Abstract
THE report on the commercial fish catches of California for the year 1940 (State of California Department of Natural Resources. Division of Fish and Game. Bureau of Marine Fisheries. Fish Bulletin No. 58 ; 1942) makes available the summaries of commercial fish landings in each region of the State and also includes tables of numbers and nationality of the commercial fishermen and the number of boats of each type engaged in the fishery. A rapid development of the shark fishery is outstanding and is caused by the high price offered for liver oils of high vitamin A potency. This increase in the shark fishery, with intensive mackerel fishing and the large amount of sport fishing, has resulted in an increase of 350 boats fn 1940-41 registrations over the previous year and is most noticeable in the group between 25 ft. and 39 ft. Jong. There has been a steady development of sport fishing in the ocean waters of Southern California, and the amount of small fish required as bait nuist be considered together with its effect on the several species used as bait. The statistical records include not only the sport catch itself but also the harvesting of the small-sized fishes used by the anglers for bait. Sardines and anchovies are the most important in the bait catch,, comprising 98 per cent of the total, the fishes being 2½-6 in. long. A useful list of the common and scientific names of fishes, crustaceans and molluscs involved in the fisheries is given at the end of the report.
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Californian Fisheries. Nature 150, 53–54 (1942). https://doi.org/10.1038/150053e0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/150053e0