The Black Sea-bass 109 



five hundred pounds have been taken, while the 

 Santa Barbara Islands claim a bass which tipped 

 the scales at eight hundred pounds, and fishes of 

 this size have been taken in the Gulf of California. 

 At Santa Catalina and San Diego the average 

 bass weighs two hundred and fifty pounds, and 

 small individuals are rarely seen. The smallest 

 fish observed by me at the former place weighed 

 thirty pounds, and fishes under one hundred 

 pounds' weight are very rare. Where the very 

 young go is a mystery, as they are never caught; 

 possibly they frequent the deeper waters offshore. 

 In 1870 there was a black sea-bass fishery at 

 Pebbly Beach, Santa Catalina, and the Portu- 

 guese from San Pedro caught hundreds of these 

 bass by employing the heaviest of hand-lines, 

 small ropes, with which several men could soon 

 master the largest fish. The fish were killed on 

 the spot and their heads thrown into the water, 

 resulting, according to local tradition, in so 

 alarming the fish that they deserted the locality 

 and have never been caught there since. The 

 meat was dried and sold as boneless cod, but was 

 found to be too tough and dry for this purpose. 



Fishing for the giant as a sport has long been 

 in vogue at the islands off Los Angeles County. 



