GRAPHIC PRESENTATION OF PACIFIC SARDINE AGE 



COMPOSITION DATA 



by 



Robert S. Wolf 



Fishery Research Biologist 



Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 



U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 



L.a JoUa, California 



ABSTRACT 



Seasonal age composition summaries of the Pacific sardine in 

 numbers of fish by year class and age are presented in graphic form 

 by port or region of landing for the seasons of 1932-33 through 1959- 

 60. A pictorial history of the sardine fishery for 28 years is thus 

 presented in the bar charts, which illustrate the relative importance 

 of certain year classes inthe seasonal catchtotals, and in the fluctua- 

 tions of those totals over this period. 



Estimates of the age composition 

 of the conamercial catch of the Pacific 

 sardine Sardinops caerulea (Girard) 

 are available over 28 seasons from 

 five ports or four regions* of landing. 

 These data have been published in 

 separate papers which have recently 

 been assembled under a single cover 

 (Wolf'). Age connposition data from 

 that report form the basis of the 

 figures presented herein. 



region presented as a bar chart. Each 

 season's bar chart represents the num- 

 bers of fish landed in millions by 

 successive year classes. At the bottom 

 of each figure an age scale has been 

 added. For identification, each year 

 class retains a characteristic pattern 

 of markings on its bar, which repre- 

 sent that year class during its appear- 

 ance in the landings, regardless of 

 port or season. 



Each figure consists of one or more 

 seasonal age summaries of a port or 



1 Pacific Northwest totals include data from British 

 Columbia, Washington, and Oregon ports. From 1956-57 

 through 1959-60 seasons, port summaries have repre- 

 sented regional totals. The major port of the region has 

 been used to designate the region. Details of regional 

 apportionment are given in Daugherty and Wolf. 1960, 

 P. 189. 



J Wolf, Robert S. Age composition of the commercial 

 catch of the Pacific sardine, 1932-60. U.S. Fish and Wild- 

 life Service, Research Report. In press. 



Data from ports in British Colum- 

 bia, Washington, and Oregon have been 

 combined to form seasonal age com- 

 position summaries from the Pacific 

 Northwest for the seasons of 1941-42 

 through 1948-49. These are shown in 

 figures 1 and 2. Seasonal summaries 

 fronn San Francisco for 1940-41 through 

 1950-51 are presented in figures 3 

 through 5. Monterey summaries from. 

 1932-33 through 1952-53 plus 1954-55, 

 1958-59, and 1959-60 appear infigures 



