REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS. 11 



HATCHING DEPARTMNET. 



At the outset of the present Commission's work, there being no 

 funds of any kind available, we were obliged, for the time being, to 

 abandon all attempts to operate the Hatchery Department. The result 

 of this was that the spring run of trout was entirely lost, and no ova 

 were obtained from the trout in this State during the whole of the year 

 1891, with the exception of 88,000 taken by the Commission under a 

 contract with Messrs. Stevens & McKenney, at Independence Lake, a 

 report of which is hereto attached. 



When this Commission took office there were two hatcheries belonging 

 to the State, one located at the town of Sisson, in Siskiyou County, and 

 the other at Tahoe City, Lake Tahoe. 



The hatchery at Lake Tahoe is built upon leased ground, Mr. J. G. 

 Woodbury being the owner. 



The hatchery at Sisson was also located upon leased ground belong- 

 ing to Mr. J. H. Sisson. The Legislature of 1891 appropriated from 

 the State's funds $500 to buy the ground upon which the hatchery is 

 located. This purchase was made, and the deed for the same has been 

 executed and duly recorded. As hereinbefore stated, when we took 

 office there were no funds available for use in this department, and none 

 could be obtained until the coming in of the appropriation for the 

 forty-third fiscal year, which commenced on the 1st of July,. 1891 ; 

 however, we made a contract with Messrs. Stevens & McKenney, at 

 Independence Lake, to take all the spawn they could hatch, at the price 

 of $2 50 per thousand. They were not very successful in taking a large 

 quantity of spawn, but without any fault on their part. They turned 

 over to the Commission 88,000 fry, which were distributed by the Com- 

 mission, as will appear by a report of the same hereto attached. No fur- 

 ther attempts were made towards getting any spawn or fish until the fall 

 run of salmon commenced, when we received fi'om the United States 

 Hatchery, located on the McCloud River, 2,850,000 eggs. 



Mr. J. A. Richardson was appointed by the Board Superintendent of 

 the Sisson Hatchery, and the work of hatching the salmon spawn 

 received from the Government was turned over to him. 



The Commission, early appreciating the necessity of having a hatch- 

 ery in the vicinity of San Francisco, soon after the coming in of the 

 appropriation for the forty-third fiscal year set about to see what could , 

 be done towards the accomplishment of that purpose. All the waters of 

 San Mateo, San Francisco, Alameda, and Marin Counties were carefully 

 examined, and finally, Bear Valley, in Marin County, was selected as 

 the site for the new hatchery. The use of the waters of a small mount- 

 ain stream which empties into Bear Valley Creek, with the right to 

 construct a dam and reservoir, and also ground of sufficient quantity 

 for the purposes of the hatchery, was obtained from Hon. Charles 

 Webb Howard, the owner of the property, and he has given to the Com- 

 mission a lease for five years, with the privilege of five additional, at a 

 nominal rent of $1 per year. Having selected the site, the Commission 

 set to work in August to build the hatchery. 



We beg particularly to call your attention to the expense account in 

 the construction of the hatchery. All of the lumber, with the exception 

 of the shingles and the underpinning, which are of redwood, was a dona- 

 tion and a gift by the late Hon. James McM. Shafter. The building 



/ 



