FORTY-FIRST BIENXIAL REPORT 



140 



120 



CALIFORNIA MACKEREL LANDINGS / \ 



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Figure 10. Landings of Pacific and jack maclterel for the past 10 seasons. The 

 mackerel season is considered to start in :\Iay and end in April. 



catch ill the 1948-49 season was nearly r)6,()()().()()() aiul in l!»4!i-.">0 al.ciil 

 ()0, 000, 000. Los Angeles region iaiulings ])i()(liice(l by far the 'jrcati'si 

 tonnage: about 43,000,000 pounds in lf»4<S-4fi and over :)4.0!)( ).()()() in 

 1949-50. The Monterey region reported landings of aiiproximatcly 

 9 and 4 million pounds in the two s(^asniis ami t!ie Santa IJarbai'a ri-jion 

 roughly 4 and 1 million. 



Investigations of the jack markcrcl, begun on a liniit('(l l)asis in 1I'47. 

 were gradually intensified. The original program included studies of 

 the size and age composition of the commercial catch. This work is being 

 continued on a routine basis. In 1948. a study of the ))o|)nlati(;ns in tlie 

 Central and Southern California areas was inaugurated. This led to a 

 broader study of the distribution of the species along the entire I'aeide 

 Coast. A considerable body of data bearing on these ]>r(»l)leiiis was oli- 

 tained and was being analysed at the close of the bienniiini. .Maturity 

 studies were started in 194!*. These must be cf)ntiniied for at least another 

 year before any conclusions can be reached. Fiiuilly, a survey of fishing 

 localities is being made as time permits. 



BOTTOM FISH 



The otter trawl fishing for sole, sand dabs, flounder, tiirbot. roeUlish. 

 and other bottom fish takes a greatei- tonnage of fisli than any other fi-esh 

 fish industry of the State. The landings of flatfish ;iiid roeUfish for the 

 last ten years are shown in Figure 11, but this graph does not tell the 

 entire story. Rockfish used to be taken primarily by means of hook and 

 line, but a type of trawl was developed which was (piite satisfactory 

 for catching theme in quantity. This, combined with the almost unlimited 

 demand for fish products during AVorld War II. resulted in the boom 

 of the rockfish fishery which reached its peak in i:)4.'). The subserpient 



