THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL REPORT 113 



thus get an advantage over the others. This was done and, in addition, 

 an auditor was employed continuously to check the books and records 

 of the plants. This plan worked very satisfactorily, but the expense is 

 excessive. It is estimated that the policing of the sardine canneries costs 

 $30,000 yearly, without taking into consideration the expense of regular 

 employees engaged in the work. 



The season of 1929-30 again show^ed a great increase in the sardine 

 catch, as well as in the production of canned fish, oil and meal products, 

 in spite of the closed seasons which it was claimed would reduce the 

 catch 20 per cent. There was again an overproduction and there will 

 be a considerable carry-over into the next season. The price of all 

 sardine products has declined and it is now evident that relief does not 

 lie in the larger percentage which may be used in reduction plants. 



The only right solution to the sardine problem is to do away with 

 what is termed "overage" and require that no sardines be received by 

 the canneries in. excess of what is to be canned. We believe the majority 

 of the canners agree with this. 



CHANGES IN FISHING METHODS 



One of the features in the sardine fishery has been the changes in 

 fishing methods. The lampara had come into general use for catching 

 sardines both in southern California and at Monterey. The difficulty 

 of supplying from local fishing grounds the increased demand of the 

 canneries for sardines in southern California led to the use of purse 

 seining at San Pedro. In the season of 1925-1926 there were 33 purse 

 seine boats fishing sardines. They were more successful than the lam- 

 para boats, mainly for the reason that their larger size enabled them 

 to extend the fishing grounds to the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, 

 80 to 100 miles distant, and thus overcome the growing scarcity of 

 sardines in the local waters. 



Some of the lampara men purchased purse seine boats. The rest 

 improved their nets by enlarging them and by equipping them with 

 rings so that they could be pursed in much the same manner as the 

 regular purse net. By the end of the year 1928 the lampara net had 

 been abandoned by the sardine cannery fishermen and the modified 

 lampara or ring net had taken its place. 



The ring net is even more successful than the purse net and during 

 the past two years it has been in process of eliminating sardine purse 

 seining. 



The conversion of the many large purse seine boats located in 

 southern California into sardine fishing boats, together with the 

 improvement of the lampara boats by adopting the larger and more 

 efficient ring nets, added not only to the number of boats but greatly 

 increased their efficiency. 



It is significant that this greatly increased fishing effort has not been 

 able to increase the sardine catch in local waters. The increased catch 

 of sardines has been the result of extending the fishing area to include 

 the Santa Barbara Islands, an unmistakable indication of depletion. 



At Monterey the fishermen have been slower to change their methods. 

 A strong lampara fishermen's organization was able in large measure 



8—81166 



