34 REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS. 



fish interests demanding attention, it has not been possible to give this 

 matter the attention it deserves. 



We are of the opinion that the protection and propagation of fish and 

 game will be best subserved by a division of the work, giving to one set 

 of officers the fish-cultural work and the supervision of the commercial 

 fish interests, and to the other the enforcement of the game and game- 

 fish laws. 



In order that we might inform ourselves and the better present the 

 matter of game protection to you and the Legislature, and suggest the 

 method most likely to be a success in California, we put ourselves in 

 correspondence with the Fish Commissions and Wardens of the differ- 

 ent States, asking for information concerning the protection of game, 

 the success of the present methods, whatever they might be, and their 

 ideas of the method most likely to accomplish the desired end. In 

 many of the States, wardens are working under laws which enable 

 them to thoroughly protect the game during the close season. Without 

 a single exception all agree that the State is a great gainer when the 

 proper attention is paid to game protection. In several of the States 

 giving the most attention to game protection and cultivation, the fish 

 and game interests are in the hands of one commission, which appoints 

 and controls a game warden and his deputies, and these commissions 

 report good results. In most of the States, however, the commissioners 

 agree with us that, in order to get the best results, the game and fish 

 interests should be separated.. 



In 1891 Minnesota took up the question of game preservation and 

 enlarged the Fish Commission from three to five members, and made 

 them the Board of Game and Fish Commissioners. They have an 

 appropriation of $20,000, of which $9,000 is set aside for the salaries and 

 expenses of game wardens. They also appoint an executive agent and 

 superintendent of fisheries. Ohio has a Fish and Game Commission of 

 five members, who appoint a warden. They have an appropriation of 

 $9,500 per annum. These two States can combine the management of 

 the two interests to good advantage, as their natural conditions are 

 favorable to it. This statement is also true of Wisconsin, with an 

 annual appropriation of $25,000. The game warden is appointed by 

 the Governor, and is under the control of the Commission of Fisheries. 

 This Commission favors the combining of the management of the two 

 interests, but states that under existing circumstances the plan does 

 not work well. 



New York and New Jersey are very much alive to the necessity of 

 liberal support in these matters, as the amount of their appropriations 

 show. New York expends $72,000 annually, and New Jersey $30,000. 

 In 1895 New York consolidated her Fisheries and Forest Commissions, 

 and placed the work in the hands of the Fisheries, Game, and Forest 



