78 



FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



tanks of standard mannfaetnre and employing- an improved type aerating 

 sj^stem, utilizing the Venturi type aspirator. Long range transportation 

 of catchable fish with these new units is now possible. The stocking of 

 remotely located lakes in the high mountainous areas of California has 

 for many years presented a difficult task, since this was always done by 

 man and pack animal. Early in 1947 the Bureau experimented with 

 planting fish by airplane. Experiments were continued during 1948. 



Figure 16. Loading trout for stocking'. The pickup truck is equipped with a recently 

 developed 150-gallon aerated planting tank. Photograph by Kramer Adams. 



The use of a C-45 Beechcraft plane in aerial trout planting was 

 started in 1949 and greatly expanded in 1950. The plane is e(|uipped with 

 a tank with a trip valve seated in the aerial camera port. Fish are trans- 

 ported in 12 light aluminum cans and the plants for each lake, of which 

 three to five may be covered in a single trip, are loaded into the larger 

 tank successively. The crew consists of two pilots and a planter in the 

 cabin. 



All checks so far made both from the air and on the ground indicate 

 almost complete success. Two barren lakes planted in 1949 were checked 

 in 1950 and very good survival was apparent. In 1950 a total of 426 

 lakes from Siskiyou to Inyo Countj^ was planted with 1,633,275 trout. 

 The cost for the use of the plane was $2,477.50 — less than was sometimes 

 paid to one packer in previous years. 



Tables showing the total numbers of fish reared and planted in each 

 county and obtained through rescue work will be found in Appendix D. 



It has been found necessary to change the period of accounting for 

 hatchery production from the calendar year to the fiscal year in order 



