THE SARDINE, MACKEREL, AND HERRING FISHERIES 137 



Newport Beach. The jack mackerel is often found in large schools at or 

 near the surface, in close proximity to the mainland shore or offshore 

 banks. The commercial catch is made almost exclusively with purse seine 

 and other round haul nets. The canning of jack mackerel was not begun 

 on a large scale until 1947. The peak catch was made in 1950 when 

 134,000,000 pounds were taken. Jack mackerel has proved to be a very 

 useful substitute for California sardines packed in 1-pound tall cans, 

 which were sold in large quantities in the southern part of the United 

 States before the decline of the California sardine catch. The method of 

 packing is similar to the one used for the Pacific mackerel. 



The Atlantic Coast Mackerel Industry. The Atlantic Coast mackerel 

 (Scomber scomhrus) is related to the Pacific mackerel and is the basis for 

 the mackerel industry on the northeast coast of the United States. This 

 industry is mainly located in Gloucester, Massachusetts and Portland, 

 Maine, and has never approached in magnitude that of the Pacific 

 Coast. The methods used in fishing for the eastern mackerel resemble 

 those used on the West Coast. Purse seining is, therefore, the predomi- 

 nant method of fishing for mackerel on the East Coast. The mackerel, 

 when hauled aboard the fishing boat, are usually iced down in the hold 

 and have been out of the water only 24 to 36 hours when they arrive 

 at the dockside. The mackerel season begins in July and continues until 

 November. 



The Atlantic Coast mackerel is largely consumed in the fresh state. 

 The fish are small and have a relatively high oil content at the peak of 

 the season. Since the skin of this fish is also quite fragile, special precau- 

 tions are necessary in the way of careful handling to prevent ice from 

 brusing this delicate species. In the past, considerable mackerel were salted 

 in the New England area. In recent years the salt mackerel production 

 has greatly declined. 



Another species, the Spanish mackerel {Scomber omorus maculatus) is 

 taken along the middle and south Atlantic Coast. It is marketed in the 

 fresh state. 



The Herring Fisheries 



The Pacific Coast Herring Industry. The Pacific herring (Clupea 

 pallasii) has a very wide distribution. It is found along the west coast 

 of the United States and Canada, from San Diego to Nome, Alaska. Its 

 wide distribution not withstanding, the Pacific herring has been of com- 

 paratively little economic importance to the three west coast states; 

 only Alaska and British Columbia have developed a herring industry of 

 commercial importance. 



