CALIFORNIA KlSli AND GAME. 



41 



Creek. If remedial measures can uot be de- 

 vised three-fourths of the present salmon 

 run will be lost. 



Remedies which suggest themselves are 

 to attempt to establish runs in other 

 streams, especially in tributaries of the 

 San Joaquin and to establish a hatchery 

 at the dam. Many difficulties present 

 themselves in any p'lan to catch salmon 

 at the dam, chief of which is unsuitable 

 water temperature. Salmon of the spring 

 run will not be mature enough to warrant 

 holding at the dam for spawning purposes 

 and if eggs are collected at the dam from 

 the summer and fall run, the water avail- 

 able for the hatching will be too warm. 

 Even if the eggs could be held in a hatch- 

 ery at the dam until they are "eyed" 

 at which stage they could be shipped to 

 other hatcheries more favorably located on 

 the river above, there would still be the 

 problem of getting the resulting fry down 

 over the dam in their seaward migration. 



If such a dam is built, and it appears 

 now it will be built, the salmon industry 

 is sure to suffer an irreparable loss. 



SPERM WHALE TAKEN OFF 

 MONTEREY. 



()u November 21, Monterey fishermen 

 found a dead sperm whale off Point Pinos 

 near Monterey. They towed the carcass to 

 Monterey where it was sold to one of the 

 local fish concerns for $300. The length 

 of the whale was G5 feet and it produced 

 ten barrels of case oil. This species of 

 whale is very scarce on this coast, and 

 according to old residents of Moutorey this 

 is the tirst sperm whale that has beeu 

 taken iu that region for at least forty 

 years. 



LOCATING SARDINES BY AERO- 

 PLANE. 



The serious shortage of sardines in 

 southern California during the past sum- 

 mer has suggested the idea of locating 

 the schools of sardines by means of 

 aeroplanes. The great difficulty iu eatch- 

 iug sardines is in locating the schools 

 of fish. On account of light on the 

 surface of the water it is difficult to 

 locate a school of sardines luiless the 

 boat runs into them. Fishing is usually 

 carried on at night, at which time the 

 phosphorescent glow caused by the swim- 

 ming fish is more easily seen, but even at 

 night this phosphorescent light can be 

 seen only a short distance. It is a well- 

 known fact that schools of fish can be 



more easily seen from an elevation where 

 the observer is away from the glare of the 

 reflected light at the surface of the water. 

 From an aeroplane schools of fish are 

 easily seen which are invisible to a per- 

 son from the deck of a boat. At such 

 times as fishermen are unable to locate 

 schools of sardines, or of albacore for 

 that matter, it would be practicable to 

 employ an aeroplane for the purpose, 

 which adds one more argument for those 

 who would commercialize the aeroplane. 



NEW WHALING STATION ON MON- 

 TEREY BAY. 



The California Sea Products Company 

 has almost completed a large, modern, 

 fully equipped whaling station at Moss 

 Landing on Monterey Bay, which will 

 employ forty men when in operation. In 

 addition to the whaling plant this com- 

 pany expects in time to operate a sardine 

 cannery and during off seasons to use 

 their boats to supply fish to the fresh 

 fish trade. 



There has been some objection to the 

 establishment of a whaling station on 

 Monterey Bay for fear that it would in- 

 jure the sardine industry, under the be- 

 lief that it is the whales that drive the 

 sardines into the bay. This is an old 

 belief which comes to us from the Euro- 

 pean coast where at one time it was 

 believed whales drove the herring into the 

 sheltered waters of the bays and fjords. 

 Herring do not enter sheltered waters 

 along the coast to escape wliales, but for 

 the purpose of sp-awning in the shallow- 

 waters where their eggs are attached to 

 rocks and seaweed. There is no evidence 

 that whales drive sardines into bays. 



NEW FISH NET. 

 A new fish net has been devised for 

 catching sardines and other small fish 

 known as the purse-lompara net. This 

 net is in use at Monterey and is in all 

 respects a lompara net except that a 

 purse line has been added to the bunt of 

 the net which enables the operators to 

 pull the lead line in more quickly after 

 the net is partly in, thus impounding the 

 fish in the bunt of the net. With this 

 net it is easier to catch sardines in the 

 day time without their sounding and 

 getting- under the net when it is operated 

 in deep water. By using this semipurse 

 arrangement a shallower net than other- 

 wise can bo used, which makes its opera- 

 tion quicker and more economical. 



