76 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



tions on the catches of rock fish and smelt. Such work, in the absence 

 of intensive study, will require an accumulation of observations over 

 a period of years before the results should be summarized. In the 

 meantime, the preliminary information so gained will serve as a 

 valuable basis for future work on these species in case the program is 

 enlarged to include these fisheries. 



Publications. — During the last tw r o years four Fish Bulletins, num- 

 bers 8, 9, 10 and 11, have been issued, as well as various magazine 

 articles appearing in the quarterly, California Fish and Game. 



Fish Bulletin No. 8 by Mr. Carl L. Hubbs of the Museum of Zoology ; 

 University of Michigan, deals with racial and seasonal variations in 

 the Pacific herring, California sardine and California anchovy. Fish 

 Bulletin No. 9 by Dr. Tage Skogsberg presents in bulletin form the 

 report on the purse seine industry of southern California. Fish Bulle- 

 tin No. 10 by Dr. Frances N. Clark (now returned to the staff of the 

 laboratory) deals with the life history and spawning habits of the 

 grunion. Fish Bulletin No. 11, as already noted, deals with the Cali- 

 fornia sardine and includes five reports on research work done by 

 members of the laboratory staff. Two of these reports are by W. F. 

 Thompson, and one each by 0. E. Sette, Elmer Higgins and W. L. 

 Scofield. More detailed reference to the character of the work reported 

 in these four bulletins is contained in the last biennial report (pages 

 56-58). 



Statistical Data. — As explained in previous reports, the statistical 

 information on the fish catch and fishing industries, as gathered by 

 California, is unique because of its completeness and accuracy. Valu- 

 able and necessary information is systematically collected covering 

 the fishery products, investment in canning and fishing equipment 

 as well as the types of boats and fishing gear used, but the distinctive 

 data for value and completeness are to be found in our catch records. 

 These show not only totals for each species for each locality, but in 

 addition show the individual boat catches daily. These records are 

 the foundation for our knowledge of the fisheries of the state, and much 

 of the research work is dependent on data taken from our so-called 

 "pink ticket" boat catch records. 



During the last two years much progress has been made toward 

 further systematizing the collection and proper filing of these records, 

 as well as the correction of minor errors or omissions, with the result 

 that this information as a whole is of an increasingly high standard of 

 reliability. 



The presentation of this information to the public has necessarily 

 been somewhat neglected while the plans for collecting the data were 

 being perfected, but the time is now ripe for publishing the results 

 obtained from our statistical system in more detail, together with 

 summaries and graphs to make the information more readily grasped 

 by the people of the state. Plans for such publications are now 

 under way. 



LIBRARY FACILITIES FOR FISHERIES RESEARCH AT THE CALI- 

 FORNIA STATE FISHERIES LABORATORY. 



Accessions. — Noteworthy improvements in library facilities for 

 ichthyological and fisheries research have been made at the California 



