63 



Northern Anchovy 



slowly. Annual harvests are expected to 

 drop soon because the Mexican reduction 

 fishery is unprofitable and will probably 

 end. 



Anchovy landings (Fig. 14-1) in Califor- 

 nia were less than 50,000 t during 1 945-65 

 and increased, with the advent of "reduc- 

 tion" fishing, to an all-time high of about 

 150,000 t during 1975. During 1975-83, 

 U.S. landings declined as the reduction 

 fishery diminished. Since 1983, U.S. land- 

 ings have been low (less than 10,000 t), 

 mostly for live bait and other nonreduction 

 uses. 



No numerical limits are placed on the 

 live-bait catch, but there is a 7,000 t quota 

 for other nonreduction uses. Regulations 

 also specify an optimum yield for the re- 



duction fishery based on the biomass of 

 spawning fish. 



The well-being of other species, espe- 

 cially the endangered brown pelican which 

 feeds on northern anchovies, is important 

 in anchovy management. Thus, there is a 

 threshold in the optimum-yield formula for 

 reduction fishing to prevent anchovy de- 

 pletion and provide adequate forage for 

 marine fishes, mammals, and birds. As a 

 final safeguard against depletion, the man- 

 agement plan closes all fisheries in the 

 second year if the spawning biomass falls 

 below 50,000 t for two consecutive years; 

 the closure continues in subsequent years 

 until the spawning biomass equals or ex- 

 ceeds 50,000 t. 



Figure 14-1.— Northern anchovy 

 landings by U.S. and Mexican 

 fleets during 1945-90, and 

 biomass (age 1 and older) from 

 1964 to 1990. 



2,000 



o 



§ 1,500 



« 



E 

 o 

 5 1,000 



c 



10 



500 



Y/\ U.S. landings 

 f\| Mexican la 

 — Blomaaa 



^f^^f^- 



1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 



Pacific Sardine 



Pacific sardines once supported the largest 

 fishery in the western hemisphere (25% of 

 all fish landed in the U.S.) during the 1 930's 

 and early 1940's. Their abundance then 

 may have been 2.5 million t. Sardine 

 catches declined after World War II, and the 

 fishery finally collapsed in the early 1 960's 

 (Fig. 14-2). A complete moratorium on 

 sardine fishing was imposed in California 

 during the 1967-68 season. Since 1986, 

 small annual quotas of about 1 ,500 t have 

 been allowed for commercial harvest. 

 At their peak abundance, Pacific sar- 



dines were distributed from southeastern 

 Alaska to the Gulf of California. Although 

 primarily a coastal species, sardines have 

 been seen 560 km (350 miles) offshore. 

 California fisheries have been most import- 

 ant in terms of total landings, but fisheries 

 also existed off Oregon and Washington 

 when sardines were abundant. 



Like the northern anchovy, Pacific sar- 

 dines are found in surface schools. They 

 live as long as 10 years and may reach a 

 length of nearly 12 inches (30 cm). In the 

 past, sardines were harvested for fish meal, 



