FORTY-SECOND BIENNIAL REPORT 89 



conditions in the oceanic waters off the California coast. These data are 

 being related to all phases of the life of the sardine and to all aspects of 

 the fishery. In addition much information relative to other marine fishes 

 is being obtained and similarly used. 



PACIFIC MARINE FISHERIES COMMISSION 



The Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission has continued to lead the 

 way to the better conservation of Pacific Coast fisheries resources. The 

 commission was formed in 1947 as the result of an interstate compact 

 entered into by California, Oregon and Washington. 



The objectives of the compact are to promote the better use of fisheries 

 which are of mutual concern to the three states and to develop a joint 

 conservation program. The fisheries research agencies of the three states 

 act together as the commission's staff. Although membership in the 

 commission is limited to California, Oregon and Washington, the fisheries 

 departments of Alaska and Canada, as well as the United States Fish 

 and Wildlife Service, participate in all meetings and their research 

 programs are integrated into those of the member states. 



The commission met three times during the biennium : at Bellingham, 

 Washington, in July, 1950 ; San Francisco, California, in December, 

 1950; and Portland, Oregon, in October, 1951. In addition, the Research 

 Committee held several meetings to plan the investigations sponsored 

 by the commission and to formulate recommendations on regulations. 



As a result of commission recommendations, the salmon troll fishery 

 regulations have been coordinated the length of the Pacific Coast, not 

 only in the three states but in Alaska and Canada also. As the biennium 

 ended, the staff had under its consideration improved regulations for the 

 trawl fishery and sablefish and further changes in the salmon laws, all 

 on a coast-wide basis. 



Commission-sponsored research programs include intensified investi- 

 gations of the sablefish and trawl fisheries which are producing valuable 

 results. Most sensational of the programs, both in scope and results, is 

 the tagging and marking of salmon to determine the river sources of the 

 coastal salmon supply. Thousands of adult salmon have been tagged 

 from Monterey to Alaska and the recoveries have shown that the salmon 

 move freely all along the coast. At the same time, millions of small salmon 

 have been liberated in their native streams after being marked by fin 

 clipping. The first year of expected recovery at sea was 1952, and already 

 numerous marked fish have been observed by sampling crews at the 

 various ports. 



The migration studies on salmon have shown that fish from the Sacra- 

 mento River enter into the catches of Canadian and Washington fisher- 

 men, and Columbia River fish move into many fishing areas. This proves 

 that any water or hydroelectric projects on any important salmon rivers 

 affect fishermen along all the coast. Hence the Pacific Marine Fisheries 

 Commission has played an active role in insisting that the preservation 

 of fishery resources be taken into account in project planning. A repre- 

 sentative was sent to Washington, D. C, to testify before the Federal 

 Power Commission in protest against a clam that would destroy the salmon 



