CALIFORNIA FISH-GAME "CONSERVATION OF WILDLIFE THROUGH EDUCATION" VOLUME 48 OCTOBER, 1962 NUMBER 4 California Fish and Game is a journal devoted to the con- servation of wildlife. Its contents may be reproduced elsewhere provided credit is given the authors and the California Depart- ment of Fish and Game. The free mailing list is limited by budgetary considerations to persons who can make professional use of the material and to libraries, scientific institutions, and conservation agencies. Indi- viduals must state their affiliation and position when submitting their applications. Subscriptions must be renewed annually by returning the postcard enclosed with each October issue. Sub- scribers are asked to report changes in address without delay. Please direct correspondence to: JOHN E. FITCH, Editor State Fisheries Laboratory 511 Tuna Street Terminal Island, California Individuals and organizations who do not qualify for the free mailing list may subscribe at a rate of $2 per year or obtain individual issues for $0.75 per copy by placing their orders with the Printing Division, Documents Section, Sacramento 14, Cali- fornia. Money orders or checks should be made out to Printing Division, Documents Section. u D V VOLUME 48 OCTOBER, 1962 NUMBER 4 Published Quarterly by THE RESOURCES AGENCY OF CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME SACRAMENTO STATE OF CALIFORNIA EDMUND G. BROWN, Governor THE RESOURCES AGENCY OF CALIFORNIA WILLIAM H. WARNE, Administrator FISH AND GAME COMMISSION WILLIAM P. ELSER, President, San Diego JAMIE H. SMITH, Vice President HENRY CLINESCHMIDT, Member Los Angeles Redding DANTE J. NOMELLINI, Member Stockton THOMAS H. RICHARDS, JR., Member Sacramento DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME WALTER T. SHANNON, Di'recfor OFFICE— FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 722 Capitol Avenue Sacramento 14 1001 Jedsmith Drive Sacramento 1234 East Shaw Avenue Fresno 627 Cypress Street Redding OFFICES— DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 722 Capitol Avenue Sacramento 14 Ferry Building San Francisco 217 West First Street Los Angeles 51 1 Tuna Street Terminal Island 407 West Line Street Bishop 271 Tyler Street Monterey 619 Second Street Eureka Room 12, North Ramp Broadway Pier Building San Diego CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Editorial Staff JOHN E. FITCH, Editor-in-Chief DAVID P. BORGESON, Editor for Inland Fisheries ALBERT E. NAYLOR, Editor for Game JOHN L. BAXTER, Editor for Marine Resources DONALD H. FRY, JR., Editor for Salmon and Steelhead Terminal Island Sacramento Sacramento -Terminal Island Sacramento TABLE OF CONTENTS v Page A Sea Urchin, a Lobster and a Fish, New to the Marine Fauna of California John E. Fitch 216 The Southern California Mackerel Fishery and Age Composition of the Pacific Mackerel Catch for the 1958-59 Season Harold Hyatt 222 California Sea Lion Census for 1958, 1960 and 1961 ¥m. Ellis Ripley, Keith W. Cox and John L. Baxter 228 Age and Length Composition of the Sardine Catch off the Pacific Coast of the United States and Mexico in 1959-60 Doyle E. Gates and Robert S. Wolf 232 The Nesting of Chromis punctipinnis (Cooper) and a Description of Their Eggs and Larvae Charles H. Turner and Earl E. Ebert 243 The Nesting Behavior, Eggs and Larvae of the Bluespot Goby Earl E. Ebert and Charles H. Turner 249 Estimating the Number of Angling License Purchasers Norman J. Abramson 253 Potential Profits in the California Salmon Fishery Donald H. Fry, Jr. 256 The Response of Browse Plants to Fertilization E. P. Gibbens and Rex D. Pieper 268 Note The Occurrence and Distinction of Threadfin Shad in Southern California Ocean Waters James C. Thomas 282 Retirement Richard S. Croker 284 William C. LaMarr 285 Reviews 286 Index 289 (215) -69171 A SEA URCHIN, A LOBSTER AND A FISH, NEW TO THE MARINE FAUNA OF CALIFORNIA1 JOHN E. FITCH Marine Resources Operations California Department of Fish and Game Radovieh (1961) reported upon 11 southern species of fish that were new to the marine fauna of California. These had strayed north during the warm-water years 1957, 1958, and 1959. The lobster and the fish being reported in this paper probably arrived in California during the same period and on the same northerly moving currents that brought many of the species discussed by Radovieh to our shores. The sea urchin, on the other hand, may have arrived during an earlier influx of warm water from the south. CLUB-SPINED URCHIN, EUCIDARIS THOUARSII (VALENCIENNES) (Figure 1) During the first week of January 1958, Mr. Al Hanson, an experi- enced diver from Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, saw a large urchin that he did not recognize while he was diving in 70 feet of water off St. Catherines Bay, just above Avalon. He collected the specimen and took it home where he meticulously tied each spine to its nearest neigh- bor in such a way that when dried every spine remained erect and evenly spaced. When it no longer smelled, he sent it to the California State Fisheries Laboratory where it was identified as a club-spined urchin, a determination that was later verified by Mr. Fred Ziesenhenne of the Allan Hancock Foundation. Mortensen (1928) reported that club-spined urchins live in tropical waters between Baja California (Cape San Lucas) and Panama and at the Galapagos Islands, from the intertidal zone to depths of about 150 feet (45 meters). He stated that they are mainly a littoral form, moving into the open at night to feed. At Espiritu Santo Island in the (Jidf of California they are considered enemies of pearl oysters. Since Mortensen found mostly mollusk shell fragments in their alimentary tracts he believed the accounts of their predation on pearl oysters and other shelled mollusks were true. Club-spined urchins in turn are sometimes attacked by fishes, probably wrasses, triggerfishos and simi- lar toothsome species. The larvae of these and most other urchins arc pelagic and may drift many miles on the prevailing ocean currents before settling down for an adult existence. The test of the largest club-spined urchin encountered by Mortensen was 65 mm across. Ziesenhenne (personal communication) informed me that among more than 200 lots in the Allan Hancock Foundation collection, the northernmost is from Consag Rock at the head of the Gulf of California. 1 Submitted for publication January 196 2. I 216 I ADDITIONS TO MARINE FAUNA 217 FIGURE 1. Club-spined urchin, Eucidaris thouarsii, from 70 feet of water off St. Catherines Bay, Santa Catalina Island, California, January 1958. (Photo by Jack W. Schott.) Other lots had come from as far south as La Libertad, Ecuador. He said Eucidaris thouarsii had not been reported from the west coast of Baja California but they had material in their collection from Clarion and Socorro Islands in the Revilla Gigedos group and from Guadalupe Island, Baja California, some 270 miles south of Santa Catalina Island. Their largest measured 67 mm, two more than Mortensen's. The test of the urchin collected by Mr. Hanson (Figure 1) was 72 mm in horizontal diameter by 53 mm deep. It had 10 rows of primary spines with 10 spines in each row, eight long and two short. The longest spine measured 48 by 7 mm. Thus the St. Catherines Bay urchin was not only an extension of the known northerly range for the species and new to the marine fauna of California, it represented a new size record for E. thouarsii. Without knowing their growth rates it would be foolish to assign a definite date for the arrival of Hanson's specimen at Santa Catalina Island as a larva; however, it is interesting to speculate upon two possibilities. If the urchin had arrived during the first year of the most 218 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME recent warm-water period, 1957, its growth would have had to be phe- nomenal to say the least. On the other hand, the most likely time of entry prior to 1957 (1!'40 or 1!'41 ) would attribute a highly improbable Longevity to the species. The specimen was retained by Mr. Hanson who has a small, private collection of marine organisms on display at Avalon. PINTO LOBSTER, PANUURUS GRACILIS STREET (Figure 2) On January 17. 