68 FISH AND GAME COMMISSION. 



year saw successful fishing and liif,'li prices, until in 1920 more than 

 a hundred boats were opei-;itiny-. That such an enormous growth could 

 l)e called forth on demand demonstrated that in case of war need great 

 sujiplies of food can l)e drawn from our Avaters. But since then the 

 demand has slackened, and certain of the fisheries not having been 

 productive, there have been liard times in tlie purse seitui fleet (at 

 least until the time of completion of the report). 



It is also clearly shown, that regardless of the nationality of the 

 fishermen, the ownership of the fleet has come to rest in the hands of 

 the banks and of moneyed men. Tlie fishery is not, therefore, a process 

 of "fattening" the "alien" at uur expense. 



The purse seiners are sho\ATi to be of the greatest importance to the 

 several fisheries. Almost all the blue-fin tuna taken is brought in by 

 purse seiners, and the canning of this species is dependent upon them. 

 They also take a \ery large part of the yellow-fin tuna and the bouito 

 used for canning. Of three species which are very important in the fresh 

 fish market, namely the ban-acuda, white sea bass, and yellow tail, the 

 supply during the winter half of the year is almost altogether obtained 

 from the purse seiners. Although Dr. Skogsberg's analysis covered 

 but six months of the year it is evident that the purse seine is responsi- 

 ble for nearly half the supply of fresh fish markets at Los Angeles 

 harbor. 



Examination of the individual fisheries shows uo conclusive evidence 

 of a harmful effect by the purse seiners. In the case of the barracuda 

 the purse seiners are especially important as bringing fish from Mexico, 

 thus lightening the demand upon our local fisheries, and acting as an aid 

 in their conservation. The method is not more harmful than those of 

 other great fisheries. Young fish are caught in excessive numbers in 

 but a small portion of the year, a fault which could be readily corrected 

 bv a close season. In regard to the white sea bass, the same may be 

 said as to the effect of the purse seiners in tapping distant grounds, 

 and but few young bass are caught. Nor are there any evidences of 

 overfishing in the cases of the yellow tail or blue-fin tuna. Dr. Skogs- 

 berg concludes that overfishing must be discovered by careful biological 

 study of the catches, and that as long as a given supply is to be taken 

 from the water, the purse seines are as efficient and reasonable a means 

 of so doing as any. 



It is evident from the report that any radical restriction of the purse 

 seine fishery will result in rendering the supply of fresh fish precarious 

 and inadequate, and that — instead of conserving our supplies— a much 

 greater strain wall be imposed on our local waters. Dr. Skogsberg 

 recommends the making of a close season during April and May, as 

 a protection to the young barracuda then taken in numbers. 



Dr. Skogsberg's report is reviewed here at some length because it is 

 indicative of the knowledge such work can place in the hands of the 

 administrator and the legislator, and because it demonstrates the great 

 value of our statistical system of boat catches, the "pink ticket" from 

 which it was largely taken. 



He had time only to analyze the catches for a period of six months 

 and there should be^ a similar analysis of the remaining six. There is no 

 reason why such an analysis of boat catches cannot be carried on con- 

 tinuously and presented in addition to the ordinary statistics of catch, 

 for such an analysis may be made a step in the obtaining of the total 



