68 



CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 



The Sisson Hatchery was completed and ready for operations in 

 September, 1888. The floods did not interfere with the work, and Dr. 

 Stone operated until late in November. Eight hundred thousand eggs 

 were collected from the early fall run and 2,200,000 from the October 

 and November, or late fall run. These eggs were hatched and the fry 

 fed until they were large enough to care for themselves and then care- 

 fully distributed in the upper reaches of the Sacramento River and its 

 tributaries. 



The policy of feeding the fry was continued until 1895, when it was 

 discontinued by the Board of Fish Commissioners as a matter of econ- 

 omy coupled with a wrong idea that had been advanced by those who 

 were dictating the policy of the fishcultural operations in California 



Fig. 34. The old Sisson Hatchery in IS;);. 



that the salmon fry were better off if distributed as soon as the umbil- 

 ical sac Avas absorbed. The benefit of feeding the fry was plainly dem- 

 onstrated by the great increase of the salmon in the Sacramento River 

 in the years that followed the return of the output of fry from 1888 

 to 1896. 



The fry at the Mount Shasta Hatchery are first held and fed in the 

 troughs about two months before they are removed to the ponds. Then 

 they are taken out in small lots and fed until all are accustomed to the 

 new surroundings. The pondkeeper distributes the food slowly at 

 th« different feeding stations in tlie ponds, until he is satisfied that 

 all tlie fry have received their share of food. By this method the fry 

 all make the same development and growth, and there is no danger of 

 developing a lot of precocious fry to exercise their cannibalistic instincts 

 on the others. 



In 1911 it was decided to again hold and feed the salmon fry until 

 they were large enough to care for themselves when distributed, as well 

 as to hold a large munber of them in the ponds at the JNIount Shasta 



