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<br />
<br />....:~ CALIFOR~~A.!\"'D GA.:M..!!;
<br />
<br />-_:'_:~'~;[Fif!<~S-~~U_:_- V.I.' ~ _~_nm~ \.!~~~,P9_ RIVER __on ~,-.~
<br />
<br />;~j~~I;D~::J~ ~~r~ ili:~ery ,efficient meth~s of catchiri:..:
<br />cl:l~-+:shouldbe .. I~r s pers~na1 bebef that aeon...-:.
<br />.c". ~_' permitted m the ch01ce of gear' .., 'ri!'z'
<br />,_~ scnJ.ll> ' ~ Of eommo '
<br />:' ~"hing tack1e._:ln general this w"uld ",'Y':c.,-"
<br />,'l, lelithe fish" tured ' u permIt moS'L..
<br />~clOsel'V at IS cap o~ a h~ok (or hooks) attached to'
<br />"("'c' '..' tended, and which will not harm fish hi h
<br />.A~'.,!'~lnedb! the fisherman, _ _ ., w "ca::;~..
<br />:,~~8ugg~lOns are made for the Colorado River Distririt~"
<br />",":,.;,~?~ the nver to be caught by angling onl .
<br />, . ., fuig IS defined th takin Y
<br />C.'dlfue Th ~~ e g of or the attempt to take :fish
<br />The line ~r ole me may or ~ay not be attached to a pole
<br />"'~~a ~ emust. be. held m the hand or closely attended.
<br />'_'__" ,'_ mIl to ~limited t"'. the---use __JL, !in
<br />P#e.. ' ,- 'v -V.L one e"or.lIne .
<br />
<br />\Mta,l number of hooks ( dl f '
<br />-,,_,~',. d h " regal' ess 0 whether they are
<br />';i,1fWo~ . ooks) on anyone line to be limited to 3 when
<br />.,",'.0'. .,~ to the number of hooks on any artificial lure
<br />,~~~:cr~~n~esthods w~ereby:fish can be taken or killed
<br />'"'stri' " f ,,' . e ueb deVICes or methods are' explosives"
<br />"CC}?,ellclents, nets of any kind traps spea' if .'
<br />:-3t-,-' " rs, ga s, gIgs,
<br />I>-._'-_.~----, .
<br />
<br />,}!iJiterfish which are not now resident m' the C I 'ad- ,'.
<br />ct to be used f b' 0 or 0
<br />, el~ of or .81t 0: rele.ased in the waters of this
<br />1"" fishes gIven. m th18 report should, suffice to-
<br />',',',"'ll'}i.sb besl' are now resIdents of the Colorado) This,
<br />. !i'owa e typ f Ii b" .
<br />>er":(whether n:'o ve alt.:fish to sI;>ecies now resident
<br />
<br />jj~;J[!J:l1~:) jgame &~ (~~o~c~mJ ~~~Sie~~t~. as
<br />
<br />;'iceasou.th ;t th' b .' .. -, '
<br />,'b a e num er o~ lines or poles andliries and
<br />fi:s~t~r:~ the ~e of muIt!ple e9-uipment is an approach
<br />',!a:~d;ns. ;:~d~~l~~ Itself to practices of violation
<br />L ..~~~r than trollin", in :ghmethods (and th~ are the
<br />.."''eees...<:f1ill'',) " '; W IC more than one lme can be
<br />~<>l;~..r.Jl:be~p:~e~ec'~~e~~Ough to guarantee t~at ~ml:r one
<br />,_,.:.tL'Wnen the 1ishe ,fore, th.e use of one Ime 15 reCOill- .
<br />. '4:,;;1.. rman 18 attemptm'" to catch 0 1
<br />e.lllSll. Th . e n y unpro-
<br />'%:,"::' ,'" ..' e removal of :fish consIdered to be b' '
<br />c:t.te.carned on b tt b' 0 noxlOUS 01'
<br />,..~, ',.,.,'~,".,',," e er y allowmg higher ba r .
<br />>,u.J "the States or comm . I . .g lDllts, or by
<br />~:~possibility th erCIa mterests WIth commercial
<br />~oe .at the ~eneral. rules allowing fishin onl
<br />~~etara%:i~~~ C~~In IsectlOns of t~e district togallo~
<br />'ethOds ' y , cu t to take WIth hook and line)
<br />,.~":,, , such as by dIp-net or spear This b' .
