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CARP (CARASSIUS VULGARIS). 



We have been unable as yet to introduce the king carp, with which 

 to stock our inland sloughs and warm water lakes. This, the most 

 valuable variety of the carp family, was imported from Germany by 

 Professor Baird, United States Fish Commissioner, a few years since, 

 and has increased to large numbers in ponds at Washington and 

 Baltimore. They could not be obtained in July, at the time Mr. 

 Stone left with fish for California. We now hope to receive the State's 

 quota in June, 1880, with another consignment of young shad. It is 

 certain they will thrive in California, as another variety of carp, 

 imported as a private speculation some years since, has been exten- 

 sively distributed over California, and now furnish a large amount 

 of food to people in the interior valleys. We do not know any fish 

 so desirable for wide distribution throughout the State as this carp. 

 They are of good flavor, grow rapidly, are tenacious of life, can live 

 on aquatic vegetation, and in water too warm for almost all other 

 valuable varieties of food fish. We can hardly do a more useful 

 work than in the breeding of these fish, and stocking all our interior 

 streams, lakes, and sloughs with carp. 



FISH-WAYS. 



We have caused a few suits to be commenced to compel the owners 

 of dams to construct fish ladders. In almost all cases, when notified, 

 the owners of dams have complied with the law. It is generally 

 understood by the people of the State, that to preserve fish in our 

 rivers, it is absolutely necessary that fish should be allowed to reach 

 their spawning grounds The eff'orts of your Commissioners to keep 

 up the supplies of fish in our rivers, and to add new and valuable 

 varieties, appear to be appreciated, and we find there is in almost 

 every neighborhood some man who has sufficient interest in the sub- 

 ject to call our attention to obstructions when such exist. 



OCEAN AND BAY PISH. 



More than ninety varieties of fish are caught in the Bay of San 

 Francisco, and in the Bays of Monterey and Tomales, which are sold 

 for food in the San Francisco market and shipped to various points 

 in the interior. This gives employment to many hundred men, and 

 their work furnishes a vast amount of food to our people. So far as 

 we have been able to ascertain, but one variety is identical with an 

 Atlantic Coast fish (the halibut). The consumption of fish is so large 

 on this coast that it seemed desirable to obtain the statistics in rela- 

 tion to it. We have found this very difficult. Many of the fishermen 

 are Greeks, Italians, Portuguese, and Chinese, who do not speak 

 English, and few keep a written record of their catch. The dealers 

 do not care to exhibit their books. Many of our fish are without 

 English names, and one English name is made to apply to different 

 varieties offish. Two of the varieties of fish sold as smelts in our 

 markets do not belong to this family. Three different fish are sold 

 as candle fish, etc. Where fish, as in the case of salmon, are mostly 

 brought to market by transportation companies, the annual catch 

 can be ascertained with approximate correctness. At present it 

 seems impossible to obtain statistics of the catch and consumption of 



