CALIFORNiA FfSH AND GAMll. 9 



to i)reak the shells t'roni th(^ meats. The whole mass is then carried to 

 a shed where it is run through a small t'anninar uiill to separate the loose 

 shells, fsh bones and pulverized fish flesh from the heavier shrimp 

 meats. By screening and hand picking the shrimp meats are divided 

 into two grades, the unbroken meats in one and the broken meats in the 

 other. They are then sacked, 280 pounds to the sack. The shells fish- 

 ]>one.s and fish flesh, and all fine particles and dust are .saved and put 

 in sacks. 'MO ]>ounds to the sack, and sold for use as a fertilize!-. The 

 loss in di'ying is about 6") per cent, and for eacli i)oun(l of shi'imp meats 

 there are two i)ounds of fertilizer or "shells." 



DrijDig Fisli. The amount of young fish taken in the Chinese nets is 

 always large, varying from 10 to 75 per cent of the entire catch. Form- 

 erly large (juantities of these fish were dried. The larger fish were 

 picked out and hung on strings to dry while the very small fish, princi- 

 pally the young smelt (Osnifrus thaJeichfJiys) were dried on trays 

 which had been covered with discarded net webbing. The small fish 

 were separated from the shrimps by dumping a basket of the catch in 

 a small vat of cold water where the live shrimps sank to the bottom, thus 

 allowing the small dead fish to be easily skimmed from the top. After 

 being prosecuted for catching .voung fish they ceased to dry the small 

 fish and boiled them with the shrimps to get rid of the evidence as 

 (|uickly as possible. They were nearly as valuable as a fertilizer as 

 they were as a food product. There has always been this incentive to 

 catch the young fish and experience has shown that it is impossible to 

 operate the Chinese net without catching great (|uantities of immature 

 fish, thus causing great damage to the fisheries of the bay and rivers. 



Fresli SJirimps. Tn the camps that sent fresli shrimps to tlie markets 

 they had a special shed at the wharf Avhere part of the catch was taken 

 and the larger shrimps screened out by hand and all fish, seaweed and 

 dirt carefully picked out. The shrimps for the market were boiled 

 l)efore the rest of the catch, in the same way as were those to be dried 

 except that less salt was used and they were not boiled (piite so long. 

 After boiling, the shrimps were spread on matting on the sorting room 

 floor where they could cool and the surplus moistui'e evaporate They 

 were then placed in baskets and conveyed by powei- launch to San 

 Francisco. 



Throe Species of Shrimps. Three species of shrimps are taken in San 

 Francisco Bay. Fully 90 per cent of them are of one species, Cragn 

 traticiscnrum. The remaining 10 per cent is made up of the two species. 

 Crago tiigricauda and Crago itigrirnaculata. 



The shrimps di-ift back and forth ahmg the bottom of the bay with the 

 tides but have the powei" in some measure to select their environment, 

 for in the winter time when the fresh water is entering the bay in 

 larger <iuantities they move farther down the bay. In the summer when 

 the blue sea water encroaches on the flats they move farther up toward 

 the river mouths. They appear to go on the shallower flats when they 

 are carrying their eggs. The smaller individuals are found mostly in 

 shallow water and in the deeper and swifter water more large ones are 

 found. They have a wide range, however, for they are found in the 

 cieepest water as well as the shallowest and can be found in water per- 

 fectly fresh as well as in pure sea water. Very little is known about 

 their life history. Females may be found carrying eggs attached to 



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