1961, Mr. Carl A. Magers, Jr., pulled a lobster trap he had set near the San Diego harbor breakwater and found a Lobster in it that differed from any he had caught previously. He took it to the local Department of Fish and Game office where it was identified as a pinto lobster, a species never before taken in California waters. Pinto lobsters generally have been recorded from tropical waters bounded by southern Baja California and Peru and at such offshore islands as Cocos, the Galapagos, Clipperton, and the Revilla Gigedos; however, definite records for the extremes of their range are difficult to find. Johnson (1960) showed alongshore distribution of California spiny lobsters (P. interruptus) south to Magdalena Bay, Baja California. Al- though some were found below Magdalena Bay, these were generally offshore, in small numbers, and in late stages of their development. Larvae of P. gracilis were intermixed with those of P. interruptus along the Baja California coast north to about Pt. Eugenia. During numerous cruises of Department of Fish and Game research vessels, pinto lobster adults were often noted intermixed with California spiny lobsters between Abreojos Point and Magdalena Bay. South of Magdalena Bay only pinto lobsters have been seen or collected until reaching the vicinity of the upper Gulf of California (Los Angeles Bay, Tiburon Island, Guaymas, etc.) where P. interruptus again art- encountered. In April 1948, during a survey of the Guadalupe Island area w7e took fair numbers of P. gracilis in traps set at three localities around the island. All were mature and no trap yielded any except pinto lobsters, a situation that has never occurred since 1948. In fact, I can find no record of anyone having taken a pinto lobster there, either before or since 1948 ; the island 's lobster population is typically P. intt rruptus. If the 1948 pinto lobster population had arrived at Guadalupe Island as drifting larvae from the south (the only plausible explanation for their presence there), they probably were at least seven years old, since the earliest previous warm-water year had been 1941 (Radovich 1961). Johnson (1960) showed that the larval stages of P. interruptus drift for seven and three-quarters months before settling to the bottom ; those of P. gracilis probably drift equally as long. Seven and three- quarters months would allow them more than enough time to drift the 500 miles from their usual nursery grounds off southern Baja Cali- fornia to Guadalupe Island, even on a slow, meandering current (Reid ci al., 1958). Mr. Mager's pinto lobster (Figure 2) was a male, eight and one- quarter inches (209 mm) long from the center of the rostrum to the 'ml of the tail; its carapace length (mid-rostrum to posterior margin) ADDITIONS TO MARINE FAUNA 219 FIGURE 2. Pinto lobster, Panulirus gracilis, taken in a lobster trap off the San Diego harbor breakwater January 17, 1961. (Phoio by Jack W. Schoit.) was 79.5 mm. This catch extended the known northern distribution for the species by some 400 coastwise miles (Abreojos to San Diego) or 220 straight-line miles (Guadalupe Island to San Diego). The specimen was sent to Dr. Martin Johnson, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who placed it in their collection. 22(1 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME PACIFIC FAT SLEEPER, DORMITATOR LATIFRONS (RICHARDSON) (Figure 3) Mr. Norm Sherman hooked and Landed a Pacific fat sleeper on July 8, 1961, while he was fishing from the rocky shoreline near Palos Verdes (Los Angeles County) using shrimp for bait. Mr. Sherman dropped hi* catch into a metal ice chest partially filled with water and thought no more of the incident until he was preparing to depart for home and discovered it was .still alive. He kept it alive at home for several days, adding fresh water as the level in the ice chest fell. After about a week, the water had become so foul that Mr. Sherman felt it necessary to change ii ; having no salt water handy he refilled the ice chest from a freshwater tap. expecting to see the fish .succumb at any minute. Instead, the fish survived the change and lived for another week when Mr. Sherman took it to Harry's Bait and Tackle. Playa Del Rev. to see if they could identify it for him. Mrs. Harry Edilson, wife of the proprietor, called me and I arranged to have it picked up and identified. With the assistance of Dr. Carl L. Hubbs, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, T was able to inform Mrs. Edilson that it was a Pacific fat sleeper. Follett (1961) reviewed the status of the species and listed their distribution as Punta Lobos, two miles southwest of Todos S;mtos. Baja California (770 miles below Palos Verdes. California', south to Guayaquil. Ecuador. They typically inhabit freshwater but move freely into saltwater and vice versa. In discussing finding a close relative. Et<<>1rk picta, in a canal off the Colorado River in 1952, Hubbs (1953) speculated that Dormitator latifrons might also stray up the river into California but added none had yet been found as far north as the Colorado Delta. That one would stray even a short distance north along the riverless outer coast of Baja California seemed highly unlikely. Mr. Sherman's catch, however, leaves little doubt that such a movement did take place during the recent warm- water period, a logical time for such a trip. Although one cannot exclude the possibility that some well-meaning individual liberated this fish in our ocean waters either as a ""joke" or because it had FIGURE 3. Pacific fat sleeper, Dormitator latifrons, caught on hook and line at Palos Verdes, California, July 8, 1961. (Photo by Jack W. Schott.) ADDITIONS TO MARINE FAUNA 221 outgrown his aquarium, I prefer to believe it traveled northward with water currents having suitable temperatures. Mr. Sherman's fish (Figure 3) was an adult male 12 inches long (230 mm s.l., 302 mm t.l.) weighing approximately three-quarters of a pound (345 grams). There were six winter rings on the otoliths, indicating an age of six years if these are annuli. Pacific fat sleepers are supposed to attain lengths of 24 inches but there seems to be no definite record of one that size. The Palos Verdes eleotrid had 35 rows of scales along the lateral line and its radial formula, as determined by Dr. Carl L. Hubbs, was D VIII— I, 8; A I, 9; C 15 (branched rays + 2) or 13 articulated rays; F1 15—1, 13 (14); P2 I, 5—1, 5. It was sent to UCLA and eventually will be deposited at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. REFERENCES Follett, W. I. 1961. The fresh-water fishes — their origins and affinities. Systematic Zool., vol. 9, nos. 3 and 4 (Sept.-Dec. 1960), pp. 212-232. Hubbs, Carl L. 1953. Eleotris picta added to the fish fauna of California. Calif. Fish and Game, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 69-76. Johnson, Martin W. 1960. Production and distribution of larvae of the spiny lobster, Panulirus in- terrupts (Randall) with records on P. gracilis Streets. Bull. Scripps Inst. Oceano., vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 413-462. Mortensen, Th. 1928. A monograph of the Echinoidea. I. Cidaroidea. C. A. Reitzel, Copenhagen, 550 pp. Radovich, John 1961. Relationships of some marine organisms of the northeast Pacific to water temperatures, particularly during 1957 through 1959. