11" I LLIF0RN1 \ FISB ami <; \MI. 



win I for the many kind .-< n< 1 valuable aids extended to us by Mr. 



Baird, thia Commission i;ik''s ihis public opportunity of returning their 

 most grateful than! 



I': leiving advice of the approach of thia shipment, one of the 



I epaired to Sacramento, and there mel the incoming car 



with a supply of water and ice The little immigrants were 



found to be all alive and in excellenl Bpirits, and after receiving a fresh 

 supply of i'-' 1 and water, proceeded <ui their journey to Tehama, <m 

 the S River, and there thai same nighl they were successfully 



placed in ili«' waters which flow into the Pacific. 



In the Spring of eighteen hundred and seventy-two, we opened 

 londence with Mr. Seth Green for an additional supply of Shad, 

 Imt the early Summer and excessive heal of the Eastern States al thai 

 time compelb d us to abandon the attempl for the Beason. 



In the meantime, viz., in the Pall of L872, we received advice of 

 bipmenl made to as by Mr. Baird, of White Fish Eggs, and we 

 immediately took measures to hatch them and place them in the wafo 

 • he State. 



In view of this we caused an examination of the different Lakes into 



which they could be pli d with the besl prosped of success, which 



ilted in our selecting Clear Lake as affording most of the necessary 

 conditions. Among these conditions is an essential one, namely : That it 

 may be seined without destroying other valuable fish, there being few or 

 no fish in that lake the destruction of which by seining would be any 

 loss, or which at any rate would not be most profitably replaced by 

 the White Fish which can be taken only by seining or trapping. The 

 climate also of Clear Lake seemed to us to be the best within reach, 

 remembering always that the eggs of the White Fish are very delicate 

 and will not bear rough transportation; as it was, in the first attempt 

 all of the eggs perished, and in the second effort, although great pains 

 were taken, a very large proportion of the eggs perished on the way. 



Having selected what we < Itemed a proper place, we erected a hatch- 

 in? house under the charge of Mr. J. Gr. Woodbury, of whom we take 

 pleasure in speaking as a skillful, careful, intelligent, and economical 

 manager. Mr. Woodbury conducted the hatching of these eggs with 

 greal success, and closed his labors with putting into Clear Lake twenty- 

 five thousand living and healthy young White Fish, from which we 

 may reasonably hope to stock all the suitable waters in the State. It 

 may be well to state that the great object at first is to get the desirable 

 fish here and acclimated in' our waters; after that they may be bred 

 artificially and distributed to any extent. 



It is probable, or at least possible, that ten thousand Shad may 

 return to our waters this coming Spring and forty thousand more in 

 1876. If such should be the case and they are properly protected by 

 legislation, it will be no difficult or costly matter to breed from them a 

 million of young fish, which in three years more will stock the entire 

 coast and give us Shad as plenty as we have Smelts. But to arrive 

 at this we require some stronger legislation which will absolutely 

 prevent the taking for food of the new Shad as they come in ; we 

 require them all for breeding. 



If it shall be the pleasure of the Legislature to continue to aid 

 this commission, it is our intention this next coming year to renew our 



