16 



FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



The second large hatchery constructed during the biennium was at 

 Fillmore, Ventura County. Following the destruction of the Forest 

 Home Hatchery in San Bernardino County during the flood of 1937-38 

 search was made for a satisfactory site for a hatchery to serve southern 

 California. A site was tentatively selected on Lytle Creek, San Bernardino 

 County, but this was later found to be unusable due to objections from 

 the City of San Bernardino, which takes its water supply from the stream 

 below. During the summer of 1940 a supply of spring water with a 

 favorable temperature of 60° was found in a side channel of the Santa 

 Clara River near the town of Fillmore. Temporary ponds, tanks and 

 troughs were installed and put into use. Results during the following year 

 indicated that a rapid growth nearly equal to that at Hot Creek could 

 be obtained and the Fish and Game Commission authorized the expendi- 

 ture of $75,000 for a permanent installation consisting of 30 ponds, a 

 food house and refrigerating room, a small hatchery with rearing tanks, 

 a six-car garage and workroom, and four houses for employees. The- 

 hatchery was completed near the end of the biennium and has not yet 

 been in full production. It should be able to produce nearly a million 

 fish of catchable size for planting in southern California. See figure 3. 



Fig. 3. Fillmore Hatchery Rearing Ponds. Photo by A. B. Burghduff. 



Experimentation was started during 1940 with the use of an entirely 

 new source of water for the rearing of larger trout. Fresno and Tulare 

 counties are well up amongst those producing trout and although the 

 bulk of the trout streams and lakes are in the back country and reached 

 only by pack trip, there are certain more accessible waters such as Hunt- 

 ington Lake, Hume Lake, the South Fork of the Kings River, the Kaweah 

 River and Tule River which can be reached for stocking with larger fish. 

 Little spring water of suitable temperature for good growth, such as was 

 obtained at Hot Creek and Fillmore, exists in these two counties. An 

 extensive use is made of well water for irrigation in this area and it was 