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Fish Bull. 112, 62 pp. Reid, Joseph L., Jr., Gunnar I. Roden and John G. Wyllie 1958. Studies of the California current system. Cal. Mar. Res. Comm., Cal. Coop. Ocean. Fish. Invest., Prog. Rept.. 1 Jul. 56 — 1 Jan. 58, pp. 27-56. THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MACKEREL FISHERY AND AGE COMPOSITION OF THE PACIFIC MACKEREL CATCH FOR THE 1958-59 SEASON1 HAROLD HYATT Marine Resources Operations California Department of Fish and Game This is the eighth report on the age composition of the Pacific mack- erel (Pneumatophorus diego) catch. It covers landings for the 1958-59 season. The methods used in sampling, making age determinations, and estimating numbers of fish and pounds landed are the same as those used annually since the 1939-40 season (Fitch. 1951). Apprecia- tion is extended to Mrs. Gertrude M. Cutler for her aid on the data computations required for this study. Commercial landings of Pacific mackerel at southern California ports totaled only 24.2 million pounds during the season from May 1, 1958 to April 30, 1959, which were less than half those of the pre- ceding season (Hyatt, 1960), and less than the 35 million-pound seasonal average since 1947-48. During the 12-season period from 1934-35 to 1946-47 an average of about 85 million pounds was landed annually. The 1958-59 season began with moderate landings (2.3 million pounds) in May. Landings declined after May, reached a low in Sep- tember, then rose from October through December when half the season's total was taken. After December, catches dropped off sharply then increased slowly through April (Table 1). TABLE 1 Pacific Mackerel Monthly Landings During the 1958-59 Season Month Pounds Month Pounds May... 2,312,000 June 1,300,000 July 1,216,000 August... 1,528,000 September 765,000 October 2,775,000 November 3,909,000 December.. 5,322,000 January 919,000 February 133,000 March. 1,653,000 April... 2,343,000 From May through August, the canners paid fishermen $42.50 per ton for Pacific mackerel; in September, the price was raised to $50 per ton. At certain times during the season when the market is good or the backlog of canned fish is low, the catch may be limited by the avail- 1 Submitted for publication July 1961. ( 222 ) PACIFIC MACKEREL AGE 223 able supply. At other times when the market is slow and inventories build up, canners place limits on the tonnage accepted daily from each boat. Such limits fluctuated from 20 to 90 tons during the 1958-59 season. Since the lower figure is approximately the capacity of a lampara net boat, canner limits tend to favor the operations of these smaller fishing boats over the large purse seiners whose capacities may exceed 100 tons. Most of the catches were made within a 30-mile radius of Los Angeles Harbor. Moderate catches were made in the vicinity of Santa Cruz and San Clemente Islands, and minor catches along the coast from Ocean- side to San Diego, and offshore (Table 2). TABLE 2 Origin of the Southern California Pacific Mackerel Catch in the 1958-59 Season Locality Percent of catch Santa Catalina Island 29.0 San Pedro to Oceanside 26.5 Santa Monica Bay 25.5 Santa Cruz Island Area 10.0 San Clemente Island 7.8 • Oceanside to San Diego and offshore 1.2 Total. 100.0 Fishing boats using purse seines or lampara nets caught 63 percent of the tonnage. The remaining 37 percent was caught by scoop boats whose loads varied from a few hundred pounds to several tons. Lengths and weights were obtained from 6,178 Pacific mackerel sampled during the season, and ages were determined from otoliths removed from 898 of these fish (Table 3). During the latter half of the season, fish younger than one year were large enough to be caught in great numbers. These fish, the 1958 year-class, contributed 60 percent of the number taken (Table 4). The second largest age group, comprising 18.5 percent of the num- bers caught, was the three-year-old 1955 year-class which had domi- nated the catch during the preceding two seasons. As two-year-old fish in the 1957-58 season, they had supplied 50 percent of the catch ; and had made up 60 percent as one-year-olds during 1956-57. The tonnage landed in each of these seasons was more than twice that of the 1958-59 season. Only 10.2 percent of the previous season's catch consisted of 1956 's, but this was about twice as many individuals from that year-class as were caught in 1958-59 when the contribution was 11.5 percent. It is probable that future contributions of 1956 fish will be of minor impor- tance since the contributions are heaviest from the first to the third year of life (Tables 5 and 6) and percentages of this year-class have been small in the catches of the past two years. The 1957 year-class (one-year-olds) amounted to only 3.8 percent of the 1958-59 season's landings. This may be one of the poorest year- classes on record. Fish four years old and older comprised only 5.5 percent of the landings. 3—69171 224 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME TABLE 3 Fork Lengths of Pacific Mackerel in Quarter Centimeters at Each Age for the 1958-59 Season, Based on Otoliths Read Age group III VI 4 3 2 3 6 4 9 3 6 9 8 12 4 4 8 ir, 18 10 10 14 11 13 18 9 16 11 8 19 14 12 1 1 1 1 6 5 2 4 4 11 7 6 3 13 11 10 17 10 10 7 PACIFIC MACKEREL AGE 225 TABLE 3— Continued Fork Lengths of Pacific Mackerel in Quarter Centimeters at Each Age for the 1958-59 Seasor , Based on Otoliths Read Age group }/i cm. 0 i II in IV V VI VII + Total 135 -- l 2 6 3 4 5 1 4 3 4 3 4 2 4 2 1 1 1 8 7 11 9 4 12 6 11 1 5 3 7 4 5 1 3 2 2 1 3 2 2 2 3 2 3 5 7 4 2 5 4 4 7 2 2 4 2 3 2 2 1 3 1 2 1 2 1 3 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14 6 13 7 17 8 19 9 140 - 8 20 1 17 2_. 23 3 8 4 145 11 11 6 _ 19 7 9 8 16 9. 2 150 5 1. 10 2 5 3. 8 4.. 6 155 1 6.. 8 7 8.- 1 9_ 3 160 1. 2_ 3 1 Totals 354 64 136 237 73 25 7 2 898 The Pacific mackerel population seems to be at a low level ; the 1956 and 1957 year-classes appear to be below average and the 1955 year- class represents the only mature class of any size in the fishery. The population contains too few older fish to contribute much weight to the catch. Therefore, the main support of the fishery will probably depend on the apparently larger entering 1958 year-class. However, this year- class may only appear numerous in comparison with the other weak classes. In either event, the 1958 fish may not add substantially to the TABLE 4 Calculated Number of Pacific Mackerel Landed in Age Groups 0 Through VI+ During the 1958-59 Season Age group 0 I II III IV V VI+ Totals 1958 23,922,000 60.7 1957 1,511,000 3.8 1956 4,533,000 11.5 1955 7,300,000 18.5 1954 1,687,000 4.3 1953 295,000 .8 182,000 .4 Number of fish Percentage of fish 39,430,000 100.00 226 CALIFORNIA FISII AND GAME TABLE 5 Number of Pacific Mackerel Landed of Each Year-Class at Each Age from the 1939-40 Through the 1958-59 Seasons Age group Year- class 0 I II Ill IV V Totals 1934 5,340,000 1935 10,570,000 1,443,000 1936 35,130,000 13,551,000 970,000 1937 26,540,000 25,261,000 5,121,000 822,000 1938 25,200,000 69,322,000 25,661,000 5,271,000 1,082,000 126,536,000 1939 2,960,000 20,793,000 26,454,000 12,698,000 7,133,000 1,616,000 71,654,000 1940 2,313.000 12,507,000 9,204,000 10,156,000 7,712,000 3,328,000 45,220,000 1941 398,000 29,376,000 54,106,000 33,905,000 10,312,000 2,294,000 130,391,000 1942 0 12,462,000 19,047,000 10,259,000 4,661,000 2,019,000 48,448,000 1943 836,000 16,556,000 10,327,000 11,872,000 5,087,000 429,000 45,107,000 1944 0 14,302,000 25,823,000 10,943,000 1,105,000 584,000 52,757,000 1945 556,000 9,330,000 7,980,000 756,000 688,000 72,000 19,382,000 1946 560,000 1,377,000 3,175,000 4,279,000 937,000 218,000 10,546,000 1947 7,181,000 63,330,000 49,255,000 15,826,000 11,127,000 2,756,000 149,475,000 1948 1,061,000 21,818,000 19,228,000 13,871,000 9,484,000 307,000 65,829,000 1949 136,000 3,854,000 4,428,000 1,286,000 161,000 0 9,865,000 1950. 