Gill netting for sharks, drdndling for some years, has been 

 almost entirely eliminated since 19^0 on the Pacific Coast due to 

 the low price being paid for shark livers. 



Crab fishing may also be conducted, except possibly for a 

 couple mnter months, on a year roiind basis except in California 

 ■where the law prohibits taking of crabs from August 1 through 

 November 1^ of each yearo Most of the crab fishermen are also 

 salmon trollerso It may be pointed out here that salmon trolling 

 and crab fishing are carried on largely in inshore waters within 

 a few miles of the coast line. The albacore, on the other hand, 

 usually are found farther offshore but may run in closer following 

 hot spells that warm up the inshore waters. Mary of the smaller 

 craft are not capable of pursuing the albacore to their outer off- 

 shore range and thus are limited to taking them only when they 

 appear closer inshore « 



The craft having their home ports in California, north of 

 Point Conception, consist of a very mixed group of various types 

 and sizes. This grout) includes sardine purse seiners, salmon trollers, 

 crab fishermen, set line and hand line fishermen, and even a very 

 few of other types that oridinarily fish exclusively in bays and 

 rivers rather than in the open ocean waters. For the past five or 

 six years, sardine fishing north of Point Conception has been only 

 fair to almost a complete failure. As a result, many of the sardine 

 seiners in this area have been forced to enter other fisheries as a 

 means of livelihood o They can, by removing turntables and heavy 

 nets, and by equipping their vessels with outrigger poles, be fairly 

 readily adapted for albacore trolling. This practice has become 

 increasingly more prevalent as the sardines declined. 



As mentioned above, crab fishing in California is limited to 

 the season from November 16 through July 31> and salmon trolling may 

 be carried on, starting usually in April, off Monterey and a month 

 or so later farther northward and continuing into early September. 

 Most of the crab* fishermen and salmon trollers are identical since 

 there are only a few months of overlapping of seasons in these two 

 fisheries. As the season tends to dwindle in August and since there 

 is no other fishery open thereafter for some months, the majority of 

 that fleet will fish for albacore starting in some years in late 

 July and usually ending sometime in October, However, sane of the 

 more seaworthy craft may be able to fish in farther offshore waters 

 into November or possibly even December, Some of the albacore 



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