112 PlSn AND GAME COMMISSION 



of sardinos for reduction ])urposos than any other canncr. Tlic com- 

 petition between individual canners and between the localities of Mon- 

 terey and San Pedro was too keen to permit anyone to {?et an advantage 

 by nsinpr more than the specified amount in the reduction plant. 



In view of past experience in tryiup to aprrce with canufrs aiid those 

 who would take sardijie.s for the manufacture of an edible oil, the 

 Commission did not try to afrree on a bill with the canners, but had 

 introduced a bill allowinjj practically no ovcrajre. The canners, on 

 their part, had a bill intro(lufcd which would permit 40 per cent of 

 the catch to be used for reduction. After a strenuous battle and when 

 it bepan to look as thouprh no bill would be passed, a compromise was 

 reached which permit ted 32§ per coit of the catch to be used for 

 reduction. The ambipruilies of the old law were cleared up as far as 

 possible, and more "teeth" put in the law. To gret the bill throutrh 

 the Assembly, it was necessary to provide a measure in the bill whereby 

 the Commission could issue a revocable permit to companies to take 

 sardines and, by a reduction process, manufacture edible oil or edible 

 fish flour products. It was understood that this was only done in order 

 to protect the investment of the three companies already operating 

 under a similar provision of the old law, and that no additional per- 

 mits were to be granted. 



A provision providins: closed seasons for sardines, which had been a 

 part of the canners' bill, was adopted. These seasons, w^hich are dif- 

 ferent for northern and southern California, were advanced by the 

 canners as a conservation measure and they claimed it would result in 

 a reduction of the catch. To arrive at these seasons, the ten-year record 

 of the catch, by months, in the two districts, as compiled and pub- 

 lished by this bureau, was used, and it is significant that the seasons 

 were so arranged that it was to be expected the two districts would 

 have about the same catch of sardines. In southern California the 

 season runs until the first of April, which is well into the spaw-ning 

 season, while at Monterey the season closes on February 15th. These 

 seasons did not make the catch in the two districts equal, as expected. 

 At Monterey the months of November and December, which are usually 

 months of poor catches, were made into good months in the 1929-30 

 season by the introduction of large purse and ring net boats which 

 went far up the coast for their fish. The result was a considerably 

 larger catch at Monterey than in southern California, and there is 

 already talk of a readjustment of the season so as to make the two 

 districts equal. 



After the signing of the bill by the Governor, the canners met with 

 the officers of the Division of Fish and Game and the director of the 

 Department of Natural Resources, and pledged themselves not only to 

 abide by the new law but to assist the division with its enforcement. 

 They appointed a committee of three to work with the division to 

 bring about a friendly spirit of cooperation. One of the first sugges- 

 tions of the canners was that the division place additional inspectors 

 in the canneries, so there W'Ould be at least one inspector for each plant 

 to check on the amount of sardines received. The amount of the pack 

 of each was to be checked through the daily pack reports and through 

 the number of cans delievered to each plant. It was necessary to do 

 this, they said, to remove the temptation for any canner to cheat and 