6,000 1,583,000 521,000 583,000 71,000 15,000 2,779,000 1951 769,000 46,000 475,000 208,000 204,000 62,000 1,764,000 1952 86,000 676,000 3,893,000 6,021,000 3,641,000 2,302,000 16,619,000 1953 12,237,000 40,036,000 21,156,000 14,641,000 8,100,000 295,000 96,525,000 1954 564,000 3,562,000 14,976,000 11,332,000 1,687,000 32,121,000 1955 4,237,000 49,429,000 30,487,000 7,300,000 91,453,000 1956 21,000 6,228,000 4,533,000 10,782,000 1957 1,386,000 1,511,000 2,897,000 1958 - 23,922,000 TABLE 6 Pounds of Pacific Mackerel Landed of Each Year-Class at Each Age from the 1939-40 Through the 1958-59 Seasons Age group Year- class 0 I II Ill IV V Totals 1934 6,851,000 1935.. ... 12,141,000 1,885,000 1936 31,946,000 14,592,000 1,414,000 1937. 19,306,000 22,163,000 7,015,000 1,178,000 1938 11,578,000 49,762,000 27,249,000 6,651,000 1,499,000 96,739,000 1939. 961,000 11,609,000 21,747,000 12,898,000 9,058,000 2,334,000 58,607,000 1940 853,000 7,564,000 7,809,000 10,743,000 10,139,000 4,809,000 41,(U7,000 1941 116,000 15,085,000 40,066,000 36,527,000 13,595,000 3,230,000 108,625,000 1942 0 7,912,000 16,208,000 11,453,000 6,225,000 2,863,000 44,661,000 1943 274,000 9,991,000 9,221,000 12,786,000 6,718,000 638,000 39,628,000 1944 0 7,296,000 22,530,000 13,035,000 1,484,000 852,000 45,197,000 1945 158,000 5,627,000 7,601,000 867,000 899,000 100,000 15,252,000 1946 129,000 1,015,000 2,365,000 4,070,000 1,078,000 290,000 8,947,000 1947 1,477,000 29,043,000 32,320,000 14,092,000 12,819,000 4,058,000 95,009,000 1948 248,000 8,612,000 13,591,000 13,327,000 12,583,000 637,000 48,998,000 1949 47,000 2,155,000 3,547,000 1,509,000 229,000 0 7,487,000 1950 1,000 802,000 474,000 687,000 90,000 24,000 2,078,000 1951 252,000 34,000 483,000 234,000 244,000 94,000 1,341,000 1952 33,000 463,000 3,063,000 6,034,000 4,394,000 3,112,000 17,099,000 1953 4,358,000 23,175.000 16,990,000 14,973,000 10,197,000 411,000 70,104,000 1954 94,000 l, <.u; I. in in 1 1 ,722,000 12,294,000 2,117,000 28,191,000 1955 1,270,000 25,940,000 24,552,000 8,194,000 59,950,000 1956 5,000 4,222,000 4,674,000 8,901,000 1957 466.000 897,000 1,363,000 1958 7,617,000 PACIFIC MACKEREL AGE 227 broodstock upon reaching maturity at 2\ years of age, after having borne the brunt of the fishery throughout its early life. REFERENCES Fitch, John E. 1951. Age composition of the southern California catch of Pacific mackerel 1939- 40 through 1950-51. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Fish Bull. 83, 73 pp. 1953a. Age composition of the southern California catch of Pacific mackerel for the 1951-52 season. Calif. Fish and Game, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 141-146. 1953b. Age composition of the southern California catch of Pacific mackerel for the 1952-53 season. Calif. Fish and Game, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 553-558. 1955. Age composition of the southern California catch of Pacific mackerel for the 1953-54 season. Calif. Fish and Game, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 107-112. Age composition of the southern California catch of Pacific mackerel for the 1954-55 season. Calif. Fish and Game, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 143-148. Age composition of the southern California catch of Pacific mackerel for the two seasons, 1955-56 and 1956-57. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Fish Bull. 106, pp. 19-26. Hyatt, Harold 1960. Age composition of the southern California catch of Pacific mackerel, Pneumatophorus diego for the 1957-58 season. Calif. Fish and Game, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 183-188. 1956. 1958. CALIFORNIA SEA LION CENSUS FOR 1958, 1960 AND 1961 x WM. ELLIS RIPLEY Marine Resources Branch and KEITH W. COX AND JOHN L. BAXTER Marine Resources Operations California Department of Fish and Game For over three-quarters of a century, sea lions along our shores have created varying degrees of interest in their abundance and behavior. Consequently, these animals have been counted intermittently since the late 1 800 's. Coastwide censuses have been made by the Department of Fish and Game since 1927. Counting methods have been modified and the tallies since 1946 do not have the same base as those prior to that time. In fact, the substantial differences in techniques permit direct comparison or evalution of the figures only with caution based upon an under- standing of their limitations. The persistent charge of devastation leveled at sea lions particularly by sportsmen and commercial fishermen has made these animals the subject of extensive criticism on one hand, and indulgent defense on the other. It is our intent to discuss only the records and fluctuations of the counts and to point out some of the factors complicating the tallies but not to relate the details of the controversies. Prior to 1946, censuses were made only on the larger rookeries, haul- ing grounds and nearby areas (Bonnot and Ripley, 1948). Generally, the sea lions on the rocks were counted from a boat by at least two observers. In some cases, the observers would land and make their tallies from vantage points. The counts of the two or more observers were averaged. By this system it was possible to determine accurately the species, to count only adults and subadults, and to eliminate pups from the tallies. In the field, subadult males could not always be dis- tinguished from females with accuracy. The species breakdown through L938 is believed reliable because the counts through that year repre- sented adults and subadults only. In 1946, the census was made by a variety of observers and methods. Both patrol personnel and marine biologists made direct observations and took photographs from boats, airplanes and blimps. Thus a mixture of surface tallies, which excluded pups, and aerial techniques, which sometimes did not, created an aggregate count not comparable with prior or subsequent ones. Species were not separated in the 1946 census but for general purposes all north of Point Conception were considered Steller sea linns. Eumetopias jubata, and those south of that point California sea lions, Zalophus califomianus. > Submitted for publication May 1962. ( 228 ) SEA LION CENSUS 229 The ranges of the two species overlap in central California but de- tailed studies by Bartholomew and Boolootian (1960) showed less than one-half of one percent Stellers on the southern California islands they surveyed. Similarly, during the censuses when the species were sepa- rated the percentage of Californias north of Point Conception was insignificant. However, this does not imply that the population struc- ture remains constant before or after the breeding season. According to Fry (1939), Bartholomew and Boolootian (1960), and Orr and Poulter (1962), the Californias appear to migrate widely and rapidly between breeding seasons. The 1947 census was made almost entirely from a Navy blimp, which in the 1946 census, had proved excellent for observation. Photographs were taken at slow ground speeds, at relatively low altitudes, and on large, nine- by nine-inch negatives. Although species were not distin- guished with precision, the pups were eliminated to a large degree from nearly all counts. Unfortunately, an accident occurred during one flight along the northern coast. The blimp was destroyed in a crash off Cape Mendocino and, although no one was injured, photographs of several rookeries were lost. These areas were resurveyed from a De- partment plane. Faster ground speeds, higher altitudes and smaller negatives made it impossible to distinguish with accuracy large pups from small adults. Thus the 1947 census figures were a mixture of mainly adult counts for most of the coast, and of adult and pup counts for several northern California rookeries and hauling grounds. FIGURE 1. Aerial photograph of sea lions and elephant seals on San Miguel Island, 1958. The elephant seals are clustered mainly in the center of the sandspit. 