THIRTY-FIFTH r?Ii:XNIAL REPORT 61 



REPORT OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE 

 FISHERIES LABORATORY 



By W. Li. ScoFiELD, Supervisor 



The California State Fisheries Laboratorj^ established in 1917, has 

 followed continuously a "well planned and consistent policy for the past 

 twenty years. It is appropriate here to restate the policy with a brief 

 resume of the pro^'rara now in operation which is based upon it. 



POLICY 



The manag'ement policy of the Bureau of Marine Fisheries is 

 that of conservation, which means the fullest possible utilization con- 

 sistent with sustained yield. The goal sought in applying the policy is 

 to harvest each year the largest crop possible without reducing the 

 spawning stock for the future, which would thereby reduce future 

 yields. The maximum continuous crop possible for any stock is about 

 equal to the replacements spawned each season. The larger the breed- 

 ing stock the more replacements spawned, so it is evident that the 

 maximum continuous yield from a fishery is the annual increase from 

 a full spawning stock in the sea. 



FUNCTION OF THE RESEARCH LABORATORY 



The California State Fisheries Laboratory is established for the 

 purpose of supplying the administrative officers with the facts most 

 needed in the management of the State 's marine fisheries. In applying 

 the above management policy, four types of information are necessary: 



1 . The present state of the supply of each species in order 

 to know whether or not any regulation of a fishery is needed. 



2. Knowledge of the species and the fishery to determine 

 the kind and degree of regulatory measures needed. 



;i Continuous observation of the fish supply to determine 

 the effectiveness of regulations already in operation. 



4. Complete knowledge of the annual crop harvested. 



With adequate knowledge of (1) the stock in the ocean, (2) replace- 

 ments surviving from spawnings, and (8) catch removed, it is possible 

 to so regulate the annual catch that a balance between catch and replace- 

 ments can be struck so as to maintain a full spa^vning stock to insure 

 future yields continuously. This is maximum utilization consistent 

 with sustained yield. 



RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR ANY FISHERY 



In any fishery, a research program designed to furnish the admin- 

 istrators with the necessary information would include : 

 1. Studies of the supply on hand. 



