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DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 



similar investments? Again, we thought not. Unlike most states, Cali- 

 fornia has had available to it for some years several millions of dollars, 

 derived from pari-mutuel or racetrack funds, for use in capital invest- 

 ment projects for fish and game. With these funds (and in addition to 

 their use for game projects) the State Wildlife Conservation Board is 

 constructing hatcheries, fishways, flow maintenance dams, and artificial 

 lakes. The addition of D-J funds for such purposes would be insignificant. 



We decided therefore to complement — rather than supplement — our 

 existing program by concentrating on certain research and develop- 

 mental projects which would fill in some major gaps. These are jobs 

 which we had needed to do for some time, and the contribution of 

 federal aid would now enable us to do them. 



The oldest D-J project is only six months old ; the youngest only three 

 months. Obviously we do not have a long list of accomplishments. We 

 shall simply describe the background of each current project and then 

 explain what we are doing and intend to do. Two years from now we 

 shall be able to give you a much fuller report on what has been accom- 

 plished. 



THE PROJECTS 



Project F-l-R— Study of the Yellowtail Fishery 



This is one of the few D-J projects in the Nation devoted to the 

 betterment of an ocean fishery, and it is certainly one of the most 

 extensive ones. The yellowtail (Seriola dorsal-is) is the largest carangid 

 or jack found in California, and is one of our most prized sport fishes. 

 While generally less than 15 pounds in weight it has been known to 

 reach 80 pounds, and anglers will travel hundreds of miles to fish for 



One of the most important features of the yellowtail study (Dingell-Johnson Project F-l-R) is the 



tagging program which is designed to give information on the migrations of these fish. Here a 



specimen is being marked aboard the department's research vessel N. B. Scofield. 



