STOXE ON THE SACRAMENTO SALMON. 193 



Question 04. Are the young of this fish found in abundance, and in 

 what localities ? 



Answer. The young fish are found in great abundance in thCineigh- 

 borhood of the spawning-ground in May, and i)robab]y before. After 

 the month of May they suddenly and mysterionsly disappear. 



Question 65. On what do they appear to feed ? 



Answer. They probably feed on Crustacea, water-insects, and smaller 

 fish. 



I. — ARTIFICIAL CULTURE. 



Question GO. Have any steps been taken to increase the abundance of 

 this fish by artificial breeding f 



Answer. Xo steps have been taken to increase the Sacramento sal- 

 mon in the Sacramento river by artificial breeding. The United States 

 has a salmon-breeding station on the McOlond river, one of the tributaries 

 of the Sacramento, but the object of this stiition is to obtain salmon- 

 eggs for the Atlantic rivers, and not to replenish the Sacramento. Sev- 

 eral thousand impregnated sahnon eggs were successfidly sent to the 

 Atlantic coast from this place this fall, 1872, and have been hatched 

 successfully. The destination of these young salmon is the Susque- 

 hanna river. 



K.— Protection. 



Question 6fi Are these fish protected by law, or otherwise 1 

 Answer, '^he Sacramento salmon are protected by a law impOvSing pen- 

 alties On the use of weirs, i)ounds, or other fixed engines of cai)tiu'e, giant 

 powder, and small-meshed nets. CChe Eio Yista and Sacramento fisher- 

 men wish for a law prohibiting salmon-fishing with nets, from the 1st of 

 June till the beginning of the winter run in ]N'overaber. This seems to 

 me to be a very judicious way of regulating the fishing, whenever it is 

 thought best to regulate it by law. During the time mentioned, from 

 June to November, the salmon are very poor, the fishermen make poor 

 wages at fishing, and tons of spoiled salmon are throwii back into the 

 river for the Avant of a market. 



The supply of the Sacramento salmon has a singular natural protec- 

 tion arising from the fact that the McCloud river, containing the great 

 spawning- grounds of these fish, is held entkely by Indians. As long as 

 this state of things remains, the natural supply of the salmon stock of 

 the Sacramento may be considered as guaranteed. That this i)rotection 

 is one of no slight importance may be inferred from the fact that the 

 appearance of the white man, on the American and Feather rivers, two 

 great forks of the Sacramento, has been followed by the total destruction 

 of the spawning beds of these once prolific salmon-streams, and the spoil- 

 ing of the water, so that not a single salmon ever enters these rivers now 

 where they used to swarm by millions in the days of the aboriginal 

 inhabitants. I earnestly hope that the policy which has been pursued 

 S. Mis. 74 13 



