392 



The National Geographic Magazine 



dance to the present time. A number of 

 years ago the California striped-bass 

 catch exceeded that of any other state, 

 while now it surpasses that of any group 

 of states along the eastern seaboard. 



From the San Francisco region the 

 species has gradually spread up and down 

 the coast, and its range may eventually 

 ■equal that of the shad. Up to 1896 the 

 fish had not been reported outside of Cali- 

 fornia, but several years ago it began to 

 run in some of the coast rivers of Oregon, 

 and in the fall of 1906 half a dozen fine 

 specimens were caught in traps at the 

 mouth of the Columbia River, the first 

 recorded from that stream. 



The striped bass, far removed from its 

 ancestral home, has maintained the en- 

 viable reputation it enjoys in the east, and 

 is freely recognized by its new friends 

 as one of the best food and game fishes 

 of the Pacific coast. It has become a 

 prime favorite with anglers, and I should 

 not be surprised if a vote would show that 

 it is now the leading game fish of Cali- 

 fornia. As every one knows, the striped 

 'bass always commands a high price in 

 the east, and is often to be ranked as a 

 luxury; but its abundance in California 

 waters has so reduced the cost to con- 

 sumers that even the frugal Chinese can 

 afford to eat it, and a comparison made 

 some years ago showed that throughout 

 the year the San Francisco dealers were 

 underselling the New York dealers by 

 many points. The economic importance 

 of the introduction of the striped bass 

 on the Pacific coast may be judged from 

 the following figures : 



Entire cost of transplanting less than. . $1,000 

 Annual catch in recent years.... 1,750,000 lbs. 



Value of same to fishermen $105,000 



Aggregate catch to end of 1906. . 14,960,000 lbs. 

 Total value to end of 1906 $812,000 



CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE WEST TO THE 

 EAST 



The fishes which the western states 

 have given to the remainder of the coun- 

 try belong to the trout and salmon family, 

 and up to the present represent only two 

 species that have been actually acclima- 



tized in eastern waters; these are the 

 rainbow trout and steelhead trout. Ex- 

 periments are now in progress with sev- 

 eral other trouts, and, more important, 

 systematic efforts are being made to es- 

 tablish several of the Pacific salmons in 

 New England waters. If this should be 

 accomplished, the fi n debt that the west 

 now owes the east for courtesies rendered 

 and benefits conferred will largely be 

 liquidated. 



The foremost contribution of the west 

 to the east is the rainbow trout. This 

 fish, which is one of the finest American 

 salmonoids and has long been the subject 

 of fish-cultural operations, is native to the 

 streams of the Sierra Nevada and the 

 Coast ranges. Beauty, large size, rapid 

 growth, hardiness, food value, and game 

 qualities combine to make this a general 

 favorite. By anglers it is usually rated 

 next to the brook trout, although many 

 consider it fully as gamy as the latter fish. 



The transplanting of this species in 

 regions east of the Rocky Mountains has 

 been a conspicuous success and has 

 proved a decided boon to many communi- 

 ties. Its acclimatization by the general 

 government was first undertaken in 1880, 

 although it is probable that some years 

 prior thereto small plants had been made 

 in new waters by state commissions or 

 private persons. The rainbow trout has 

 now been introduced into nearly every 

 state and territory, and has become one 

 of the most generally known fishes in 

 every part of the country. In Michigan, 

 Missouri, Arkansas, Nebraska, Colorado, 

 Nevada, and throughout the Alleghany 

 Mountain region, its transplanting has 

 been followed by especially noteworthy 

 results. Its position in the streams and 

 lakes of the eastern states is that of a 

 substitute and not a rival of the brook 

 trout. It is well adapted for the stocking 

 of waters formerly inhabited by the brook 

 trout, in which the latter no longer thrives 

 on account of changed physical condi- 

 tions ; it is also suited to warmer, deeper, 

 and more sluggish waters than the brook 

 trout finds congenial. 



The rainbow trout is subject to much 



