TWENTY-SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 105 



recreation of our resident citizens. It is they, rather than your liunible 

 servants, who ask increase in the license rates. They bring ns demands 

 that are to be met in no other way, and declare since the responsibility 

 is theirs, they wish to tinanee the job upon a 100 per cent basis. 



The biennium preceding was remarkable in its showing of sustained 

 interest in outdoor sports which even the territic distractions of world- 

 wide war proved powerless to discourage. Following it, in logical 

 sequence, the return of our young service men, hardened by military 

 training, inured to roughest adversities of "camping-out" in climates 

 far less charitable than their California, and further familiarized with 

 firearms, naturally has brought quite the increase in rod and gun enthu- 

 siasm we predicted, and more; with all that entails from the intensely- 

 interested viewpoint of those whose efforts are devoted to tliis great 

 work of M-ild-life conservation. 



After so undeniable a demonstration of the vitality of sporting enthu- 

 siasm as the last two years of war showed, surely no great stretch of fore- 

 sight was needed to predict that with signing of the Armistice Avonld 

 start an entirely new era in the world of outdoors. requirinGr the redoub- 

 ling of all official eft'orts toward maintaining our splendid sporting 

 attractions in this great state of sportsmen. 



That such predictions, however extravagant they then seemed, have 

 fallen far short of post-war experience, scarcely calls for apology. 

 Neither need we assume blame for a condition we could not change in 

 our present financial inability to adequately meet such situation under 

 the existing system of granting for one dollar, access to an aggregate 

 tonnage of game or of tish which lawfully may be taken by the sporting 

 licensee in quantities to be worth for food alone, a thou.sand times that 

 modest sum. 



Should this statement seem overdrawn, one needs only to measure 

 mentally the mountain of game that our lil)eral seasons and bag limits 

 allow the licensed hunter during the year. The appalling conclusion 

 then is forced that were even a small percentage of our nuart(^r-mi]lion 

 hunting licensees fully to avail themselves of this privilege for which 

 they have paid one paltry dollar, California's fields, mar.shes and 

 mountains speedily would be depopulated of game ; the ducks, geese, 

 snipe ; the deer, quail, doves, rabbit.s, grouse, squirrels but a memory — 

 and a nightmare at that ! 



In the case of fresh-water game-fish, for which the same nominal dol- 

 lar-license is collected, the annual tonnage becomes even more appalling 

 when it is remembered that seasons are longer, without weelcly limita- 

 tions upon the ])ag. ^More particularly does this situation challenge tlie 

 consideration of sporting conservationists when it is rcalizid ili.it owv 

 fresh-water game-fishing, when not actually artificially estal)]islied, has 

 been, at least for years past, virtually upon an artificiall^'-maintaincd 

 basis. 



Herein, we have the anomalous and indefensible situation of a self- 

 supporting sport with innumerable business aspects, which now 

 threatens no longer to support itself because each additional lieensee 

 may prove a liability rathei- than the as.set of antebellum days wlieii 

 his dollar paid for raising and distributing more trout than the average 

 angler took from our streams during the year. Further ('oiiipliejilidii is 



