﻿642 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Within 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  the 
  fisheries 
  have 
  received 
  more 
  attention, 
  

   and 
  in 
  1895, 
  933,725 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish 
  were 
  taken, 
  as 
  against 
  428,980 
  

   pounds 
  in 
  1892, 
  This 
  large 
  increase 
  was 
  not 
  from 
  any 
  notable 
  change 
  

   m 
  the 
  abundance 
  of 
  fish, 
  but 
  from 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fisher- 
  

   men 
  and 
  fishing 
  gear, 
  some 
  having 
  changed 
  their 
  homes 
  from 
  San 
  

   Francisco 
  to 
  Santa 
  Cruz 
  County. 
  There 
  has 
  been 
  quite 
  a 
  large 
  increase 
  

   in 
  the 
  run 
  of 
  salmon 
  in 
  Monterey 
  Bay. 
  For 
  several 
  years 
  it 
  was 
  known 
  

   that 
  salmon 
  entered 
  the 
  bay, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  practically 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  their 
  

   southern 
  range, 
  as 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  scattering 
  salmon 
  are 
  ever 
  seen 
  south 
  of 
  

   Monterey 
  Bay. 
  Some 
  were 
  taken 
  each 
  year 
  by 
  sportsmen, 
  the 
  profes- 
  

   sional 
  fishermen 
  not 
  giving 
  any 
  attention 
  to 
  them. 
  Within 
  the 
  past 
  

   four 
  years 
  the 
  salmon 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  entered 
  the 
  bay 
  in 
  much 
  larger 
  

   numbers, 
  and 
  the 
  fishermen 
  have 
  joined 
  the 
  sportsmen 
  in 
  their 
  capture. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  past 
  few 
  years 
  tunny 
  weighing 
  from 
  200 
  to 
  300 
  pounds 
  

   each 
  have 
  been 
  frequently 
  caught; 
  previously 
  they 
  were 
  seldom 
  seen. 
  

   Shipments 
  of 
  tunny 
  in 
  1895 
  amounted 
  to 
  45,000 
  pounds, 
  the 
  fish 
  being 
  

   shipped 
  entire 
  and 
  without 
  packing. 
  

  

  With 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  fishermen, 
  the 
  shad 
  catch 
  of 
  

   42,800 
  pounds 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  last 
  reported. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  report 
  

   that 
  a 
  much 
  reduced 
  number 
  of 
  shad 
  enter 
  the 
  bay. 
  

  

  The 
  increased 
  catch 
  of 
  fish 
  in 
  1895 
  wa 
  s 
  largely 
  in 
  the 
  345,000 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  sea 
  bass 
  {Stereolepis 
  gigas)^ 
  which 
  were 
  abundant 
  and 
  more 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  fished 
  for 
  with 
  sea-bass 
  gill 
  nets. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  from 
  Santa 
  Cruz 
  County 
  is 
  sent 
  by 
  rail 
  to 
  San 
  

   Francisco, 
  packed 
  in 
  boxes 
  and 
  sacks 
  without 
  being 
  dressed 
  or 
  iced, 
  a 
  

   minor 
  portion 
  being 
  used 
  locally 
  and 
  peddled 
  through 
  the 
  interior. 
  

  

  MONTEREY 
  COUNTY. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  having 
  one 
  less 
  line 
  of 
  railroad, 
  this 
  county 
  

   possesses 
  equal 
  fishing 
  advantages 
  with 
  Santa 
  Cruz 
  County, 
  which 
  it 
  

   adjoins 
  on 
  the 
  south. 
  The 
  fisheries 
  are 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  43 
  white 
  men, 
  

   most 
  of 
  whom 
  are 
  of 
  Portuguese 
  descent, 
  and 
  96 
  Chinese, 
  who 
  reside 
  in 
  

   two 
  camps. 
  These 
  139 
  fishermen 
  live 
  in 
  Monterey, 
  and 
  fish 
  all 
  through 
  

   the 
  year 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Monterey 
  Bay. 
  The 
  bulk 
  of 
  the 
  products 
  are 
  

   packed 
  undressed 
  into 
  small 
  boxes 
  holding 
  50 
  to 
  100 
  pounds, 
  and 
  

   expressed 
  to 
  San 
  Francisco. 
  No 
  ice 
  is 
  used. 
  A 
  small 
  j)ortion 
  of 
  the 
  

   catch 
  is 
  peddled 
  through 
  the 
  interior. 
  

  

  The 
  fishing 
  apparatus 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  white 
  fishermen 
  is 
  difi'erent 
  from 
  

   that 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Chinese, 
  the 
  latter 
  using 
  no 
  netting 
  except 
  for 
  purse 
  

   seines. 
  The 
  white 
  men 
  take 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  their 
  catch 
  with 
  gill 
  

   nets 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  proi)ortions 
  : 
  Barracuda 
  gill 
  nets 
  are 
  05 
  fathoms 
  

   long, 
  120 
  meshes 
  deep, 
  3|-inch 
  mesh; 
  sea-bass 
  gill 
  nets, 
  40 
  fathoms 
  long, 
  

   37 
  meshes 
  deep, 
  9-inch 
  mesh; 
  smelt 
  gill 
  nets, 
  40 
  fathoms 
  long, 
  2-inch 
  

   mesh. 
  Seven 
  boats, 
  with 
  4 
  nets 
  each, 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  gill-net 
  fishery. 
  

  

  Eocktish 
  form 
  an 
  important 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  catch; 
  196,000 
  pounds 
  

   were 
  taken 
  with 
  hooks 
  and 
  lines, 
  used 
  over 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  boat. 
  These 
  

   lines 
  are 
  practically 
  trawls, 
  having 
  50 
  hooks 
  each, 
  and 
  used 
  uprightly 
  

   instead 
  of 
  horizontally. 
  All 
  the 
  white 
  fishermen 
  set 
  these 
  upright 
  

  

  