68 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



superior court in Llarin County decided that a law is not good which 

 closes one district to the possession of salmon caught outside the three- 

 mile limit while an adjoining district is open. One uniform closed 

 season for the entire coast Avould not give the salmon the desired pro- 

 tection, for the fish "run" progressively later from Monterey Bay 

 north. 



The closed seasons for salmon trolling in the ocean were established 

 in an attempt to save the salmon from destruction, but as has been 

 explained, the law has twice proven defective and the salmon have not 

 received the protection so greatly needed, so that even if those closed 

 seasons could now be made effective the protection would lie far from 

 adequate. There are not sufficient salmon remaining to support com- 

 mercial fishing both within the bays and rivers and in the open sea. 

 Either the outside or the inside fishing should be stopped and to delay 

 further will be fatal. Of the two alternatives, the outside, or sea 

 trolling, should be the one to go. There are many good arguments 

 on both sides of the question, "Should the outside or the inside fishing 

 be stopped?" but the better arguments are for the inside fishing and 

 against the outside fishing. The three main arguments are: 



1. The great destruction of immature salmon by sea trolling. 



2. Impossibility of regulating the catch of salmon belonging to any 

 one stream so as to maintain the supply of that particular stream race 

 of fish if they are caught in the ocean without knowing to what sti-eam 

 they belong. 



3. The industry first started on the river where fishing villages have 

 been built up and where other kinds of fishing can not be turned to, 

 while the fisheries of the ocean are undergoing rapid development and 

 where there are other fisheries to which salmon troUers can turn their 

 attention. 



Observations relating to the life history of king salmon have been 

 systematically continued since 1919. A considerable amount of informa- 

 tion relating to growth, age, migration, and general habits has accumu- 

 lated. Some of this has appeared in published form from time to tinie 

 and other reports are in process of preparation. Both ocean and river 

 catches have been under observation and information has been obtained 

 that wil] presumably assist in matters of conservation. The work has 

 been under the direct supervision of J. 0. Snyder of Stanford L^ni- 

 versitv who has been ably assisted in field work by E. C. Seofieid and 

 G. R' Clark. 



In cooperation with the International Pacific Salmon Investigation 

 Federation an effort was made last j^ear and again this season to place 

 metal tags on adult salmon caught and released at sea. No success 

 followed the first effort, but the second was more fruitful. King 

 salmon to the number of 130 were tagged by Paul Bonnot and C. Rogers 

 in Monterey Bay and off the coast in the vicinity of Eureka. If tagging 

 operations of this kind could be successfully carried out, the results 

 sliould inform us as to the origin of the ocean catches and furnish data 

 relating to sea migrations, growth, and other matters of importance. 



The Commission was represented at the meetings of the Federation 

 which were held in Seattle. Representation here insures cooperation 

 on the part of the state in its investigations. 



An outstanding feature of the salmon investigation is the experi- 

 mental work, part of which has been designed to better acquaint us 



