840 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [2] 



Allow me to say here that oue of the last official acts of the late Hon. 

 B. B. Eetlding, as California fish commissioner, before he died, was to 

 write a letter to Professor Baird in regard to this station, in which he 

 stated that several hundred thousand dollars had been invested in can- 

 neries on the Sacramento River, that 1,600 men were employed in these 

 canneries, and that this capital and these men would be ultimately 

 thrown out of employment if the salmon hatching at this station should 

 be given up. He also stated that the hatching of salmon here had in- 

 creased the annual salmon catch of the Sacramento 5,000,000 pounds a 

 year, and that the canneries on the river were dependent upon the 

 salmon hatching of this station for their maintenance. 



It was fortunate that no more than three or four million eggs were 

 wanted this season, for the breeding salmon were extremely scarce, and 

 with the utmost exertions we could not average over a quarter of a 

 million eggs a day. It would probably have been impossible to take 

 the eight or nine million that we have taken during previous seasons. 



As a i)artial compensation for the numerical deficiency of the fish, 

 they exceeded in weight the breeders of any previous season, the aver- 

 age weight of the females after spawning being 14 pounds. I think 

 that we found the largest spawning female salmon this season that we 

 have ever taken eggs from. This one weighed 23^ pounds after the 

 eggs were taken from her, making her entire weight with the eggs 

 upwards of 27 pounds. 



The Indians this year have been very friendly, and those that we 

 have employed have worked well. Twice, when the seine got snagged 

 in deep water, it would have been almost impossible for us to have 

 freed it without Indian help. On each occasion they dove for the net 

 and released it, the water being quite deep and at the time almost like 

 ice water. 



An Indian named Jeff Davis freed the net both times, I believe. He 

 is a very bright Indian, and he amused us very much by one of his 

 remarks this fall. Many thousand pounds of dead salmon float down 

 against our bridge in September. They are spoiled, of course, and we 

 usually throw them over into the river below the bridge to relieve the 

 racks of the pressure. This year I thought I would utilize them by 

 putting them in the garden for a fertilizer. This was an entirely novel 

 thing to the Indians, and Jeff was very much exercised about it. He 

 said: "What you bury dead salmon in the garden for? I never heard 

 of any one burying dead salmon. Next year you will be burying dead 

 Injuns in the garden." 



We still find the Indians' help invaluable. They are the best men we 

 could have when work is to be done in the water or fish are to be 

 handled. 



As soon as all our season's eggs were taken they were turned over to 

 the California State fish commission to be hatched. This was on the 

 25th of September. I remained at the fishery until the middle of Octo- 



