376 



CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



tail species, is by far the most important freshwater species, both in 

 amounts caught and in value. (See Pigs. 141 and 144.) The suprem- 

 acy of the catfish is usually more marked than it was in 1933. All 

 other freshwater fishes, with the exception of game species, such as 

 black bass and trout, are grouped together by the fishermen and 

 called "rough fish," "coarse fish" or "Chinee fish." The latter 

 term originated from the fact that the Chinese are particularly fond 

 of these species. 



Within the boundaries of our State there are thousands of miles 

 of rivers and streams and hundreds of lakes. In years gone by, 

 commercial fishing was carried on in every bit of accessible water 

 that contained fish. All the coastal streams contributed trout, salmon 

 and sturgeon to the markets at San Francisco. Lake Tahoe and the 

 Truckee River were once important trout producers. The Sacramento 

 River supplied the fish for the Pacific coast's first salmon cannery 

 over seventy years ago, and has remained an important fishing region 

 ever since. Clear Lake in Lake County annually produces a con- 



FiG 141 The deUveries of the eight species of freshwater fish in the State 

 of California, by years, 1916-1933. Note that the catfish landings gen- 

 erally dominate the fishery. Amounts given in round weight. 



siderable harvest of fish. Buena Vista Lake, now shrunken to a swamp, 

 and Tulare Lake, now dry, furnished quantities of fish not so many 

 years ago, before reclamation projects encroached on their borders and 

 irrigation districts diverted their water sources. Nigger Slough in 

 Los Angeles County furnished carp in abundance before it was drained 

 about fifteen years ago. Salton Sea, a great saltwater lake in the 

 Imperial Valley, has long been the scene of operations of commercial 

 fishermen. Scattered ponds, lakes and streams throughout the State 

 have also contributed at times to the commercial fisli catcli. 



Today, restrictive legislation, passed to preserve the natural 

 resources of the State, confines commercial fishing in inland waters to 

 but a few localities. The most important of these is the Sacramento- 

 San Joaquin River system, which furnishes the bulk of the catch. 



In the extensive area of the Central Valley, there are many hun- 

 dreds of miles of water open to commercial fishing. These include 

 the main channel of the Sacramento River from Vina in Tehama 



