12 CALIFORNIA F1SJ[ AND GAME. 



to six Imiulred sixty-one thousand, five hundred pounds. One-half 

 of this catch consisted of snuill iisli. the jirincipal species ])eing 

 smelt, California ancliovy and sculpin. 



The small smelt, two and one-half to three and one-half inches 

 long, were very ahundant, making up over one-fourth of the entire 

 catch. The estimated amount of these young smelt taken in tlie last 

 fifteen days of July is 165.875 pounds, or ahout 16,537,500 small 

 fish. When tlie nets are hrought to tlu' sui-face of the water, these 

 small smelt are dead, so tiiat to throw them hack would do no good." 



Later, in the year lf)10. we nuule the following notes : 



''Oii. 25, 1910: Visited two San Pedro Point hoats as they 

 lifted their nets. One had 30 per cent of young fish, mostly smelt 

 and sole. They also had a good many undersized female edible 

 crabs, which were alive, but they had not attempted to throw them 

 back. The other boat had 20 per cent of young fish. 



Oct. 28, J910: Six boats out of San Pedro Point. Ming's boat 

 had eighty baskets on this tide, of which 30 per cent was fish, 

 mostly young smelt, young sole, and tomcod. One boat had forty 

 baskets, two boats fifty baskets each, and the remaining two had 

 seventy-five each. The amount of young fish was about 20 per 

 cent. Ming says he uses forty nets and has averaged seventy bas- 

 kets a day for September and October. The five camps above him 

 use sixty nets each and their catch is much larger. 



Oct. 29, 1910 : Again visited San Pedro Point boats. Five 

 boats out. The catch the same as yesterday. Three boat crews 

 have been arrested in the last few days for catching young fish, 

 but when visited yesterday and today they made no attempt what- 

 ever to throw back even the few fish that were alive. Wing had 

 used a screen to get out the fish, but his catch was still 30 per cent 

 fish. Their nets were all set Avide open, as the tides are not 

 so strong now." 



The above notes are selected to give a conservative idea of what 

 the average catch consists in upper San Francisco Bay. The greatest 

 damage is done on the shallow San Pablo Bay flats. During the 

 winter months large numbers of small striped bass are killed in the 

 nets. The boats which fished below San Pablo Bay in the deeper 

 water near Red Rock and the- Stone Quarry caught smaller (piantities 

 of young fi.sh than those above, hut they caught more of the young 

 striped bass than any others. The late increase in the number of 

 striped bass is undoubtedly in large part due to the abolition of the 

 Chinese nets in the upper bay. and if we value that fine food and game 

 fish the destructive shrimp nets should be kept out. 



The Chinese operating in South San Francisco Bay catch fewer 

 young fish and the varieties caught are not of the valuable species. 

 The lower bay can easily supply the fresh markets without serious 

 injury to any of the other fisheries. But even there, the nets should 

 be prohibited as soon as a less destructive method of shrimp fishing 

 can be developed. 



