FORTY-FOURTH BIENNIAL REPORT 



31 



At left department personnel and members 



release 



/nc 



ount and measure marked steelhead at Coleman Hatchery. Yearling steelhead are 



of Kamloops, 



d (right) alter marking into the Sacramento River at Princeton Ferry. 



(Fish and Game Photos by Don LaFaunce) 



were found either in the diversions or in Butte Creek 

 in the spring of 1956. This work will be continued 

 in 1957. 



Considerable losses of adult salmon were observed 

 in diversions from Butte Creek in the spring of 1956, 

 and recommendations for elimination of tiiese losses 

 were made. Some of the answers to fish screening 

 problems have been found, but many problems still 

 remain, and the department is working toward solu- 

 tions. 



Evaluation of Steelhead Planting 



Since completion of Shasta Dam, the Sacramento 

 River has become excellent habitat for steelhead trout. 

 Releases from the dam have lowered river tempera- 

 tures to a level ideal for steelhead. Many fishermen 

 no\\ travel considerable distances each fall to fish the 

 upper Sacramento. Creel censuses indicate that at least 

 10 percent of the anglers are from Los Angeles 

 County. Questions of \\ hether present regulations are 

 adequate to maintain the excellent fishing, in view of 

 ever-increasing fishing pressure, and whether it is 

 economical!)' feasible to maintain or even improve 

 the fishing by planting yearling hatchery-reared fish, 

 are being studied. 



Knights Landing Project 



To answer these questions, the department is mark- 

 ing and planting hatchery-reared steelhead in the 

 upper Sacramento River. This work is supplemented 

 by an adult steelhead trapping and tagging program 

 in the lower river near Knights Landing each fall and 

 winter, coupled with an examination of adult steel- 

 head upstream from the trapping site. 



These fish are examined at the project's counting 

 station on Mill Creek, at the United States Fish and 

 Wildlife Service's Coleman Fisheries Station traps on 

 Battle Creek, and in anglers' catches from the upper 

 Sacramento River and tributaries. 



During the biennium, 9,037 steelhead were trapped 

 and examined for marks and tags at Knights Landing. 

 Of these, 7,63 3 were tagged before being released. An 

 excellent return of tags by sportsmen has indicated 

 a harvest of about 30 percent of the runs during the 

 past two seasons. 



The steelhead planting program is conducted in 

 cooperation with the L^nited States Fish and Wildlife 

 Service and two sportsmen's organizations: California 

 Kamloops, Inc., and Steelhead Unlimited. The steelhead 

 are reared to yearling size at Coleman Station, where 

 eggs are taken from wild fish trapped in Battle 

 Creek. 



Planted Fish Supplement Runs 



A total of 447,812 marked yearling steelhead was 

 planted during the biennium. The 177,269 fish released 

 in 1955, as well as the 270,543 released in 1956, were 

 all planted in the Sacramento River at Princeton 

 Ferr\-. The project has planted 663,260 marked year- 

 ling steelhead since its inception. 



Approximately 3 percent of the entire run of 

 adult steelhead into the upper Sacramento River sys- 

 tem in 1953 consisted of hatchery fish, followed by 

 S percent in 1954, and 18 percent in 1955. 



Facts gathered to date indicate that steelhead runs 

 in the upper Sacramento River are substantial and 

 that planted steelhead are making a sizeable contribu- 

 tion to the fisher\'. 



Project studies have also shown that the new year- 

 round open season on steelhead in the Sacramento 

 River has not increased the total catch appreciably 

 and is not detrimental to the fishery. 



SILVER SALMON 



The department introduced 43,025 yearling silver 

 salmon into the Sacramento River System in March, 

 1956. 



