50 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



Hatchery (marked by ren]()vin<:' dorsal and riji'ht ventral fins) ; and 

 187, ()()() from Prairie Creek Hatchery near Oriek (marked bj" removing 

 anal and left ventral fins). It was expected that the wild fish could be 

 caught by the use of seines, since this method of catchino- younp; salmon 

 had proved quite successful in the American River and in some of the 

 rivers of the San Joaquin A'adey. IIoAvever, when seines were tried in the 

 Sacramento, they proved to be utterly inadequate as only a few hundred 

 fish per day could be obtained. The method of attack was immediateh' 

 shifted and 22 fyke nets mounted on rectauji'ular frames were built and 

 set in the riffles of the Sacramento River. These nets did the job, but 

 the proper setting of them proved to be quite a task. If they were placed 

 in water which flowed too slowlj^ they did not catch enough fish. But, 

 if they were ]ilaced in water which flowed too rapidly, they caught many 

 fish but killed most of them. Intensive experimenting was required to 

 find suitable places, but once these spots were found the nets produced 

 an entirely adequate supply of good healthy fish. The wild salmon were 

 carried to Coleman Hatchery, marked by the same crews tliat were 

 marking the hatchery fish, and then returned to the Sacramento River. 

 Coleman Hatchery is operated by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Serv- 

 ice, which donated the hatchery fish and the facilities for marking- 

 hatchery and wild fish in tliat area. The C-oleman Hatchery staff took 

 an interest in this work, made suggestions of great value and gave us 

 a list of experienced fish markers residing in that area. The division 

 wishes to thank the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and John Pelnar, the 

 district supervisor who is in charge of Coleman Hatchery. 



MACKEREL 



The Pacific mackerel fisluny remained nt a relatively low level dur- 

 ing the biennium. The 1947 year-class, which formed a large portion of 

 the catch in 1947-48, continned to support the fishery in 1948-49 and 

 1949-50. Landings in the Los Anueles region, which acconnt for virtually 

 all of the State's catch, fell to less than ;:!7,0()(),000 pounds in 1948-4 li- 

 the lowest figure since the fishery became of major importance in 193)}. 

 In 1949-50, landings rose to nearlv 4!), 000, 000, a substantial gain but 

 still far below the record season "of 1!)85-;J() when about i:30,0()(),()()0 

 pounds were processed. Both scoop and seine boats were active. In 

 1948-49 scoop fishermen caught nearly 28,000,000 pounds and seine 

 fishermen 9,000,000. Preliminary figures for 1949-50 show roughly ecpial 

 catches for each tvpe of gear. State-wide landings were approximately 

 38,000,000 pounds" in 1948-49 and 50,000,000 in 1949-50. 



Routine sampling of the commercial catch continued without in- 

 terruption. These samples provide the basic information regarding the 

 size and age of the fish which enter the fishery. Studies of the age com- 

 position of the catch for the period 1939-49 were completed. At the close 

 of the biennium the data were being compiled in manuscript form. 

 Results of the tagging program were published as Fish Bulletin 73 in 

 1949. This program was inaugurated in 1935 and the last tagged fisii 

 were recovered in 1947. 



The fishery for jack mackerel is carried out almost exclusively 

 by seiners. Landings were substantial, though far short of the banner 

 1947-48 season when the catch passed 142,000,000 pounds. The state-wide 



