FORTY-FIFTH BIENNIAL REPORT 



73 



■i-i.~ 





Unsorled catch of roctfis/i, moin// faocaccio ond chi/ipepper, mode by 



hauling an otter trawl (drag net) on (he bottom of o depth ot 110 



fathoms, six mi/es offshore between Combrio ond Son Simeon. 



— Fish and Game Photo by J. B. Phillips 



ROCKFISH 



The commercial catch of rockfishes or "rock cods" 

 in California waters has shown a fairly steady increase 

 from six million pounds in 1949 to a high of 16 million 

 pounds in 1957. 



The port of Monterey continues to lead other Cali- 

 fornia ports in the amount of rockfishes landed each 

 year. Landings at Alorro Bay have increased in recent 

 years and this port now ranks next to Monterey in 

 quantity of rockfish landed. San Francisco is third, 

 followed by the Northern California ports of Fields 

 Landing, Eureka, and Fort Bragg. Commercial land- 

 ings of rockfishes at Southern California ports are not 

 of great importance. 



The greater portion of the total catch of rockfishes 

 landed is by otter trawls (drag nets). Hook-and-line 

 gear (longlines) account for the rest of the catch. 

 Most rockfishes landed at wholesale fish markets are 

 filleted and marketed fresh or frozen. 



The species of rockfish which appear in greatest 

 abundance in commercial catches are bocaccio, chili- 

 pepper, canary rockfish, vermilion rockfish, yellowtail 

 rockfish, olive rockfish, widow rockfish, and black 

 rockfish. A number of other species appear in lesser 

 quantity. Several species are too small, even when 

 fully grown, to be of commercial value, but they do 

 form part of the diet of larger fish. 



Life history studies have been started on the more 

 important rockfishes. Information on the size at ma- 

 turity, rate of growth, and spawning periods are facts 

 that need be considered in a management program. 



NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SPORTFISH 



On July 1, 1957, Federal Aid Project F-12-R-3, 

 Ocean Salmon Study, was amended to assume new ob- 

 jectives. This project is now designed to assess the 

 marine fishing population from Point Conception to 



Oregon and determine the kinds, size and number of 

 fish being caught by each method. 



Similar projects have been and are now being under- 

 taken on the east coast, but this is the first to be set 

 up along the Pacific Coast. The Pacific Coast is unique 

 in having very large centers of population near the 

 coast interspersed with sparsely populated areas. In 

 fact, large sections of the study area are inaccessible 

 due to lack of roads and trails. 



The first six months were spent in exploratory field 

 work. Surveys were made to locate areas being used 

 by fishermen, and biweekly trips were made over the 

 entire area to count fishermen and record the species 

 caught. During this period basic data were collected to 

 determine the methods that must be used to solve the 

 project's objectives. 



The vast area encompassed by the project and 

 limited manpower precluded any attempt to gather 

 simultaneously data toward the solution of all objec- 

 tives over the entire area. As the department has an 

 efficient system of recording the effort and general 

 catch of the party boat fleet, project personnel were 



Surf fisherman on the Sonomo coast. 



— Fish and Game Photo 



