38 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



NATURAL PROPAGATION 



A very large percentage of the rescued fish are of the spiny rayed 

 tribe of fresh water game and food fishes, black and striped bass, crap- 

 pies, calico bass, sunfish and several kinds of perch, catfish, etc., none 

 of Avhicli can be or are propagated artificially as are trout and salmon. 

 Consequently, in order to maintain the growing demand made upon 

 them bj' the angling fraternity, all replacements for overfished and 

 barren waters must be made by rescue methods. None of the above 

 named fishes are native to California. They were introduced from the 

 eastern and middle western states and have taken a firm hold in their 

 adopted state. It is the habit, w^hen possible, for these species, with 

 the exception of the striped bass, to leave the parent stream at the 

 spawning period and enter the shallow sloughs, canals, ditches, lakes 

 and pastures, where the spawning takes place. This usually occurs 

 during the period of high water. When the waters recede they, -with 

 their young, become prey to the numerous predatory birds and ani- 

 mals, if not removed. 



FUTURE SUPPLY ASSURED 



The rescue bureau goes a step further than just netting and rescuing 

 fish and returning them to the waters from whence they came. Every 

 advantage is taken to maintain a permanent supply and to distribute 

 them to other adaptable waters, all over the state. In the seining opera- 

 tions the parent fish, which are generally found with their young, are 

 returned to the main bodies of water with about 50 per cent of the 

 young fry. The surplus are used to fill the many applications for them 

 which are made to the fish cultural department. In this way a future 

 supply is maintained and assured. 



These natural outdoor hatcheries are so situated by nature that they 

 could not be duplicated by artificial effort except at an immense cost. 

 The propagating areas are formed generally in the lowest lands at the 

 confluence of two streams, such as the Sacrame2ito and American 

 rivers or the ]\Iokelumne and Cosumnes. These four streams alone, 

 with their tributaries, furnish 80 per cent of all the spiny rayed fish 

 rescued and distributed to all parts of the state. An estimate of the 

 area of these outdoor natural hatcheries in a normal winter of rainfall 

 is about seventy thousand acres of surface water, composed of small 

 ponds and lakes and overflowed areas, of from one to four hundred 

 acres each. Nearly all of this area is connected at flood water with 

 some important river or lake, where these fish abound. 



The most essential elements in all waters containing fish are food, 

 spawning grounds and an abundance of subaqueous plant life, which 

 furnishes both food and shelter for the young fish, and without which 

 there can be little or no natural propagation. These natural hatcheries 

 contain all these elements, their propagation costs nothing, they require 

 no feeding as do artificially hatched fish, no buildings or attendants. 

 These is no element of disease, no watchful eye of the fish culturist — 

 nature does it all without cost, but when nature has completed her 

 wonderful work, then conservation begins. The young and adult fish 

 must be removed to permanent waters, overfished waters must be 

 stocked, barren waters must be supplied to furnish sport and food. 



