2 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 



business, each boat manned by white men. They easily caught enough 

 shrimi)s to supply the demand, besides many flounders, sole, tomcod, 

 etc., for the fresli fish market. Fish and shrimps were very plentiful 

 in the bay at tlie time. The shrimps caught Avere the same species as 

 now, but were much larger than those caught in later years during the 

 intensive fishing by tlie Chinese. This later reduction of the larger and 

 older shrimps as noted by Mr. Paladini is good evidence that the shrimps 

 Avere being subjected to overfishing. The early fishing of the eight 

 boats of Italian fishermen was carried on with small-meshed seines, sixty 

 feet long and eiglit feet dee]), witli a bag at the center. They used the 

 nets in tiie deei)er water of the bay for there the catch was freer of 

 young fish and of the small unmai-ketable shrimps. Tlic manner of 

 fishing Avas to lay out the net, then anchor the boat dowu tlie tide and 

 pull the net along the bottom toward the boat l)y means of lines, always 

 pulling Avith the tide. The net Avas pulled directly into the boat. They 

 Avould make from three to five hauls on each tide and they caught from 

 fifty to seventy-five pounds of shrimps at a haul. This method of fish- 

 ing Avas far less destructive to young fish than that employed later by 

 the Chinese. They could fish in deeper water, Avhere young fish and 

 young shrimps AA'ere fcAver, and unlike the Chinese nets which are set 

 during the whole tide and kill practically all the young fish caught, 

 they Avere in the water only a short time — less than one-half hour — and 

 the small per cent of young fish caught were still alive and could be 

 returned to the Avater. The shrimps thus caught Avere sold fresh at 

 the Long Wharf. Little thought Avas then taken as to Avhether a method 

 of fishing Avas destructive or not and there Avere few laAvs protecting 

 fish, for it Avas thought that the supply of fish in the bay and rivers 

 was inexhaustible. The Chinese had for som(^ years been in the fish- 

 ing business and Avith their destructive methods of fishing had already 

 begun the extermination of the Sacramento perch and Avith their 

 fiendish sturgeon lines had inaugurated a method of fishing that has 

 resulted in the commercial extinction of that valuable fish which in the 

 early days Avas here in apparently inexhaustible numbers. 



In 1871 the Chinese began fishing for shrimps and introduced the 

 destructive Chinese shrimp net. They made enormous catches Avith 

 these fine-meshed set nets and found it profitable to supply the markets 

 Avith shrimps at one and one-half cents per pound. The original eight 

 Italian shrimp boats Avere driven out of business and since that time 

 shrimp fishing has been almost entirely carried on by Chinese. From 

 the very start the Chinese dried the bulk of their catch for the Oriental 

 export trade. The shrimp fishery quickly grew to large proportions 

 and fishing Avas carried on at many places in San Francisco Bay and in 

 Tomales Bay in Marin County. 



The first printed account of the shrimp fishery is contained in Vol. 

 II of "History and Methods of the Fisheries" by Goode, printed in 1885 

 by the T'nited States Bureau of Fisheries. A more extensive investiga- 

 tion of the fishery Avas made by the author for the California Fish and 

 Game Commission in 1897. A subsequent investigation Avas made by 

 the author in 1910. There has ahvays been serious objection to the 

 Chinese method of catching shrimps, and much of the legislature's time 

 has been taken up l)y listening to discussions between those Avho Avould 



