REPORT OF THE FISU AND GAME COMMISSION. 21 



and its contaminated condition, has a tendency to prevent the salmon 

 from passing up the river. Th(^ water that returns from the rice 

 fields is full of organic matter anil the gases formed by the decomposi- 

 tion is deleterious to all fish life. In our opinion a careful study of this 

 condition should be made next season with the object of determining 

 the actual facts. 



"We respectfully recommend that the Legislature stop all nuirket 

 fishing for salmon above the City of Sacramento and make a closed 

 season off the coast of Fort Bragg and in Monterey Bay so that at least 

 one-third less salmon can be taken during the season along our coast. 

 The dates for the closed season on the Sacramento River and in Monte- 

 rey Bay, and along the the coast where the salmon fishing grounds are 

 located, should be arranged from data collected by the Department of 

 Commercial Fisheries and the Department of Fishculture, so that 

 the best results may be obtained. Further experiments should be car- 

 ried on, at the Chico Experimental Station where the Fish and Game 

 Commission has procured a lease from the City of Chico on Big Chico 

 Creek in the Bidwell Park. These experiments should include the rear- 

 ing of salmon fry in ponds, so that if the Irc«i Canyon Project is com- 

 pleted, the Commission will be in a position to save the salmon of the 

 Sacramento River by a pond rearing system. 



The installation of the dams in Pit River by the Pacific Gas and 

 Electric Company to generate hydro-electric power will destroy that 

 stream as a natural breeding ground for salmon. If work is begun on 

 the Iron Canyon Project in the next year, the power company should 

 be forced to erect a salmon hatchery and rearing ponds on Pit River 

 to propagate the salmon that their project will destroy. This should be 

 taken up at an early date and every effort made to save the salmon. 



The last of the salmon breeding grounds on the San Joaquin will 

 be destroyed this season by the completion of the Kerckhoff dam and 

 powerhouse by the San Joaquin Light and Power Company. The water 

 wall be diverted through a tunnel 17,000 feet in length that will dry up 

 about 12 miles of the river bed as well as prevent any salmon from 

 ascending above the dam. A survey of conditions on the San Joaquin 

 River has been made and an estimate of the number of breeding salmon 

 that pass the Mendota Weir, about 50 miles below the Kerckhoff dam, 

 is in preparation. A survey has been made for a fishway over the new 

 ^Mendota Weir that is now under construction. This will allow the 

 spring run of salmon to pass on up the San Joaquin River to a point 

 where the large irrigation canals take the water out of the river. These 

 salmon ascend the river during May, June and the first part of July. 

 In the foot hills near Friants they congregate in the large pools and 

 remain until such time in the fall as the temperature is right for them 

 to spawn, then they ascend the river into the gorge of the San Joaquin 



