year, and, unless the number of young fish can be increased, our run 

 of sahnon will be less every year. In the year 1883 there were caught 

 not less than 300,000 more than the Commission planted. A consid- 

 erable number of salmon spawn in different streams, quite a large 

 proportion running into the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers; 

 and, in fact, we feel assured that most of the Fall run of salmon 

 never reach the McCloud, but deposit their ova upon the bars between 

 Colusa and Red Bluff. 



EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FOUR. 



The run of salmon during this year has been very late. The 

 Spring run was very light up to and after the first of April. During 

 the month of April the run started in with a small catch, and 

 remained so until the first of May, when a small increase was noticed 

 for about two weeks; then the run slacked, and by the middle of May 

 the fish were very scarce, and continued scarce all through May, 

 resulting in the smallest take in a number of years. 



The June run, which in ordinary years has been the heaviest, re- 

 sulted in a very small showing; a heavy decrease for the Spring run. 



The causes for the scarcity of salmon for the year 1884 are several, 

 viz.: 



First — The loss of fish in the tules in the years 1881 and 1882. 



Second — The using of small mesh nets from 1877 up to 1883, and 

 the increase of seines at or near the spawning grounds. The increase 

 of nets used in the bays leading to the river has also caused a great 

 decrease. The river is at times apparently completely dammed by 

 nets. 



The pack of salmon on the Sacramento for the year 1884 will fall 

 short fully one half from that of the year 1883, although more than 

 ordinary exertions have been made by the fishermen to obtain them. 



The Commissioners in their report of 1878-9 predicted a heavy run 

 of fish in the Sacramento River for the years 1883 and 1884, but, for 

 the various causes mentioned, their predictions have not been fulfilled. 



The Fall run of salmon of 1884 has been the lightest that was ever 

 known in the memory of the oldest fisherman. On the first and sec- 

 ond days of September the run was not as heavy as it should have 

 been during the same days in the montJi of October. There is no 

 cause known to the Commission for the marked decrease in the Fall 

 run this year, as the Fall fish have invariably taken care of them- 

 selves. 



EASTERN SALMON. 



These are a different species and are entirely unknown to the Pa- 

 cific Coast. They inhabit the waters north of the forty-first degree 

 of latitude, and are never seen south of that degree. They are caught 

 in great numbers as high north as the coast of Norway. 



The California, or Chinook, are taken in lower degrees of latitude 

 than any other kind of salmon, and run down as low as thirty-seven 

 degrees north, which we believe is as low as they are ever caught. 

 This is occasioned by the temperature of the water, which in some 

 seasons of the year reaches as high as eighty degrees Fahrenheit. 



At the time when the fish are seeking their river spawning grounds 

 they begin to fail in quality as food (although they are used by a great 

 many), and large numbers are secured just before spawning, by fish- 



