THE STRIPED BASS 



Commissioners and the California State Fish Com- 

 missioners in 1879 and 1882. I^^as become so 

 abundant that the annual catch by fishermen is 

 nearly as large as the yqarly supply on the Atlantic 

 coast. The riahge of thf j|sh is still limited to the 

 interior bays and rivers. | In 1882, 400 fingerlings 

 were planted at Army Point, in Solano County. 

 The extent of the increase may be appreciated from 

 the market sales in 1903, which amounted to nearly 

 2,000,000 pounds. The bass have not gone far 

 north or south of the Golden Gate. Russian River, 

 in Sonoma County, seems to be almost the northern 

 limit, while Monterey Bay is the southern boundary. 

 The Commissioners are of opinion that the bass 

 dislifee to ipai^ate far through 'the salt water in 

 order to reach other fresh-water streaiQS. To ob- 

 viate this supposed difficulty a plant was made in 

 Orange County, in December, 1903, in a series of 

 brackish lagoons fed by fresh water. Seventy-five 

 bass ranging from six ounces to three and a half 

 pounds in weight, and assorted according to size, 

 were kept in live-cars for thirty-six hours and 

 were then shipped 700 miles in twenty-gallon cans, 

 reaching their destination without loss. The object 

 of this southern plant is to establish the bass in the 

 Santa Ana River and San Diego Bay. Arrange- 

 ments were also made to send bass to Del Norte 

 County, where the waters- are considered suitable 

 for the experiment. 



175 



