88 DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 



UNDERSEA OIL EXPLORATION 



By mid-July, 1949, the commission had terminated, until 1952, the 

 permits for the use of explosives in marine underwater oil explorations, 

 due to fish kill. As a result the oil companies sought for new methods 

 which would permit continued exploration without killing fish. In March, 

 1951, the commission granted a permit to the Union Oil Company to 

 conduct experiments with various explosives. These experiments were 

 directed by Scripps Institution of Oceanography with a representative 

 from the Bureau of Marine Fisheries present at all times. Former ex- 

 plorations had been made with dynamite and further experiments with 

 this explosive did not result in decreased fish kill. Further experiments 

 showed that black powder, however, killed practically no fish and gave 

 satisfactory seismic records for the oil companies. 



Consequently, in September, 1951, the commission again issued permits 

 for oil exploration with black powder and the work has continued with 

 almost no kill of fish. In June, 1952, our diver biologist conducted under- 

 water observations before and after test shots were fired. He found that 

 the explosions did not harm numerous rockfish in the immediate vicinity 

 of the shots. It thus appears that two of California's major industries, 

 oil and fishing, can be carried on side by side without injuring or hamper- 

 ing either activity. A representative of the Bureau of Marine Fisheries 

 continues to observe all oil explorations work with the oil companies re- 

 funding to the Fish and Game Preservation Fund the cost of such 

 observations. 



MARINE RESEARCH COMMITTEE 



This committee was created by the California Legislature in 1947 and 

 administers funds collected through a special tax. Until July, 1952, this 

 tax comprised 50 cents per ton on all sardines landed in California. Since 

 the latter date the special tax has been one dollar a ton on sardines, 

 anchovy, Pacific mackerel, and jack mackerel due to action of the 1952 

 legislative session. Five members of the committee represent the fish 

 processors, one the public at large, and the remaining three members 

 are the President of the Fish and Game Commission, the Director of the 

 Department, and the Chief of the Bureau of Marine Fisheries. 



The committee helps to coordinate the work of the organizations carry- 

 ing on sardine investigations and expends its funds to supplement their 

 budgets. Until 1951 four agencies, California Academy of Sciences, 

 California Department of Fish and Game, Scripps Institution of Ocean- 

 ography, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service were engaged in 

 the studies of the sardine and the oceanic waters where this fish occurs. 

 Early in 1951 the Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University joined 

 in the investigations and is concentrating its work in Monterey Bay. 



During the 1950-51 Fiscal Year the committee budgeted $129,550 to 

 these agencies and in 1951-52, $138,000. A progress report of the research 

 work was published in December, 1950, and a second report, covering 

 the findings in 1951 and the first six months of 1952, was prepared and 

 sent to press at the close of the biennium. 



In the past three years the cooperative sardine investigations have 

 accumulated much valuable data on physical, chemical and biological 



