TWENTY-SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 9 



from the licenses. Although most states have increased their license 

 fees, California still allows a man the privilege to hunt or to fish a 

 whole year for the paltry sum of $1. With the increased cost of 

 fishcultural operations and warden patrol, the sum secured from so 

 small a fee is becoming insufficient to properly support the work of the 

 Commission. 



The Commissioners themselves receive no salary and their individual 

 expenses barely average thirty dollars per month. Overhead expenses 

 are kept at a minimum, no extravagant salaries being paid. The 

 greater proportion of the funds are spent in law enforcement and a 

 comparison of the statement of expenditures with those of any corpora- 

 tion will show that the Commission's funds are efficiently and economi- 

 cally liandled. The following graph shows the proportion of funds 

 spent for the different projects. A full accounting of all funds received 

 and disbursed w^ll be found on page 138. 



Beginning with federal control of railroads, the Commission has 

 shouldered the additional burden of railroad transportation and fish 

 distribution, which before that time was assumed by the various rail- 

 roads as acknowledgment of the benefits they derive from the planting 

 of fish. The charges for hauling the fish cars about the state mount into 

 thousands of dollars. This money could be better spent in the rearing 

 of fish if the railroads would again assume hauling and transportation 

 connected with fish distribution. The matter has been placed before 

 the various railroad officials and favorable action is expected. 



FISHCULTURE. 



The Fishcultural Department reports a most successful two years. 

 The total output from the state's thirty hatcheries and egg-collecting 

 stations amounted to 40,974,000 trout fry and 18,037,000 salmon fry. 



The greatest problem of the department, and really of the Commis- 

 sion, also, is that of supplying the increasing demand for trout fry for 

 stocking streams. Carloads of fry are demanded where only a few 

 cans can actually be supplied. Difficulties in the securing of eggs are 

 always great. The spawntakers often have to pull their supplies to the 

 hatchery on sleds and must work in deep snow to uncover or install 

 traps. Racks and traps are often washed out by high water. Last 

 and most important is the lack of funds for extending operations and 

 increasing the output. It seems quite impossible to further increase 

 the output of trout fry -with the present financial resources of the 

 Commission. 



The valuation of property now under the control of the department 

 is $350,000. Necessary improvements and repairs form an important 

 item of expense. During the past two years it has been found neces- 

 sary to renew the underpinning of several of the hatcheries and in 

 several instances improvements of the water supply have been neces- 

 sary. Concrete foundations for racks and traps have proved helpful in 

 preventing loss at times of flood water and such foundations are being 

 gradually installed at every important egg-collecting station. At 

 several of tlie hatcheries better means of transporting eggs and fry to 

 and from the hatchery have been necessary. At the Wawona TTatchery 

 a bridge has been constructed across the river, and at the Fort Seward 

 Hatchery a tram and cable line now connects with the railroad station 