<br />.~n.-... .. ' su Ject 15 now
<br />
<br />'ib-ren how any .of. the :ecommendations made here can
<br />..~,..ftshery,. aJ?-d It IS believed that thev should b fit"t
<br />'" on Qfenstm '. ' ene I.
<br />''''':"''eo .. g powers! It WIll be possible for the Cali- .
<br />'Sq=lO~ ~~ttain complete. conformity in their ,.'
<br />":,', then be pOSSlble for the fisherie<i--
<br />
<br />In California, "It is unlawful to take any fish within · · .. 150
<br />feet of the lower side of any. dam- - .', (Fish and Game Code,
<br />1943-1945, Sec. 485.) , The ostensible purpose of this section is to pre-
<br />vent the taking of :fish from areas where they may be heavily coneen-
<br />ttated. For example, trout or salmon whose upward migration in .
<br />stream is blocked or impeded by a dam may be easier to catch by an"ling
<br />(or snagging) than if the dam were pot present. The -catching of these
<br />fish might perhaps be so easy that, even if bag limits were not Hceeded
<br />the run could be depleted by the intensity of fishing. '
<br />At present, this provision is enforced at dams on the Califomia 8id~
<br />of the Colorado River. It has even been suggested that any obstructiolli
<br />in artificial conduits, such as the checks in canals or wasteways, should
<br />,-=::=.=:..-'be:~nsidered "dams,." i.n..thisarea._.,___ ,------
<br />The author can not agree that srich-regulationsarenecessar; on the-
<br />Colorado River. There is no run of any important species which migbt
<br />concentrate immediately below a dam. It is true that there may be I
<br />concentration of fish here and this includes such game :fish as bass, sun.
<br />:fish, and catfish. The same is true at places such as headgates, checlJ
<br />or drops in canals. Many areas along- the river possess but Httle easily
<br />:fishable water except at dams, and this is much truer in canals or drain.
<br />age ditches. It is only at points where the water is slack enough to
<br />afford resting places, or has fast currents (perhaps feeding areas) clOlit
<br />to slow water that fish congregate in numbers. .And unless there it
<br />some concentration of fish it is a hopeless job for the fishermen. U
<br />fishing is not permitted at such points we are simply letting a resourtt
<br />go to waste, i.e., uncaptured.
<br />In the absence of migrating game :fishes, it is recommended that
<br />fishing be permitted as close to any type of obstruction in either natuni
<br />or artificial channels in the Colorado River District as the angler desireL
<br />-..,.---' The suggestion that fishingbe forbidden in certain areas of ~
<br />river or at certain times in these areas because they constitute spawIDn;
<br />grounds may be a good one. In Connecticut, for example, the bui
<br />spawning areas in lakes over which the State has the necessary juris-
<br />diction are located and posted as closed to all fishing prior to the CIlC:
<br />pletion of the spawning season. According to Thorpe et al (1942) tb
<br />single measure has given gratifying results in many bass lakes, The ~iah-
<br />lishment of such sanctuaries appears to meet with favor even by bick>-
<br />gists otherwise disinclined to believe very strongly in closed seaso~
<br />during the spawning period. This would still permit fishermen to ~,
<br />for other species and for bass outside the closed areas. The taking "-
<br />bass which are not protecting nests doe's not result in the same lea
<br />which occurs when an unguarded nest is left at the mercy of predators.
<br />If further protection to Colorado River fish should be deemed ne<.'d'
<br />sary, therefore, the author recommends the establishment of such cl(l!l!'lf
<br />areas during the spawning season. We should close only tbose ~
<br />which are found to be the ones selected bv the :fish themselves. It sbocid
<br />also be noted that in waters which are not yet stabilized (as in the !Ji:II
<br />above Imperial Dam) the spawning areas may change from time to tn='-
<br />
<br />Restrictions on Fishing Gear
<br />
<br />Restrictions of this type are common in sport fisheri~s, 'fbt!t.
<br />usual purpose is simply to cut down the number of fish wll1L'h 1 !lII'l '
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