230 CALIFORNIA FISTI AND GAME Eleven years elapsed before the next survey in 1958. This and the I960 and 1961 surveys were made by airplane using comparable tech- niques (Figure 1). Counts were made from aerial photographs of the larger concentrations while smaller groups were counted visually and added to area totals. Adult and pup sea lions were included and no attempt was made to distinguish species. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Unadjusted sea lion counts made in northern California since 1927 have varied from about 4,000 to slightly over 7,000 per year (Table 1). The apparent increases since 1938 may largely reflect our having in- cluded pups plus the more complete coverage we obtained by aerial methods. For the most part, northern California counts were Stellers. The trends reflect a fairly stable population with some minor changes probably associated with emigration out of, or immigration into, the census area. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA The southern California sea lion population has definitely increased, containing over 18,000 animals during the 1961 survey (Table 1). Un- fortunately, no counts were possible in southern California in 1960 because of unsuitable weather during the census period. However, the 1958 and 1961 results showed significant increases of California sea lions, particularly in three areas: the rookeries of San Miguel, San Clemente, and San Nicolas Islands. TABLE 1 Number of Sea Lions Counted on Rookeries and Hauling Grounds 1927-1961 Locality 1927 1928 1930 1936 1938 1946 1947 1958 1960* 1961 St. George Reef to Cape 2,400 300 150 706 1,500 557 1,511 206 42 540 1,500 270 337 1,600 300 928 2,500 209 357 1,452 142 54 4 525 1,200 338 509 918 6 2 447 2,000 191 415 902 148 111 59 950 1,900 402 696 825 40 102 50 750 2,050 403 836 1,321 1,050 936 90 941 1,170 517 1,028 1,219 464 625 9 1,290 1,350 311 504 907 To Pt. Arena... 781 To Pt. Reye«.._ 795 To Pigeon Point 23 703 2,342 To Pt. Lobos To Pt. Conception. 230 894 Nortliern Ca ifornia To Pt. Loma (Mainland) . S:tn Miguel Island Santa Rosa Island Santa Cruz Island Anacapa Island Santa Barbara Island San Clemente Island Santa Catalina Island San Nicolas Island 5,613 744 49 233 34 1 25 265 Not visited 4,406 1,021 38 203 27 327 251 Not visited 5,894 825 12 208 11 8 347 Not visited 4,224 1,879 52 200 11 600 435 Not visited 3,979 2,706 20 141 10 500 490 15 Not visited 5,168 36 2,819 1,075 81 2,056 883 104 284 5,056 30 1,600 100 1,000 250 20 660 7,053 164 5,192 295 262 45 1,847 1,507 233 3,074 5,772 6,675 33 9,512 15 15 1,760 2,361 30 4,637 Southern California 1,450 1,867 1,411 3,177 3,882 7,338 3,660 12,619 -- 18,363 All California 7,063 6,273 7,305 7,401 7,861 12, 506 S,71(i 19,672 -- _'.-,,< i:-;s • No census of southern California taken. SEA LION CENSUS 231 Excluding the effects of environment, two factors may be related to their increase. The first is associated with seclusion. Several areas where increases have occurred are remote places not normally fre- quented by the general public. Some are accessible only to military personnel. The second factor may be related to stress. During and subsequent to World "War II many areas frequented by sea lions were used for military training. Air to ground gunnery ranges were established and considerable disturbance took place on the islands in preparation for amphibious activity. Practice gunnery by trainee fighter pilots un- doubtedly frightened the sea lions and contributed to a reduction in their numbers on these particular islands. During the 1946 and 1947 surveys, sea lion herds were very jumpy and reacted wildly to the approach of an airplane. Although frightened by the noise and the size of the blimp, they were not nearly as panicky when it approached. The reaction of the sea lions to an airplane was not so violent during the 1958 and 1961 censuses. Apparently the passage of years since the wartime activity and new generations of sea lions in the population have decreased the intensity of the herd's response to low-flying air- craft. To a lesser degree, in certain isolated northern California areas, the reaction of the Stellers immediately after the war was similar to that of the Californias on the southern California islands. Thus, the activities associated with wartime training may have kept sea lion numbers down during and immediately following World War II. Varia- tions in the environment and food supply also may have affected the population, just how is not known. SUMMARY Ten sea lion censuses were made in California between 1927 and 1961. The population has fluctuated, being highest in northern Cali- fornia during 1958. In southern California, the peak of abundance was in 1961 when over 18,000 sea lions were on the southern California offshore islands. Changes in their abundance may have been due to increased immigation into southern California, to a lessening of harassment by man or to environmental factors. REFERENCES Bonnot, Paul and Wm. Ellis Ripley 1948. The California sea lion census for 1947. Calif. Fish and Game, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 89-92. Bartholomew, George A. and Richard A. Boolootian 1960. Numbers and population structure of the pinnipeds on the California Channel Islands. Jour. Mamm., vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 366-375. Fry, Donald H., Jr. i.939. A winter influx of sea lions from Lower California. Calif. Fish and Game, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 245-250. Orr, Robert T. and Thomas C. Poulter - 1962. Ano Nuevo Marine Biological Park. Pac. Disc, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 13-19. AGE AND LENGTH COMPOSITION OF THE SARDINE CATCH OFF THE PACIFIC COAST OF THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO IN 1 959-60 ' DOYLE E. GATES Marine Resources Operations California Department of Fish and Game ROBERT S. WOLF United States Bureau of Commercial Fisheries INTRODUCTION This report, the 14th on age and length composition of the catch of Pacific sardines (Sardinops caerulea) off the Pacific Coast of North America, resulted from one phase of the research conducted by the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations. Two CalCOFI agencies, the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, have prepared these reports jointly on a seasonal basis since the 1941-42 sardine season (Wolf, et al., 1961). The assistance of Anita E. Daugherty and Clark Blunt, of the Cali- fornia Department of Fish and Game ; and John MacGregor and Makoto Kimura of the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, is grate- fully acknowledged. THE FISHERY During the 1959-60 season, the 128-boat California sardine fleet landed 15,418 tons in central California and 20,335 in southern Cali- fornia for a total of 35,753. Approximately 8,113 of the 22,400 tons landed by the Mexican fleet were netted during a period comparable to the California season making a coastwide season total of 43,866 tons. This was less than half of the 110,414 tons landed the preceding season. The catch was restricted little by cannery-imposed limits on individ- ual boat trips. Limits, when imposed, ranged from 40 to 100 tons per boat per trip. Central