FORTIETH BIENNIAL REPORT 23 



tion, the industry turned to every available species of fish that could be 

 canned, and record-breaking packs of jack mackerel, herring, anchovies, 

 and squid were produced. Expanded exploitation of these species has 

 constituted an additional threat to their future abundance. 



During both seasons the fisheries at San Francisco and Monterey 

 failed almost completely. Virtually the entire purse seine fleet deserted 

 the Ashless northern waters, and concentrated their activities in Southern 

 California. As a consequence, landings were heavy at San Pedro in 

 1946-47, but even the tremendous fishing effort could not maintain the 

 catch the following year. Trial shipments of sardines by truck were made 

 from Southern California ports to Monterey in 1946-47. Considerable 

 tonnages were trucked the following season, some as far as San Fran- 

 cisco. Most of the fish arrived in good condition for canning. Extremely 

 high prices for canned fish made this expensive procedure possible, and 

 kept the Monterey canneries from closing. 



Practically all the fish taken during the last tAvo seasons were used 

 for canning. The high price of the raw fish, and low prices prevailing for 

 oil and meal, coupled with the scarcity of fish, made the operation of 

 reduction plants unprofitable. Production of sardine meal dropped from 

 31,000 tons in 1946-47 to 13,500 tons in 1947-48. At the same time, 

 sardine oil production declined from 4,100,000 gallons to 1,700,000. 



Because of the major crisis experienced by the sardine fishery, much 

 of the effort of the research staff was directed toward explaining the 

 reasons for the failure to the industry, and toward finding ways in 

 which to rehabilitate the sardine population and prevent further collapse. 



Results of the investigations extending over 30 years were sum- 

 marized and distributed in mimeograph form. These studies showed that 

 the sardine fishery could not continue to expand, and that peak produc- 

 tion had been reached by 1937. Stated briefly, the reasons for decline are 

 a drop in abundance brought about by extremely heavy fishing, accom- 

 panied by a succession of many seasons of very poor spawning. Although 

 this information had been published several years earlier, and had been 

 repeated regularly, most of the industry was not prepared for the 

 disaster. 



Leaders in the industry realized, however, that if the fishery were 

 to be rehabilitated, expanded research beyond the facilities of the Bureau 

 of Marine Fisheries would be necessary. Through their efforts, additional 

 funds were made available to other agencies, by the Legislature, and 

 much time and effort has been expended in coordinating the work of the 

 bureau with that of The Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Cali- 

 fornia Academy of Sciences and the United States Fish and Wildlife 

 Service. By the end of the biennium, a well-organized program had been 

 set up under the guidance of the newly-authorized Marine Research 

 Committee which is composed of members of the industry as well as of 

 the Fish and Game Commission. The exj)anded work will concentrate on 

 the collection of physical, chemical, and biological data at sea, and the 

 subsequent analysis of this oceanographic information. In addition to 

 the studies to be carried out by these agencies, the Bureau of Marine 

 Fisheries acquired a second research vessel which will spend the major 

 part of her time on this oceanographic work. 



