CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 03 



for a umuber of years in New Hampshire and other Eastern states, was 

 a man of education and a close observer of all things in nature. Dr. 

 Stone arrived in San Francisco in August, 1872. He could gain no 

 reliable information regarding the habits of the Chinook salmon _ or 

 where they spawned. A general impression prevailed that the spawning 

 grounds were near the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin 

 rivers, but after an investigation of this region Dr. Stone concluded 

 that the fish spawned elsewhere. Mr. Montague, chief engineer of the 

 Southern Pacific Company, informed Dr. Stone that he had seen salmon 

 spawning at the junction of the McCloud and the Pit rivers. At that 

 time the terminus of the railroad was at Red Bluff, fifty miles from the 

 spawning grounds on the McCloud River. Dr. Stone was accompanied 

 on his trip to this section by Mr. John G. Woodbury, wlio had been in 

 the employ of both the California Acclimatization Society and the 

 California Fish Commission. 



After many hardships and struggles to obtain material and supplies, 

 they succeeded in establishing on the McCloud River the first salmon- 

 breeding station on the Pacific Coast, naming it Baird, in honor of 

 Spencer F. Baird, Commissioner of Fisheries. The summer run of 

 salmon was nearly over and, judging from Dr. Stone's report, the 

 salmon run in the Sacramento River was very much depleted. From 

 the advent of the whites up to this time, there had been a great demand 

 on the salmon of the Sacramento River; and with no hatcheries to 

 increase their numbers, no adequate laws to protect the breeding fish 

 (and with the great spawning grounds of the Feather, Yuba, Bear and 

 American rivers destroyed by the mining operations on their head- 

 waters), in a few years little was left of the great run of fish that had 

 previously entered these waters. The salmon had abandoned them 

 altogether, as the eggs deposited on the spawning grounds in these 

 streams did not hatch, being destroyed by the detritus from the mines. 

 The only natural spawning grounds left to the salmon were in the 

 tributary rivers that formed the headwaters of the Sacramento River, 

 the principal streams being Mill Creek, Battle Creek, Pit River and its 

 tributaries, Hat Creek and the McCloud River, and the main Sacra- 

 mento River, above the mouth of the Pit. These proved to be good 

 salmon streams, ])ut the great drain on the salmon and the destruction 

 of nearly one-half of tlie spawning beds, soon greatly diminished their 

 numbers. 



The first season's operations on the McCloud River, by Dr. Living- 

 ston Stone and his assistants, were experimental to a great extent. Only 

 50,000 eggs were taken, and of this number but 30,000 Avere fit to ship 

 when they had developed to the proper stage. The eggs were shipped 

 to a hatchery in New Jersey and 7000 hatched ; and on the advice of 

 several state commissioners and fi.shculturists the fry were planted in 

 the Susquehanna River. The following season the Baird Hatchery 

 was enlarged and the work of collecting and hatching salmon eggs was 

 begun in earnest. From 2,000,000 to 14,000,000 eggs were taken 

 annually at this station from 1872 to 1883. 



In 1881 the plant was destroyed by a freshet, but was immediately 

 rebuilt. The California Fish Commission assisted in the work at Baird 

 by paying a portion of the operating expenses, and in return received 

 eggs for hatching and fry for planting. The main object of this 



