. The California horticulturist and floral magazine. Fruit-culture; Gardening. 80 THE CALIFORNIA HM MUl $tttt. CALIFORNIA SALMON FISHING AND THE GAME LAWS. Contrary to our expectations and most sanguine hopes, the young sal- mon which, for these three years past, appeared in the winter season in our bay, and afforded good sport in bait fishing, have not yet arrived in any great num- bers. Not more than two or three a day have been taken by ten or fifteen rods. Most of the few were taken early in the season, but they were larger than usual, being three or four pounders, whereas
. The California horticulturist and floral magazine. Fruit-culture; Gardening. 80 THE CALIFORNIA HM MUl $tttt. CALIFORNIA SALMON FISHING AND THE GAME LAWS. Contrary to our expectations and most sanguine hopes, the young sal- mon which, for these three years past, appeared in the winter season in our bay, and afforded good sport in bait fishing, have not yet arrived in any great num- bers. Not more than two or three a day have been taken by ten or fifteen rods. Most of the few were taken early in the season, but they were larger than usual, being three or four pounders, whereas, in former years, they would average only about one pound. Lately, how- ever, about twenty to twenty-five have been captured daily. We are all at a loss to account for their scarcity this year. Their comparatively very small numbers can not be altogether satisfac- torily traced to the great destruction of young fish by the small and unlawful meshes of the nets used by the Chinese and Italian fishermen, because the let- up has been too sudden for that. The cause must be found elsewhere. Fish, of course, change their feeding grounds, and are directed in their movements by the places frequented by their prey. We may observe this un- certainty of the migrations and advent of fish of the salmon tribe, from the analogy in the case of other families of the finny tribe. Two years ago our bay was full of the torn cods, and thou- sands upon thousands were taken with rod and reel. So with smelts, which, three or four years ago, were captured in about equal quantities with the torn cod. Now very few of either of these fish are to be found in our harbor. If the destruction of small fish here should go on in the same ratio that it has for many years past, it is easy to see that our fisheries will be almost en- tirely destroyed. The State Fish Com- missioners, the Sportsman's Club, and a Committee on the game laws of our Assembly at the Capitol, are now busy in devising and framing laws to r
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