42 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



RECORDS OF FISH PLANTING AND RESCUE 



Along with the surveys, the biological staff is charged with seeing 

 that the stocking and fish rescue records are kept up to date, both in 

 detail and in summary, and from this has evolved, in cooperation with 

 the hatchery staffs, a new instrument called the 'J Hatchery Management 

 Binder." This is a loose-leaf but permanent record, a collection of infor- 

 mation on past stocking, stocking policy, and basic survey data, to be kept 

 at each hatchery, with duplicates in the district biologist's office and in 

 San Francisco. An outstanding advantage is that it makes available 

 to a new man coming into a hatchery, all existing knowledge with regard 

 to the waters under his jurisdiction. Preparation of such a binder requires 

 a great amount of detailed field and office work on the part of both 

 hatcherymen and biologists, and so far onh^ six hatcheries have been so 

 equipped, but the others will be similarly equipped as time permits. 



CREEL COUNTS AND CATCH RECORDS 



Creel counts and catch records continue to be one of the most 

 important phases of our fisheries investigations. The general angling 

 catch records, based on a return postcard questionnaire sent to a one-in- 

 ten sample of the anglilig licensees, was limited in 1944 and 1945 by 

 shortage of help. The counties of heavy striped bass catch, however, 

 were sampled in order to maintain an unbroken record for this important 

 fishery. In addition, creel counts were carried out by members of the 

 staff, some as annual spot checks on important waters, some as intensive 

 long-range projects. Outstanding among the latter is the Castle Lake 

 program, the first phase of which, just ended, yielded valuable informa- 

 tion on survival of various species of trout stocked at various sizes in a 

 typical mountain lake. The results, including figures bearing on the 

 cost to the commission of each trout caught by the angler for various 

 species stocked at various sizes, were published on July 1, 1946 in Cali- 

 fornia Fish and Game, Volume 32, No. 3. 



EFFECT OF DAMS 



Much attention has been given to the effects of new dams upon fish 

 life. Studies have been made, including in most cases recommendations 

 for maintenance of fish and fishing; of plans of the U. S. Bureau of 

 Reclamation, the U. S. Engineers, and several power companies for con- 

 struction of dams or flood control- devices and for alteration of dams or 

 operating methods on the following streams : Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, 

 Salinas, San Lorenzo, Russian, Eel, Klamath, Pit, Truckee, South Fork 

 American, South Fork San Joaquin Rivers, and Putah and Cache Creeks 

 in the Yolo-Solano project. All applications to the State Division of 

 Water Resources for permits to appropriate water have been examined 

 since the beginning of 1945, and protests entered where the amount to 

 be diverted threatened to reduce the stream flow below the safety limit 

 for fish. 



Many of these appropriations are of a comparatively minor nature, 

 but in the aggregate they bring about a serious reduction in the total 

 amount of water which can support game fish. However, it is realized 



