FISHERIES OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 
147 
“China Point,” near Point San Mateo, and at the mouth of Redwood 
City Creek. At the north are the camps at Point San Quentin, Point 
San Pedro, and in San Pablo Bay, on the west side, and a mile or so 
south of Point San Pablo, on the east side of San Francisco Bay. 
Species, etc. — Shrimp are caught in immense quantities by the Chinese, 
who have a practical monopoly of this fishery. Three species of shrimp 
are taken for food in San Francisco Bay, the Crangon franciscorum , <7. 
vulgaris , and Eippolyte brevirostris. The former is the most important 
in the San Francisco markets, and excels in size all other species of 
shrimp on the Pacific coast of the United States. It is especially 
abundant in the region under discussion, particularly in San Francisco 
and Tomales Bays. Crangon vulgaris and Eippolyte brevirostris are 
much less numerous and not so large. They are taken with the other 
species, and constitute a small percentage of the catch. 
Sturgeon and flounders are the principal fish taken by the Chinese, 
but nearly all kinds that frequent the waters of this region are caught 
by them. They capture great quantities of young fish, of which more 
extended mention will be made in a subsequent paragraph. 
The soft shell clams sold in the San Francisco markets are mostly 
taken by the Chinese. 
Fishing grounds . — Practically the whole of San Francisco and San 
Pablo Bays constitutes the fishing grounds of the Chinese. The locali- 
ties where they most commonly set their bag nets are shown on the map 
(plate Vi); these are generally conveniently near their camps and where 
shrimp are known to be plentiful. Gill nets, seines, sturgeon trawls, 
fykes, etc., are also used, either to obtain the best results or to secure 
secrecy, since the Chinese comipouly use illegal forms of apparatus. 
Apparatus. — The apparatus varies in character, is exceedingly de- 
structive of minute forms of marine life, particularly young fish, and is 
generally distinctively oriental ; some is imported from China, but a 
large portion is made by the fishermen in winter. 
Bag nets, gill nets, fyke nets, and sturgeon trawls are the princi- 
pal forms employed. The bag net or “trap” is most in favor; it is 
extensively used in certain parts of San Francisco Bay and adjacent 
waters and is chiefly relied upon for the catch of shrimp.* This net 
is a great cone-shaped sack or bag, 42 feet long from mouth to apex, 
24 feet wide at the mouth, and 4 feet wide at the bottom or point of the 
cone, which, when set, is tied up with a puckering-stringor “sphincter,” 
like the cod end of a beam trawl. When the net is hauled the string 
is unloosed and the contents of the bag are dropped into the boat. The 
* This form of apparatus has been erroneously mentioned as a seine or “ drag net ” 
by some writers, though it is evident from the manner in which it is commonly oper- 
ated that those names have been misapplied. I have failed to find any reliable 
information that it is ever used to haul shrimp on shore or that it is dragged over the 
bottom like the paranzella. 
