take more than you need.

“Don’t try for the largest number; try
for the largest fish.

“Don’t try to get the last one; leave
some for others.

“Report violations to the Fish and
Game Commissioners.
“Remember, this is your sport. Noone

is as interested in it as the hunters and
fishermen, and it is up to you to make
or ruin it.’—American Field, May 2,
1918.

CATS BECOME GAME IN NEW YORK.

In New York a bill has been passed,
permitting any person over twenty-one
years of age who holds a hunting or
trapping license to destroy humanely a
cat at large found hunting or killing any
protected bird, or with such a bird in its
possession. The bill makes it the duty
of the game protectors to kill all offend-
ing cats.

MINNESOTA GAME REFUGES.

In the State of Minnesota state parks
and state forest reserve lands have auto-
matically become refuges for game. The
legislature of 1915 provided for a prac-
tical way of establishing game refuges

on privately owned Jand. Already seven-
teen refuges have been established in
this way, embracing 531,925 acres. The
combined area of all of the Minnesota
game refuges is 1,877,813 acres. This
method of protecting and restoring game
has met with instant and hearty approval
by the people of the state and in every
instance in which a refuge has been estab-
lished, there has been a unanimity of
sentiment among the people interested
in it—Bien. Rpt., Minn. Fish and Game
Comm., 1916.

MINNESOTA DISTRIBUTES FISH.

Under the authority of the Public
Safety Commission, the state of Minne-
sota has been catching and distributing
fish. From October 15, 1917, to Janu-
ary 1, 1918, the production of state-
caught fish amounted to 77,851 pounds.
Great care is being exercised not to take
fish that are desirable for angling from
localities where people can and will use
lakes for that purpose. In such localities
fishing is confined to rough fish only. As
a contribution to the food supply the state
fishing has demonstrated its importance
and has proved to be popular and suc-
cessful. -Distribution has been made
through game wardens, representatives
of the Safety Commission, meat dealers
and other individuals.

NEW JERSEY RESTOCKED WITH
RABBITS.

The game farm of the New Jersey
State Fish and Game Commission has
two thousand rabbits which will be dis-
tributed throughout the state. Rabbits
will be placed in districts where they have
been hunted out.

LIFE HISTORY NOTES.

TREE-DUCKS SUCCESSFULLY BRED
IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY.

A pair of fulvous tree-ducks (Dendro-
cygna bicolor) were secured from the
State Game Farm in the fall of 1916 and
placed on my pond at Cupertino. In
June, 1917, I had a suspicion that they
were laying, as I found several

eggs

which I could not classify in different
parts of the enclosure. I have learned
from experience that one can not disturb
ducks during the laying and _ breeding
season, and in the past I know that I
have broken up several “settings” because
of my curiosity. In June of this year
I noted from easual observance that only

Aa | : \ yon PS , 4
GALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 43

one of my fulvous ducks was on the
pond, and fearing that the other had been
lost or bad died, I started an investigation
and after some days found the nest very
elose to the water’s edge on a ledge of
rock in a rustic rockery constructed in the
pond for ornamental purposes. ‘This ledge
was concealed by overhanging vines and
it was very difficult for me to see it. Not
wishing to disturb the birds, I did not
make a close investigation, but as near
as I could tell, there were five or more
eggs in the nest. (This last is somewhat
of a guess on my part.) As the birds
seemed to be sitting, I left the nest
severely alone, and some time around the
20th of June (I can not give the exact
date) I was rewarded in seeing the
mother duck bring out four young ones
into the pond. These little birds did not
appear to me to be much larger than
young quail and I used my very best
efforts in an attempt to segregate them,
but without avail. My present pond is
not constructed properly for breeding pur-
poses, having been erected in the first
instance purely for ornamental purposes,
and the birds have not access to and from
the water at all points, with the result
that these little ducks became chilled and
drowned, or were molested by the other
ducks, all dying within four or five days.
—J. V. DELAVEAGA.

RARE FISH FROM MONTEREY BAY.

The true halibut (Hippoglossus hippo-
glossus) was oceasionally taken this last
summer (1918) in Monterey Bay. It has
not been reported before south of San
Francisco.

A specimen of a fish sometimes called
the “blacksmith” (Chromis punctipinnis)
was brought to Hopkins’ Marine Station
at Pacific Grove by Japanese fishermen
this summer. This fish has hitherto been
unknown north of the Santa Barbara
Channel.—. C. Srarks.

