24 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
Very large catches of spot were made from 1912 to 1916, followed by much 
smaller catches, causing a decline of 55.8 per cent from 1912 to 1922, as shown by 
general averages. A recovery (amounting to an increase of 30 per cent) took place 
after the sharp decline of 1917, or from 1917 to 1922. Should these data be some- 
what representative of the catches for the entire bay, some hope for the rehabilitation 
of the species remains. 
900 
Fig. 18. — Graphic representation of the number of pounds of 
croakers (Micropogon undulatus) taken at the Buchanan 
Bros, fishery from 1908 to 1922, arranged by years. The 
straight, heavy line shows the general trend in the quanti- 
ties caught 
The decline for the butterfish (as 
shown by general averages, based on the 
total catch for each half of the period 1912 
to 1922 for which data are at hand) is 51 
percent. This high percentage of decline 
is due in great measure to the enormously 
largecatch of 1912. As this catch comes 
at the very beginning of the period for 
which we have records, it is impossible to 
know whether this was a much larger 
catch than had been taken during the preceding years and whether it should be 
regarded as an unusually large catch. Omitting the data for 1912 and calculating 
the decline for the remainder of the years by means of averages, it amounts to 27 
per cent. From 1915 to 1922 an upward trend of 8.6 per cent took place, showing 
that during recent years no further decline has occurred in the catch at this fishery. 
MarcK April May Jane Jaly Au .0 Sept Oct. Nov 
Fig. 19. — Graphic representation of the total number 
of pounds of croakers ( Micropogon undulatus) taken 
from 1908 to 1922 at the Buchanan Bros, fishery, ar- 
ranged by months. This graph should not be inter- 
preted to signify that croakers are scarce or absent in 
the bay during the summer and autumn, for this 
does not appear to be true, as they are taken in fair 
numbers with hand lines at this time. A seasonal 
change in their habits is suggested 
