44 FIPII AND (lAMK COMMISSION 



tics. Tlu* niii of trout in thr upper rcjiclics oC the Klainalh was lar;jr<*r 

 last fall durinp the salmon run than it has hern at any i\mc during 

 the last ton years. Tlio trout asoondod tho river in larfrer numbers 

 than usual, evidently not beiiifr afTccted by the condition of the river. 

 Last fall at our salmon racks at Klamathoji, -we removed froin our 

 traps and jnit ujistrcam above the racks from 150 to :^00 KaiTibow trout 

 per day for sixty days or longer. These were all larcre fish and there 

 was a horde of smaller trout that Avent throucrh the rack prratinjrs. In 

 spite of this, the larprest run of trout in the Klamath in ten years, the 

 take of egrtrs was small durinjj: the sprinrr of 1930 at all the collectinp: 

 stations, due to the lack of hijih water, continual cold water in thr 

 tributaries, and the warmer water of the Klamath River that causf^d 

 the trout to remain in the river and not ascend to the traps in the 

 tributaries. This condition is not unusual. The fishmg: in the river 

 up to June 30th has been below par due to many causes, but not to a 

 dearth of trout. 



STREAM CLOSING 



The closinpr of streams by the Director of Natural Resources, as 

 reconnnended by the Division of Fish and Game, has given good results. 

 This work should be continued and where necessary should be repeated 

 until the streams are fully restored. While we have planted fi2.000.000 

 trout during the bienniura just passed, and have for the 19:50 distribu- 

 tion :55.00(),000 fish to be i)lant('d in waters throughout the state, we 

 again repeat that a larger number of fish should be planted as the 

 ever-increasing population of the state demands, if we are to maintain 

 the present fishing average in our lakes and streams. There are waters 

 suitable for every species of trout in California. Some of our larger 

 rivers and streams in the lower altitudes Avill not support the native 

 species as they did before the changes brought about by our advancing 

 and ever-inereasiiig population, but exotic species that have become 

 resistant to higher temperatures, bacterial infestations, and a changed 

 natural food supply, will thrive and furnish food and sport in places 

 where our native trout will no longer thrive in numbers great enough 

 to justify the efforts to keep the lower reaches of our larger streams 

 stocked. 



On the arrival of the pioneers, before the beds of streams and large 

 pools were filled with gravel from the thousands of placer, hydraulic, 

 and quartz mines, and before the forests were removed from the banks 

 of the rivers and soil washed into the streams by erosion caused by the 

 rains on cultivated lands, the Rainbow trout descended to the lower 

 reaches of the larger streams. Before the mines were worked out or 

 hydraulic mining stopped, and the forests removed for the lumber or 

 cleared aw^ay for farming purposes, the physical conditions of practi- 

 cally all the larger streams and rivers that had their source in the 

 Sierra were so changed that the Rainbow could not exist in the lower 

 reaches of these streams. Brown trout and Loch Leven are taking their 

 places, as they are more resistant to the conditions now prevailing in 

 these streams. The erection of high dams and the holding back of the 

 water for irrigation and power, also has a tendency to cause the water 

 to get much warmer during the summer months. The dry period or 

 cycle w^hich has prevailed for approximately sixteen years has had a 

 marked effect on the condition of the water in our streams. 



