FORTY-SECOND BIENNIAL REPORT 



27 



ACTIVITIES OF THE BIOLOGICAL STAFF 



Despite the continuing removal of fishing' waters and the ever heavier 

 pressure on existing - waters, the state-wide angling picture during the 

 bienniuni provided grounds for optimism. The catches of fresh-water 

 and anadromous fishes made in 1951 and those made in 1949, calculated 

 on the basis of statistically tested postal card surveys, are shown in 

 Table 1. 



Catehable sized hatchery reared trout play an important role in pro- 

 viding angling in heavily fished waters near large population centers 

 and popular recreational areas, and fingerling hatchery trout contribute 

 significantly toward the maintenance of angling in many lighter fished 

 lakes in which natural reproduction is inadequate. Nevertheless, the 

 great majority of trout and salmon caught by California anglers, and 

 practically all of the other sport fishes, are the product of natural repro- 

 duction. 



The above facts point up the tremendous need of maintaining suitable 

 habitat conditions in the State's waters. This task has been one of the 

 principal objectives of the biological staff of the Bureau of Fish Con- 

 servation. Its members have attempted to fulfill this objective by means 

 of a comprehensive program of investigation leading to recommendations 

 for the protection, preservation, and improvement of the inland fisheries 

 and an applied fisheries management program consisting of fish rescue, 

 habitat improvement, and screening of water diversions. 



During the 1950-52 Biennium tbe Bureau of Fish Conservation con- 

 tinued its operations through a central staff and eight administrative 

 districts, with a biologist in charge of all fresh-water fisheries investiga- 

 tions and an assistant hatchery supervisor in charge of all hatchery 

 activities in each district. 



TABLE 1. CATCHES OF LEADING INLAND SPORT FISHES IN 

 1949 AND 1951 



Trout. . 



Striped bass 

 Black bass_. 



Crappie 



Sunfish 



Catfish 



Salmon 



1951 



Total 



18,600,000 

 1,490,000 

 1,280,000 

 2,380,000 

 4,800,000 

 4,710,000 

 564,000 



Mean catch 

 per angler 



43.3 

 10.4 

 11.9 

 31.3 

 47.1 

 27.5 

 7.2 



1949 



Total 



10,700,000 

 1,750,000 

 1,160,000 

 2,430,000 

 4,020,000 

 3,930,000 

 298,000 



Mean catch 

 per angler 



38.7 

 10.6 

 10.0 

 23.1 

 35.3 

 24.4 

 4.4 



As in the past, heavy reliance was necessarily placed on temporary 

 employees, consisting of Fish and Game Seasonal Aids, and Student 

 Biologists, to assist the permanent staff members in various phases of 

 both the investigative and applied phases of fisheries management. 

 Permanent employees from the hatchery staff were also assigned as needed 

 to carry out mainly such fact-finding work as counting spawning runs of 

 salmon and steelhead and such applied management work as fish rescue, 

 stream and lake improvement, and screening of diversions. 



