REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS 27 



six years after the artificial propagation of salmon was undertaken by 

 this Commission in that portion of our State, they show that the ship- 

 ments from that port reach a grand total of 1,877,000 pounds. These 

 figures are still better appreciated when a comparison is made between 

 the increase of salmon propagated artificially and the steelhead allowed 

 to propagate naturally (in the same streams and during the same period 

 of time), bearing in mind that there was no change whatever in the law 

 as to season, or method of capturing the fish. While the salmon under 

 artificial propagation showed an increase of about one hundred and fifty 

 per cent, the steelhead under natural propagation had decreased fifty- 

 one per cent. Further comment seems unnecessary. 



We desire to again call attention to the fact that this work is 

 carried to a successful conclusion through the joint operations of the 

 Bureau of Fisheries at Washington, D. C, under the direction of Captain 

 G. H. Lambson, their courteous and able representative in California, 

 and the State Fish Commission. Captain Lambson operates a salmon 

 egg-collecting station at Baird, on the McCloud River, at which point 

 eggs are taken from both the spring and fall runs; two other stations, 

 one on Battle Creek on the borders of Shasta and Tehama counties, and 

 the other on Mill Creek in Tehama county, are operated, where eggs are 

 taken from the fall run. The expense of capturing the parent fish, and 

 fertilizing and eyeing the eggs, is borne by the Federal Government. 

 After being eyed, the eggs are transported to our hatchery at Sisson, and 

 the one on Eel River in Humboldt County, where they are hatched, the 

 fry reared, and distributed in the headwaters of the upper Sacramento 

 River and in the tributaries of Eel River. 



For the season of 1903, the Sisson Hatchery alone handled upwards 

 oi ")S,000,000 salmon eggs, w 7 hich was the best record of any station on 

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

 States. Added to that is the number of eggs (5,500,000) handled at our 

 Eel River station, making a total of 64,000,000 for 1903. For the season 

 of 1904 we handled at Sisson and Eel River upwards of 90,000,000 eggs, 

 and still the limit was not reached, as in 1905 the total number of eggs 

 handled at these two stations aggregated 106,000,000 out of a total of 

 117,000,000 eggs collected, the remainder being hatched by the Federal 

 hatchery at Baird, shipped to the states north of us, and some to 

 foreign countries. 



The present season has shown the largest run of salmon ever known 

 in the Bay of Monterey. In fact, the salmon were so abundant along 

 the coast that for the first time they were taken in large numbers with 

 hook and line by crab fishermen outside the Golden Gate. They also 

 appeared in abundance in Tomalesand Bolinas bays, during the months 

 of July and August, and at the present time in every large stream lead- 

 ing to the sea. 



