﻿PACIFIC 
  COAST 
  FISHERIES 
  

  

  Bonito 
  . 
  The 
  9 
  .2-million-pound 
  production 
  declined 
  8.0 
  million 
  compared 
  with 
  1969, 
  and 
  was 
  the 
  

   smallest 
  harvest 
  in 
  5 
  years. 
  The 
  bonito 
  fishery 
  fluctuates 
  widely. 
  It 
  has 
  ranged 
  from 
  a 
  low 
  of 
  

   128,000 
  pounds 
  in 
  1956 
  to 
  a 
  peak 
  21.2 
  million 
  pounds 
  in 
  1967. 
  Early 
  in 
  the 
  year, 
  vessel 
  owners 
  

   and 
  southern 
  California 
  canneries 
  agreed 
  on 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  bonito. 
  Fishermen 
  got 
  $140 
  per 
  ton 
  for 
  

   3- 
  to 
  4-pound 
  fish, 
  and 
  $165 
  per 
  ton 
  for 
  fish 
  over 
  4 
  pounds. 
  

  

  Sea 
  scallops 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  1.5 
  million 
  pounds 
  of 
  meats 
  worth 
  $1.5 
  million 
  declined 
  24 
  percent 
  in 
  

   volume 
  and 
  4 
  percent 
  in 
  value 
  compared 
  with 
  1969. 
  Alaska 
  accounted 
  for 
  99 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  quan- 
  

   tity 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  landings. 
  Washington 
  had 
  the 
  remaining 
  1 
  percent. 
  Alaska 
  had 
  seven 
  active 
  

   scallop 
  vessels 
  — 
  compared 
  with 
  15 
  in 
  1969. 
  The 
  fishing 
  effort 
  centered 
  in 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Alaska, 
  and 
  

   about 
  98 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  landings 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  Kodiak 
  area. 
  Alaska 
  fishermen 
  received 
  an 
  av- 
  

   erage 
  price 
  per 
  pound 
  of 
  $1.03 
  — 
  compared 
  with 
  82 
  cents 
  in 
  1969. 
  

  

  Clams 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  872,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  clam 
  meats 
  were 
  209,000 
  pounds 
  more 
  than 
  in 
  1969, 
  and 
  

   the 
  best 
  harvest 
  since 
  1962. 
  The 
  gain 
  resulted 
  principally 
  from 
  Washington 
  landings 
  of 
  285, 
  000 
  

   pounds 
  of 
  razor 
  clams 
  (up 
  169 
  percent) 
  and 
  470,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  hard 
  clams 
  (up 
  6 
  percent) 
  . 
  A 
  fish- 
  

   ery 
  for 
  geoduck 
  clams 
  developed 
  in 
  Washington. 
  A 
  survey 
  made 
  by 
  divers 
  for 
  the 
  State 
  Department 
  

   of 
  Fisheries 
  indicated 
  that 
  a 
  substantial 
  supply 
  of 
  several 
  million 
  pounds 
  of 
  geoducks 
  was 
  avail- 
  

   able 
  in 
  waters 
  of 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  where 
  diving 
  gear 
  could 
  be 
  used. 
  These 
  large 
  "king" 
  clams 
  with 
  

   enormous 
  necks 
  can 
  be 
  reached 
  by 
  divers 
  using 
  underwater 
  air 
  or 
  water 
  jets 
  . 
  Three 
  diving 
  crews 
  

   produced 
  about 
  21 
  , 
  000 
  pounds 
  of 
  shucked 
  geoducks 
  worth 
  $13, 
  000 
  . 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  clams 
  were 
  steaked 
  

   for 
  restaurant 
  use 
  . 
  

  

  Pacific 
  sardines 
  . 
  Landings 
  of 
  442, 
  000 
  pounds 
  increased 
  337 
  , 
  000 
  pounds 
  compared 
  with 
  1969--but 
  

   were 
  far 
  below 
  the 
  record 
  1.5 
  billion 
  pounds 
  taken 
  in 
  1936. 
  In 
  an 
  effort 
  to 
  conserve 
  the 
  Pacific 
  

   sardine 
  resource, 
  the 
  California 
  Legislature 
  enacted 
  a 
  law 
  in 
  1967 
  providing 
  for 
  a 
  2-year 
  morator- 
  

   ium 
  on 
  sardine 
  fishing 
  in 
  California 
  waters. 
  In 
  1969, 
  the 
  moratorium 
  was 
  continued 
  indefinitely, 
  

   with 
  the 
  exception 
  that 
  sardines 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  for 
  bait 
  under 
  permits 
  issued 
  by 
  the 
  California 
  De- 
  

   partment 
  of 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game. 
  The 
  annual 
  quota 
  for 
  bait 
  is 
  limited 
  to 
  250 
  short 
  tons, 
  and 
  when 
  this 
  

   quota 
  has 
  been 
  reached, 
  the 
  permit 
  holder 
  is 
  notified. 
  Thereafter 
  sardines 
  cannot 
  be 
  taken 
  except 
  

   incidentally 
  with 
  catches 
  of 
  other 
  fish, 
  and 
  may 
  not 
  exceed 
  15 
  percent 
  by 
  weight 
  of 
  a 
  load. 
  Sar- 
  

   dines 
  taken 
  as 
  incidental 
  catch 
  may 
  be 
  used 
  only 
  for 
  canning 
  or 
  reduction, 
  but 
  not 
  for 
  bait. 
  

  

  Other 
  information 
  . 
  Additional 
  data 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  California 
  monthly 
  landings 
  bulletins 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  in 
  the 
  Current 
  Fishery 
  Statistics 
  Series 
  by 
  the 
  Statistics 
  and 
  Market 
  News 
  Division 
  in 
  co- 
  

   operation 
  with 
  the 
  State. 
  Information 
  on 
  many 
  aspects 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  Coast 
  Fisheries 
  appear 
  in 
  

   daily, 
  monthly, 
  and 
  annual 
  reports 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  NMFS 
  Fishery 
  Market 
  News 
  Office 
  in 
  Termi- 
  

   nal 
  Island, 
  California, 
  and 
  Seattle, 
  Washington. 
  

  

  Acknowledgments 
  . 
  The 
  following 
  organizations 
  helped 
  collect 
  the 
  data 
  appearing 
  in 
  this 
  section: 
  

   Alaska 
  Department 
  of 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game, 
  Washington 
  Department 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  Oregon 
  Fish 
  Commis- 
  

   sion, 
  and 
  California 
  Department 
  of 
  Fish 
  and 
  Game. 
  

  

  