1999 

 OUR LIVING OCEANS 



Landings 

 (X 1.000 t) 



Landings 



Biomass 

 (x 1.000 t) 



ilL 



Biomass 



iJj. 



20 25 30 35 40 45 



Figure 14-1 



Landings and biomass of 

 Pacific sardine. 1916-97. in 

 metric tons (t). No biomass 

 data are available for the 

 time period before 1932 and 

 for 1966-82. 



Landings 

 (x 1,000 t) 



400 - 

 350 - 

 300 - 

 250 - 

 200 - 

 150 - 

 100 - 

 50 - 

 - 



Figure 14-2 



Landings and biomass of 

 northern anchovies, 1963- 

 97, in metric tons (t). No bio- 

 mass estimates are avail 

 able for 1995-97 



50 55 60 65 70 75 

 Year 



Landings (U S & Mexico) 



_L. 



80 

 Yeai 



All these pelagic fishery resources are under 

 management. The anchovy fishery is managed 

 under the Northern Anchovy Fishery Management 

 I'Lui by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. 



Pacific sardine. Pacific herring, and chub mackerel 

 are managed by the State of California. Jack 

 mackerel north of latitude .W' N are managed as 

 part of the Pacific C^oast Croundfish Fishery 

 Management Plan. And the State of Alaska 

 manages its inshore Pacific herring fishery. 



PACIFIC COAST PELAGIC FISHERIES 



Pacific Sardine 



California's Pacific sardine abundance has gone 

 through boom-and-bust cycles (Figure 14-1). The 

 decline of the resource, from a biomass of more 

 than 3,000,000 t in the 1930's to immeasurable 

 low levels (a few thousand metric tons) in the 

 1970's, stimulated much debate as to whether 

 fishing or an adverse natural environmental period 

 was to blame. In retrospect, the intense fishing 

 pressure on the resource at that time probably 

 accelerated a long-term pattern of natural decline. 

 The tiiomass of sardines remained iiegligibK' low 

 for about 40 years. Since 1986, sardine biomass 

 has increased by 30-40% annually, and quotas 

 have been allowed for commercial fishing. 1 he 

 biomass in 1997 was about 600,000 t. 



In the past, sardines were harvested for fish 

 meal, bait, and human consumption. C^urrently, 

 there is no fish meal (reduction) fishery. Sardines 

 are now taken for human consumption and bait. 

 Commercial demand for sardines is strong and, as 

 resource abundance grows, the fishery is expected 

 to revive, fhus, the sardine resotirce is recovering 

 rapidly. Current potential yield is 63.000 t or about 

 44% of the long-term potential yield ( fable 14- 



Northern Anchovy 



Northern anchovy, fished off California and 

 Mexico, are divided into several subpopulations. 

 The central subpopuLition ot ihe resource is the 

 one that supports most of the U.S. fisheries. 

 Anchov\- are harvested for reduction into fish meal, 

 oil, .iiui soluble protein products. Other uses 

 iiieliule human consumption (fresh, frozen, 

 canned, and paste), and as bait (live and frozen) 

 for recreational fisheries. 



Anchovy landings in C'aliforni.i have fluctuated 



1 68 



