32 
REPORT OF BOARD OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONERS. 
For these reasons we are heartily in favor of enlarging and improving 
the Eel River Hatchery. 
Much credit is due the superintendent, Mr. W. 0. Fassett, who with 
a small force has not only kept his station in an excellent state of 
repair, but made many improvements. He has also handled the impor¬ 
tant fish cultural work intrusted to him with marked success. His 
reports on both salmon and steelhead work for the past two years will 
be found in the Appendix. 
SCOTT CREEK STATION. 
This important steelhead egg-collecting station is located on the 
creek of the same name in Santa Cruz County, at Swanton. It was first 
established by Mr. Frank A. Shebley, the efficient Superintendent of 
the Brookdale Hatchery. Scott Creek is one of several streams in the 
county where a considerable number of steelhead eggs can be collected 
at comparatively small expense. This one possessing some advantages 
over the others, Mr. Shebley, with the approval of the county board of 
supervisors, built a concrete dam across this creek, with a fishway and 
trap connected, through which the fish would be diverted into a retain¬ 
ing pond, in which they are held until ready for spawning. 
Two years ago a request was made of this Board to assume a part of 
the expense of operating the Brookdale Hatchery, in return for which 
a sufficient number of eggs or fry were to be furnished for distribution 
into neighboring counties, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Monterey. 
After due consideration of the matter, and investigating the possibili¬ 
ties, an agreement was entered into between this Board and the super¬ 
visors of Santa Cruz County, wherein such privileges on Scott Creek as 
had been acquired by the supervisors were made over to the State, 
which in turn should assume all expense of its operation and improve¬ 
ments. In order to avoid the expense of operating on several streams 
and yet collect all the steelhead eggs we would require, a five-year lease 
was made for a strip of land 200 feet in width, being 100 feet on each 
side of the middle line of creek where the stream passes thiough the 
land owned in common by A. Gianone, William Purdy, Kate Purdy, and 
Amy Arano, for a fixed consideration per year, depending upon the 
amount of the holdings. With the Ocean Shore Railway and the Shore 
Line Investment Company, who were the principal owners of the lands 
abutting the stream, a yearly lease was made through Mr. J. Downey 
Harvey, president of these companies and a former member of this 
Board. Notices were then posted closing the stream to all fishing for a 
distance of about six miles from its mouth. The concrete dam was 
enlarged and strengthened, a new trap put in position last year, and 
this year $500.00 was appropriated for additional improvement in the 
shape of a concrete retaining pond. 
