The survey of the State's abalone resources is carried on by clivers working on the bottom of the sea. 

 Actual diving is done from the boat Mollusk which is shown returning from a survey (Anacapa Island 

 in background). The first abalone divers along the California coast were the Japanese and this ex- 

 tremely maneuverable boat is copied after their design. 



One of the most interesting features of the live bait fishery is the record 

 of occurrence of young sardines or "firecrackers," as they are known 

 more commonly. "Firecrackers" are recorded in number of scoops by 

 these boats, which operate from San Diego to Port Hueneme. This is the 

 first visible indication of the spawning success of sardines in local waters. 

 During this biennium ' ' firecrackers ' ' have been rare. 



The past two years have brought an increased demand for live bait to 

 meet the needs of the expanding ocean sport -fishing industry of Southern 

 California. This need has been met through greater efficiency of gear. 

 The number of boats and fishermen engaged in the fishery has remained 

 relatively stable. 



The two main species comprising the live bait catch are the sardine and 

 the anchovy (Engraulis mordax). During the biennium the anchovy and 

 sardine catches have shown an increase of more than 35 percent over the 

 previous two-year period. 



ABALONES 



The catch of abalones for commercial use has increased since the 

 previous biennium. This can be attributed to the taking of a previously 

 unutilized species (the black abalone, Haliotis cracherodi) in the Santa 

 Barbara and Los Angeles areas and to a period of exceptionally good 

 weather in the Morro Bay region. The sports fishery also harvested a 

 great number of abalone. Until 1951, the extent of this sport fishery was 

 largely speculative. All concerned seemed to agree that the abalone were 

 not to be found on the beaches in the quantities previously noted and the 

 question arose, ' ' Where have the abalone gone ? ' ' 



