REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF MARINE 



FISHERIES 



The responsibility for the conservation and administration of the 

 ocean fisheries of California is in the hands of the Burean of Marine 

 Fisheries. The bnrean conducts biolouical and statistical studies of the 

 marine sport and commercial fisheries; and with the infoi-mation tlms 

 gathered and analyzed, is able to make recommendations to the Fish and 

 Game Commission and the Legislature for wise conservation measures. 

 The bureau works in close cooperation Avith the Pacific Marine Fisheries 

 Commission and the Marine Research Committee. Brief accounts of the 

 activities of these organizations are presented on pages 65 and 66. 



During 1948 and 11)4!) California's fish catch was greater than it 

 had been in the biennial jieriod innnediately preceding, but compared 

 with the total landings in any of tlie 12 years from 1934 through 1945, 

 it can not be considered high. The catcli trend reflects the success or 

 failure of the sardine season, and the sardine fishery had not recovered 

 from the failure which was so marked in 1946 and 1947. Tn 1948 the total 

 catch was over 9()(),UU0,()UU pounds and in li)49 it reached 1,10(),00U,()()(). 



Among the cannery species three of the tunas surpassed previous 

 records. Yellowfin tuna landings in 1948 were over 191, ()()(), 000 pounds. 

 In 1949 ski]ijack jiassed the 78, 000, 000 jiouud mark and albacore totaled 

 more than 44,000,000. Although the mackerels did not break a record the 

 combined catch of jack and Pacific was over 112,000,000 pounds in 1948 

 and slightly less the following year. The 1949 sardine catch of 633,000,000 

 pounds was the best in four years but foi- the Pi-ycjir per-iod pi-ior to 

 1945 the yearly catch was in the neighborhood of 1,000,000,000 pounds. 

 Because sardines were scarce in the years immediately preceding 

 this biennium, a very high percentage of the fish went into cans, and 

 this, combined with the lieavy catches of tuna and mackerel, brought the 

 1948 case pack to 2,000,000 more than had been packed during any 

 previous year and in 1949 the pack exceeded 13,000,000 cases. 



Important among tlu' market species, the 1948 catch of sole was 

 over 21,000,000 ])()unds or almost double the 1947 peak poundage. The 

 crab catch of 1 1,000,000 pounds for each year set a record for that species. 

 Salmon landings of approximately 7,000,000 pounds for each year were 

 lower than the record catches of the previous four years. 



The value of the catch to the fisherman in 1948 was $80,500,000. The 

 high price of fish in general and the heavv landings of tuna (yellowfin 

 tuna, $32,000,000, skipjack, $9,000,000 and albacore, $11,000,000) com- 

 bined to make this a banner year, exceeding the peak 1947 value by 

 $2,000,000. In 1949 although the poundage was gi-eater, chiefly due 

 to an increased catch of sardines, the wholesale value to the fishermen 

 dropped to $73,000,000. Prices in general were lower and the high-priced 

 yellowfin tuna catch was less in poundage. 



For the fourth year in succession the fishermen delivering to Eureka 

 and other ports along the northern coast received over $3,000,000 for 

 their catches; these were made up chiefly of sole, crabs, albacore and 



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