licly exposed for sale in the markets, and outwardly the law seemed 

 to be observed, but we have reason to believe they were caught and 

 privately brought to San Francisco at night, and were served at 

 hotels and restaurants to all who would call for them. The canning 

 establishments ceased to purchase and tin salmon on the 1st of 

 August, and, so far as we are advised, faithfully observed the law, 

 but it is reported that many of the fishermen did not stop netting, 

 and that more than one hundred tons of salt were sold in San Fran- 

 cisco about the 1st of August'and shipped to by-places on the sloughs 

 and islands of the Sacramento and San Joaquin, to be used in salting 

 salmon during the close season. This illegal fishing is done at night, 

 and the fish are taken before daylight to temporary shanties for salting 

 and smoking, hidden in the wilderness of sloughs and tule islands. 

 We have no means to prevent this violation of the law, and find but 

 little disposition to assist on the part of the Justices of the Peace and 

 Constables in the vicinity, who hold office by the votes of the men 

 who violate the law. 



The close season is now too short. Salmon in large numbers, with 

 eggs fully matured, were on sale in the San Francisco and other 

 markets from September 15th to the 1st of October, and yet we learn 

 efforts will be made at the coming session of the Legislature to still 

 further reduce it, or to change it to a time when there are no fish 

 coming in from the ocean, or perhaps to completely abolish it. 

 Experience in all the other States has demonstrated that fishermen 

 as a class look only to their present profit, and are not willing to 

 yield anything that the supply of fish in the river may be maintained. 



The annual hatching of 2,500,000 of young salmon, and their dis- 

 tribution in the sources of the Sacramento, appear to keep the supply 

 in the river equal to that of former years notwithstanding the increase 

 in the number of sea lions protected by law, the increase in the nets 

 and fishermen, and the erection of additional canning establishments. 



The following table will .show the relative catch for the years dur- 

 ing which we have caused statistics to be obtained : 



SALMON CAUGHT IN THE SACRAMENTO AND SAN JOAQUIN AND TRANSPORTED TO SAN FRANCISCO, SACRA- 

 MENTO, AND STOCKTON. 



Open season November 1st, 1874, to August 1st, 1875 5,098,781 pounds. 



Open season JTovember 1st, 1875, to August 1st, 1876 5,311,423 pounds. 



Open season November 1st, 1876, to August 1st, 1877 6,493,563 pounds. 



Open season September 15th, 1877, to August 1st, 1878 6,520,768 pounds. 



Open season September 15th, 1878, to August 1st, 1879 4,432,250 pounds. 



The apparent falling off" in the season of 1878-9 was not because 

 the fish were not as numerous in the river as in former years, but in 

 consequence of a dispute between the proprietors of the canning 

 establishments and the fishermen as to the price to be paid by the 

 former for the fish as they were caught. This dispute continued for 

 some weeks during the height of the fishing season. The canning 

 establishments stopped work, the fishermen formed an association 

 and limited the catch to salmon for the supply of the San Francisco 

 market. During this period but few fish were taken. The catch was, 

 however, in excess of the requirements of San Francisco, and while 

 the fishermen refused to sell average salmon on the fishing grounds 

 to the canning establishments at twenty-five cents each, they for- 

 warded them fifty miles to San Francisco and sold them for twenty- 

 five cents and less. For a month the choicest salmon, weighing from 

 sixteen to thirty pounds, could be bought from fishing boats at the 



