Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-02-20
COMMITTEES.

The Joint Committee on Fisheries and Game, hav::
ing under consideration the several bills relating
fishing in the streams OF the State, especially
those to protect salmon in the Sacramento and
other rivers and streams tributary, took up
Senate Bill No. 104, which provides for a close
season from sunrise Saturday to sunset Sunday.
Commissioner b. b. Redding and delegation
| from the canning industries, and a large number
representing the fishermen, were present to take
| part in considerati II Of the subject
f. W. Sungerest, representing the interests Of
| the fishermen, appeared. He has been fishing six
teen years; he claimed thir;y-six hours each week
was long enough, and would let plant salmon get
up; it would take three four weeks for fish to
| get from the bay to Sacramento; there are two
runs OF fish each year-a spring run in May and
June and q tall run i'll August and September.
The AL run is the heaviest run The close season
about starves the fishermen out. We are compelled
during that season to lie idle. We have property
invested in the busness-boats and nets. A boat
costs about 5000 or 81 o. The run is about the same
: ow as years ago Four or five yea ago was the
largest eyec known. The nets do not stop near all
the fish going up the river. There sometimes
eight or ten nets one above another and sometimes
the lower one gets the most fish, and aga n any of
the others. The nets only extend portion OF the
way across the river. The law now il from the lst
of Aug ct to the 18th OF September and also during
Sunday. came before the Legislature last Winter
with other, and promised, if the present law was
passed We would see it enforced The close season
over Sunday was obey ed by S, but not elsewhere
Don't think the close season Of August and Sepem-
Der was ebeyed anywhere. Think if We had close
season only Of the 80 hours it would be obeyed.
Think il we were allowed to fish all the time the
fish would last long time.
Mr.. Cheney presented petition from Modoc AZ d
Lassen counties, asking for a small appropriation to
remove certain large rocky obstfuctions in Pit
river, which prevents salmon and other fish from
going above for purpose of spawning, and stating
that by of a small appropriation these obstruc-
tions could easily be removed, and thereby open ND
nearly 200 miles more of river extent, to be filed
with sa mon and other valuable Il h.
Assembyman J. r. Cook spoke in favor of an ap.
preparation TO remove the distractions in Pit river
consisting Of heavy rocks which prevent the salmon
from going above them and which with small cost
can be overcome. This would give an increase II
over 300 miles more in e tent for spawning grounds
IL would omen M the north and south fork of Fit
river. and 10 Fall river and also Goose 'ake. The
obstructions are about six mics below Fall river
Goose lake and rivers there are full of salmon trout
There are no regular saln n above Z csc falls which
| have ment oned.
Commissioner Redding strongly favored the re
rnoyal of these ohstruci0ns and said il was desir
BILE to Iroylde az much ENLARGED grounds as possible
in these upper clearwater regi ns, as The muddy
sediment settling upon the eggs will kill them The
water needs TO 6e clear and running water and Of
steady tempe ature When these necessary coudi-
tions are ali found there is the natural spawning
ground of sllmop and the ert,s viii not mature eX.
cept under these conditions The river must be free
from sediment and we must protect them in q ting
by to these bead waters and no wiser appropriations
or more beneficial for the State ca be made than
lOr removing these distractions to increase the
spawning grounds. for il would double in a few
years the amount of salmon in the river
Andrew Ryan-Haye heed fishing since 1861 The
present law is of no use because it is not respected
There are about thity or thirtyGve Of us that re-
spect these laws. but the Cinnamon and Portuguese
don't mind the law and laugh al us because we do.
During the spring run last wear caught three tn IL
sand salmon so don't see az there is any scarcity Of
fish | think Saturday ard Sunday close seasons
would be the best and we would see il respected if
It took s1me Of our evenings to do so. There is
enough fish pow and think the law is good enough
These sh don't need Ia 20 so head waters they will
60 into any creek or slogh where the water Is right
and sraWn there They shawn in Cache creek
Asscmblynan Leach said he wished to corrobora'e
this last statement as he had seen the thing him
self
Commissioner Reddipp said II was as impossible
for salmon 10 hatch on, in this water Of the lower
Sacramento as for an elephant TO hatch out Of
hens egg There oue Int to be no lack of fish in the
Sacramento for we have hatched and put into the
he d waters IL l5oO coo
Mr. Rvan-The Sacramento gets so clear in the
latter mart Of the summer that we canno. catch them
with our nets for they sec the nets We have only
six weeks really for fishing from the middle OF
April to the middle of June. The balance OF the
wear win hardly nay expenses
Mr. Radding2 AIout one balt Of any vear,s hatch
remain in the river the first year and the balance
20 down stream Those that remain above for n
year thon start for the lower waters beino about u
inches long and win grow after reaching salt water
from pound to pound and half a year We can
NOT tell inst when the sprino spawning takes place
Is s a., MYSTERY II ia certain fbcv do not All go 10
tbc MINER waters and prohably not many of them
that c,rly in the season. The San Joaauin salmon
are different from those Of the upper Sacramento
river
Mr. Ryau-To enforce this thirty. six hour law
wnuld make the law that the boat he conAscaed for
a violation one.hnlf to go to the informant
Mr. Reddipp-Ihnse who enacted Tho first law
here brought witnesses before them. aud determined
to enact a Law tha. would prutect these fish Tho
law not enforced and in 1870 the Fish Commits
soners tried to enforce the law oi close season be-
tween August lst aud November 1st but found IT
impossible. -Four yean ago special committee Of