38 



FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES 



By N. B. ScoFiELD, Chief 



The eoiumeri-ial fisheries constitute one of the State's major indus- 

 tries, giving employment to 15,000 persons and producing annually 

 l)roducts valued in excess of $30,000,000. In each of the years 1934 and 

 ]935 the landings of fish and shellfish in California by California fish- 

 ermen exceeded tlie billion-pound mark for the first time in the history 

 of the State. In each of these years the total amount of fish landed and 

 the value of the fishery products exceeded that of Alaska or any one of 

 the states. According to the U. S. Bureau of Fisheries reports, the total 

 value of canned fishery products and byproducts in the United States 

 and Alaska in 1935 was $104,480,000. The three western states and 

 Alaska accounted for 71 per cent of this total. California, with her 

 important tuna, sardine and mackerel canning industry, was first in 

 \aluc of canned fishery ])r()(lurts and byproducts, amounting to $35,- 

 797,000, or 34 per cent oi' the total. Alaska was second with 27 per 

 cent of the total value. This would leave 10 per cent of the total value 

 lo be divided between Oregon and Washington. 



12 r 

 II 

 10 

 9 



5: 



i 4 



m sardines 

 I I Other Fish 



n 



3 fi 



2 * 



Fui. .".. TotJil luiuliriKS of lisli (exclusive of mollusl<s and cruKlaceans) in California. 

 Imp'irtatlnnH from .Japan and F^avvaii liave been omitted. Catches south of tlie 

 International Ixmndary have been inchidcd. "Other fisli" consists of the com- 

 bined spffie.s of llsh except sardines. The top of the blaclt bar represents the 

 total of our Bo-called local catch. 



As has been stated in former reports, the production of the fish- 

 eries as a whole follows very closely the prosperity curve. When the 



