TWMNTV-SKVEN'I'II Hli;\M\l, H\'A't}\iT 



f)7, 



July wcfc 1() l)c l<('|)t closed Imt I lie ciuil iiiiicd use ol' I r;iiiiiiii'l )fMls''U*;ik 

 to !)(' pcrniittcd in llic district diiriim upcii scjisons, ;i coiKM-ssion wh'i/'fi 

 liad Ix'cn ^i'imt('(l ;is ;i \v;ir iiic.-isiicc hy the I'lntcd Sl;i1c.s J-'ood Adiiiiiiis- 

 tratioti. That pnrt of the l;i\v wliich iirosidcd ;i c|.)scd S(Ui;so)j of dn'rU' 

 and July-in District 121) was later attai-kcd hy counsel for the lishtM'- 

 luen wlio elainicd tliat the section of the I'eual Code which desei-ibcs 

 the kinds of mis wiiieh nia\' he used, permitted the use of ;,'ill nets 

 of certain mesh in the disti'iet dui'inn' .lime aiul duly. The ease was 

 finally decided in favor of the fishermen. .ludj^e .M(d\eii/.ie of the 

 superior court of Contra (^osta County deciding; that laws restrict intr 

 the right to iish must be clear and without ambiguity. 'I'he fiiwd 

 result was that salmon were getting less protection than ever. 



Fig. 20. State Fisherie.s Laboratory, East San Pedro. California. It is here that 

 important research work on tlie commercial fisheries is being carried on by a 

 staff of scientists. Photograph by W. F. Thompson. 



At our request a hill was introduced at the 1021 session of the 

 legislature which proposed to give the Sacramento salmon a fair meas- 

 ure of protection. It provided that salmon netting be eliminated in 

 the river above the city of Sacramento ; that the months of June and 

 July be closed to confonu to the season already provided for stri]ied 

 bass and shad; and that the fall season be closed on Septeml)er loth 

 instead of the 25th. Closed seasons were also provided to curtail the 

 catch of salmon in sea trolling. The measures finally adopted were 

 inadequate. Fishing in the upper Sacramento continues; the months 

 of June and July are still open and the closed seast)us adopted for the 

 outside trolling districts were cut down so as to g:ive but little protec- 

 tion. The only salmon measure of importance adopted was closing the 

 fall season on September 17th, eight days earlier than before. 



Since that time the salmon catch in ^Monterey Bay and in the San 

 Francisco and Sacramenio River regions has decreased most alarm- 

 ingly, so that most of our fishermen and fish dealers are now agi'eed 

 that something must be done if we are to save the salmon. The 



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