112 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



of sardines for reduction purposes than any other canner. The com- 

 petition between individual eanners and between the localities of Mon- 

 terey and San Pedro Avas too keen to permit anyone to get an advantage 

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



In view of past experience in trying to agree with eanners and those 

 who would take sardines for the manufacture of an edible oil, the 

 Commission did not try to agree on a bill with the eanners, but had 

 introduced a bill allowing practically no overage. The eanners, on 

 their part, had a bill introduced Avhich Avould permit 40 per cent of 

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

 it began to look as though no bill would be passed, a compromise was 

 reached which permitted 32i per cent of the catch to be used for 

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

 possible, and more "teeth" put in the law. To get the bill through 

 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 gi-anted. 



A provision providing closed seasons for sardines, which had been a 

 part of the eanners' bill, was adopted. These seasons, which are dif- 

 ferent for northern and southern California, were advanced by the 

 eanners 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 Avas 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 spawning 

 season, while at IMonterey 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 Avas 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 tAvo 

 districts equal. 



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

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

 Department of Natural Kesources, and pledged themselves not only to 

 abide by the new laAv but to assist the diA^ision with its enforcement. 

 They appointed a committee of three to work Avith the diA^sion to 

 bring al)out a friendly spirit of cooperation. One of the first sugges- 

 tions of the eanners was that the division place additional inspectors 

 in the canneries, so there Avould be at least one inspector for each plant 

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

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

 the number of cans delievered to each plant. It AA^as necessary to do 

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



