68 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



very poor, falling as low as 12 cents a gallon. Packers in the San 

 Pedro district are ordinarily at a slight disadvantage as compared with 

 Monterey, due to the greater oil yield per ton of sardines at Monterey, 

 but when the price of oil fell, that advantage was largely removed. 

 The result was an increase of 16 per cent in the sardine pack at San 

 Pedro, whereas there was a decrease of over 25 per cent in the Monterey 

 and northern California district. 



In July, 1931, the commissioners issued General Order No. 12, 

 which prohibits fishermen from bringing in more sardines than ordered 

 by their canner, and also requires that fishermen avoid taking more 

 sardines in their net than they can dispose of, and to permit the sardines 

 accidentally taken in the net, in excess of their needs, to escape before 

 they start brailing. 



During the 1930-1931 sardine season fishermen frequently brought 

 in more sardines than their cannery ordered, on the chance that the 

 excess amount would be accepted, possibly at a reduced price, or that 

 some other canner or edible oil plant would take them. This was an 

 old practice, but during this season, when the canners were curtailing 

 their canning operations, the excess catches frequently were not dis- 

 posed of and were therefore dumped at sea by the fishermen on their 

 next trip, and were a total loss. The waste from this cause was small 

 in the San Pedro district, but at Monterey the waste for the season 

 amounted to 2000 tons, or 1| per cent of the tonnage landed. 



This practice was cured by the enforcement of the commissioners' 

 General Order No. 12, and the waste during the season of 1931-1932 

 was negligible. 



That part of the commissioners' order which had to do with pre- 

 venting waste of sardines by fishermen impounding more fish in their 

 nets than they cared to take aboard their boats was arrived at after con- 

 sulting many fishermen at Monterey and San Pedro. It was quite evi- 

 dent that the reports of destruction and waste of sardines, which it is 

 claimed the ring nets and purse nets are responsible for, have been 

 greatly exaggerated by members of the old lampara fishermen group. 

 The three types of nets can be wasteful if improperly or carelessly used. 

 The fishermen interviewed stated that the regulations as embodied in 

 General Order No. 12 would be welcomed by the better fishermen. 

 The regulations of the order have been carefully enforced and are 

 working out satisfactorily. It is believed they will not need to be 

 altered in any essential part. 



A further investigation of the operation of the three types of 

 sardine nets has been carried out by members of the State Fisheries 

 Laboratory, the results of which will be published in California Fish 

 AND Game. 



SARDINE LEGISLATION 



As already stated, the fish reduction act for the regulation of the 

 sardine industry, as amended by the Legislature in 1929 so as to permit 

 canners to use 32| per cent of the sardines in their reduction plants 

 and also provided a closed season, was expected by the canners to 

 reduce the pack of canned sardines and strengthen the sardine can- 

 idng industry. The law did not work out as canners expected it would. 

 The next sardine season (1929-1930) saw the largest catch in the 

 history of the industry (322,600 tons). The large catches for the three 



