Pacific Coast and 

 Alaska Pelagic Fisheries 



INTRODUCTION 



Several stocks of small pelagic fish species 

 support fisheries along the Pacific Coast from 

 northern Mexico to Alaska. The major ones are 

 Pacific sardine, northern anchovy, jack mackerel, 

 chub (Pacific) mackerel, and Pacific herring. 

 Sardine, anchovy, and the two mackerels arc 

 primarily concentrated and harvested oft 

 California and Baja California. Pacific herring are 

 taken along the west coast from California to 

 Alaska. 



Sardine and anchovy are the most prominent 

 of the fisheries from a historicaJ perspective. These 

 small pelagic fish, like Peruvian anchovy and 

 Japanese sardine, tend to fluctuate widely in 

 abundance. California sardines supported the 

 largest fishery in the western hemisphere during 



the l').^0's and early 1940's when total catches 

 averaged SOO.OOO metric tons (t). Sardine 

 abundance and catches declined after World War 

 II (Figure 14-1), and the stock finally collapsed in 

 the late 19S0's. In the mid 1940's, U.S. processors 

 began canning anchovy as a substitute for sardine. 

 Consumer demand for canned anchovy, however, 

 was low, and catches from the mid 1940's to mid 

 19S0's averaged only 30,000 t. Catches declined 

 and remained low before starting to increase in 

 1 965. Together with catches from Mexico, the total 

 catch increased to 350,000 t during 1975-80. 

 Thereafter, U.S. catches declined due mainly to 

 significant price reductions for fish meal. Low 

 prices and market problems continue to prevent a 

 significant U.S. reduction fishery tor anchovy in 

 recent years. The other small pelagic species also 

 have a tendency to fluctuate widely in abundance. 



Unit 



14 



LARRY D JACOBSON 



NMFS Southwest Fisheries 

 Science Center 



La Jolla 

 California 



FRITZ C FUNK 



State of Alaska 



Department of Fish 



and Game 



Juneau 

 Alaska 



BERNARD J GOINEV 



NMFS Alaska Fisheries 

 Science Center 



Seattle 

 Washington 



Ball of Pacific herring. 



1 67 



