42 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



the California coast taking 608,936 tons in the 1934-1935 season and 

 565,920 tons in the season of 1935-1936. 



Even if there were no evidences of depletion disclosed by the 

 research of the State Fisheries Laboratory, it must be evident to any 

 who are interested in guarding this valuable State resource from over- 

 exploitation that this expansion should be halted. When the maximum 

 safe production of the fishery is passed, if it has not already passed 

 that limit, the ensuing collapse of the fishery means disaster to fisher- 

 men and plant owners and to their huge investment in boats and 

 plant equipment. 



A few comparisons will aid in appreciating the great strain which 

 is being exerted on this natural resource. The California sardine catch 

 in either of the past two seasons was much greater than the seasonal or 

 annual catch of any species of fish has ever been in North America. 

 Alaska is famous for its great fisheries, but the sardine catch alone of 

 California now exceeds the catch of all species of fish and shellfish in 

 Alaska. How long will our sardine fishery stand this strain? On our 

 Atlantic coast where the wide continental shelf is capable of supporting 

 a larger fish population that the very narrow continental shelf of our 

 Pacific coast, the menhaden fishery, which is in many ways comparable 

 to our sardine fishery, reached its limit of production at 407,000 tons in 

 the year 1922. Thereafter the menhaden fishery, in the face of better 

 prices for meal and oil and with more economical fishing and manufac- 

 turing methods, has declined to less than one-half its maximum produc- 

 tion of 15 years ago. 



The mackerel of the Atlantic coast, which also is a schooling, pelagic 

 fish, like the sardine, has had a similar history. Its maximum produc- 

 tion by American vessels was in 1884 when 65,000 tons were taken. In 

 1885 the catch dropped to 45,000 tons and since that year has not 

 exceeded 25,000 tons. This also appears to be a fishery which has been 

 over-exploited. 



Those who prefer to believe that our sardine fishery is not in 

 danger point to the sardine fishery of Japan which produced in 1934, the 

 last figures available, 1,617,535 tons. In making this comparison, a 

 number of things should be taken into account. The Japanese fishery 

 has only recently been exploited to such an extent, and there is no 

 assurance that their resource can stand this heavy fishing for long. 

 In California the fishery depends on one species of fish, while in Japan 

 there are five species of fish included in the figures for the sardine 

 fishery. They are a true sardine, three species of herringlike fishes and 

 one species of anchovy. 



In comparing the yield of the California sardine fishery with that 

 of Japan the fishing areas of the two countries which are suitable to 

 maintain sardine populations should be compared. The world's larger 

 fisheries are confined to relatively shallow water for it is only in such 

 waters that fish can find an adefpiate food supply. For practical pur- 

 poses the fishing area can be considered to lie within the 100-fathom 

 line. The area within the 100-fathom line in Japanese waters is 443,000 

 squaro statute miles. The area within the 100-fathom line along the 

 Pacific coast of tlie United States and P>ritish Columbia is 33,000 square 

 statute miles, whereas the 100-fathom area along the coast of California 

 alone is only 14.000 square miles. If we compare the amount of sardines 



