pounds. Further research is continuing in the efforts 

 of Marine Fisheries worl<ers to expand this industry. 



SALTON SEA 



Sports fishermen in the southern part of the State 

 should benefit soon from efforts of the department to 

 establish a sport fishery in the Salton Sea. An estimated 

 100,000 corvina, the descendants of fish planted there 

 by the department, have successfully spawned and 

 biologists look for a continually expanding population. 

 A study of this inland sea, begun in 1954, has revealed 

 that it has a life expectancy of at least 30 to 40 years as 

 a sports fishery under conditions that now exist. 



PISMO CLAM 



Fears that the Pismo Clam may be on its way down 

 formed one of the clouds that cast a shadow on the 

 overall Marine Fisheries picture. The popular shore- 

 line delicacy just hasn't reproduced as it should. The 

 years 1944 at Morro Bay and 1947 at Pismo Beach 

 were the last times the Pismo Clam has produced 

 "sets" in numbers considered sufficient to sustain the 

 fishery. The cause may be the result of a combination 

 of many factors. Investigation is under way, but con- 

 clusions have not been reached. 



GAME MANAGEMENT 



In spite of a record two-year deer bag, it was ap- 

 parent at the close of the biennium that Californians 

 were taking only a token harvest of their most valu- 

 able big game resource. The record year was 1954 

 when 75,602 bucks were taken by hunters. This fell 

 off slightly to 71,126 in 1955 for a two-year average 

 of 73,374 bucks, far above the 29-vear average of 

 39,782, but far below the annual reproduction factors 

 of 250-300,000 fawns. 



One area in the State has shown a constant increase 

 in harvest. This is the Barton's Flat area of Fresno and 

 Tulare Counties where both sexes have been thor- 

 oughly harvested under special hunting seasons since 

 1952. Within this area, the buck harvest during the 

 regular season has increased each year from 208 in 

 1952 to 334 in 1955. 



One of the most serious problems encountered by 

 the department has been access by the hunter to lands 

 where game species are found. In an effort to relieve 

 this problem, hunting arrangements have been worked 

 out on certain parcels of private land, such as the 

 Tejon Ranch and San Emidio Ranch areas of Kern 

 County. 



WITHDRAWAL OF LANDS 



Public domain lands have been examined, and large 

 blocks found to have wildlife potential have been 

 requested for use as hunting and fishing areas. With- 

 drawal applications, approved by the Fish and Game 

 Commission and filed with the U. S. Department of the 

 Interior, totalled more than a half million acres at the 



First open season on the wily chuicar partridge, introduced by the depart- 

 ment in the semi-arid areas of the Stale, was held in 1954. 



(Fish and Game Photo) 



close of the biennium. Approximately 40 miles of ac- 

 cess roads were constructed to open up public lands 

 for hunters. 



Acquisition of the Alendota Waterfowl Manage- 

 ment Area and purchase of additional acreage for 

 Gray Lodge and Imperial, expanded state-managed 

 areas by more than 15,000 acres to a total of 47,198. 

 Another 2,887 acres in the San Luis Wasteway is un- 

 der lease by the department. Significantly, the 1954-56 

 biennium witnessed an all-time low in waterfowl dep- 

 redation. This is particularly noticeable in the Grass- 

 lands area near Fresno. Acquisition and development 

 of the Mendota area and a cooperative program be- 

 tween rice grow ers, duck club owners, U. S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service, and the Department of Fish and 

 Game, wherein several thousand acres of duck club 

 lands are flooded during the crop depredation period, 

 has substantially reduced crop damage. 



COOT PROBLEM 



The solution to the coot problem has not been as 

 simple, however, as eflForts to herd the birds away 

 from crops have not met with success. Despite the 

 fact that the coot is a popular game bird in certain 

 other flyways in the east, California hunters have re- 

 fused to recognize this bird as a desirable target. Thus, 

 the species has been virtually unharvested. The result 

 has been that large populations of birds not only have 

 damaged crops but have competed for food w ith other 

 waterfowl. 



During the late winter of 1954 and 1955 the taking 

 of coots was made legal through a Depredation Con- 

 trol Order of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 

 an attempt to reduce the depredation problem and 

 to teach the hunters the sporting potential of the bird, 

 an intensive educational program was carried on by 

 the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the depart- 



