26 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FtSHEfttES. 
occasionally taken in seines and is also caught from the wharves. The 
China croaker, common croaker, and the yellow-fin are all common 
and fairly abundant, both in San Diego and False Bays. Two species 
of so-called sea trout (Cynoscion nobile and 0, parvipinne) are found in 
the bay in summer and are frequently brought into the market. 
There are said to be eleven species of perches or surf-fish ( Embiotoci - 
dee) about San Diego. They are coarse, cheap fish, and comparatively 
unimportant, though very abundant and generally brought into the mar- 
ket every day. 
Whitefish ( Caulolatilus princeps) is a valuable species which is taken 
outside, but in comparatively small quantities. 
The food-fishes of San Diego County are said to be much scarcer than 
in former years, and so far as certain species are concerned the decrease 
is attributed to the use of very small-meshed nets operated -by the 
Chinese. A writer in the San Diego Union, of February 6, 1889, says: 
Something should he done to put a stop to the wholesale destruction of fish by the 
Chinese, for on the schools thus destroyed depends the supply of edible fish. Fish en- 
ter the inlet chiefly for food, and when food is scarce few will come. * * * It is 
a sorry thing to see small fish by the bushels heaped together on the sands * * * 
and left to become food for the gulls. To empty them out into the water again does 
not save them, as their frail life is extinguished by being caught at all. No net of 
such fine mesh should he permitted. 
The bonito was very abundant in 1888, but the barracuda, which is 
also a migratory species, is said to be yearly decreasing. The forruer 
comes to the fishing grounds off this part of the coast in August and 
leaves in November or December, while the barracuda arrives in March 
or April and stays until late autumn, generally disappearing about a 
month earlier than the bonito. 
The following notes on the barracuda and the fishery for it at San 
Diego were written by Prof. Carl H. Eigenmann, and have been ex- 
tracted from Zoe for April, 1890 : 
The barracuda ( Spliyrcena argentea ) is one of the most importaut of California food- 
fishes. It is.a long, slender, spindle-shaped, sharp-snouted fish, evidently well calcu- 
lated to swim rapidly. In summer it is abuudant on the whole coast of California 
from San Francisco southward, but it is probably more abundant southward than in 
the neighborhood of San Francisco. During the winter it disappears from the coast 
of California, but is taken on the coast of Lower California. It probably migrates 
bodily southward, but stray individuals undoubtedly remain in the waters of south- 
ern California throughout the year, for 2 or 3 days of exceptionally fine weather 
invariably bring them into the market. It is likely that these stray individuals live 
in deep water during the winter and come to the surface on bright days. It is quite 
possible, though not probable, that a great part of those disappearing descend to 
deeper water. The fact that they are taken only by the troll or by gill nets suffi- 
ciently explains why they should not be caught in deep water. 
Their movements have been watched through an entire season at San Diego, and, 
as these observations may be valuable to serve as a basis of comparison, they may be 
stated here : 
During January, 1890, none were seen. During February, 1890, four were taken on 
the 7th, one on the 11th, and two on the 28th. All these dates were at the end of a 
