CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME. 



49 



COMMERCIAL FISHERY NOTES. 



N. B. ScoFiELD, Editor. 



OUTPUT OF CALIFORNIA'S 

 FISHERIES DOUBLED. 



An appeal has gone out from the gov- 

 ernment, through the Food Administra- 

 tor, urging that all kinds of food produc- 

 tion be speeded up. It has been especi- 

 ally desired that the production of the 

 fisheries be increased in order that the 

 more concentrated meats may be released 

 for shipment to Europe. No other state 

 has responded as has California. The 

 catch of fish during the year just passed 

 is double that of the previous year. The 

 large take of sardines and herring during 

 the closing months of the year is certain 

 to send the year's catch above the two 

 hundred million pound mark. This in- 

 crease has been accomplished without sus- 

 pending fishing regulations and restric- 

 tions. In most of our seacoast states 

 there has been a decreased catch of fish 

 during the last year, which in some cases 

 was due to the use of the larger fishing 

 vessels for other purposes, while in other 

 cases it was due to impoverishment of 

 the fish supply. This impoverishment is 

 most striking in the case of halibut and 

 salmon along our north Pacific Coast 

 and Alaska as well as British Columbia. 

 The companies operating in this region 

 are not asking that all fishing restrictions 

 be removed for they have at last awak- 

 ened to the fact that the halibut and sal- 

 mon .supply is not inexhaustil)le and that 

 the present restrictions are inadequate to 

 safeguard the future and keep these fish- 

 eries up to their full capacity. After 

 years of indifference as to the future, 

 they are now "demanding" conservation. 



Although the fisheries of California 

 have done so well in the present crisis, 

 we should be able to increase their pro- 

 duction very greatly during this coming 

 year. We should not lose sight of the 

 fact that nearly all of our fishery pro- 

 ducts are used outside of the state and 

 that a large part is even sent outside of 

 the United States. 



The people of the Nation are being 

 urged by the Food Administrator to use 

 foods that are near at hand in order to 

 relieve our congested railroads. It is a 

 patriotic duty, therefore, for the people 



of this state to use more of our fish which 

 are here in such quantities close at hand. 

 Such a small quantity of fish is used 

 locally by the people that the fresh fish 

 dealers are unable to sell at a low price. 

 Experience has taught these dealers that 

 reducing the price does not result in a 

 corresponding increase in consumption 

 and that their business can be made to 

 pay only by charging a relatively high 

 price. With the great expense that is 

 required to furnish a small amount of 

 fish on but one day a week, it is a won- 

 der that the price is as low as it is. The 

 butchers are complaining that the meat- 

 less Tuesday so increases their overhead 

 expense that their business is not profit- 

 able and that they will have to raise 

 prices. Fresh fish dealers have been 

 struggling along with six fishless days a 

 week. If people would use fish on each 

 day of the week as they do meats, fish 

 stalls would increase in number, com- 

 petition would develop, marketing and 

 transportation conditions would improve 

 and fish would become our cheapest' 

 article of food. 



THE SALMON CATCH ON EEL RIVER. 

 The Eel River salmon season oi^ened on 

 October 8 with several companies com- 

 peting for the fish and nearly 150 boats 

 with gill nets fishing in the lower five 

 miles of the river. The first night's catch 

 was nearly 200,000 pounds, and then for 

 several days very few wei'e caught. The 

 stream is usually low at this season and 

 the salmon congregate in the pools in the 

 lower river for two or three weeks before 

 the opening of the season. As it has 

 been claimed that a great many steelhead 

 are taken at the fii'st of the season, a 

 sharp lookout was kept for these fish, 

 but only seven were taken the first night. 

 The season closed on December 7 with a 

 rather poor season's catch. The river 

 remained very low until just before the 

 close when a rain brought a four foot 

 rise. It came too late, however, to start 

 the fish before the closing day. That the 

 diminished catch was due to late runs 

 and not to a depleted fish supply, is 

 borne out by the fact that the silverside 



