Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-19
SAgaAMlasNsif0 SALMON.
F4s@ DISAPPEARING FROM CUR
RIVERS AID BAiS.
Attributable TO Mining, Illicit Fish
ing, Navigation and Sea Lions
The River, Past and Present.

being the case upon all the tributaries, the
fountain being impure the wkole stream is
polluted, and our beautiful and highly pal
atable fish. scorning 10 live, move and
have their being in such Ell impure ele-
ment, are seeking other realms, where
their native element is not made 50 I'M
pleasant by mans search for gold. 1t may,
be. aud in factis, contended that the mining
referred to has been discontinued for sew
eTal years, and the evil thus complained
Of abated. True, the mining camps have
been almost deserted, the cradle, long-tom
aud ground sluice long since have fallen
into disuse. the hydraulic miner been
restrained. but "the evil they have doDe
lives after them The ravines, gulcheS,
CANYONS and river-beds have been filled
with soil. gravel and other debris, and
their constant washing by the winter rains
and spring floods continue and will con
tinue for many to years come. The rocky,
pcbbly bottoms of mountain streams. once
the spawning grounds of the salmon, are
entirely obltereted, covered to the depth
of many feet by Il constantly washing and
deiiling bed Of slickens.
In comparing the past with the present
n pioneer reSideat remarked: How we'll
do | remember the good old days of 40,
when wished for no better mirror than
the crystal waters of the American,
Feather Inba ana Costumes rivers, and
how
THE PURE WATERS -SPARRLED AND FLASHED
From the shining sides of the merry fish,
as they hurried to their mountain retreats,
to spend the season at the springs, or
returned to the busy scenes Of their old
ocean home the crowded capital of old
tishd0m-where stand in all their original
splendors the palaces OF the real goldfish
aristocraey."
In 1S49 an abundance cf salmon was pro-
cured in ans OF the streams by construct
ing rude barb, or spear. wade out few
steps, and literally pick them up.
The second cause for the disappearance
of the salmon is the navigation of the Sac
ramento river, which has been shown in
their leaving the Hudson, Connecticut and
other streams OF the Eastern States, where
they were once plentiful, and where the
first cause does not nor never did exist
The third canse, and, perhaps, the most
destructive of all, is the wholesale "slaugh-
ter of the innocents by Illicit fishermen,
which has been going on for the past
twenty-five years, notwithstanding
THE VIGILANCE OF THIS FISH coNMIs.
slOSEGS
And their untiring efforts to arrest. convict
and punish the offenders. In this. more
perhaps than any other one thing, have
the Chinese inhabitants been detrimental
TO the State. In their pirating on waters OF
food fish, however, they have been ably
seconded by Portuguese fishermen, who
like their Mongol allies, have no regard foI
the laws of nature or those of the country
in which they live. Their nets are of st
fine q mesh that they take everything that
comes within their reach, from the smallest
minnow to the largest sturgeon. When
the fact is taken into consideration that
fully 5000 fishermen are constantly engaged
in dredging the rivers aud bays, many with
those "take-dll senes," it seems almost
wonderful that there should remain at this
time single salmon i'll our streams.
THE sALMoN's NATURAL ELEMENT.
The fourth cause-one upon which much
stress is laid by many, and which has beer
complained of by the Fish Commissioner:
lis the presence at the entrance of tht
Golden Gate of hundreds of sea lions, tina
daily devour tons OF food fish as they com,
in from the ocean, or go out to sea. Whili
this, no doubt, is true, still 1t remains al
undisputed fact that those sentinels of the
Golden Gate have ever occupied those
advent of the white man upon this western
world. and still the pioneer remembers thai
notwithstanding this fact, at the time oil
his advent upon these shores the bays, riv-
ers and streams teemed with food fish. Not
only were sea lions guarding the port OF
entry, but they occupied the rocks and
islands of the bays, and at times made eX-
cursions up the river as far as Sacramento
The first material decrease in the guam
tity of salmon in the Sacramento was no.
ticed in 1851, and since that time the fish
have been gradually disappearing, retreat
ing beyond their pursuing destroyers, until
this year all the canning establishments
upon the Sacramento have suspended
operations, and fishermen can scarcely oh.
tain enough to supply the demand of the
local retail trade. Like the poor Indian,
they are being driven westward to the sea
now THE FISH ARE CAUGHT.
Salmon nets are constructed of stout
linen, or shoe thread, first made into
skeins, then twisted into cord about the
size of common Irvine, after the fashion OF
making ropes. II is then, with q wooden
needle manufactured into web of open
network from $50 to 200 feet, or, as the
the fishermen express il. $50 to 20C
fathoms in length, and fifteen fee
wide. On both sides of the net ar,
small ropes, to which it is fastened
On the rope designated for the upper sidl
are placed, at intervals of five or six feet
pieces of cork or light wood which act as
buoys: while on the other line bits o
lead are fastened TO sink the net in the
water. Now attach to one end of the
upper line a small buoy painted any dark
color which can be easily distinguished
and at the other END make fast a line
or tFsran fAp E.ba
man to hold while his net floats. and his
salmon-taking arrangements are COM
pleted.
Whitehall boats are those most gener-
ally used in this branch Of industry. anC
which are from nineteen to twenty-five
feet in length of keel, aud from four to five
feet breadth of beam, and are generally
managed by two men, one to row and the
other to cast the net.
The net is slowed in the after part of thu
boat, and everything being made ready fol-
haul, the boat is rowed 10 the head of tn,
drift. One of the men takes his place il
the stern of the boat, and while the rover
pills across the stream the net is thrown
over the stern. forming barrier or net
work almost the entire width OF the stream
to the depth OF from fifteen to twenty feet
The drift is the distance on the rive
which is past after casting the net. anC
floating with the current or tide until it i.
drawn into the boat. This passage, anC
the dgawing in of the net completes thu
process of catching the salmon.
In earning in contact with the net tht
head Of the salmon passes far enough
through the meshes or openings to allow
the strong threads of the net 10 fall back O
and under the gill, and thus they are III.
able TO escape and are eifectually caught
in the net" and drawn into the boat. Tive
men IL a.boat, with net such as described
have beer known 10 take as many as
THREE HUNDRED FISH IN ONE NIGHT,
The night being the best time to take
them on account of their being unable to
see and avoid the net.
The fish which are taken in the spring
are much larger, anl every way nicer than
those caught during the summer months.
the former being reSlly bright salmon
color, and tie texture of the flesh firm and
solid, while the latter. in appearance.
might properly be called salmon color
faded the flesh IS soft ard not so palatabIe.
This difference is no doEbt owing to the
Temperature ana composition of the water
IN which the f!sk may be sojourning; the
ee'd salt water hardening ana coloring the
flesh, while the Earm fress river water
tends to soften and bleach.
1Ee salmon seems to be grcgarlous IN
It's ngture travelling il herds, or, rs fisher
men term ii, " schools They do not
take kindly 70 very cold climate, as IS