40 



DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 



Damage Assessed 



Most of the sampling is being done on pumps in the 

 12- to 24-inch class. They are by far the most nu- 

 merous, and heretofore practically nothing has been 

 done toward assessing their damage to the fish popu- 

 lations. 



The apparent increase in the numbers of steelhead 

 and steelhead fishermen on the upper Sacramento 

 River since completion of Shasta Dam raises questions 

 about the adequacy of present regulations such as bag 

 limits, length of season, and closed waters. Another ex- 

 tremely important question requiring an answer is 

 whether or not it is economically feasible to improve 

 steelhead angling in the Sacramento River system by 

 stocking yearling hatchery fish. 



This project is working toward answering these 

 questions b>" marking and planting hatchery reared 

 steelhead, tagging adults on their upstream migration, 

 creel censusing anglers, and checking upstream and 

 downstream migrations on iMill Creek, one of the more 

 important tributaries to the upper river. 



The steelhead planting experiment is being carried 

 out in cooperation with the United States Fish and 

 ^^'ildlife Service and Kamloops, Incorporated, a sports- 

 mens" organization with headquarters at Redding. The 

 fish are raised at the Coleman Fish Cultural Station 

 where eggs are taken from wild fish, trapped ascending 

 Battle Creek to spawn. A total of 215,438 marked year- 

 ling steelhead were planted during the biennium. The 

 63,590 fish released in 1953 were planted in Battle 

 Creek, .Mill Creek, and the Sacramento River at Ord 

 and Princeton Ferries. Creel censuses indicated a large 

 number of these fish were caught from Mill Creek and 

 Battle Creek before migrating seaward. Therefore, the 

 entire 1954 release of 151,848 fish was made in the 

 Sacramento River at Princeton Ferry, where the fish 

 are not nearly as vulnerable to angling pressure before 

 migrating downstream. 



Success or failure of this program may be deter- 

 mined from the relative numbers of marked fish to 

 wild adult steelhead found in the sport catch, in proj- 

 ect operated river traps, at the Mill Creek Counting 

 Station, and at fish collection facilities of the Coleman 

 Fish Cultural Station. 



Fyke Nets Operated 



During the 1953-54 steelhead and salmon runs, seven 

 large fyke nets were operated in the Sacramento River 

 near Knights Landing. These nets are used in coopera- 

 tion with the Marine Fisheries Branch to capture adult 

 fish for tagging and fin mark examination. 



All data pertaining to salmon were turned over to 

 the Marine Fisheries Branch, while this project has 

 responsibility for the steelhead data. Between July 8, 

 1953, and June 15, 1954, a total of 2,114 steelhead was 

 trapped and examined for marks. Of this number there 

 were 59 marked fish from the 1953 spring plant. Peter- 

 sen disk tags were placed on 1,472 steelhead over 14.5 

 inches long. Anglers thus far have returned 301 tags, 

 showing a harvest of 20 percent. 



The counting station on Mill Creek is at the fish 

 ladder over Clough Dam, five miles upstream from the 

 confluence of this stream with the Sacramento River. 

 There have been 67 marked steelhead (9 percent) 

 among the 715 that have been counted at this station. 



During the steelhead fishing period between Octo- 

 ber 1953 and February 1954, 674 anglers were inter- 

 viewed. Seventeen tagged fish (13 percent) were 

 found in their total catch of 131 steelhead over 14.5. 



These high proportions of tagged fish clearly show 

 value of operating large fyke nets to determine the 

 contribution being made by planting steelhead. 



Considerable work on king salmon spawning area 

 surveys and counts was performed during the bien- 

 nium. This was done in cooperation with the Marine 

 Fisheries Branch and the United States Fish and Wild- 

 life Service. 



Wormwater Fish Studies 



A new state-wide warmwater research program was 

 organized early in 1953. One purpose of this program 

 is to learn how to improve angling in the growing 

 numbers of warmwater reservoirs and the many miles 

 of California streams not now supporting a good sport 

 fish population. Supervision of other studies such as 

 those on catfish and striped bass also is a part of the 

 program. 



Much emphasis during the biennium has been placed 

 on providing forage for largemouth black bass. Studies 

 of our warmwater reservoirs have shown that low pro- 

 duction is often not due to poor spawning, but rather 

 to a lack of suitable forage for the little bass. When 

 they reach a length of about three inches, small bass 



Tagging has provided much information on the Sacramento Delta cat- 

 fish. Sportsmen have cooperated in the return of these tags. 



