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DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 



1 







The "Alaska," newest member o^ the department's research fleet, 



— Fish and Game Photo 



Avater. From the information gained, recommendations 

 can be made to the disposal agencies which will help 

 reduce the contamination of marine life by radioactive 

 wastes. 



RESEARCH VESSELS 



YellowFin 



In May, 1956, extensive dry rot was found through- 

 out the Yellowfiv, rendering the vessel unsafe for fur- 

 ther biological work. It was stripped of all salvageable 

 research equipment and in Februarv, 1957, was sold 

 for a high bid of £55,555.55. 



Alaska 



In the summer of 1957 the department negotiated 

 a 10-year loan agreement with the U. S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service for the use of the M/V Alaska. The 

 Alaska had been decommissioned by the USFWS in 

 1953 at Brunswick, Georgia. It was reconditioned and 

 outfitted in .Miami, Florida. After a shakedown cruise 

 the vessel arrived at San Pedro, her home port, Febru- 

 ary 12, 1958. 



The Alaska is a West Coast purse-seine type vessel 

 of steel construction. She is 100 feet long with a cruis- 

 ing range of 7,500 miles, and has accommodations for 

 10 crewmen and seven scientists. Fishing platforms, 

 three large bait wells, a large freezing compartment, 

 crawl winch and davits, a blanket net, two large A.C. 

 generating plants, a sea scanar, ship-to-shore radiotele- 

 phone, radar, and two fathometers make the Alaska 

 well suited for all of the department's major investi- 

 gations. 



The Alaska was constructed in 1947 at Long Beach, 

 California, and first used in fisheries exploratory work 

 around Pacific islands but later modified and equipped 

 for oceanographic work in the Gulf of Mexico and 

 Caribbean Sea. 



During the biennium, the Alaska completed three 

 cruises in 61 operating days. Two of these cruises were 

 made to carry out pelagic fish investigations and were 

 conducted in the waters of Southern California. 



The third cruise was made in an effort to determine 

 the migration route of albacore as they approach the 

 Pacific Coast prior to the commercial fishing season. 



N. B. Scofield 



The A^. B. Scofield completed 19 cruises during the 

 biennium in 363 days of operation. Thirteen of these 

 cruises were made to carry out pelagic fish investiga- 

 tions on the commercially important sardines, ancho- 

 vies, and mackerels. For the most part these investi- 

 gations were made in coastal waters of California and 

 Baja California between San Francisco and Magda- 

 lena Bay. On several of these cruises experiments were 

 made with electrofishing devices. 



Three trips were made into offshore waters of Baja 

 California and Southern California to determine alba- 

 core migratory routes. 



Three trips utilized trawl gear— two to carry out 

 exploratory work on shrimp off Southern and North- 

 ern California, and one to investigate crab populations 

 in Northern California waters. Two of the trips were 

 of 45 days duration. 



Mollusk 



The 26-foot diving boat Mollusk is designed for 

 working close to rocks in shallow water where it can 

 operate in areas which would result in the destruction 

 of less maneuverable craft. The boat has been used 

 exclusively in the abalone investigation. Equipped with 

 compressor, diving stage and ladder, deep sea diving 

 equipment, hose, and underwater telephone, it enables 

 department personnel to work in comparative safety 

 while conducting underwater surveys and operations. 



Nautilus 



The Nautilus continued its primary function, that of 

 mother ship, and base of operations for the abalone 

 investigation. Because the Mollusk is small and has no 

 accommodations to sleep or feed the necessary crew, 

 the 50-foot Nautilus goes along whenever the investi- 

 gation is so far from the port that it is not practical 

 to return to harbor each evening. 



In addition to being equipped to carry out the aba- 

 lone investigation, the Nautilus is well-rigged for other 

 work. 



During the biennium the vessel operated 338 days, 

 225 of which were to carry out abalone investigation. 

 The balance was exploratory work and was evenly 

 divided between shrimp and crab. 



In the spring of 1958 the Nautilus underwent a 

 major overhaul that included replacement of its main 

 engine. 