California As in the previous year, the legal canning season in central Cali- fornia extended from August 1 through December 31. The seasons are set by California law, with Point Arguello as the central-southern area dividing line (Figure 2). A price dispute deterred the fleet from fishing through all of August. On September 1, agreement was reached with five of the seven Monte- rey area canners, setting the price at $35 per ton for sardines and at $50 for mixed loads of sardines and mackerel. Pishing began the night of September 1. and 1,571 tons were landed during the "September" dark-of-the-moon period. Lunar months are 1 Submitted for publication May 1962. (232 ) SARDINE AGE AND LENGTH 233 FIGURE 1. A typical California sardine purse seiner that has just completed a haul. graph by Anita E. Dougherty, October, 1958.) (Photo- Set in quotation marks to distinguish them from the calendar months they approximate (Table 1). Almost equal tonnages were landed in "October," "November" and "December"— 4,500, 4,000 and 4,400— and 800 in "January" giving a total through December 31 of 15,418, about 9,000 tons less than the preceding season. The lower catch was caused in part by the late fishing start, and by inclement weather throughout much of September and October. Ninety-four percent of the central California catch originated in or near Monterey Bay ; the remainder was caught in the Morro Bay-Avila area and trucked to Monterey area processing plants. During the pre- vious season, about two-thirds of the catch was netted off Morro Bay and Avila. In 1959, as in 1958, the fishermen paid the cost of shipping sardines from the Morro Bay area to the processing plants. Seven canners processed the central California catch : five in Monte- rey, one in Moss Landing, and one in San Francisco. The fleet consisted of 13 large purse seiners (60 feet or over), 5 small purse seiners, and 20 lampara boats. 234 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 1959-60 SARDINE CATCH AGE COMPOSITION BY AREA AND LUNAR PERIODS CENTRAL CALIFORNIA "OCT." "DEC" 2 3 4+ 2 3 4 + Z 3 4+ 2 3 4+ 2 3 4+ 2 3 4 + SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA »- z UJ . "SEPT." 1 "OCT." "NOV." "dec" "JAN." . L UJ 5. ii 1.. 1.1 L. SEASON TOTAL 1 . 3 4+ 1 2 3 4+ 1 2 3 4+ 1 2 3 4+ 1 2 3 4+ BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO 1 3 4 + z UJ "S :pt." "OCT." ■ "NOV!' I "l iEC." JAN" _ . SE TC 4S0N . TAL UJ Q. 1 1. If. ll. 1 1. i 1. 1 1 AGE YEAR CLASS I 2 3 4+ I 2 3 4+ I 2 3 4+ I 2 3 4+ I 2 3 4+ 12 3 4+ +INDICATES FOUR YEARS AND OLDER HJlNDICATES FISHING AREAS FIGURE 2. The sardine catch age composition by geographical area and lunar month periods. Major fishing areas are shaded. SARDINE AGE AND LENGTH 235 Southern California The southern sardine region extends from Point Arguello to the U.S.-Mexican border. The legal season began one month later than off the central coast, extending from September 1 through December 31. Although a few boats fished during September, the entire fleet did not fish until the night of October 4 due to price negotiations. At that time, the price was set at $35 per ton, the same as in central California. For the second consecutive season, sardines were netted in the north- west portion of the region, with a few taken from the coastal area between San Pedro south to San Diego. Forty percent of the catches, as determined by fishermen interviews, originated in the expanse from the City of Santa Barbara to Point Mugu and offshore in the Santa Cruz Island-Anacapa Island area; 34 percent from Point Dume to Point Vicente and in Santa Monica Bay; 22 percent from southern Channel Island waters (Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, San Clemente, and San Nicolas Islands) ; and 4 percent from the coastal area south of San Pedro. Only 844 tons were landed during the "September" dark. Approx- imately 6,000 were netted in "October" which together with the 9,828 in "November" comprised 78 percent of the southern California total. About 2,500 tons were netted in "December" and 1,200 in "January" for a total southern California catch of approximately 20,335 tons. Nine canners processed the southern California catch: eight in the Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor area and one at Oxnard. Ninety boats supplied these processors, a decrease of 29 vessels from the previous season. The fleet consisted of 63 purse seiners (56 large, 7 small) and 27 lampara boats. Baja California There is year-round fishing for sardines off the Pacific coast of Baja California. During 1959, approximately 22,400 tons were netted by 20 Mexican purse seiners, 8,113 during the "September" through "January" darks. The catch was processed by eight canneries. Mexican fishermen, operating cannery-owned boats, received a price equivalent to $15.10 (U.S. currency) per metric ton for sardines and mackerel. A few American seine fishermen from San Pedro and San Diego who delivered to Mexican canneries were paid $32.80 per metric ton for their fish. Sardines and mackerels used for reduction yielded fishermen $10.04 per metric ton. The Baja California catch was netted in three general fishing areas : Ensenada, San Quintin, and Cedros Island (Figure 2). The six can- neries at Ensenada were supplied by 14 boats fishing between Los Coronados Islands and Cape Colnett. A cannery at San Quintin op- erated two company-owned seiners in and around San Quintin Bay and the Cedros Island cannery took fish from four vessels which netted their catches in the area from northern Sebastian Vizcaino Bay to Turtle Bay. AGE AND LENGTH COMPOSITION Lunar month summaries were used to obtain the year-class composi- tion of the total catch following a method described by Felin and Phillips (1948). Inherent in the method are weight-per-fish factors computed each lunar week for each area. The average weights for this 236 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME season were : central California 0.2449 pound, southern California 0.2041 pound, and Baja California 0.1487 pound. The 708 fish aged from the centra] California catch were 2 through 5 years old and ranged from 194 to 256 mm standard length (Table 2). In southern California, the 657 fish aged were 1 through 6 with lengths of 166 to 238 mm (Table 3). Ages ranged from 1 through 5 for 470 fish from Baja California samples taken during the California season; their lengths ranged from 136 to 236 mm (Table 4). During 1 he Baja Cali- fornia interseason, the 866 fish aged were 1 through 8 years old and 142 through 222 mm long (Table 5). Two- and three-year-old fish constituted 92 percent of the 115,943,000 sardines caught in central California (Figure 2 and Table 6). The three-year-old 1956 year-class contributed 54 percent and the two-year- old 1957 year-class, 38 percent. There was little change in length or age composition between lunar periods. In southern California, the 1957 year-class as two-year-olds con- tributed 60 percent of the 202,095.000 sardines caught, the three-year- old 1956 year-class 23 percent, and the one-year-old 1958 's 12 percent (Figure 2 and Table 6). In Baja California, during the California season, the 1957 year-class supplied 61 percent of the 118,672,000 fish netted (Table 6). One-year- olds, of the 1958 year-class, contributed 20 percent and three-year-olds, the 1956 year-class, 18 percent. During the interseason, from January 1 to September 1, the Baja California catch of 189,008,000 sardines contained 47 percent three- year-olds, 1956 year-class (Table 7). The two-year-old 1957 year-class contributed 39 percent and the four-year-old 1955 's, 8 percent. TABLE 1 Calendar Dates of Lunar Months During 1959 Lunar month Lunar period1 Dates "January" 485 December 25- January 23 "February" 486 January 24-February 21 "March" 487 February 22-March 23 "April" 488 March 24-April 22 "May" 489 April 23-May 22 " June " 490 May 23-June 20 "July" 491 June 21-July 20 "August".. 