FORTY-SECOND BIENNIAL REPORT 97 



adequate sources of continually incoming information, and without ade- 

 quate proof that the management measures which we are taking are 

 actually successful. At one time we at least had the help of observant fish 

 planters who went in with packstock and often had time enough to collect 

 information. But the airplane is now replacing the packtrain and we are 

 thus losing one of our best sources of information. 



We have worried with this problem for years, and have at last decided 

 that the only way we can keep up with these changes — and vary our man- 

 agement program accordingly- — is to have our own traveling crews make 

 repeated appraisals of the waters and their populations. We can never 

 begin to approach 100 percent efficiency ; there are simply too many lakes 

 and too little time. On the other hand a good many lakes will go along 

 pretty well for many years simply by continuing our present manage- 

 ment. Such lakes need be visited at only infrequent intervals and we 

 can concentrate on the others. Furthermore, very rapid inspections will 

 often suffice and a man may have to spend only a few days in any one 

 lake basin. The establishment of a closer liaison with packers, certain key 

 sportsmen, and our own wardens can also give us a great deal of infor- 

 mation. 



Our F-3-R project is designed as a pilot project to evaluate the success 

 of current management and to work out systems for the rapid evaluation 

 of ' ' how a lake is doing. ' ' At the same time — since the men are on the 

 spot — we intend to carry out minor stream and lake improvement, mostly 

 of the sort for which only hand tools need be used. 



As methods are developed, we plan to place our original men in other 

 areas to act as instructors. Eventually, the entire work should be turned 

 over to the local regions and it will become management in a true sense. 



Many of these areas already receive comparatively heavy use. Fur- 

 thermore, the economic development of the State is quickly lessening 

 the value of or destroying our more accessible waters. These back- 

 country lakes and streams may well constitute the bulk of California's 

 trout fishing waters in the future. 



As the biennium closed this project had been in existence for only 

 three months. The crew was busy checking lakes on the east slope of 

 the Sierra. 



Project F-4-D— North-Coastal Stream Restoration and Improvement 



The north-coastal streams of California support runs of several species 

 of anadromous salmonids : primarily king and silver salmon, and steel- 

 head and cutthroat trout. Artificial propagation is considered to be of 

 little value in supporting these runs. If sufficient escapement from 

 fishermen is provided (through regulation), the habitat kept intact or 

 restored, and free access to and from the spawning grounds assured— 

 the runs should be self-sustaining. 



These are the primary bases upon which our anadromous fish program 

 is established. Unfortunately, both natural and man-made barriers (such 

 as dams) block or impede migration. Recent activities of man, especially 

 lumbering, have created log or debris jams which block the streams and 

 do not allow full utilization by spawners, and have caused abnormal 



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