70 



DEPARTiVlENT OF FISH AND GAME 



skipjack tagged wifb "spaghetti" type tag. 



— Fish and Game Photo 



authorities did not approve of California fishermen 

 operating near Chile and welcomed some of them with 

 machinegun fire. 



Tagging Discloses Migration Mysteries 



Eleven department tagging teams, each composed 

 of two men, went to sea aboard commercial tuna clip- 

 pers and were successful in affixing tags to many 

 thousands of yellowfin tuna and skipjack. Some teams 

 remained at sea up to four months during a single 

 cruise and all worked over 14 hours per day in their 

 efforts to obtain additional oceanographic and biolog- 

 ical data that should eventually lead to a better under- 

 standing of the habits of these species and thus improve 

 the fishery. 



Tags returned to the Department of Fish and Game 

 State Fisheries Laboratory at Terminal Island from 

 these and other cruises have provided valuable infor- 

 mation concerning yellowfin tuna movements. They 

 have revealed that fish tagged in the Gulf of Panama 

 have moved northward into waters off Costa Rica. 

 Yellowfin tagged off the coast of El Salvador have 

 traversed the stormy Gulf of Tehuantepec and entered 

 the fishery off central Mexico. Those tagged off cen- 

 tral .Mexico traveled northward into the Gulf of Cali- 

 fornia, into the fishing grounds off southern Baja 

 California, and offshore to the Revilla Gigedo Islands. 

 Yellowfin tagged near these islands have entered the 

 southern Baja California fishery. 



These data indicate that there is a relationship be- 

 tween the Central American stocks and those off Baja 

 California. The extent or magnitude of this relation- 

 ship is yet to be determined. 



There is no doubt that these fish are capable of 

 covering tremendous distances during their lifetime. 

 The pattern of these movements is beginning to take 

 form and, when fully understood, will enable fisher- 

 men to fish more economically. 



Size Composition of the Catch 



The size composition of the catches made by tuna 

 clippers landing their fish at Terminal Island is sampled 



by department personnel on a routine basis. These 

 data explain the various long-term fluctuations in the 

 fishery. In the past, lack of manpower made it impos- 

 sible to obtain maximum results from this information. 

 During the biennium, however, a significant step for- 

 ward was made toward the solution of this problem. 

 As a result of reorganization, the biostatistical section 

 has been able to undertake processing of several years 

 of past size frequency information. This increase in 

 efficiency will result in more rapid analysis and timely 

 publication of results. 



SARDINES 



Sardine landings were poorer than they were during 

 the preceding two years. The 1956-57 canning season 

 accounted for 33,000 tons and 21,000 tons were proc- 

 essed in 1957-58. 



In Southern California, fishing was carried on from 

 October 1, 1956, through February 1, 1957. The sea- 

 son started promptly at Port Hueneme where a small 

 fleet delivered to trucks which hauled most of the fish 

 to canneries in Central California. The Los Angeles 

 fleet could not agree upon a price so did not start fish- 

 ing until October 8 when a settlement was reached at 

 147.50 per ton. 



In 1957-58 Southern California season was changed 

 by the State Legislature from October 11 -February 1 

 to September 1 -December 31. Fishing again started 

 promptly at Port Hueneme, for $52.50 a ton, but a 

 price and labor dispute in the Los Angeles area tied 

 up most of the fleet until the night of November 10. 

 The final price agreed upon was |55 per ton. Sardines 

 were quite abundant in the Hueneme area in 1956-57 

 and boats did well at the beginning of the season. 

 In 1957-58 fish were much less abundant and the fleet 

 turned to mackerel fishing early in the season. 



There were practically no fish taken in Central 

 California during either season. 



A fleet of 160 boats operated during the 1956-57 

 season, a drop of 20 from the preceding year. This 



