112 REPORT OP THE FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



with encouraging success. As a result^ the angling attraction proves 

 potent enough to finance further efforts. 



The scanty streams of southern, steep gorge watersheds do not lend 

 themselves to the natural maintenance of trout. Too much water, or 

 too littk\ is the ever present menace. ^lany a stream is planted annu- 

 ally in the certainty that there can be but little natural propagation 

 therein. The best trout lake in the extreme south, Big Bear, in the 

 San Bernardino watershed, is now, and for some years past has been on 

 an essentiall\ ;ii't iticially inaiiilained basis. The natural spawning 

 facilities in its sliort, steep creeks are under ordinary conditions virtu- 

 ally nil. At considerable expense, the Fishcultural Department has 

 installed two hatcheries, with spawn-taking racks and has sent a crew 

 of its most skilled men into Bear Valley every spring to gather such 

 eggs as Nature olfered, these were hatched in the local plants for distri- 

 bution in the lake and streams of the range. Last spring, although 

 facilities had been almost doubled the fall before, the egg-take followed 

 the general rule in the state and fell off until not enough eggs were 

 available to operate to full capacity, even though the turnoft' was about 

 that of the year before. 



In measure. Big Bear Lake's great popularity as the "Tahoe of the 

 south," so-called, has proved its undoing for mid-summer sport at the 

 height of the season and the concentration of tlie water through several 

 dry seasons has played a part. The number of adult fish seen every 

 spring at the spawn-taking stations and out in the bays at the creek 

 mouths has indicated an abundant supply. Fishing is always good 

 enough to satisfy the most ardent fishermen both early and late in the 

 season. The state's students of such conditions are of the opinion that a 

 normal winter will restore the fishing to its former sustained excellence, 

 its consistency lieing one of the most remarka])le things about it in past 

 years. 



Realizing several years ago tliat southern California's demands could 

 no longer be met by long sliii)ments from the mother hatcliery under 

 Mount Shasta, Fisli and (ianic Conuuissioner Connell set about search- 

 ing for a site combining the necessary conditions of cold, pure water 

 in certainty of supply, with accessibility to transportation and after 

 long consideration, the eastern Sierra was selected as a site for the 

 splendid IMount Whitney Hatchery, which today supplies the lower end 

 of the state, as well as the enormous aggregate area of fishing waters 

 within motor-truck and pack-train reach of its troughs. 



Had it accomplished nothing remarkable beyond the successful rear- 

 ing of the rare and delicate goblm trout, the Mount Whitney Hatch- 

 ery would have successfully established itself among the great fish- 

 cultural institutions of the world. But in addition to this hitherto 



