Report of the commissioner for 1878 : part VI.

  • United States Fish Commission.
Date:
1880
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the commissioner for 1878 : part VI. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    1072/1174 (page 892)
    1st November, 1874, to 1st August, 18765 and from 1st November, 1876, to 1st August, 1877. They do not include the catch of the fisheries at Tehama or near the mouth of the Feather River, nor do they include the fish taken on the upper waters of the Sacramento and San Joaquin, nor the salmon brought to market by fishermen in their own boats; there- fore, to the totals should be added, at least, 25 per cent., to show an approximation of the actual catch. 12. In our last report, after adding 25 per cent, to the statements of the catch which we obtained, we showed the total weight as transported from the same places, from 1st November, 1874, to 1st August, 1875, to be 5,098,781 pounds. Adding the same percentage to the totals in the above tables, and they show the catch from 1st November, 1875, to 1st August, 1876, to be 5,311,423 pounds j and from 1st November, 1876, to 1st August, 1877, 6,493,563 pounds. 13. This shows a gain of more than a million pounds in the legal catch over any year since the organization of the commission, and may be ascribed to the fact that our waters are now beginning to feel the beneficial effects of the millions of salmon hatched artificially and turned into the headwaters. We have no means of ascertaining the weight of fish taken out of season, but estimate that between 1st August and 1st November of this year, not less than 2,000,000 pounds were taken in defiance of law. CLOSE SEASON FOR SALMON. 14. We are informed that a determined effot will be made to induce the legislature to alter the time of the close season, so that fishing for salmon may be permitted in August and September, and that the close season may be changed from these months to July. With this object in view, it is reported that the proprietors of the present u canneries,” and capitalists, who have in contemplation the construction of other u canneries,” have been obtaining the evidence of fishermen, to present to the legislature to show that July is the proper month when fishing should not be permitted. 15. As we have shown, in July the spring run of fish has about ceased and the fall run but commencing. It is one of the months when fish are most scarce. To permit unlimited fishing during all the months in the year except July, would have the effect of exhausting our rivers of salmon within ten years. It is a simple proposition that if some of the ripe fish are not permitted to reach their spawning-grounds, they cannot reproduce naturally, neither can the United States nor the State obtain eggs from which to restock the river by artificial hatching. One of the fishermen who was approached with the object of obtaining his testimony in favor of a change to July, wrote to the commissioners, 30th September, as follows: u The close season should never, on any possible pretense or persuasion, be pressed outside the months of August and September to give opportunity for fishing in those months. Right there