64 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
arrive in the spring, but there are exceptions to this rule, according to 
the local fishermen. The season is from March till June. The bulk of 
the catch is between April 15 and May 15, but occasionally a few are 
taken as late as October. During 1887 shad were exceptionally abund- 
ant, one or two tons being shipped a day. In 1888 the catch was much 
smaller and not above the average. Salmon occur from March to May, 
both in the bay and in San Lorenzo Greek, which empties into the har- 
bor of Santa Gruz ; they range from 8 to 20 pounds. 
Salmon trout, weighing from 5 to 12 pounds, are plentiful in the 
creek at times during the spring. Brook trout were formerly abundant, 
but have become scarce from excessive fishing; those remaining weigh 
from less than a pound to upwards of 4 pounds. 
Fishing grounds . — The grounds are near the shore and along the reefs 
for 10 or 15 miles each side of Santa Gruz. They are much exposed to 
the south and west, and when the wind blows strong from those quar- 
ters the fishing boats can not venture out, for the sea breaks heavily 
along the coast. 
Fishermen , lay , etc . — The fishermen are mostly native Galifornians. 
The rest are Portuguese and Italians, all of whom are naturalized citi- 
zens of the United States. There is much difference in the economic 
condition of the fishermen. Those at Soquel own their boats and fish- 
ing gear, and share the catch among themselves. At Santa Gruz, 
however, the boats and all the apparatus are owned by firms, and the 
fishermen work on a lay. The owners of the boats and outfit receive 
one-third of the fish taken ; the fishermen have two-thirds. Mr. Alex- 
ander remarks that “this seems to be a generous lay; but the owners 
have the privilege of establishing the price of fish at all times.” This 
privilege, he thinks, may account for their seeming liberality. The 
earnings of the fishermen vary from $18 to $20 per week in summer to 
$8 or $10 (and sometimes much less) in winter. In the winter of 
1889-90 fish were exceptionally scarce and the income of the fishermen 
was correspondingly small. 
Boats . — Most of the boats employed here are feluccas ; a few of the 
smaller class are sprit-rigged. Alexander states that “ in size, rig, and 
general construction they are the same as those of San Francisco.” He 
also mentions the fact that two lateen-rigged boats, each 25 feet long, 
are employed in summer in fishing with a paranzella. 
In the early part of 1889 Wilcox found only 12 fishing boats at Santa 
Cruz, but the next winter, when it was visited by Alexander, the number 
had increased to 18. 
Apparatus and methods of fishing . — Trawl lines are set along the coast 
for bottom-feeding species. Hand lines are not extensively used. Gill 
nets and trammel nets are employed for the capture of several impor- 
tant species, among which may be specially mentioned sea bass, barra- 
cuda, salmon, and shad. The sea-bass gill nets are each 120 feet long and 
40 meshes deep, the mesh being 8£ inches stretch measure. These nets 
