13 



appropriation for this purpose is now necessary. Time is required to 

 develop and jierfeet the suueoasful ]>rop:ii^';itiun atid preaervaLiun of 

 foreign varieties of fish. We have yet a great deal to learn in regard to 

 this subject, and undue haste and lavish expenditure are by no means 

 the most certain way to success. It is now three years since the first 

 attempt to bring sliad across the continent was commenced. AYe now 

 know that some of the shad brought here in eighteen hundred and 

 seventy-one have lived and grown to good size. The shoal of shad are 

 not due in the rivers of California until June, eighteen hundred and 

 seventy-four, but we have had in our hands three specimens, which are, 

 of course, exceptional, and we have heard of two others. The incoming 

 fish will be breeders, and we shall require funds to enable us to establish 

 breeding stations on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Elvers, and, above 

 all, we require proper laws to preserve this season's arrivals. It will 

 be seen by the accompanj'ing statement that the entire expenditure of 

 the Conunission since its last report, has been less than six thousand 

 dollars, and during the existence of the Commission — four years— but 

 seven thousand. With this a great deal has been done, and the founda- 

 tion laid for the accomplish tnent of much more. 



The work is but commenced, and as we have before remarked, time 

 in this business is a more important element than money. The most in 

 importance is the means for preventing the destruction of the fish we 

 alread}" have. The (Commission find it almost impossible to prevail upon 

 the people to refrain from destroying fish in the localities where they 

 abound. It seems as if human invention is taxed to its utmost in the 

 desire for wholesale destruction, and the reluctance which men feel to 

 complain of their neighbors, renders it almost impossible to enforce the 

 laws in such cases. If the Legislature should see fit to make an appro- 

 priation suflicient to allovv the Commissioners to emplo}", at times, a 

 proper person to look after such violations of the fish laws and see to 

 their enforcement, we think this evil could readily be suppressed, as the 

 2Deo])!e at large show a great interest in having the law enforced, but no 

 one is willing to make himself obnoxious by being an inform.er. All 

 this would be cured by placing the means of x'emedy in the hands of the 

 Commission. 



The Commission alread3^ have the power to do this, and have done it 

 with most hopeful results, so far as their limited means have allowed. 

 It Avill be necessary, during this session of the Legislature, to have 

 passed a full and comprehensive law relating to all kinds of fishing. In 

 the first place, the whole system of fish-traps, seines, fjdces, etc., should 

 be abolished by law. Secondly, the meshes of the nets used should be 

 regulated b}^ law. The time of fisiiing for salmon should he properly 

 limited. There come from all parts of the State constant complaints of the 

 destruction of fish by sawdust, and the refuse from sawmills, thrown into 

 the s'treams; and petitions for the enactment of laws to j^revent it are 

 novv before the Legislature. This Commission will be aided by many 

 citizens interested in these matters, in passing a law covering the pisca- 

 tory interests of the State, which we hope will be favorably acted upon 

 by the Legislature. The Commissioners have taken pains to ascertain 

 the season of the j^ear during which the taking of salmon should be 

 prohibited by law. We have caused careful observations to be made of 

 the time at which the salmon ascend to the heads of the rivers to spawn, 

 and from all the information we have been able to obtain in that w^ay, 

 and by consulting with persons well qualified to afford advice from the 

 results of practical knowledge of the subject, we would recommend that 



