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.

    1078/1174 (page 898)
    worthless. Not so on the Sacramento. Well, we may be proud of our river; it is the paradise of the salmon, and they seem determined to resist the devils—who also seem determined to drive them out—better than could be expected ; but they will need help in the future. The nets for taking them are being multiplied and improved. The fishing grounds are better known than formerly. Such obstructions as snags in the river bottom are less common—many of them having been broken off or taken up by the nets and put out of the way, or covered by sedi- ment, so that a wider and longer sweep may be taken by the drifting net. Altogether, the salmon is sure to be exterminated, fight he ever so persistently, unless we help him. Surely the State can afford to guard him effectually one month in the year. The cupidity of the fish specu- lator, who only cares for the greatest number of cases he can pack and ship, should not be allowed to influence the statement of that time. Let it be somewhere between the 10th of August and the 1st of October. By the way, it seems to me that at the extreme upper waters, on the spawning grounds, the fish should be protected during their entire stay, excepting as needed solely for the purpose of artificial hatching. But of this you are a better judge than 1 can be.’7 20. While not agreeing with this intelligent fisherman as to the pro- priety of shortening the close season, we fully concur as to the absolute necessity of a patrol to prevent unlawful fishing while the salmon are passing up to their spawning grounds. We also concur in his sugges- tion that the salmon should be protected on their breeding beds. The most important spawning ground left in this State is the McCloud River, in Shasta County. Its banks are mainly composed of lava and lime- stone, and, so far as known, they contain no mines. By some inadvert- ence or intentional manipulation, this county was exempted from the law creating a close season for salmon, and the fish are persistently taken in this county for market while in the act of reproduction on their spawning beds. We respectfully urge that Shasta County be reincor- porated in the law, and that no salmon be allowed to be taken there during the close season except for purposes of artificial propagation. 21. The Chinese and others continue to use nets of a mesh much finer than is allowed by law, and the young of all kinds of salt-water fish that spawn in the bays and estuaries are persistently caught, dried, and shipped to China. The records of the custom-house show that there were shipped to China, from San Francisco, during the year ending 1st July, 1877, dried fish and dried sliell-tish valued at $293,971. 22. We have caused several arrests to be made for violations of this law, but it is impossible for the commissioners to act as local police on all parts of the bay and rivers, and we see no remedy except in increas- ing the penalties for violations of the law, involving even, if necessary, the destruction of the nets, when used out of season. Unless in some way the wise provisions of the statute are compelled to be observed, we can see no reason why our present abundance of fish will not decrease,