46 



DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 



have considerable influence on the department's trout 

 management program are: 



1. The "Splake," a hybrid fish resulting from the 

 cross of eastern brook trout and lake trout, was found 

 to do extremely well in Lower Salmon Lake, Sierra 

 County. Several thousand of these fish were planted 

 in the late summer of 1955 at an average size of 12 

 fish per ounce (under two inches in length). The 

 following spring they entered the catch in good 

 numbers and had attained an average length of more 

 than 6'/2 inches. 



2. Strains of brown trout developed in the eastern 

 states through many years of selective breeding were 

 brought into California and appear to be showing a 

 better return to the angler than California brown trout 

 planted in the same waters. Tests indicating this were 



conducted at Rush Creek and at Lower Sardine Lake, 

 Sierra County. 



3. Rainbow trout imported from British Columbia, 

 when compared with rainbow trout from Cahfornia's 

 hatcheries, have shown considerable less return to the 

 angler. This is offset somewhat by the Canadian rain- 

 bow's greater sporting qualities, preference for arti- 

 ficial flies over bait, and the fact that returns from a 

 plant of these fish of catchable size extend over a 

 longer period. 



WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD 



{Conlhmed fro?/! page 20) 

 Fish Screens and Ladders 



Fish screens were authorized for several irrigation 

 diversions where fish losses were the most acute. An 

 allocation was made for a fish ladder at the Lower 

 Durham-Mutual Water Company diversion in Butte 

 County. Funds were allocated for plans and specifica- 

 tions on several other proposed ladders. The Battle 

 Creek screen was completed, as was the Deer Creek 

 Falls fish ladder. Funds were withdrawn from the pre- 

 viously authorized Glenn-Colusa Canal screen when 

 engineering estimates proved the project to be too 

 costly. 



Hatcheries and Stocking 



jModernization of the fish food storage facilities at 

 the Fillmore Hatchery in Los Angeles County was 

 completed. The proposed San Gabriel Hatchery in 

 Los Angeles County was withdrawn because of ques- 

 tionable water supply. 



Funds for broodstock ponds at the rehabilitated Mt. 

 Shasta Hatchery in Siskiyou County and a 150-tray 

 bank incubator for the Mt. Whitney Hatchery in 

 Inyo County were allocated. Funds were approved for 

 studying the feasibility of expanding several hatch- 

 eries in Region V in Southern California. 



In addition, funds were allocated for projects pre- 

 viously approved. They were the Cedar Creek Hatch- 

 ery, fish planting tankers, Darrah Springs Hatchery, 

 Moccasin Creek Hatchery, Mojave Hatchery and Hot 

 Creek Hatchery. 



WATERFOWL 



The waterfowl management area program was al- 

 most completed. Some construction work remained to 

 be done on Lower Butte Creek Waterfowl Manage- 

 ment Area in Butte County, the Mendota in Fresno 

 County, and the Delta (Grizzly Island) in Solano 

 County, and additional allocations were made for this 

 purpose. 



Practically all land acquisition has been completed. 



One small project, Sheepy Ridge Waterfowl Public 

 Shooting Area, in Siskiyou County was approved and 

 acquired. 



