REPORT OP THE FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 93 



to make up the loss. The public cau rest assured that every effort will 

 be made to bring back the streams to noimal conditions. 



On account of the greater numlier of fishermen it will be necessary to 

 shorten the open season on Ifout so that the fry will have a better 

 chance to develop. The sea on at present, when the great nuaiber of 

 fishermen is considered, is entirely ton lonsjc. The young fisli tliat an 

 planted frnm yr-av to year are cauiiht out almost as fast as they are put 

 ill. I'luler sucli conditions it is impossible to build up a stream. The 

 only remedy is to shorten the season so that the young fish will have 

 some chance to get by the first season at least. 



IMany years ago black bass were brought from the East by the Com- 

 mission and planted in various parts of the State. Nearly 30 years ago 

 one of these plants was made in Clear Lake, in Lake County. Bass 

 have increased so that we now have good fishing practically througliout 

 llu" State. Nowhere, however, is fishing better than in Clear Lake. As 

 yet it is not connnonly known to the fishing fraternity that fish weigh- 

 iim- IK arly ten pounds are frequently taken. Bass fishing in Clear Lake 

 is hrttiT in the spring and early fall than at other seasons of the year 

 when the Hsh are in deeper water. 



During the past two years trai)pers of fur-bearing animals have 

 secured excellent prices for their furs. The good prices have stimulated 

 trapping so that many more trappers have been working. This heavy 

 t'-apping has of course reduced the mnnber of fur-bearing animah and 

 it is more essential than ever that those that are left be protected at the 

 season of the year when the f'ui- is of small value. A statement made in 

 Rnlletin No. 1165 of the United States Department o*f Agrii-ultui-e is 

 vi'i'V |)ei'tinent : 



"American trappers receive yearly in the aggregate many millions 

 of dollars for their fur harvest whicli up to the moment they set out to 

 gather it. does not cost them a single effort. Recently, the supply of 

 peltries has been decreasing at an alarming rate. Raw-fur buyers 

 representing all parts of the country place the decrease at from 25 to 

 50 per cent during the last 10 years. There are no long(>r any viryin 

 trapping grounds. Even in Alaska the two nmst important fur-bearing 

 animals, the beaver and the marten, have become so nearly exterminated 

 that they are now being protected by a closed period. 



"Laws j)rotecting fur-])earing animals are designed to keep a st(\ady 

 How of peltries coming to market year after year, thereby bringing 

 trappers a reliable income and giving regular employment to thousands 

 of people engaged in dressing skins, manufacturing garments, and dis- 

 Ifiliiiting them through tlie various aveiuies of trad(\ 



"A genei'al i^rotest comes from raw-fur buyers against trat"tie in nn- 

 prime skins. The losses cau.sed 1)\- killing fur animals when their pelts 

 are not prime are enormous. An etiucational campaign is greatly 

 needed to prevent this waste and to perpetuate our fur-producing re- 



sources." 



