FISHES OF THE PACIFIC COAST 99 



Here, winter and summer, an eighth of a mile out to 

 sea, one will find scores of anglers with long bamboo 

 poles fishing, at places like Redondo and Newport, 

 where deep water runs inshore, and taking fishes of 

 large size. 



BAIT ANIMALS 



There are many animals found in these waters which 

 have a distinct relation to the fisheries. The flying- 

 fish, Fig. 46, is one. It has four wing-like fins and 

 weighs about a pound. It is one of the most im- 

 portant bait fishes of the region, employed for tuna, 

 yellowtail and white sea bass. This is the fish that 

 is supposed to fly, but it is merely a living aeroplane. 

 Its tail is the screw which, violently whirled about, 

 forces it into the air when the large gauze-like wings 

 are spread and the fish soars from one-eighth to one- 

 quarter of a mile if the wind is favorable. When the 

 inertia fails, its tail drops until it touches the water, 

 when the whirling is recommenced, forcing the fish into 

 the air again. I have seen the wind take these fishes 

 like butterflies thirty feet in air. They are the natural 

 food of the tuna and, living on the surface, or near it, 

 are ever ready to spring into the air in an effort to 

 escape. 



SARDINES 

 (Clupanodon cceruleus) 



Countless schools of sardines are found about the 

 islands. They spawn in the bay of Avalon and in the 

 early spring are followed by birds and fishes and also 

 by professional fishermen working for the canners. 



