FORTY-FIFTH BIENNIAL REPORT 



65 



No new regulations appear necessary for these four 

 surf species at present. 



YELLOWTAIL 



The Dingell-Johnson Yellowtail Study was con- 

 cluded in March, 1958. Prior to the start of this proj- 

 ect, the yellowtail fishery in Southern California had 

 steadily declined. Very little was known about this 

 very important game fish and an extensive research 

 program was begun in 1952 to learn the necessary 

 biological information on which to base a sound man- 

 agement program. The study area included the Pa- 

 cific Coast of Southern California and Baja California 

 and part of the Gulf of California. 



The results of the study show that California anglers 

 are fishing the fringe of a yellowtail population which 

 is centered in Baja California waters. 



Good fishing in California is dependent on migration 

 of yellow tail from Mexican waters. This was demon- 

 strated by the large number of returns by the Cali- 

 fornia sport fishery of fish tagged and released at the 

 population center. 



An extremely abundant yellowtail population exists 

 along the central Baja California coast; the vagaries 

 of the environment, rather than the present commer- 

 cial fishery, limit the availabilit\- to California anglers. 

 This fact was made readily apparent in 1957 when 

 ocean temperatures off California reached their high- 

 est average in 26 years. Under these highlx- favorable 

 conditions hordes of yellowtail moved north from the 

 population center. Over 240,000 were caught from 

 California party boats alone, this does not include the 

 untold numbers taken from skiffs and private boats. 

 That is three times the number caught in any previous 

 year in the recorded history (since 1936) of party 

 boat fishing. The year 1958 was also characterized by 

 warmer-than-average ocean waters. Through June, 

 1958, about 41,000 had been taken-not so spectacular 

 as the 1957 catch but alread>' ^ell above the postwar 

 average of 30,000 per year. 



Commercial yellowtail landings on the other hand 

 remained at a very low level. The 1957 catch was 

 508,872 pounds compared to a postwar average of 

 5,350,000 pounds. 



Since the \-ellowtail population appears healthy, 

 there is no present need for further restrictions. How- 

 ever, the fishery will be kept under a limited sur- 

 veillance so that any adverse changes in the present 

 status of the population will be made known. 



BARRACUDA AND WHITE SEABASS 



Barracuda and \\ hite seabass are among California's 

 most important sport fish in desirability and in num- 

 bers caught. Both species range from Magdalena Bay, 

 Baja California to Alaska, but are most abundant from 

 Southern California to Central Baja California where 



they are subject to heavy fishing pressure by com- 

 mercial and recreational fishermen. White seabass are 

 also common in some localities in the Gulf of Cali- 

 fornia. 



The available barracuda population has been de- 

 creasing in numbers since 1952. Catches of both the 

 sport and commercial fisheries dropped to an all-time 

 low of 1,100,000 pounds in 1956. The landings im- 

 proved substantially in 1957, principally in the sports- 

 man's bag, but were still far short of the 30-year 

 average. 



The \\hite seabass fishery is apparently subject to 

 highly variable fluctuations in abundance. Although 

 the catches for the last 20 years trend slightly up- 

 ward, anglers are taking increasing numbers of juve- 

 niles and fewer adults. The latter situation is not a 

 healthy one, usually signaling trouble ahead. 



With the increasing human population in California 

 and the accompanying increases in fishing pressure, 

 there is a growing need for factual assessment of the 

 fishery conditions. A little life history work has been 

 done on both species. However, there are insufficient 

 data on which to base management recommendations. 

 Therefore, early in the biennium plans were laid to 

 initiate a study on these species. 



The Barracuda-White Seabass Management Study 

 was inaugurated April 1, 1958, as a federal aid project, 

 with the goal of evaluating the condition of these fish- 

 eries for their maintenance at the most productive 

 level. 



The project began with compilation of data by a 

 survey of the literature, planning and implementing a 

 sampling program, a survey of the various phases of 

 each fishery, and in making a preliminary catch an- 

 alysis of the barracuda fishery. 



The barracuda catch analysis study revealed impor- 

 tant facts about the intrarelationships of the fishery: 



1. The sport fishery takes as much as, and frequently 

 more than, the California commercial fleet. 



2. The postwar commercial fishery, from an op- 

 erational point of view, \\as quite similar to that of 

 the 1920's and 1930's. The season off Southern Cali- 

 fornia usually begins in April and ends in August with 

 peak landings in May and June. The Mexican fishery, 

 composed of California vessels, is active from August 

 to April with two peak periods of catch, September 

 and February. 



3. Perhaps the most significant factor is that each 

 segment of the fishery reaches a climax at a different 

 time. It is not clearly understood why the sport fishery 

 makes its peak catches in Jul\' while the California 

 commercial fleet makes its peak landings in May and 

 June. Both fish are almost side by side in the same 

 waters at the same time. 



Although the sampling program was barely started 

 in this biennium, it revealed that the 1958 barracuda 

 fishery may be an unusual one. A relatively high early 



