68 REPORT OP THE FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



loss of blood. When the leeches are gorged they drop off the fish and 

 bury in the gravel at the bottom of the creeks. Where the leeches are 

 numerous and a large number attach themselves to a trout the loss of 

 blood is great and the fish often dies; but the number actually killed 

 is not as great as some persons imagine. The trout are naturally weak 

 during the spawning season and some of them perish from their efforts 

 in spawning as well as from the leeches. The trout artificially spawned 

 at the egg collecting stations escape many of the dangers incidental to 

 spawning in tlu^ creeks, such as the ravages of leeches and the grab 

 hooks and spears of poachers. 



Brookdale Hatchery. 

 Brookdale Hatchery was operated during the seasons of 1915 and 

 1916 under a lease procured from Santa Cruz County. The eggs were 

 collected at Swanton from Scott Creek. Under the conditions of the 

 lease the county of Santa Cruz receives annually 500,000 steelhead 

 trout fry to be distributed entirely in the public waters and the 

 remainder of the eggs and fry are disposed of at the pleasure of the 

 commission. The last two seasons' operations were productive of good 

 results. In the season of 1915, there were 1,070,000 fry reared and 

 distributed from Brookdale Hatchery and 2,287,000 eyed eggs were 

 shipped to other stations to be reared and distributed in other sections 

 of the state. There w^ere 678,000 eyed eggs shipped from Brookdale 

 Hatchery to Sisson Hatchery, and 877,000 fry distributed in the Avaters 

 of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties during the season 

 of 1916. The distribution of fry from Brookdale Hatchery during the 

 season of 1915 will be found in the statistical table of this report (see 

 appendix). 



Ukiah Hatchery. 

 Ukiah Hatchery was run as usual during the seasons of 1915 and 

 1916. Steelhead eggs were shipped to this station from the Snow Moun- 

 tain egg collecting station. The fry were given a wide distribution in 

 Sonoma and Mendocino counties. During the season of 1916, while 

 removing the Price Creek Hatchery to its new location on Fort Seward 

 Creek, 1,000,000 cpiinnat salmon eggs were hatched at Ukiah Hatchery 

 for distribution in Mad and Eel rivers. 



Fort Seward Hatchery. 

 Owing to the undesirable location of the Price Creek Hatchery, it was 

 decided to remove it to a more favorable site. Price Creek Hatchei-y 

 was located on Price Creek, one-half mile from its junction with Eel 

 River. The creek has its source in the hills near the mouth of Eel River. 

 The country through which it flows is a loose, friable and disorganized 

 formation that is constantly sliding and washing away. During the 



