THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL REPORT 45 



The conditions mentioned above are only a few of the many changes 

 that are prevailing on the terrain through which our beautiful moun- 

 tain streams once flowed. At the upper reaches conditions are still 

 good and our native fishes will continue to thrive in the lakes of the 

 high Sierra, as well as in hundreds of tributary streams and in all of 

 the headwaters of our rivers. 



We have operated 28 hatcheries and 15 egg-collecting stations during 

 the last two years. The total trout distributed of all sizes, from 1^ to 

 4-inch fingerlings, was over 62,000,000. We collected from the Klam- 

 ath River 8,219,000 salmon eggs, which were hatched and the resulting 

 fish planted in the Klamath River. The last two seasons were unfavor- 

 able for the collection of salmon eggs owing to the dry open fall 

 weather, which was warmer than usual at the period when the salmon 

 were ascending the river, which always causes a light run of salmon in 

 the upper reaches of the river. This condition has been observed for 

 the last twenty years, as tables of egg-collecting operations at Klam- 

 athon will show. We have added to this report the tables of salmon 

 egg collections for the last ten years to verify this statement. 



SPINY RAYED FISHES 



We again repeat our recommendation that ponds should be estab- 

 lished for the rearing of spiny rayed fishes. The Bureau of Fish 

 Rescue and Reclamation, organized during the last two years, has done 

 some very valuable work in rescuing thousands of valuable food and 

 game fishes that would have perished when the receding waters in the 

 overflow basins and residual pools were drying up. These last two 

 seasons were the worst, probably, in the state's history, and the organi- 

 zation of the bureau has been of inestimable value in rescuing the fish 

 that otherwise w^ould have been prey to the fish-eating birds or perished 

 when the w'ater dried up. 



BROOD PONDS FOR SPINY RAYED FISHES 



In addition to this valuable work, ponds, such as we recommended 

 in 1918, and for lack of funds were not built, should be established to 

 add to the number of spiny rayed fishes to be planted each season. As 

 soon as funds are available, properly built ponds should be established 

 w^here the different species can be propagated wuth a minimum of cost 

 after the construction of the ponds, etc. 



We have trained fish-culturists who can successfully raise these fish 

 for a small sum and thus add to the food and game fish supply of the 

 state. This work, in conjunction with the rescue and reclamation 

 operations, will be of vast benefit to the state. 



PONDS FOR TROUT 



I wish again to recommend the building of ponds for the rearing of 

 trout for brood stock. We can close certain lakes for this purpose and 

 get a great deal of benefit from such lakes, but fish in natural lakes, no 

 matter how well stocked, are subject to seasonal weather conditions 

 that do not prevail in artificial ponds where the brood stock is always 

 under control of the fish-culturist. These programs require money, 

 and if the people desire to enjoy fishing for pleasure and food a larger 

 license will have to be paid to provide the funds for the necessary 



