12 



COMMERCIAL FISHERIES REVIEW 



Vol. 28, No. 9 



In 3 days in the area west of Kauai 28 

 schools were sighted. They were 15 skip- 

 jack, 1 yellowfin, 1 skipjack and yellowfin, 

 and 11 unidentified. Fifteen skipjack schools 

 and 15 unidentified schools were sighted 

 during the 5 days off Kona. In 4 days off 

 Oahu 10 skipjack and 23 unidentified schools 

 were sighted. 



Note: See Commercial Fislieries Review , August 1965 p, 31. 



TUNA BIOLOGICAL STUDIES CONTINUED: 

 M/V " Charles H. Gilbert " Cruise 92 (June 

 12-17, 1966): To collect and return live 

 sconibrids for body density and red mus- 

 cle size determination for locomotion and 

 hiydrostatic equilibrium studies was the main 

 objective of this cruise by the research ves- 

 sel Charles H. Gilbert . The vessel is op- 

 erated by the Bureau's Biological Labora- 

 tory at Honolulu. The area of operations 

 was within 30 miles of Oahu. 



Research vessel Charles H. Gilbert of the U. S. Bureau of Com- 

 mercial Fisheries. 



Other objectives of the cruise were to: 



(1) Collect and return live scombrids to 

 the labor atory'-s behavior tank facilities for 

 studies on schooling behavior, determination 

 of hearing thresholds and red muscle physi- 

 ology. 



(2) Collect fresh samples of fish eye lenses 

 and brains for the Pacific Biomedical Re- 

 search Center, University of Hawaii. The 

 samples will be used for enzyme studies. 



(3) Return yellowfin tuna that have been 

 bled in different manners and chilled in 

 ice to determine if blood streaks in cooked 

 fish can be avoided. 



Results of the cruise follow: (1) Densities 

 and gas bladder volumes of 5 yellowfin tuna 

 were determined. Scombrids of desired spe- 

 cies and size were not caught for red muscle 

 size determination. (2) A total of 216 skip- 

 jack tuna and 34 wavyback skipjack were re- 

 turned live to behavior tank facilities. Sev- 

 eral other objectives of the cruise were not 

 completed. 



Thermograph and barograph were oper- 

 ated continuously during the cruise and the 

 standard watch for fish, birds, and aquatic 

 mammals was maintained. Trolling lines 

 were out continuously between Kewalo Basin 

 and each fishing station. The total trolling 

 time was 25 hours--10 skipjack ( Katsuwonus 

 pelamis ), 17 wavyback skipjack ( Euthynnus 

 af finis) , and 5 yellowfin ( Thunnus albacares) 

 were caught. 



Note: See Commercial Fislieries Review . July 1966 p. 20, 



Columbia River 



EARLY SEASON 1966 SOCKEYE SALMON 



RUN BETTER THAN EXPECTED: 



More than 97,000 sockeye (blueback) 

 salmon had passed over Bonneville Dam by 

 July 7, 1966, indicating that the escapment 

 of 80,000 fish over Rock Island Dam, set by 

 the Oregon Fish Commission and the State 

 of Washington Department of Fisheries as 

 the optimum number needed to adequately 

 utilize the upriver spawning areas, would be 

 substantially exceeded this season. "Based 

 on a comparison of this year's observations 

 with those of previous years, the present 

 run is expected to exceed 120,000 fish," the 

 Oregon Fish Commission director said. 

 Despite this better than expected run, the 

 Commission recommended that no sockeye 

 season be permitted Columbia River gill- 

 netters this year. 



On the basis of the size of the run alone, 

 a substantial number of sockeye salmon 

 could have been harvested. The run had 

 been carefully monitored since the fish 

 began passing over Bonneville Dam in June 

 1966, but a number of factors led to recom- 

 mendations that no sockeye netting be al- 

 lowed. 



Even with gill-net mesh stipulations and 

 other restrictions, it was believed that the 



