THIRTIETH BIKXN1AL REPORT 



in;: 



REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES 



By N. B. Scofield, In Charge 



Taken as a whole the commercial fisheries of California are in a 

 healthy condition and have continued to grow during the past biennial 

 period. The data of the fresh and other commercial fishery products 

 are reported by calendar years instead of by fiscal years, for the reason 

 that the calendar year better fits the fish seasons. For the years 1926 

 and 1927 the department has issued these data in the form of Circular 

 No. 1 and Circular No. 2. 



In the year 1926 the catch of all varieties of fish in state waters and 

 off the coast of the state was 360,024,944 pounds. The catch of shell- 

 fish in these waters for the same year was 11,623,331 pounds, making 

 a total of 371,648,275 pounds. In addition to this, California fisher- 



Fig. 33. Noyo estuary, a center for salmon trolling- operations along the north 



coast. Photograph by J. O. Snyder. 



men caught off the coast of Lower California, in both territorial and 

 extraterritorial waters, 22,320,570 pounds of fish which were brought 

 into California, and from the same waters there were brought in 738,171 

 pounds of shellfish caught jointly by California and Mexican fishermen. 

 The total amount of fresh fish and shellfish caught in the state and 

 brought into the state during the year was 394,707,016 pounds. For 

 the year 1927 the fish caught in the state and along our coast was 

 409,400,081 pounds, while the shellfish from the same waters brings the 

 figure up to 424,367,182 pounds. The fresh fish and shellfish brought 

 into the state from south of the international line add 62,132,490 pounds 

 to the figure, making a grand total of 486,499,672 pounds. The com- 

 mercial fish catch of 1927 exceeds that of any year in the history of our 

 fisheries. 



California's fisheries are remarkable for their size and for their diver- 

 sity. In both of these counts California surpasses all other states. 



