﻿136 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  [6] 
  

  

  on 
  Mount 
  Shasta 
  seems 
  greatly 
  reduced. 
  The 
  river 
  has 
  been 
  of 
  a 
  

   milky, 
  muddy 
  color 
  all 
  summer 
  long, 
  until 
  about 
  a 
  week 
  ago 
  the 
  weather 
  

   got 
  cool, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  clear. 
  The 
  temperature 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  while 
  the 
  

   trout 
  have 
  been 
  dying 
  has 
  been 
  58 
  or 
  60 
  degrees 
  Fahr. 
  

  

  "There 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  salmon 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  

   but 
  very 
  few 
  fish 
  up 
  here 
  at 
  all. 
  I 
  have 
  kept 
  a 
  very 
  close 
  watch 
  on 
  

   them, 
  and 
  have 
  tried 
  in 
  all 
  ways 
  to 
  get 
  eggs 
  to 
  fish 
  with 
  for 
  bait, 
  but 
  

   have 
  succeeded 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  season 
  in 
  getting 
  the 
  eggs 
  from 
  only 
  

   five 
  salmon. 
  The 
  last 
  reports 
  from 
  Hat 
  Creek 
  were 
  that 
  there 
  were 
  no 
  

   salmon 
  there 
  yet." 
  

  

  "September 
  15, 
  1885. 
  — 
  Our 
  weather 
  is 
  still 
  hot 
  and 
  very 
  dry, 
  and 
  our 
  

   water 
  supply 
  is 
  very 
  low. 
  Our 
  fish 
  have 
  been 
  dying 
  considerably 
  lately, 
  

   from 
  what 
  cause 
  I 
  cannot 
  tell. 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  great 
  pains 
  with 
  them, 
  and 
  

   they 
  look 
  splendidly. 
  They 
  are 
  all 
  fat. 
  The 
  first 
  we 
  notice 
  of 
  their 
  being 
  

   sick 
  we 
  find 
  them 
  lying 
  in 
  the 
  ponds 
  on 
  their 
  sides, 
  with 
  not 
  a 
  mark 
  of 
  

   any 
  kind; 
  great, 
  large, 
  bright 
  fish, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  fat 
  as 
  can 
  be. 
  They 
  

   refuse 
  to 
  eat 
  perhaps 
  a 
  day 
  before 
  they 
  are 
  taken 
  ; 
  up 
  to 
  that 
  time 
  they 
  

   eat 
  heartily. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  seem 
  to 
  cramp 
  and 
  their 
  bodies 
  will 
  be 
  

   crooked, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  straighten 
  them. 
  They 
  lie 
  in 
  

   the 
  ponds 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  breathing 
  faintly 
  for 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  days, 
  and 
  then 
  

   die. 
  It 
  is 
  something 
  never 
  known 
  here 
  before. 
  I 
  have 
  given 
  them 
  

   quantities 
  of 
  earth, 
  salt, 
  and 
  everything 
  I 
  could 
  think 
  of, 
  but 
  to 
  no 
  ac- 
  

   count. 
  It 
  attacks 
  only 
  the 
  large 
  fish. 
  I 
  have 
  one 
  pond 
  of 
  two-year-old 
  

   trout, 
  that 
  has 
  five 
  hundred 
  or 
  so 
  in 
  it, 
  which 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  troubled 
  at 
  all. 
  

   Fish 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  are 
  just 
  the 
  same. 
  I 
  found 
  three 
  large 
  trout 
  this 
  morn- 
  

   ing 
  lying 
  in 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  not 
  any 
  of 
  them 
  dead. 
  I 
  went 
  up 
  

   and 
  caught 
  them, 
  and 
  after 
  rousing 
  them 
  they 
  would 
  swim 
  oft' 
  a 
  short 
  

   distance 
  and 
  then 
  turn 
  on 
  their 
  sides. 
  The 
  water 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  so 
  low 
  

   by 
  half 
  since 
  we 
  were 
  here. 
  I 
  thought 
  once 
  I 
  should 
  be 
  obliged 
  to 
  build 
  

   ponds 
  in 
  the 
  river, 
  but 
  that 
  would 
  have 
  caused 
  a 
  great 
  loss 
  of 
  fish, 
  as 
  it 
  

   is 
  almost 
  impossible 
  to 
  build 
  a 
  wall 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  secure 
  from 
  minks 
  and 
  

   otters, 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  plentiful 
  here. 
  I 
  am 
  afraid 
  our 
  egg 
  supply 
  will 
  

   be 
  rather 
  short 
  next 
  winter. 
  Fish 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  are 
  very 
  scarce. 
  I 
  have 
  

   been 
  fishing 
  the 
  past 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  days 
  and 
  have 
  caught 
  only 
  two 
  large 
  

   trout. 
  Can 
  catch 
  plenty 
  of 
  small 
  ones, 
  but 
  they 
  will 
  not 
  spawn 
  this 
  

   season." 
  

  

  " 
  September 
  18, 
  1885. 
  — 
  The 
  trout 
  still 
  continue 
  to 
  die, 
  and 
  from 
  what 
  

   cause 
  I 
  cannot 
  tell. 
  I 
  have 
  just 
  taken 
  out 
  eight 
  very 
  large, 
  fat 
  trout, 
  

   with 
  not 
  a 
  single 
  spot 
  on 
  any 
  of 
  them. 
  Their 
  eyes 
  and 
  gills 
  are 
  per- 
  

   fectly 
  healthy 
  and 
  the 
  females 
  are 
  full 
  of 
  eggs. 
  It 
  is 
  something 
  never 
  

   known 
  before 
  here, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  caused 
  a 
  great 
  loss 
  of 
  fish. 
  For 
  two 
  or 
  

   three 
  days 
  after 
  they 
  are 
  taken 
  they 
  lie 
  on 
  their 
  sides 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  move 
  

   unless 
  touched. 
  If 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  water 
  they 
  tremble 
  and 
  quiver. 
  I 
  

   am 
  doing 
  the 
  best 
  I 
  can 
  to 
  save 
  those 
  not 
  yet 
  sick. 
  Strange 
  to 
  say, 
  

   none 
  but 
  the 
  very 
  large 
  fish 
  are 
  troubled, 
  The 
  yearlings 
  and 
  two-year- 
  

  

  