64 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 



•hatchery for the first few years was to secure eggs to ship to the East 

 for the purpose of introducing Pacific salmon in the waters of that 

 section. The commission early made an agreement with the State of 

 California, however, under which the latter at first paid part of the 

 expense, while the commission hatched and planted a portion of the 

 take in the McCloud River. Later, part of the eggs were turned over 

 to the state, which hatched and planted the salmon in local waters. 



About 25 per cent of the total number of eggs taken during this time 

 were hatched at this station, and the fry each season were liberated in 

 the McCloud River, under the supervision of Dr. Stone, superintendent 

 of the hatchery. The cost of hatching and planting was borne by the 

 California Fish Commission. The remaining eggs were shipped to 

 the Eastern states and to foreign countries. Shipments of the Chinook 

 salmon were made to the principal countries of Europe and also to 

 Japan and New Zealand. 



In 1883 the United States commission quit operations on the 

 McCloud River. Only 1,000,000 eggs had been taken during the sea- 

 son, this being the smallest take in the history of the work on this 

 stream since the preliminary work of 1872. This great falling off in 

 numbers was due largely to the heavy blasting and other operations on 

 the line of the railroad which was then being constructed from Redding 

 northward. The salmon undoubtedly were frightened so that they did 

 not ascend the Sacramento River; besides, a great many were taken 

 by the grading gangs and used in the camps for food. Thousands of 

 trout and salmon were destroyed by powder used by the Chinese and 

 white laborers, of whom there were 9000 camped along the Sacramento 

 River ; and while a great many of the fish were used as food, there was 

 wanton destruction in the way they were killed. The same condition 

 existed in 1884, and Superintendent Stone recommended that the sta- 

 tion be not operated that season. It remained closed from that date 

 until 1888, the year that the Sisson hatchery was established by the 

 state. 



SAN LEANDRO HATCHERY. 



Finding the state hatchery house at Berkeley too small for the 

 quantities of fish required to be hatched, as well as lacking in a relia- 

 ble water supply, a larger hatching house was built on Lake Chabot, on 

 the property of the San Leandro Water Works, near San Leandro, Cali- 

 fornia, in 1878. Here much of the trout work was carried on until the 

 Shebley Hatchery in Nevada County was taken over by the state. 



SHEBLEY HATCHERY. 



In 1883 the California Fish Commission abandoned the San Leandro 

 Hatchery, located near Lake Chabot in Alameda County, owing to the 

 fact that the water was too warm for successful hatching and rearing 

 to be accomplished during the warmer months of the year; also, the 

 water was not suitable for the propagation of healthy fry. 



A site was selected in Nevada County on the ranch of Mr. J. V. 

 Shebley, who donated to the state the use of the site and the water for 

 hatchery purposes. Tlie first superintendent was Mr. J. A. Richard- 

 son, a fishculturist formerly employed by the United States commission 