492 July 21-August 18 "September" 493 August 19-September 17 "October" 494 September 18-October 16 "November" 495 October 17-November 15 "December" 496 November 16-December 14 "January" 497 December 15- January 122 1 Lunar periods have been numbered serially since "November" of the 1919-20 season. 2 All commercial sardine fishing was considered to end on December 31. SARDINE AGE AND LENGTH 237 REFERENCES Felin, Frances E. and Julius B. Phillips 1948. Age and length composition of the sardine catch off the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada, 1941-42 through 1946-47, California Division of Fish and Game, Fish Bull. 69, 122 pp. Wolf, Robert S. and Anita E. Daugherty 1961. Age and length composition of the sardine catch off the Pacific coast of the United States and Mexico in 1958-59, California Fish and Game, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 273-285. TABLE 2 Length Composition of Year-Classes in Sardine Samples from the Central California Commercial Catch, 1959-60 Season Age 2 3 4 5 6 Year-class 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 Total Standard length mm 194... 5 7 10 11 27 32 40 37 34 27 15 16 7 7 2 4 1 2 5 9 17 22 24 44 51 48 33 36 29 27 8 8 5 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 3 3 7 10 7 1 3 2 2 2 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 -- 1 196 7 198 12 200 20 202. 28 204 51 206 59 208 87 210 96 212 93 214 67 216 52 218 48 220 '.. 36 222 17 224 12 226. 9 228 5 230 1 232 2 234 2 236 238 ... 1 0 240 0 242 244 0 0 246 1 248 250 0 0 252 254 0 0 256 1 Totals 281 210 377 212 48 215 2 211 -- 708 211 238 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME TABLE 3 Length Composition of Year-Classes in Sardine Samples from the Southern California Commercial Catch, 1959-60 Season Age 1 2 3 4 5 6 Year-class 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 Total Standard length mm 166 - 1 0 0 4 0 7 8 3 15 7 4 6 3 4 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 4 13 6 17 24 13 18 16 20 25 19 20 21 16 19 30 25 27 9 17 13 8 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 1 3 7 9 4 12 12 8 14 23 17 13 12 8 5 2 2 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 2 3 1 3 1 2 2 0 1 2 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 168 1 170 _ - 3 172 « 8 174... -- --- 2 176 - 20 178 - - 15 180 21 182 - 41 184 21 186 23 188 - 27 190 . - 27 192 --- -- 37 194 . --- 31 196 . - - 27 198 ._ - 36 200 . - - 31 202 - - - 29 204 - 46 206 - -- -- 50 208 45 210 -- 23 212 31 214 25 216 15 218 -- -- - 3 220 -- 5 222 ._ -- 3 224 -- -- 3 226 -- 1 228 0 230.. 1 232 2 234... .-- - 0 236 .- 1 238 -.- 2 Totals ---'- 67 183 389 196 169 204 28 207 3 230 1 222 657 197 SARDINE AGE AND LENGTH TABLE 4 Length Composition of Year-Classes in Sardine Samples from the Baja California Commercial Catch, 1959-60 ("September" through "December") 239 Age 1 2 3 4 5 Year-class 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 Total Standard length mm 136 1 1 0 1 3 0 4 2 6 10 7 15 11 7 7 8 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 3 2 6 7 12 16 18 26 22 16 31 17 16 18 12 12 11 6 6 2 4 2 1 2 1 1 2 3 3 1 3 1 8 4 5 10 13 7 7 8 8 5 5 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 138 --. 1 140 0 142 1 144 .. ... ... 4 146 0 148 6 150. 5 152. 8 154 16 156 14 158 29 160 30 162 28 164... 34 166... 33 168 .. 19 170 __ 39 172 23 174... 21 176 28 178. 26 180 22 182 .. 18 184 . 14 186 16 188 7 190 9 192 4 194 2 196 2 198 3 200 2 202 1 204 0 206 1 208. 0 210 2 236.. 1 Totals 88 158 273 170 100 179 8 190 1 236 470 170 4—69171 240 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME TABLE 5 Length Composition of Year-Classes in Sardine Samples from the 1959 Baja California Interseason Catch ("January"-"August ) Year-class 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 Total Standard length mm 142 1 0 1 1 3 3 2 6 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 1 1 6 3 11 13 20 12 22 14 19 12 18 12 21 16 11 10 19 9 20 19 8 8 4 4 1 2 2 1 1 1 5 10 8 9 9 13 11 8 15 12 16 19 12 35 32 35 37 38 38 20 15 12 6 4 3 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 7 5 7 4 5 9 5 6 4 5 5 2 4 0 0 4 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 144 0 146 4 148 2 150 _. 4 152 154... 10 6 156 - 18 158.-- 19 160 . 31 162. 21 164 . 34 166... 23 168 34 170 24 172... 28 174 28 176.-. -- 34 178 . 33 180.. 33 182.. 23 184... 54 186... 48 188 190... 192 194. 60 63 51 51 196... 34 198... 24 200... 19 202 12 204. 11 206... 10 208 4 210 7 212 1 214 0 216 5 218-. 0 220 1 222. 1 Totals 24 157 321 174 430 185 84 195 4 209 1 196 1 212 1 192 866 Mean lengths. - 181 SARDINE AGE AND LENGTH 241 TABLE 6 Age and Year-Class Composition of the Sardine Catch in the 1959-60 Season Catch Number of fish in thousands by age and year-class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tons Number 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 Central California "August" 1.571 4,544 4,068 4,435 800 11,274 34,049 31,439 33,083 6,098 - 4,882 15,186 12,953 9,065 2,122 5,998 16,684 16,129 20,511 3,537 304 2,179 2,106 3,408 341 90 220 99 98 31 Total Central California 15,418 844 5,942 9,828 2,531 1,190 115,943 100.0 6,853 60,039 100,581 24,473 10,149 774 8,045 12,372 3,573 142 44,208 38.1 3,934 32,661 65,177 14,684 5,277 62,859 54.2 2,145 16,571 19,412 5,188 3,715 8,338 7.2 2,642 2,917 979 873 507 0.5 60 603 49 112 31 60 100 - Southern California " 30 Total Southern California.-- .. 20,335 35,753 1,326 2,405 2,017 1,545 820 202,095 100.0 318,038 100.0 20,051 35,874 31,054 20,721 10,972 24,906 12.3 24,906 7.8 3,887 9,354 7,134 2,215 1,132 121,733 60.2 165,941 52.2 12,413 19,893 18,059 14,289 7,462 47,031 23.3 109,890 34.6 3,220 6,360 5,694 3,951 2,224 7,411 3.7 15,749 4.9 531 267 167 85 52 824 0.4 1,331 0.4 181 102 160 0.1 191 0.1 30 Total California 30 Baja California3 " " 8,113 43,866 118,672 100.0 436,710 100.0 23,722 20.0 48,628 11.1 72,116 60.8 238,057 54.5 21,449 18.1 131,339 30.1 1,102 0.9 16,851 3.9 283 0.2 1,614 0.4 191 Percent "" TOTAL 30 1 Price dispute, vessels did not fish. a December 15 to January 1 only. 8 Includes data from Ensenada, San Quintln and Cedros Island. 242 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME TABLE 7 Year-Class Composition of the 1959 Interseason Sardine Catch for Baja California Catch Number of fish in thousands by age and year-class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lunar month Tons Number 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1,298 1,147 1,255 1,317 821 4,634 1,792 1,646 415 19,804 16,350 17,591 19,407 12,315 60,207 20,680 18,100 4,554 1,296 6,337 419 7«6 415 9,169 3,705 4,363 9,845 5,187 25,351 5,869 8,812 2,168 10,535 10,240 10,550 7,621 5,184 25,349 11,597 6,900 1,653 80 2,405 2,273 1,494 648 3,170 2,795 1,155 318 20 289 447 116 •May" "July" 447 "September "2 - TOTAL 14,325 189.00S 100.0 9,253 4.9 74,469 39.4 89,629 47.4 14,338 7.6 309 0.2 447 0.2 116 0.1 447 0.2 1 From January 1 only. s To September 1 only. THE NESTING OF CHROMIS PUNCTIPINNIS (COOPER) AND A DESCRIPTION OF THEIR EGGS AND LARVAE1 CHARLES H. TURNER end EARL E. EBERT Marine Resources Operations California Department of Fish and Game The damselfish family Pomacentridae is represented along our Cali- fornia coast by two commercially unimportant species, the very colorful and pugnacious garibaldi, Hypsypops rulicunda, and the less colorful 1 Submitted for publication June 1962. This work was made possible with Federal Aid to Pish Restoration Funds, Dingell- Johnson Project F17R, "Ocean Fish Habitat Development." FIGURE 