The San Francisco call., 1898-01-05
STEELHEADS WILL BE SCARCE Heavy Shipments Made by Females Bay Fish
 ermen. Large Fishes Caught in Nets of Unlawful Dinen-
 siOnS. A Seizure by Deputy Commissioners at the Fishing Grounds on Rus sian River.

The Fish Commissioners are accom- plishing excellent service in prevent ing the unlawful seizure of steelhead trout in Russian River by seiners. but they are neglecting another point to which immediate attention should be given.
 The Call Is in receipt of a letter from A. Rochfort, the proprietor of the Point Reyes Hotel at Point Reyes, which states that the net fishermen of Females Bay are catching tons of steelhead trout near Inverness. which place is only short distance from the mouth of Paper mill Creek, with nets, the meshes of which are smaller than the law allows.
 The attention of Mir. Babcock, chief of the fish patrol, has been called to this important fact, but according to Mr. Rochfort the Commissioners have not given the matter the least atten- tion, for some reason that is inex- plicable to Rochfort and to many others, who regret to see the parent fishes of one of the most prolific trout streams in the State destroyed by un- lawful means.
 It is a well-known fact that the To- males Bay fishermen use only such nets as are employed for the capture of small bay fishes, the meshes of which are exceedingly close when drawn together. It is not thought that the fishermen have gone to the ex- pense of purchasing a salmon net or nets that are of lawful dimension when the nets of smaller size can do better execution.
 It is, however, the duty of the Fish Commissioners to dispatch a deputy to Inverness on a tour of inspection as the law reads that the Fish Com missionerS must see that the laws for | the preservation of fish and game are strictly enforced, and for that purpose l they may from time to time employ such assistants as they shall deem necessary.
 The law as regards netting is easily understood. It reads:
 | Every person who buys, sells, offers or l exposes for sale any steelhead trout | (Salmo Gairdneri) between the 1st day of February and the 1st day of May of each year is guilty of misdemeanor; pro- vided, however, that steelhead trout
 may be taken in tide. water between February of the following year with law
 full nets; and a lawful net shall mean a
 net that when placed in the water is un- 1 secured and free to float with the cur
 rent or tide. and the meshes of which | are, when drawn closely together and
 measured inside the knot, not less than | seven and one-half inches in length | Every person found guilty of any viota- | tion of the provisions of this section may i be fined or imprisoned.
 Last Sunday several anglers visited Inverness for the purpose of seeing the fishermen seining fishes. In one | haul of the net they landed thirty -four i steelhead which were shipped from
 Hamlet station to this city. If each l haul returns a like complement oi fishes there will, certainly be very few | fishes left to populate the Paper mil l Creek this year, and anglers only toe
 well realize what that will signify.
 Last Sunday night while Messrs l Babcock and Vogelsang were discuss l ing in a hotel at Duncan's Mills the | sport they enjoyed on the river ir catching trout with rod and line, the net fishermen were industriously em- { ployed netting steelheads from a pool