76 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 



water and the great distance from the railroad, it was considered neither 

 economical nor expedient to operate this station longer. The efforts of 

 the board were to concentrate the principal trout work at Sisson, aside 

 from the work done at the Tahoe Hatchery for the propagation of the 

 black-spotted trout of that region. 



WAWONA HATCHERY. 



In 1895, under the supervision of W. II. Shebley, a small hatchery 

 Avas erected at Wawona, to provide fish for the lakes and streams in the 

 Yosemite Park and adjacent country. The hatchery was erected and 

 equipped by the Yosemite-Raymond Stage Line and turned over to the 

 commission to be operated upon condition that an annual hatch of 

 500,000 trout eggs should be distributed in that vicinity. It was man- 

 aged for a number of years by Mr. M. L. Cross, who was remarkably 

 successful in the work, principally that of hatching rainbow trout 

 eggs and eggs of the black-spotted trout of the Tahoe Basin. The eggs 

 were shipped to this station, and the fry distributed throughout the 

 lakes and streams of Yosemite National Park and the surrounding 

 country. The German brown trout also has been distributed in a 

 number of the lakes and streams, and has done remarkably well. 



By 1916 the hatchery and equipment had become so old that 

 operations were suspended. In 1918, however, a new hatcher.y was con- 

 structed on the old site and the old equipment temporarily installed. 

 Later the newer equipment from the Yosemite experimental hatchery 

 was substituted. 



PRICE CREEK HATCHERY. 



In its endeavor to increase the salmon supply in California the 

 commission investigated conditions on Eel River, and in 1897 a hatch- 

 ery was erected on Price Creek, one of the tributaries of Eel River, 

 about twelve miles from its mouth. 



The first eggs were shipped from Battle Creek to the new station in 

 December of that year. This station proved to be a great success. Eel 

 River, like the headwaters of the Sacramento, has no predatory fish 

 except the trout to devour the salmon fry. The water of the river from 

 the mouth of Price Creek to the ocean flows through deep pools, with 

 very little current. The salmon fry find perfect conditions in this 

 stretch of water, and enter the ocean with very little loss and in fine 

 condition. This station has also been used for collecting and Jiatching 

 steelhead eggs for distribution in the streams in Humboldt County. 

 The increase of salmon in Eel River, following the establishment of this 

 station, is another example of the benefit derived from artificial propa- 

 gation. At the time the first salmon fry from the hatchery were liber- 

 ated in Eel River during the spring of 1898, the average annual ship- 

 ment of salmon from Eureka was about 500,000 pounds. After the 

 establishment of the hatchery there was a steady increase, and in 1904 

 the shipment was over 3,500,000 pounds. 



A most remarkable example of artificial propagation of salmon is 

 shown at this important station. This liatchery, in Humboldt County, 

 was established in 1897, at which time the average number of pounds 



