Mr. W. C. Jones, the Deputy Commissioner, had charge of the patrol - 

 men employed, and did good service, as his annexed report shows. 



The marked increase of salmon caught in the last few years is on 

 account of the demand from the canneries. During the heavy run in 

 former years, the fishermen did not work more than one third of the 

 time. The canneries take the most of the catch from the first of 

 April to the fifteenth of July, and from the first of September to the 

 middle of < October. The fishermen work most of the time, say eighteen 

 hours of the twenty-four. 



It is necessary for the Commission to plant as many young salmon 

 as *an be procured, at the headwaters of the Sacramento, in order to 

 keep up the supply. Owing to the breaking of the waterwheel of the 

 United States hatchery on the McCloud River, and to other causes, 

 the supply of young fish was cut short in the year 1883 more than 

 0,000,000. It will be necessary for the California Commissioners to 

 plant not less than 4,000,000 young fish each year, in order to meet 

 the heavy drain continually going on. 



The present Commission has used considerable exertion against the 

 violators of the fish laws, but unless some stringent legislation is 

 obtained, our streams and bays will soon be without a needful supply 

 of salmon and other fish. 



The large demands that came from the packing houses in the year 

 1883, caused an unusual amount of fish to be taken. During this 

 season, which has been an unusually short one, the amount of fresh 

 salmon, which has been packed, amounts to 451,957 Spring salmon, 

 and 160,542 Fall salmon, aggregating 7,349,998 pounds. The amount 

 of fresh Spring salmon sold in the markets was 115,004, and of Fall 

 run 52,902, aggregating 2,235,684 pounds; total number of pounds sold 

 and canned in the year 1883, 9,585,672 pounds. These statistics do 

 not include 60,000 or more caught above Sacramento City. In order 

 to meet this immense drain, it will be necessary to have at least one 

 hatching house belonging to the State on the Little Sacramento, or 

 the McCloud, or Pit Rivers. 



From the fifteenth day of October, 1883, until the first day of Janu- 

 ary, 1884, the run of salmon was very good, and especially in the 

 month of January, as there were more caught during that month of 

 what is termed the Winter run, than in years past. The cause was 

 probably on account of the stage of the river, which was extremely 

 low for that season of the year. The Spring run was retarded in 

 consequence of the low water, and no considerable amount of fish 

 was caught until after the twentieth of March. The outlook for a 

 heavy run early in the season was not promising, there being less fish 

 observed outside the Bay of San Francisco than for a number of years 

 preceding. 



The decrease of salmon in the McCloud River, in 1883, was caused 

 by the continual blasting on the line of the Northern Pacific Railroad, 

 above Redding; this caused the fish to stop below the United States 

 hatchery, at Bairds, only allowing very few fish to ascend to their 

 spawning grounds. It was a cause that could not be avoided. 



Mr. Livingstone Stone, the Deputy United States Fish Commis- 

 sioner for this coast, did all in his power to catch as many fish as 

 would fill his contract with the Commissioners of this State (4,000,- 

 000), but did not succeed by about 3,000,000. The Commissioners 

 desire not less than 4,000,000 each year in order to keep up the sup- 

 ply and to increase the number. The demand is increasing every 



