LOVE ET AL.: LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY OF CALIFORNIA SCORPIONFISH 



^^ 'aT Ts 32 



TOTAL LENGTH (CM) 



Figure 11.— Seasonal distribution of California scorpionfish catch 

 in the southern California partyboat sport fishery, 1975-78. 



species is captured by hook and line, gill net, and, 

 rarely, otter trawl. While hook-and-line catches pre- 

 dominate, gill net landings are also important. In 

 a 1984 study, Collins et al.^^ found that scorpion- 

 fish were the 10th most abundant species in the 

 California halibut gill net fishery. In recent years, 

 the fishery has been almost entirely limited to the 

 later spring and early summer months (Fig. 13), 

 with catches between June and August accounting 

 for about 80% of the total. 



Traditionally, the bulk of California scorpionfish 

 have been caught by a few fishermen specializing 

 in this species. From our observations, it seems like- 

 ly that the number of specialists has declined 

 markedly since the 1950's. A few vessels of the 

 Newport dory fishery (Cross fn. 8) specialize in fish- 



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Figure 12.— Size distribution (with 100% maturity len^h) of California scorpionfish taken in 

 the southern California sport fishery, 1975-78. 



during spring and summer. This is apparently due 

 to some vessel operators targeting spawning aggre- 

 gations. 



Figure 11 indicates the depths at which Califor- 

 nia scorpionfish were taken over the years 1975-78. 

 During the May- September spawning season, fish 

 were most abundant in 61-90 and 121-150 m. Rela- 

 tively few fish were taken between 61 and 150 m 

 from October to April, with catches ranging from 

 10 to 10^ times as great in May to September. 

 Similarly, October to April catches were highest in 

 inshore waters. 



Historically, California scorpionfish were taken 

 commercially by hook and line and, occasionally, 

 round haul nets (Daugherty 1949). Currently, the 



ing for California scorpionfish and their techniques 

 are illustrative. The fishermen concentrate their ac- 

 tivities on the spawning grounds offshore of Long 

 Beach— the same area we utilized in our tagging 

 study. As the precise time of fish aggregation varies 

 from year to year, occasional exploratory trips are 

 made to the grounds beginning in May. Most catches 

 begin in June and end in August. Using long lines, 

 the fishermen deploy on the bottom 1,200-2,000 

 hooks (4/0-5/0 long shank) in 600-1,300 m (1,970- 

 4,265 ft) sets. The hooks (baited with anchovies, 



'^Collins, R. A., M. M. Vojkovich, and R. J. Reed. 1985. Pro- 

 gress Report, Southern California nearshore gill and trammel net 

 study 1984. Calif. Dep. Fish Game, 40 p. 



Ill 