MARLIN-SPIKE FISH USED AS FOOD.

The marlin-spike fish (Tetrapterus nut-
sukurii) now being caught by anglers
near Santa Catalina Island is finding a
good market in Los Angeles at a retail
price of 25 cents per pound. It is said
to be undistinguishable in taste from the
swordfish. The writer recently enjoyed

eating Some of it, and found it one bf the
most delicious fishes lie had evet tasted:
Fresh tuna was served at the same tine
for comparison. It was much coarser
fleshed and much less delicately flavored
than the marlin-spike fish.—E. C. STARKS.

BREEDING OF THE FULVOUS TREE-
DUCK IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY.
BWarly in the month of November, 1917,

a fulyous tree-duck (Dendrocygna bi-

color) was brought to me for identifica-

tion by Miss Ethel Emerson. It had been
caught when but a downy bird in the
salt marsh near Mountain View, Santa

Clara County, and was now nearly grown.

Several others taken at the same time

had died, one by one in captivity, but

the survivor, when placed in a large cage
with a pair of bantams, soon became very
active and contented. Later its plaintive
whistle might be frequently heard during
the night, and at times it seemed to show
irritation at close confinement. It re-
mained wild and was easily frightened at
the approach of people or other animals,
as dogs and cats. When opportunity of-
fered it made its escape after having
spent somewhat over a year in captivity.

The most interesting point in all this
is that it appears to furnish the first
account of the breeding of the species
in the marshes of San Francisco Bay,
and I believe that the bird has not been
recorded before in Santa Clara County.

—J. O. SNYDER.

BANDED PINTAIL TAKEN IN
ALAMEDA COUNTY.

On November 13, 1918, I shot at Alva-
rado, California, a pintail duck (Dafila
acuta) bearing a metal band stamped
“U. §. Biological Survey, No. 4009.”
Upon returning this band to Washington
the following information was obtained:

The duck was captured while sick with
alkali poisoning at Utah Lake, cured and
banded October 10, 1916, after which it
was exhibited with others at the Utah
State Fair, and released. Its capture is
good evidence of the permanence of the
cure, and is of interest because of the fact
that over two years intervened between
capture and the date of banding.—HaRLE
| DOWNING.

FISH AND GAME.

CALIFORNIA

44

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46 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME.

VIOLATIONS OF FISH AND GAME LAWS.
September 1, 1918, to December 1, 1918.

1

| Number | Fines

Offense of arrests | imposed
Game.

Hunting without: Tice ses 2s ee ee ek | 38 $645 00
Deer—close season—killing or possession___---_._-___-__-______ 3 75 00
Female deer, spike bucks, fawns—killing or possession________ 25 607 00
Running deer with dogs, close season_______-___---___-_____ eens 1 25 O00
Failure to retain portion of deer head bearing horns________ 7 150 00
[Hegal deer hides—possessiones = os 2 ee ee 2 100 00
Bear=closé- season—Rilling) tea eee 1
Quail—close season—killing or possession______-______-_________ 11 325 00
Doves—close season—killing or possession_______-__-____________ pe ee ee
Duck—close season—killing or possession, excess bag limit__ fi 240 00
Shooting dueks from power boat in motion_____-_-_-__-_______ 1 25 00
Cottontail and brush rabbits—close season—killing or pos-

SCSSION) [estate as oe See Ce ee ae See eke ee ees 2 50 00
Rail—close season—killing or possession_____________-_-_________| 1 25 00
Wild pigeon—close season—killing or possession______________ 1 25 00
Nongame birds—killing or possession___-__-______-______________ | 8 70. 00
Shore birds—close season—killing or possession______________ 3 75 00
Night shooting: 22522 2s ee a ee ee eee eae Se te 13 225 00

TOLLE Same VlOLAGlONS ee ae i ee ee 5 eae en re 126 $2,662 00
Fish
Anehinsswithout., Heenses ss 532 Sos le ee ee Pie ) $125 00
HiSMinNeior pronbswithoweo license. sss-- 1. 2 sae ey ee Thame 80. 00
Hishin swith nets:n Testricted Gistrict-.—. = J =. 55-2 ee 6 650 00
Striped: hass—wmdenrwel pity 5. sad es ol re ee oe 8 100 00
Salmon—Saturday and Sunday fishing close secason—taking

OI DOSSESSiOM vexcessuliniit.c =) oo. Ss ee ee ee 7 600 00
Clams—undersize—excess limit .... 22222222222 22252 eee 3 75 00
Abalones—undersize—shipping out of state____________________ 3 75 00
Spiny lobsters—close season—taking or possession_________- LY ‘eee

oval fshuviolatiOns.c: 427.5 See ee he eee eee! ee 42 $1,705 00
Grand) total fish and frame violations. 2-2-9) = 168 | $4,367 00

SEIZURES—FISH, GAME AND ILLEGALLY USED FISHING APPARATUS.
September 1, 1918, to December 1, 1918.

