CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 



139 



season when it was extended southward of Monterey to Pfeiffer's 

 Point, some six miles south of Point Sur and about 28 miles south- 

 ward of Monterey. 



The southern area between Point Sur and Pfeiffer's Point was 

 first fished by a portion of the fleet between January 15 and 19, when 

 schools of sardines became scarce to the northward of Monterey. The 

 area to the southward of 

 Monterey was not fished 

 again until February 11, 

 when a portion of the fleet 

 again fished between 

 Point Sur and Pfeiffer's 

 Point. The catches dur- 

 ing the last trip were com- 

 posed mainly of medium 

 small fish which the pro- 

 cessing plants were re- 

 luctant to handle, so that 

 operations in the south- 

 ern area again ceased. 

 Probably about 2000 tons 

 of sardines were taken 

 during fishing operations 

 in the area to the south- 

 ward of Monterey (Point 

 Sur and Pfeiffer's Point) . 



Sardine crews in the 

 past have been reluctant 

 to try the coast southward 

 of Monterey because of 

 the rugged nature of the 

 mountainous coast, re- 

 ports that wicked cur- 

 rents at various points 

 interferred with laying 

 out and hauling nets, and 

 the lack of safe anchor- 

 age in case of a sudden 

 blow. Furthermore, land- 

 marks are scarce ; for ex- 

 ample, there are only two 

 lighthouses to guide a 

 boat along the 80 miles of 

 coast immediately south- 

 ward of Monterey, where- 

 as, the 80 miles of coast 

 immediately northward of 



Monterey has four guiding lighthouses. The crews that have fished the 

 southward area successfully do not relish the northward trip back to 

 port when loaded because the sea is running against them. 



Fig. 41. Shallow dip net oi- "brail" with ap- 

 proximately 500 pounds of sardines about to be 

 emptied into the suction line hopper or "sump" 

 alongside of boat. The weight of the contents will 

 force open the bottom of the net when the purse 

 chain is slackened. Photo by J. B. Phillips, Febru- 

 ary, 1932. 



