42 REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS. 



weight limit at which striped bass can be bought, sold, offered for ship- 

 ment and sale, be raised from three to five pounds, but none to betaken 

 or possessed less than three pounds in weight. Thousands of our peo- 

 ple are enjoying the sport of capturing these fish with hook and line, 

 and it would work a serious hardship on all such if they were deprived 

 of the right to lawfully retain a striped bass taken in that way. 



Another plan offered to offset the drain on the striped bass industry 

 of this State is the passage of a non-export law, and there is much to be 

 said in its favor. Our streams do not increase in volume; in fact, from 

 the demands made by irrigating systems, it is possible to conceive that 

 they will be reduced. It may then be the part of wisdom to conserve 

 these valuable fishes for the citizens of our own State. Undoubtedly 

 such a recommendation would meet with fierce opposition from the fish 

 dealers in this city and Sacramento, who ship outside of the State 

 thousands of pounds of striped bass each month. We feel that if these 

 shipments may continue without impairment of the industry, and yet 

 not run the local market value of these fish to a prohibitive figure, it 

 would be an unwise move to prohibit their exportation. When we wit- 

 ness the results that followed the introduction of lOOfingerlingsin 1879, 

 and 350 in 1882, planted at Army Point near Benicia, and that the fish 

 still continue to show an increase, and the further fact that they are 

 regularly sold here for much less than in Eastern markets, we believe 

 that the suggested additional restrictions will be sufficient. 



It is claimed by. some of the sportsmen that the supply is being 

 greatly diminished. In answer to that we submit the figures of W. A. 

 Wilcox, the Statistician of the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries at Washing- 

 ton. Mr. Wilcox is thoroughly familiar with the fishery industry of 

 this State, and has collected the market reports for many years. In 

 1893 the number of pounds of striped bass received in the San Fran- 

 cisco markets was only 79,738, increasing in three years (1896) to 

 363,747. In the year 1899, 1,234,320 pounds of striped bass were caught 

 in this State, which had a value to the fishermen of $61,814. Five 

 years later, or in 1904, there were 1,570,404 pounds landed in San 

 Francisco, for which the fishermen received $92,116. These figures 

 show that there has been an increase in the catch since 1899 of about 

 27 per cent in quantity and 49 per cent in value. Nearly 90 per cent 

 of the catch was marketed at San Francisco. So far as we are able to 

 learn, 40 per cent of the amount taken has been exported. 



According to the reports received from Southern California regarding 

 the plants that were made in Orange County two years ago, the fish 

 are showing some increase in those waters. Their natural range north 

 of San Francisco has not been beyond Russian River in Sonoma 

 County, although a small plant was made in Humboldt Bay six years 

 ago. Owing to unusual delays en route, most of the shipment per- 



