TWENTY-EIGHTH BIENNL\L REPORT. 67 



conclude that whatever mifa"ation ocenrs is not responsible for the 

 peculiarities of the fishery. 



The great variations in locality of the season's catches are impossible 

 of comparison with any of the great proved miiirations, such as those 

 of the sahnoiis, the eel, or the birds, for in no one of those cases are the 

 appearances abrupt and unrelated one to another, nor in any one 

 case are the migrations omitted or partially aborted as was the run of 

 albacore during 1923 in southern California. Furthermore, the appear- 

 ance of the albacore in our waters is not preceded by its presence in 

 any other waters. 



It seems, therefore, plain to us that our albacore fishery consists of 

 fish belonging to our own or offshore and deeper waters, and that these 

 reappear each spring as soon, and no sooner, than they begin to take 

 bait at the surface. 



At present there seems to us to be tw^o lines along which this phase 

 of the albacore work, that of the study of movements, may be followed, 

 in addition to the main one of correlating the catch with observed 

 physical conditions. One of these lines is to carry out an intensive 

 study aimed at the distinction of our albacore from that of any other 

 region. This would be expensive work and wouhl involve work in 

 Hawaii or in foreign countries. The Jther would be an intensive 

 search for the spawning places of the albacore. This, which w^ould at 

 least require very expensive sea-going vessels, and is not within our 

 reach at present, would be little likely to succeed, since the discovery 

 of a few eggs and young would be fai- from establishing the spawning 

 place of the species. 



The rate of growth of the albacore has been investigated as thor- 

 oughly as possible. The work upon this, which has been difficult because 

 of the indistinctness of age marks upon the scales or bones, shows that 

 the occasionally present youngest fish are 21| inches long and just com- 

 pleting their second year : that the group of medium-sized fish, usually 

 the smallest size taken, average about 27 inches in length and are finish- 

 ing their third year; and that the larger fish, of 38 or 40 inches in 

 length are in the eighth year or older. 



PURSE SEINE INVESTIGATION. 



Dr. Tage Skogsberg has completed his investigation of the purse 

 seiners and has left the service of the Commission for employment at 

 Berkeley. 



His report is a very exhaustive treatment of the facts upon which 

 regulation of that fishery must be based. He gives a description of 

 the industry and its history, deals fully with the importance of the 

 purse seine method to the fresh fish supply and to the canneries, and 

 analyzes their effect upon the supply and price of fish. He then con- 

 siders them in relation to the various species which they take, such as 

 the barracuda, the white sea bass, the yellow tail, and the blue-fin tuna. 

 His conclusions as to the possibilities and results of prohibitive or 

 restrictive legislation are carefully considered, and he points out their 

 great importance in the future development of our sea fisheries. 



The fact that the purse seine fishery was enormously expanded in 

 response to the wartime demand is well shown. Although the purse 

 seiner Alpha operated as early as 1893, yet it was not until 1915 that 

 expansion took place. In that year five boats were used. But each 



