128 



CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 



HATCHERY NOTES. 



W. II. Shebley, Editor. 



On April 30, the application lists for 

 fish for the season of 1920 were closed. 

 Prior to this date application blanks had 

 been forwarded to all sections of the 

 state, in order that interested parties 

 might have ample opportunity of filing 

 applications for fish for the purpose of 

 stocking all streams open to the general 

 public for fishing purposes. The appli- 

 cants were cautioned that it was very 

 necessary to have their formal applica- 

 tions on file in the oflSce of the Depart- 

 ment of Fish Culture prior to the date of 

 closing, in order that they might be 

 assured of receiving a supply of trout 

 fry this season. 



Nearly five hundred applications were 

 received, and they came from every sec- 

 tion of the state where eond'tions are 

 favorable for the planting of trout fi"y. 

 The majority of the applications were 

 received from private individuals, although 

 there were also a considerable number 

 received from boards of supervisors, 

 chambers of commerce, public associations 

 of anglers and fishing clubs. 



The season just closing has been a 

 very unfavorable one for collecting trout 

 eggs. Every egg collecting station was 

 in operation this season and every effort 

 was made to obtain a larger number of 

 trout eggs than ever before, as it was 

 realized that the demand for fry would 

 be greater than ever before in the history 

 of the Commission. The completion of 

 the hundreds of miles of new highways 

 and the ever increasing number of 

 anglers is in large measure respon.sible 

 for the increasing demand. 



The drought of the past winter and 

 early spring made it very difficult to 

 obtain even a fair take of eggs at some 

 of the best stations. The streams were 

 so low in some sections that the spawn- 

 ing trout could not possibly ascend the 

 streams to the points at which the egg 

 collecting stations are located. This 

 condition was noticeable at the Snow 

 Mountain Egg Collecting Station on the 

 Eel River, where in normal seasons from 

 four to seven million steelhead eggs are 

 obtained. This season less than one 

 million eggs were taken at this station. 



The run of fish in Scott Creek where 

 the Scott Creek Egg Collecting Station 

 is located, was also far below normal and 



! less than half the usual number of steel- 

 head trout eggs were obtained. 



In the Bear Lake section, in San 

 Bernardino County, where new racks, 

 traps, holding tanks, etc., have been 

 installed on the streams tributary to the 

 lake, the take of rainbow trout eggs was 

 practically a failure. Where there was 

 every reason to expect a take of from 

 four to six million eggs, only one and 

 one-half million were obtained. In this 

 section the long drought was followed 

 in the early spring mouths by heavy 

 snows and stormy weather. As the 

 season advanced water in the lake was 

 comparatively warm, while the streams 

 Howing into the lake ran bank full of 

 cold, roily water from the melting snows 

 in the surrounding mountains. Under 

 these conditions the spawning fish, which 

 had gathered close to the mouths of 'the 

 creeks, would not enter the streams to 

 spawn except in limited numbers. Over 

 retention of the eggs resulted and con- 

 sequently when the fish were taken in 

 our traps, the majority of the eggs were 

 impossible of fertilization. 



At the Klamath River stations in 

 Piskiyou County there was a fair run 

 of rainbow trout and a fair take of eggs 

 was obtained. 



Conditions at the Almanor Hatchery 

 in Plumas County were unfavorable for 

 egg collecting operations and we were 

 unable to take any eggs at the station. 

 A fair take, however, was obtained at 

 Clear Creek Hatchery and the Domingo 

 Springs Hatchery promises to turn out 

 a million or so of rainbow trout eggs. 



The water levels in Lake Tahoe were 

 far below normal this spring, and while 

 the season has not closed at this writing, 

 it is extremely doubtful if more than a 

 third of the normal take of black-spotted 

 trout eggs will be obtained. 



Our extensive system of breeding ponds 

 at the Mount Shasta Hatchery has, how- 

 e\er, produced a fine large take of Loch 

 Leven and brown trout eggs and also a 

 nice lot of eastern brook eggs. These 

 eggs have all been hatched, and the 

 resulting fry are thriving well and will 

 soon be ready for distribution. 



Under these conditions it will be 

 readily seen that the number of trout 

 fry available during this coming season 