Game.
Deer-menih. Ses sant le So ee ae ee ee ee ee es thee oe a ee 194 pounds
EPI Ges) 2s. eS se ee ee Se Ae Se ee Aen eee eee rg eee 6
Darcie + oe Ass oh eS 1 ee ee SERA RE a ee ee ee eee ae » 425
CUTTS OE ee ee eee es a oe ee ee eee eee et eee 49
OWES: +5 foals at ee 8 Se ae ee ee Se ee ee ee 1
SHOT EG DINGS! 22) co fet ee Re eh ee ER eh ed See ones Ge, Cee 4
Nongame: Pings. {250.25 e se ot ee ee Bee ene Be eee 10
RADIUS: seo ese See a eee ere Oe Se ie ete ee Se ee 8
Miscellaneous fame ss eee ee ee ees Fo Re Se ee 10

Fish
Striped DARS) 222 208s Ree ieee ee 2a re Sa oe ee ee es 841 pounds
Salmon ou hee Ee eee eee Bae a ee Se ee ae ae eee ees 15,665 pounds
Trout. 2220222222322 3 a ise ee ea a ee ee eee 64 pounds
Crabs 22 Be ee a ae ae ae, ae eae Se ee eee 157
Pismo. clamst. 42h 2a52 seo ee er ee ee ee eee 403
Abalones | ou.<. [28 = -Se eo De es ee ee eee 124
ler al-hets |. oe ee eS ee ee ee ee ees Bee 3

Searches

47

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¥S 060'E 96 6L9'9 GI GI8'é 9L FZ0'G PP Rae Saale a gt vce Sen nr Scenes pte ieee hc orale OE einige AToyo BY BISBYYS JUNO!
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= 09 8007 | 00 S06°E €9 980'P 02 F0L'S DG Ack ee ni enema as Cas mg rye ae ie JolAqsIp OJUOUTB.IOVYg
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PAIS MEAS als Bere, CISL? geal arias Peg rrr Ute a pean geal GARE sane DT LS tie MEME on aE ET CNET ty Eater enatlar
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CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME,

48

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Pads a) PATROL- SERVICE.

SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION.
E. L. Bosqui, Commissioner in Charge. Carl Westerfeld, Executive Officer.
J. S. Hunter, Assistant Executive Officer. E. C. Boucher, Special Agent.
Head Office, New Call Building, San Francisco.

Phone Sutter 6100.

Te Be eeOm pel sie iis aoe sie <--San Jose
ERGs OV NISC GON aera ee le en Santa Rosa
AG Ube Cle es ee —__San Francisco
TB 7g ho 5 SNA OS LU pa oem elena pte aa —Ukiah
Epa Wien ALY ae Paes yells send Santa Cruz
AVA es IVER OL aoe tees OF eS a
ic ISU MNO STL COs ss Sy ene neon Tate Salinas
J. E. Newsome___-_-___--_______-_Newman
Gras te Perkins. so S28 Sel Fort Bragg
LEAN Nae ERE al Pe BSA Laytonville | Frank Shook _____-._--._______Salinas City
BRA ELE -Watsonville | E. W. Smalley____-._-_.-_______._._Hanford

San Rafael| H. BH. Foster__Launch ‘‘Quinnat,’’ Vallejo
---------------------Merced ' Chas. Bouton_-Launch ‘‘Quinnat,” Vallejo

SACRAMENTO DIVISION.
F. M. Newbert, Commissioner in Charge.
- Geo. Neale, Assistant.
Forum Building, Sacramento.
Phone Main 4300.

