26 



DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 



Wardens participated in open competition pistol 

 matches during the biennium in order to obtain addi- 

 tional desirable techniques to be incorporated into this 

 training program. 



POLLUTION DETECTION 



All regions found public interest and opinions chang- 

 ing, for the better, toward the increasing problem of 

 pollution of both ocean waters and inland streams. 

 Some industrial operations are now cleaning up long- 

 standing pollution situations at considerable expense. 



In the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas, where 

 industrial pollution is a major concern, wardens were 

 assigned to pollution enforcement and prevention de- 

 tails, with such work comprising their primary duty. 

 These wardens have attended Regional Water Pollu- 

 tion Control Board meetings and hearings and have 

 presented the department's recommendations, in co- 

 operation with fisheries personnel, on pollution prob- 

 lems and waste discharge quality requirements. 



The Fresno area (Region 4) has completed a com- 

 prehensive survey of all present and possible future 

 sources of pollution throughout its region, and has 

 drawn plans to cope with many unsatisfactory condi- 

 tions. 



The Redding (Region 1) and Sacramento (Region 

 2) areas, not without industrial waste discharge prob- 

 lems, are also concentrating on log jams and stream 

 obstructions caused by improper logging practices. 

 Close co-operation with the State Division of Forestry 

 was experienced during the biennium and state agen- 

 cies are now presenting a united front respecting 

 stream cleanup. Loggers have shown a marked interest 

 and co-operative spirit in reopening streams closed to 

 migrating fish by log jams or decaying timber refuse. 

 Spawning runs of salmon, steelhead and trout are now 

 able to utilize man>' more miles of suitable streams 

 because the general public and loggers realize that 

 streams free of obstructions are necessary to perpetu- 

 ate these species. 



Disposal of radioactive wastes increased greatly dur- 

 ing the past two years as industry found a multitude 

 of uses for radioactive materials. Investigations were 

 instituted and are continuing on the present so-called 

 "safe" methods of "hot waste" disposal and the effects 

 upon fish life, particularly in ocean waters. As it is 

 entirely possible that the disposal of these waste prod- 

 ucts will be the greatest problem confronting the de- 

 partment in the immediate future, every effort was 

 made to get in on the ground floor by keeping abreast 

 of disposal techniques, laying groundwork for future 

 monitoring of all possible sources of contamination and 

 gathering evidence for recommending safer disposal 

 methods. 



Wardens in all regions received training in pollution 

 enforcement procedures in this all-out effort to pre- 



serve present high-quality waters in the state and to 

 improve the quality of waters now polluted and un- 

 suitable for fish life. 



AIR PATROL 



Law enforcement activities were assisted and made 

 more effective by use of the department's aircraft, 

 particularly the two light Cessnas. Operating out of 

 the Sacramento airport, the Cessna 180 was used in 

 the northern half of the state in co-ordinated air-land 

 patrols. During the fall salmon runs, air patrol pro- 

 vided rapid, effective coverage of spawning beds on 

 many miles of salmon streams and resulted in numer- 

 ous arrests of violators taking fish in closed areas and 

 by unlawful methods. With a warden-pilot observer 

 aloft to direct ground forces, this salmon patrol tech- 

 nique has proven highly successful and has undoubt- 

 edly saved hundreds of spawning fish. 



Stationed at San Bernardino, the Cessna 170 is used 

 for patrol in the southern part of California, particu- 

 larly to check activity in remote desert areas where ac- 

 cess by motor vehicle is time-consuming and difficult. 



Both planes are used to locate isolated hunting and 

 fishing camps immediately prior to fishing or hunting 

 season openings, for often these early, remote camps 

 are sources of various violations. 



New wardens, or wardens assigned to a new district, 

 utilize the aircraft to familiarize themselves with the 

 overall terrain of their jurisdiction. Many wardens, 

 having been in an area several years, find aerial obser- 

 vation invaluable in locating new access roads, camps 

 and other minute details not readily observed from 

 the ground. 



Shortly before the opening of the 1958 commercial 

 salmon season, news releases reported the Wildlife 

 Protection Branch intended to establish an aerial patrol 

 of northern ocean waters to prevent fishermen from 

 "jumping the gun." The subsequent offshore patrol 

 by the twin-engine Beechcraft indicated the effective- 

 ness of the warning, for although many boats were 

 on the fishing grounds early, none were engaged in the 

 preseason fishing activity which was reported to have 

 prevailed during previous years. 



Use of the airplanes by wildlife protection person- 

 nel was restricted by demands upon the aircraft by 

 other functions. During the 1956-57 Fiscal Year, 30.26 

 percent of the total hours flown by the Cessna 180 

 was for patrol activities. For the period 1957-58 the 

 percentage dropped to 28.6. 



During 1956-57, 32 percent of the flight time for 

 the Cessna 170 was for patrol, increasing to 35.2 in 

 1957-58. 



The twin-engine Beechcraft, less adapted to patrol 

 activities, charged only 5.04 percent of its flight time 

 to wildlife protection in the first half of the biennium 

 and 8.3 percent during the second half. 



