Cranston. — Fish and Game Laws of Oregon 81 



leads of water along the lower Williamette and Columbia 

 Rivers to clear them of useful fishes before these places 

 dry up, with the lowering of the levels of the main streams, 

 thus saving from waste large numbers of valuable fish that 

 would otherwise die and be lost. The species thus con- 

 served have been mostly bass, crappies and sunfish ; all non- 

 native fishes but nevertheless abundant in the waters into 

 which they have been planted. The fish thus saved from 

 destruction have been carried and released into waters 

 where they may be free and many of them into ponds and 

 reservoirs well adapted to their existence but not previously 

 inhabited by any useful fish. 



An active campaign has been instituted over the whole 

 state for the enforcement of the law which requires that all 

 obstructions in streams inhabited by migratory fish be pro- 

 vided with efficient fish ways to enable the fish to pass up 

 and down past the obstructions. Conditions in this regard 

 are still far from satisfactory but much improvement has 

 been brought about and it is the hope of the Board that in 

 time every dam or natural fall will be provided with a 

 fishway as nearly perfect as it is possible to have it. 



The Board has given a great deal of consideration to the 

 subject of irrigation ditches and canals and other forms 

 of diverted stream channels, in their relation to fish life 

 and fishing interests. Much waste of valuable fish is caused 

 by the swimming down the course of these channels by all 

 classes of fishes, but particularly young fry, and their ulti- 

 mate destruction when they finally strand where the water 

 spreads out over the land which it irrigates. The law, as it 

 now stands in the statute, requires the screening of the 

 channels of all diversions of natural streams to prevent the 

 entrance of all kinds of fishes. It is found, however, that 

 in practice any screen with meshes fine enough to turn 

 small fry will soon clog with drift and silt and stop the 

 flow of water into the ditch. The result is that it is utterly 

 impossible to enforce the real spirit of the law. Many in- 

 ventions have been made of contrivances, intended to screen 



