lOG REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF FISH CUMMLSSIOXERS. 



ample provision must be made for salmon, reaching their natural spawn- 

 ing beds. But this necessity fishermen do not heed. When the enemies 

 of the salmon have been particularly abundant, and there is therefore 

 a slack run, instead of tishing lightly and permitting as many as 

 possible to ascend to the spawning streams, the contrary is the practice. 

 The amount of fishing is quadrupled during poor years, and every fish 

 that it is possible to take is taken, with the immediate result that but 

 few salmon reach the spawning beds, and wiili the- ultimate result that 

 the small run will not only be repeated when the resulting offspring 

 return as adults, but that it will ])e accentuated. Surely it will require 

 great efforts on the part of artificial propagation to overcome the double 

 odds of natural and human enemies, but of its ability to do so I have 

 not the slightest doubt. 



Artificial propagation is keeping up the supply of salmon in the 

 Sacramento River, ^^'itll one exception, there are now no natural 

 spawning beds in the Sacramento basin that amount to anything. All 

 of the Feather, Upper Sacramento, and Pit rivers, with their tributaries, 

 have been practically abandoned, with the exception of the streams 

 where the hatcheries are located. The only natural spawning beds still 

 occupied are in the main river, between Redding and Tehama, which 

 are yet visited by a considerable number of salmon. Otherwise, the 

 salmon fisheries in the Sacramento are being kept up by the hatcheries; 

 and what is being done in California can be done elsewhere. 



1903. CLOUDSLEY RUTTER. 



ADDENDA.— REPORT ON SALMON EGGS, 1904. 



Since the foregoing has gone to print, other important and interest- 

 ing figures relating to the take of sahnon eggs at the Battle Creek and 

 Mill Creek stations for the season of 1904 havo become available, which 

 would seem to bear out strongly the opiniun of Mr. Rutter as to the 

 value of artitieiai propagation of salmon in the Sacramento River. 



In the report of Superintendent Shebley. of the Sisson hatchery, atten- 

 tion is called to his statement that the total number of salmon eggs 

 handled at that station for 1908 aggregated 58,632,000, of which he 

 says: " This was the largest number of salmon eggs ever hatched at 

 one station in one season. It is the best record of any station on the 

 Pacific Coast, and of commercial value second to none in the United 

 States.'" To be added is the number of eggs, 5, 522,900, shipped to our 

 Eel River station; making a grand total of 64,154,900 eggs for 1903 

 For the season of 1904, at this date, December 10th, we have at the 

 Sisson hatchery 35,000,000 eggs; at the Eel River hatchery, 6,590,000; 

 or in round numbers, 42,000,000. In addition to these eggs, we have 

 already hatched and liberated the fry resulting from 10.000.000 eggs 



