i \ pish a mi: 



h no trout were found, and the restocking 

 which they hi red, will have the effect to repair the waste 



ing been noticed that on man; streams on which 



mills, the tri.ii' ppeared, ii i that 



nnw killed the fish, but as in other on 



•ill trout to Im- found, tli" 



• . (I much ii i ound 



that trout ;  and ue> rr seemed lit. 



where the mills elow the gravel spawning I 



till plenty, but where the mills were above the fish had 

 1 red the spawning beds, tli<' 



;•. after :i I ippeared, for the trout ha 



tin- Balmon it ipawn in the particular stream in which it was hatched. 



1 inada, which is in advance of most of our states in her laws for the preserva- 

 tion of her fisl under | . --ill sawmills from running 

 into the str< i in a short time it will be requisil imilar laws in this 

 State, for, in addition to the di >n of trout, the sawdust will cover t J i « - spawn- 



tually as the mud from mining 1ms their gravel beds 

 in the American, Yuba, and Feathers rivers. On the Truckee River, about five 

 miles above the town of Truckee, the Brothers Comer havi tablishment for 



the artificial hatching of trout been engaged in this business for the 



M,l have successfully hatched and have in their ponds more than 

 half a million of fish. Their business is a success in every respect except fin a nciall y. 

 There is not in this State, as yet, a large demand by individuals for the young trout 



:ock streams, and the feeding of so large a number of fish kept in small ponds 

 requires a considerable outlay. The commissioners have been n pend 



some portion of the appropriation at their disposal in purchasing a part of 

 oung fish to be placed in streams that are now without trout. It would 

 be an appropriation of money within the spirit of the law. but there is some 

 doubt as to whether the wording of the act authorizes this kind of expenditure. 

 Several of the states have hatching houses in which various kinds of fish 

 valuable for food are hatched, and distributed to all who desire to stock lakes 

 and streams. The destruction of our native fish has not gone so far that a similar 

 plan is required in California, but we believe it will be found that the drought of 

 the past two years will have had the effect of materially decreasing the trout in all 

 the streams. The sand and gravel beds at the heads of streams where they deposit 

 their spawn must, to a great extent, have been bared by the receding water before 

 the eggs came to maturity. If authorized, we will expend a portion of the appro- 

 priation in purchasing young fish to be distributed to restock stream dace in 

 streams and lakes which have no trout in them. 



The Comer Brothers procure their eggs for hatching from the fish caught in 

 the small streams that discharge into Lake Tahoe. Their plan of operation is 

 similar to that of other breeders of trout. Having caught a number of trout, male 

 and female, at the season when they commence to go up stream, they are kept in a 

 small trap or pound until the females are found to be ready to deposit their eggs. 

 This can be readily told by an examination of the fish. The first operation is to 

 procure a tin pan or other shallow vessel of water, a male trout is then taken from 

 the pound and his belly placed in the pan, a gentle pressure of the hand will express 

 a few drops of the milt ; he is then returned to the pound ; a female trout is then 

 taken, and by the same process her eggs are also expressed into the same pan. The 

 water in the pan is then gently stirred so as to insure all the eggs coming in contact 

 with the milt. In a few minutes the water containing the milt is washed away and 

 replaced by pure water. These impregnated eggs are then placed in the hatching 

 boxes, which are a series of shallow wooden boxes nearly filled with fine gravel, over 

 which a stream of pure cool water is slowly but constantly passing. A trout yields 

 from five hundred to four thousand eggs, depending upon its size and age. A salmon 

 yields an average of a thousand eggs to each pound of its weight. The eggs are 

 spread upon the gravel, and after the water has continuously passed over them for 



