TWENTY-SEVENTH BIENNIAIi REPORT, fil 



tion of waters. AVe made this recoiDineiKlatioii in our last biennial 

 report, but it was unheeded by the legislature and AVatcr (Commission. 



The Division of Water Kights should be eompelled to allow (-nough 

 water to remain in onr streams during- I tie period of minimum flow 

 to maintain the fish life below all diversion points on the rivers and 

 streams. In the nuid seramble for the approin-iation of water for irri- 

 gation and the development of hydro-eleetric; energy, no attention is 

 l)aid to the fish life, which can be conserved without injury to other 

 interests, if a little good judgment is used in granting appropriations. 

 The rights of the people to enjoy fishing both for food and pleasure 

 should be safeguarded before it is too late. No stream should be entirely 

 diverted. 



The Water Commission or the Division of Water Rights has allowed 

 the appropriation of the entire flow of streams Avithout any con- 

 sideration being given to the fishing interests. Those interested in 

 conservation are indifferent to these vital problems. After the water 

 is all appropriated and the streams are dried up below the diversion 

 points, then they complain that the Fish and Game Commission has 

 not done their duty. We have repeatedly made recommendations that 

 are for the best interests of all the people, but they are unheeded. 



RECOMMENDATIONS. 



We respectfully recommend the following to be acted on as soon as 

 l^ossible if the work of this department is to keep up with the progress 

 of the rest of the state. An increase of the anglers' license sufficient 

 to enable us to maintain the hatcheries now in existence in the state 

 and to improve and construct others in different sections where the 

 demand for hatchery work is greatest, and the construction of two or 

 three more pond systems for the rearing of trout for breeders to insure 

 at least 25,000,000 eggs annually from pond-reared fish, is necessary 

 if we are to meet the demands for trout fry. This is necessary to 

 supply the istreams and lakes until a greater demand is made by the 

 increasing population of the state. 



That the Klamath River be set aside as a fish preserve from Klama- 

 thon to its mouth and that no dams be allowed to be constructed in 

 the river below the egg-collecting station at Klamathon. This measure 

 would enable the Fish and Game Commission to collect salmon eggs 

 for the maintenance of the salmon supply in the Sacramento River, 

 San Joaquin River and ^Monterey Bay. The Klamath is the one remain- 

 ing stream in which the chinook salmon can spawn as well as where 

 salmon eggs can be collected for the purpose of propagation in numbers 

 sufificient to justify extensive operations. There are enough power 

 plants constructed and plans made for others on the tributaries of the 

 Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers to furnish power for many years 

 to come without interfering with the salmon run in the Klamath River. 

 We would also recommend that wlierever dams for the development of 

 liydro-electric energy or irrigation are constructed which interfere 

 with the movements of spawning trout or salmon and Avhere in the 

 judgment of the Fish and Game Commission, it is necessary to con- 

 struct hatcheries in lieu of fishways, that the owners or occupants of 

 such dams, be compelled to furnish the Fish and Game Commission 

 with the money necessary to operate such hatcheries, the amount neces- 



