42 FISH AM) GA.ME COMMISSION 



end of the season. The advisory eonnnittee also diseontinned its efforts 

 to develop a lon«i-ranye program of manajiement. 



The increase dnrinp- the last two seasons in the tonnages landed 

 resulted from the appearance on the fishing grounds of two fairly 

 abundant gi-()ui)s of fish, those s])awned in 1946 and 1947. During both 

 the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons. 80 percent of the fish came from these 

 two year classes. The 1947 group was more abundant than the 1946 and 

 will ])fesumably coiitiimc to make a iiiajoi- contribution to the fishery in 

 the immediately succeeding seasons. If no new abundant year classes 

 appear on the fishing grounds, the present healthy condition in the indus- 

 try cannot continue for any great length of time. 



As a residt of the efforts of the industry a coordinated program for 

 exjianded sardine studies was set up undei- the direction of the Marine 

 Kesearch Conunittee during the Fortieth Biennium. This unifies the work 

 of the California Academy of Sciences, California Division of Fish and 

 Game, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and U. S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service. Although initiated in the pi-evious biennium the expanded work 

 at sea could not be started until vessels had been purchased and recon- 

 ditioned for the specialized studies. 



Routine sea investigations were begun in F(4n-uary, 1949, and have 

 been continued on a monthly basis since that time. The division's research 

 ship M. V. N. B. Scojield })articipated in the fii-st three of these cruises in 

 1949 and occupied the station lines from Point Conception south to the 

 central part of Uaja California. After this time Scripps Institution and 

 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service had sufficient vessels to carry on the 

 regidar physical, chemical and biological sampling at sea and the N. B. 

 Scofiehl turned to other activities of the division. 



]n September, 1949, the M. V. Yellowfin was ready for operation 

 and she began the s])ecific tasks assigned to the Division of Fish and 

 Came in the coopei-ative sardine investigations. From October until the 

 end of the biennium, with the use of sonar and recording fathometer, the 

 Yellowfin located schools of sai-dines in Snullici-n and Central California 

 waters. Samples of the (isli in these scIukiIs wei'c taken and material for 

 age detei'ininat ions and food studies conected. Wiiere schools were found 

 records of \\;ilrr te;n])eratui'es. water samples and ]ilankton samples were 

 taken. The |iiii|i(jsi' oT t his study is to (Ie1ei-niine 1 he physical and chemical 

 conditions when' s;irdine schools will be found, what kinds of food are 

 j)resent and il' the sardine shows a pi'el'ei'ence for particular types of 

 |)lanktonic food. 



In addition to the work at sea the stall' continued its routine collec- 

 tion of data for an analysis of the size and age composition of the catch 

 and a measui-e of the success of tlie fishing fleet. Hesults of studies of the 

 return to the fishei-man based on his average monthly or w^eekly catch 

 h;i<| lirrn |)ulp|is|ic(| thi-ough ]'J\'2. These I'orniei- st udies were reviewed, 

 continued thi-oH'jh the ]It4>-49 season ;iiid published as Fish Bvdletin 

 .\o. 7<i. ill the hist six months of the biciiii iiiin. Through the cooperative 

 study <-;in'icd on with the \\ S. I<'isli ;iiid Wildlife Service the 1948-49 

 jiiid l!i l!t .'»() s;iiiline c;dclies wo'e coiiipih'd hy tons and numbers of fish 

 taken ill each age grouj). 'IMiese tables were published in tlu' duly, 1949, 

 and . I Illy. 19r)0. issues of C'alifoniia Fish and Ganic. 



