46 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



uiiahlc to survive. Tlic saliuou \vliich went farthest upstream fovind water 

 \\ liii-li iTinaiiU'd I'clalively cool all siiiuiner. Tn pi'i^vious years, the salmon 

 whifh wi'iil l)cyoii(l the town of Snellin<i' found water eool enough so that 

 the sui\i\;il was liigli. IIoAvever. in 1!)49 the survival was poor except 

 jiiiiniii; tlic rchit i\cly few fish ANiiicli got as far as the Merced Irrigation 

 l)is1i'ict (lain ai)out four miles u])stream fi'om Snelling. 



1 !(.")() started out to be a repetition of 11)49 in that there was no water 

 available for salmon in the San Joaquin River, and in that the Bureau of 

 Mai'ine Fisheries erected a diversionary net at the mouth of the Merced 

 Hivei- and started the run going u]) that stream. The course of events in 

 IDoO was inlluenced by the outcome of a court trial in which the U. S. 

 Bureau of Reclamation was sued to compel them to allow a sufficient 

 How of wjttri- 1(1 iii;iiiit;iiii the salmon runs in the San Joaquin River below 

 l'''riaiit. Witliout going iuto the details of a very comjih^x and confusing 

 trial, sultice it to say that the court ai'ranged for the Bureau of Reclama- 

 tion to release a flow of 25 cubic feet of water per second which was to be 

 used b.\ itie Division of Fish aiul (Jame to get the salmon run upstream 

 tlirougli a series of iri'igation canals. One of these canals (the Delta 

 Canal j crosses a bod}' of water known as Salt Slough on a flume and 

 trestle. The desire of the court was for the Division of Fish and Game 

 '" I'liild ;i (ish hiddci- ,i( this |»oint so that the salmon could climb from 

 S;ili SJoiiLih iiilo the Delta Canal at the point where the two crossed. Salt 

 SjoiiLili gathers a luodei-ate flow of irrigation water from the farming laud 

 ill the vicinity of Tjos Banos. Eventually the slough flows into the Sau 

 .loaijiiiii Uivei- a few miles above its junction with the Merced. The inten- 

 tion of the coui-t was for a route to be pi-epared by which the salmon could 

 swim up the San .loacpiin liiver into Salt Slough, up Salt Slough to the 

 crossinii of the Delta Canal through the flsh ladder to be constructed by 

 til'' l)i\ision of l-'ish ;iii,| (lam,, and into the Delta Canal, up this canal 

 to lis junction with the iaiLjvr Arroyo Canal, and up the Arroyo Canal to 

 'be point where it was di\crted fi-oni the San .loa(|uiu Hiver, thence up 

 the San .loaipiin to t he spa wning grounds in the vicinity of Friant Dam. 

 Ciiforljuiately this court directive came too late to be etf'ective as far as 

 the 1!».")() salmon run was coiicei-ned. The order was issued in mid-May. 

 Construction of a (ish huldcr of this height (12 feet) is a matter which 

 usually re.piirc^ many months of m] tape and consti'uctioii time. On this 



'"■'■•1^ 'be ]-r,\ tape \\ a s dispensed with in a mattei- of hours. r>ids were 



"''!_"''i'''l- ' \\as accepted, and lln^ laddei' was operating on June 1(), 



19.)(). abont a month after tlie issnaiiee (d' the court order. This was far 

 too hite. T,, |ia\e he.'u effective tile ladder should have been in operating 

 condition alxHil .May 1st. a matter (d' several days before the coui-fs 

 totally nne.\p,.,-t.'d action. As it was, the bulk of the salmon run went up 

 the .Merced K'i\er and (.nly :{(; (ish availed themselves of the fish ladder 

 which was (•(•iistrnete,| f,,,- their use. I'.y dune 2(ith it was obvious that 

 the salmon run was ov.'i-. Water tern |.erat iires in Salt Slough wei-e so high 

 that th.Me was no chance <d' any iiioie lish getting upsteam to the ladder. 

 Ibnee. |,y a-rccment with the di\isi,,n. the I'.ureau of Hecdanuition 

 'iiriied ,,i\ the ll(.w (d' water wliieh wa> being ii.sed for tilese fish. The 

 spring run of !!»:»() was oClieially (helaie.l •■nded. 



The program for the const ru<-t ion of lish screens and ladders has 

 leceived tremendous impetus fi-om additional funds made available 

 under the Wildlife Con.servation Act. However, as in any other long 



& 



