REPORT OF BOARD OF FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONERS. 11 
Section 642 of the Political Code was amended by amplifying the 
powers of the Fish and Game Commissioners and their deputies, 
authorizing them to seize and take possession of any and all game or 
fish or any part thereof which have been caught, taken, killed, had in 
possession or under control, sold, offered for sale, or shipped, or offered 
for shipment, contrary to any laws of the State, and providing that any 
game or fish so seized shall be by them donated to some charitable or 
public institution. This amendment has proven of value, but far better 
results would be obtained were our deputies granted the “right of 
search,’’ following in that respect the example of New York, Maine, 
Minnesota, Massachusetts, Colorado, Washington, and many other states. 
The deterrent effect alone of such a law would be very great; it would 
simplify the work of our assistants, and, in short, its value to fish and 
game preservation can not be overestimated. 
Another important amendment to this section gave the Fish and Game 
Commissioners the right to acquire, by lease or otherwise, such lands 
as may be deemed necessary for the purpose of establishing state game 
farms. Under this authorization we were able to carry out our plans 
and established our first game farm near Hayward, Alameda County. 
ALLEGED TRUST OF DEALERS IN FISH. 
This Commission views with approval the activity of the Attorney 
General and the district attorney of the city and county of San Fran¬ 
cisco in investigating the alleged existence of an illegal combination or 
trust among fish dealers. Although such illegal combinations may 
affect species of fish propagated and distributed by this Commission 
and make it possible to sustain market prices by selling any surplus 
to fertilizing plants, investigations or prosecutions instituted thereon 
are entirely beyond and outside of the province of the Board, under 
the authority and powers now vested in it. And in this connection this 
Commission suggests to you that it might be advisable to call the atten¬ 
tion of the legislature to the fact that an act regulating and licensing 
fish dealers by this body and give to it the necessary power to cancel 
such license upon conviction of violation of the laws protecting fish 
would be a most effective means of curbing such evils. 
ARRESTS AND FINES. 
The following statement gives in brief the history of our work as it 
relates to the efficiency of the patrol force. It indicates that the work 
has been thorough and far-reaching, and covers every class of offense 
relating to the fish and game laws, and it has reached practically every 
corner of the State. This statement is taken from the docket kept in 
our office, which shows all the cases in detail, but in a report of this kind 
it is necessarily abbreviated. Three fourths of the cases have been 
