644 U. S. BtTREAU OF FISHERIES 



The main object of the hatchery the first few years was to secure 

 eggs to ship to the East for the purpose of introducing Pacific salmon 

 in the waters of that section. The commission early made an agree- 

 ment with the State of California, however, under which the latter 

 at first paid part of the expense, and the commission hatched and 

 planted a portion of the take in the McCloud River. Later, part of 

 the eggs were turned over to the States, which hatched and planted 

 the salmon in local waters. 



In 1881 the station buildings were washed away in a freshet, but 

 were immediately rebuilt. From 1884 to 1887, both inclusive, all 

 operations were suspended. 



In 1889 a hatchery was established at Fort Gaston, on the Army 

 reservation in the Hoopa Indian Reservation in Humboldt County, 

 but it was not put into operation until 1890. As the reservation 

 was abolished on Julj^ 1, 1892, the commission took complete charge 

 of the plant and in 1893 established a tributary station on Redwood 

 Creek. The same year Korbel station was established about one- 

 half mile above Korbel, on Mad River, in Humboldt County. Owing 

 to the lack of money this station was closed in the fiscal year 1896, 

 but was reopened during the fiscal year 1897. 



That same year the commission erected, on ground owned by the 

 State, a hatchery at Battle Creek, in Tehama County, and also took 

 charge of and operated the hatchery erected at this place by the 

 State fish commission the previous year. Under the terms of an 

 agreement the commission was to deliver to the States as many eyed 

 spawn as the latter could hatch at Sisson, its own station. 



Owing to their inaccessibility, the Fort Gaston hatchery and its 

 substations were abandoned in 1898. The same year an experi- 

 mental station was established at Olema, Bear Valley, in Marin 

 County, whence eggs were transferred from Baird station, hatched 

 out here, and planted in Olema Creek in order to see if they could not 

 be domesticated here, where they had not been found previously. 



During the fiscal year 1902 a substation was estabhshed on Mill 

 Creek, a stream which has its source in the foothills of the Sierra 

 Mountains, in the northeastern part of Tehama County, and empties 

 into the Sacramento River from the east about a mile above the 

 town of Tehama. The eggs are retained here until eyed and then 

 shipped to other hatcheries. 



As stated above, the State aided the work of the United States 

 Fish Commission in a financial way and also by hatching and dis- 

 tributing the eggs turned over to its care. In 1885 the State legis- 

 lature passed a bill authorizing the establishment of a hatchery of 

 its own, and the same year such a station was built upon Hat Creek 

 about 2/2 miles above its junction with Pitt River, a tributary of 

 the Sacramento River. As the work of the first few seasons devel- 

 oped that the location was unsuitable, the hatchery was removed 

 in 1888 to Sisson, in Siskiyou County. It is now known as the 

 Mount Shasta hatchery. The work of this hatchery was to handle 

 the eggs turned over to it by the United States Fish Commission. 

 It was almost doubled in size in 1917. 



In 1895 another hatchery was built by the State near the mouth 

 of Battle Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River. In 1896 and 

 1897 this hatchery was operated jointly by the State and the United 

 States Fish Commission while awaiting the appropriation of money 

 by the commission to purchase it from the State. 



