18 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



CURRENT PROBLEMS. 



A Coininissioii whose function it is to conserve wild life resources is 

 confronted with a never endin,^" series of difficult problems, as can be 

 seen by the following discussions of the more important ones of the past 

 two years. They usually have a bearing on law enforcement or upon 

 obstacles to the natural increase of a game species. 



EXTINCTION OF SALMON THREATENED BY POWER DAMS. 



Conservation of the salmon was the first important problem faced bv 

 the Fish and Game Commission when it was first formed in 1870, and it 

 still continues an important problem. A reduction of the catch to pro- 

 vide for a sufficient number of breeders to reach the spawning' grounds 

 was long the important consideration. Now the increasing r. umber of 

 large power dams threatens the extinction of the salmon run by pre- 

 venting the fish from reaching their natural spawning grou.udh'. As an 

 example of the present problem the dam of the Anderso7i-Cottonwood 

 Irrigation District at Redding, Shasta County, may be cited. The lack 

 of a suitable fish way at this dam during the past few years has ePPect- 

 u;i]]y prevented salmon from reaching their spawning grounds .>n the 

 ^fcCJloud River. Investigation by experts showeJ that very few salmon 

 succeeded in leaping the dam and the shutting do\v:i ol" the .-almon 

 spawning station of the United States Bureau of Fjsiierie^' at Baird con- 

 clusively proved that salmon were effectively blocked at tlie Redding 

 Dam. Attempts made by the Commi.ssi()n to force the Imildiug of a 

 fish way w'ere unavailing until an injuuct'.on suit was instituted. The 

 situation was finally cleared up in the spring of 1922 when the matter 

 was amically settled. CoJi'Jitions a!" the d.im are now iiip'oved iiid t'le 

 .spawning station at Hau'd has ,iL''iiu been opened. 



The successful outcome here, however, does not mitigate the equally, 

 if not greater problem involved in the proposed dam of the Electro- 

 uMetals Company on the lower Klamath River which threatens the exter- 

 mination of the important run on the Klamath River. At siearings 

 held at Yreka on May 5, 1921, the Fish and Game Commission took the 

 stand that the i)roposed dam would (1) entirely obstruct the annual 

 migration of the salmon; (2) that a suitable fishway could not be con- 

 structed around so high a dam; and, (3) that a hatchery erected at the 

 dam would not solve the problem since the salmon arriving at the dam 

 would not be ready for si)awning. For these reasons, and others also, 

 the Coiiunission op[)osed the granting of a preliminary permit by tin' 

 Fedcj'al Rowei- Connnission. It may be that at some distant time in th.^ 

 future power development will lie moi'e important than the saving of a 

 valuable run of sahnon, but at present there is power development 

 enough 1o care for all needs of the immediate future and there are 

 plenty of streams, Avhere there is no run of salmon, that can be utilized 

 for [)ower j)ui'poses. If iIk; fight to save the salmon run on the Klamath 

 is not successtiil the end of the vast salmon fisheries with which the 

 stale was oi'igiiially blessed will be at hand. 



