TWENTY-SEVENTH BIENNIAL REPORT. 81 



fornia the season before, to allow a 25 per cent limit for the San Pedro 

 district, the Fish and Game Commission issued an order to each canning 

 company instead of one order for all as in the previous season, in 

 which it granted the 25 per cent limit but reserved the right to revoke 

 the reduction privileges of any company if it used more than the 

 limit or if it did not keep suflfieiently accurate records from which we 

 could determine the actual percentage used for canning and foi- reduc- 

 tion. 



The fish reduction law is working fairly well but several amend- 

 ments should be made so as to make it more easy of enforcement. 



FISHERIES PATROL. 



In the San Francisco District no changes have been made in the 

 fisheries patrol. During the past crab season crabs were smuggled 

 out of Humboldt County (District 7) and taken into the San Fran- 

 cisco markets. The law prohibiting the shipment of crabs out of the 

 northern districts, on account of the wording of the law, is very difficult 

 to enforce. To put a stop to these violations the patrol launch 

 Steelhead was shipped to Eureka by steamer and remained on that 

 part of the coast during the season. 



The closed season on salmon established in the outside trolling 

 districts is difficult to enforce mthout a more seaworthy boat than 

 our launch Steelhead. It will be necessary very soon to get a boat 

 which can cover the coast from ^Monterey to Eureka. 



In southern California the fisheries patrol is conducted in the same 

 manner as described in our last report, except that one extra patrol- 

 man has been employed to help prevent the landing and sale of under- 

 sized halibut, barracuda and lobsters and also to ])revent fishermen from 

 operating nets Avithin 750 feet of pleasure piers and thus bother the 

 sportmen who fish with rod and line therefrom. 



The commercial fisheries patrol in southern California is a difficult 

 one to handle for the reason that there is no love lost between sport 

 fishermen and commercial fishermen. This feeling has ])een heightened 

 by reserving for sportsmen certain waters about Catalina Island and 

 around all piers, jetties and breakwaters along the mainland. (V-rtaiii 

 compromises were made by the sportmen who fish at Catalina and very 

 little trouble is now experienced in keeping net fishermen out of tlie 

 closed island district. 



]\Iost of the time of the patrol boat Alhacore is taken up with trying 

 to prevent the operation of "drag nets" within the three mile limit. 

 There is no doubt that these nets are very destructive if ojierated in 

 shallow water along shore, for it has been shown that when so operated 

 three tons of small unmarketable halibut will be destroyed for each 

 ton which can be marketed. Used in deep water, lidwevn'. this net 

 l)ecomes unobjectionable for it does not destroy an excessive amount 

 of young fish and operates in a territory where other styles of nets 

 would not be used. To encourage this offshore fisliing the legislature, 

 at our request, while prohibiting the use of these nets within the 

 three mile limit, permitted their possession in order that they miirht 

 pass back and forth through the closed zone. This wns reeonunended 



C— 22f.;U 