aS. pirminghame= — 5203. _ Sutter. Creek i R5°C.. @' Gonnor oe) ee eo, Grass Valley
B. W. Bolt (Enlisted U. S. Navy) _Gridley | E. D. Ricketts_______---__----___ Live Oak

i a SO RPE ped Darts a Maxwell} D. E. Roberts___----.--___.____-_-_Murphys

Courtright. 33) Sess Canby. dio mae nese see See Sc a Truckee

BEE SAUTE Ty Snot tee ea ee Plecervities! GA. Seropege 2 ee ee Boomis

ROW erlid a PeCe == a sich bse Macramentoy Rea. Sinkkeyoos kos Woodland
‘G. O. Laws__.____ _._.Weaverville| L. z Warren... Taylorsville

Retoyedsaabamt. en NG ee Bos Molnos |W Se vy Ditka saese eae Da Castella

Pcs a2

LOS ANGELES DIVISION.
M. J. Connell, Commissioner in Charge.
BE. A. McKee, Assistant. Edwin L. Hedderly, Assistant.
Union League Building, Los Angeles.
Aa Phones: Broadway 1155; Home, F5705.
Z PET rt AWA ON a ee Santa Maria Big Pine

; J. cae ties hoa as
‘ —.-San Luis Obispo 3 Los Angeles
Nattied A Mase, 6 Eas 5 arpa Seen Elsinore Webb Noms cee Se ee Sa Diego
apolar = popes tan San Bernardino

Wi

3 9088

Tl

1021

| ABSTRACT CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME LAWS

WHITE SQUARES INDICATE OPEN SEASON. NUMBERS IN SQUARES ARE OPEN DATES

foetra| me [o [mafene| sorte ny] ae erctect| wr [ae] AO LIMITS, SE |

cs Ste ie Lica Bal
ep jg ae No Does, Fawns or Spike Bucks:
sf aes ios oS BR Twe Bucks per season
ot ems | See Notes 1-2-8-9-10 on bach of this abstract

TS, COTTONTAL AND BRUSB EB | 15 per day. 30 per week
Ree

i 12 per season

KILLING OF ELK OR POSSESSION OF ELK
TA

$1,000 Fine for Sea Otter

ANTELOPE, MOUNTAIN SHEEP
SEA OTTER, BEAVER :

1
i
a
|_| 15 per day. 30 per week |

yee: RE 10 pw day 20 oe eo
Ship 10 day 20 week
ef i

4 perday 8 per week

WAIL, VALLEY AND DESERT

MOUNTAIN QUAIL
SAGE HEN

15 per day

i?

GEEEEREHEEREEEECEEEEEEEEEEEEE

GROUSE 4 per day. 8 per week

riitiiits ar
eM TTA csr per day ie arc 2 ad
ae Od Bh rag the

3 during the winter season 5 fish

TROUT

(Except Goiden}
WHITEFISH

per day
: SEE NOTES 25-38-48 ON BACK OF THIS ABSTRACT
MEE | SEE NOTE 77 ON BACK OF THIS ABSTRACT
SEE NOTE 26 OR BACK OF THIS ABSTRACT

GOLDEN TROUT
BLACK BASS

SACRAMENTO PERCH. SUNFISH AND
STRIPED BASS, SHAD

ib NO SALE
7 a Hook and line oak
eae Sills 25 per day. Hook and line only
rm

SALMON . = SEE NOTE 28 ON BACK OF THIS ABSTRACT

Gb BEB
CATFISH aR
CRABS mime: Fl

SEE NOTE 4 ON BACK OF THIS ABSTRACT

Pismo crams | © | .. SSSR
FOR LAWS IN FULL SEE PENAL CODE FOR COMMERCIAL FISHING LAWS SEE MARKET FISHING ABSTRACT

DISTRICTS 1a, 1b, lc, Id, le, 14, 1g, Th ta. 2y, Bk, 1 2a, 3a, 3b, 3¢, 3d, 4a, Ab, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f, are
game refuges. Hunting forbidden Fishing im accordance with law relating to maip district
un which refuge is lecated. (See map.)

E
Le

Hunting Licenses: Residents, $1.00, Non-residents, $10, Trapping Licenses; Citizens, $1.00; Aliens, $2.00.
Aliens, $25. License year from July 1 to June 30 License year from July 1 to June 30.

Angling Licenses. Residents, $1.00: Non-residents, $3, Hunting and Angling Licenses can be secured frem Fish
Aliens, $3. License-year from Jan | to Dec 31 and Game Commission, County Clerks and License ¢
Trapping Licenses from Fish and Game Commussion Ageots.