1. A male blacksmith (center left) nudging and biting a gravid female, forcing her into his nest site. (Photo by Charles H. Turner.) (243) 244 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME FIGURE 2. With the spawned-out female's departure, the male immediately positions himself in the cave entrance, protecting the nest from intruders and fanning the eggs. ("Photo by Charles H. Turner.) but equally pugnacious blacksmith, Chromis punctipinnis. Garibaldis (sometimes called ocean goldfish) are protected by law but it is legal to take blacksmiths. Although their flesh is good quality, they are taken only incidentally by fishermen; their small mouths make them difficult to catch. Characteristically, pomacentrids are oviparous and construct nests which are closely guarded by the males (Breder, 1933). While diving at Santa Catalina Island during the summer of 1961, the nesting behavior of Chromis punctipinnis was observed — a phe- nomenon not previously described. We first noted blacksmith nests at Harbor Reef, Santa Catalina Is- land in July and August, 1961. This reef, consisting of large shale shelves interspersed with scattered 15- to 30-pound rocks, rises to the surface from depths of over 100 feet. Blacksmiths were building nests under these 15- to 30-pound rocks from 12 to at least 80 feet beneath the surface, but most nesting was between 40 and 50 feet. Several dives were made at other localities along the inshore side of Santa Catalina Island but no other nests were located ; however, nesting behavior was BLACKSMITH NESTING 245 FIGURE 3. A nest-guarding male exhibiting "masking" around the eyes. (Photo by Charles H. Turner.) exhibited by adult male blacksmiths at some of those sites. The bottom around the Harbor Reef is ideally suited for observing the nesting habits of C. punctipinnis. Nests were constructed under rock ledges or under the 15- to 30- pound rocks that provided small caves. A male would first clean an area well back under the cave roof and then force a gravid mature female into the site by nudging and biting her. We could not observe actual egg deposition because the nest entrances were singular and small; however, the eggs were attached by adhesive filaments to the previously cleaned area of the cave roof. After the spawned-out female departed, the male would position himself in the nest opening, fanning the eggs with his tail and keeping out predators by his pugnacious behavior. Temperatures at the nesting area ranged from 10.0° C to 18.0° C, de- pending upon depth and day. The nestguarding males undergo a very conspicuous color change. From their normal bluish-grey with black flecks along the sides, they transform into a very pale, almost white, mottled grey. Two pronounced dark bands, each about one-quarter inch wide, show up dorsal and slightly anterior to the eyes, giving Chromis a "masked" appearance (Figure 3). If a male is driven from his nest, he quickly resumes normal coloration. Whenever a male was driven from a nest site, fish converged on the unguarded nest and devoured eggs in a wild frenzy. Leading the assault 246 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME were other blacksmiths who seemed to relish the eggs, particularly- mature ones. Other fish preying on the eggs were serioritas, Oxyjulis calif or nica, sheepheads, Pimelometopon pulchrum, and garibaldis. The returning male was very aggressive towards these fish regardless of their size. Immature eggs were apparently easily guarded by the male; how- ever, when the first hatching larvae swam out of the nest cave they attracted predators to the area. Blacksmiths and other fish then ganged-up on the nesting male. The larvae were eaten as they left the cave and the predators tried to swim down this "food stream," past the guarding male, to its source. Although Limbaugh (1955) excised cherry red eggs from mature females in June and July, he was unable to locate their nests. We found that the freshly spawned eggs were salmon pink in color, oblong in shape, and had up to seven filaments at one end. The egg filaments attached to each other in such a way they formed a larger central cord which adhered to the substrate. A nest was composed of numerous cords eft. FIGURE 4. When the rocky roof of the nest site is overturned the strings of eggs (arrow) are easily visible. Blacksmiths "flock" to the unguarded nest to feed upon the eggs. (Photo by Charles H. Turner.) BLACKSMITH NESTING 247 FIGURE 5. An entire egg mass just after its removal from the nest site. For size comparison the white sheet is 8 by 1 1 inches. (Photo by Charles H. Turner.) and had the appearance of several bunches of tiny grapes. Fifty eggs were randomly sampled from one nest, these averaged 1.22 mm long, ranging from 1.14 to 1.32 mm. We estimated there were 615,000 eggs per nest and because of these numbers and the fact they were in several stages of development we felt that at least two, and probably three or four, females had been induced to spawn at each nest. Such large numbers are usually atypical for nest-building species. As C. punctipinnis eggs mature, they become opaque and whitish; eyes show up as black spots inside each egg. Just prior to hatching the entire egg mass appears greyish because of the eyes and numerous melanophores that have developed along the ventral surface of the embryo. Newly-hatched larvae are about 3.06 mm long. In these, the mouth is terminal, the anal area is well-forward, the yolk sac is almost gone, and the finfold is continuous around the body — only the pectoral fins are differentiated (Figure 7). Blacksmith larvae and juveniles to one-half inch long were noted in the area during all of our observa- tions. The young are bi-colored : anteriorly a bluish-grey and posteriorly a brassy orange. We commonly have observed one-inch long specimens 248 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME in Santa Monica Bay during October and November where they form loose small schools and remain close to protective cover. Limbaugh (1955) reported that blacksmiths mature at 5.5 inches at a probable age of two years. The largest specimens we have observed were about 12 inches. An 11^ incher taken in Monterey Bay was in its 7th year; it had first spawned in its third year. FIGURE 6. Eggs from one nest in four different developmental stages on August 2, 1961. FIGURE 7. Just-hatched larva, 3.06 mm total length. LITERATURE CITED Breder, C. M. Jr., and C. W. Coates 1933. Reproduction and eggs of Pomacentrus leucoris. Amer. Mus. Nov., no. 612, pp. 1-6. Limbaugh, Conrad 1955. Fish life in the kelp beds and the effects of kelp harvesting. Univ. Calif., La Jolla, I.M.R. Ref. 55-9, 158 pp. THE NESTING BEHAVIOR, EGGS AND LARVAE OF THE BLUESPOT GOBY1 EARL E. EBERT and CHARLES H. TURNER Marine Resources Operations California Department of Fish and Game Bluespot gobies, Coryphopterus nicholsi (Bean), belong to the widely- distributed fish family Gobiidae, a group inhabiting tropical and tem- perate waters throughout the world; 12 species of gobies have been recorded from California waters (Roedel, 1953). Gobies are char- acterized by having their pelvic fins completely joined to each other. Coryphopterus can be distinguished from other local gobies by its big scales, dark crested dorsal and large black eyes. A fleshy dorsal 1 Submitted for publication June 1962. This work was made possible with Federal Aid to Fish Restoration Funds, Dingell-Johnson Project Calif. F17R, "Ocean Fish Habitat Development." FIGURE 1. A 4-inch adult bluespot goby in its nesting area. (Photo by Charles H. Turner.) (249) 250 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME ridge extends from just behind the eyes to the insertion of the slightly- elongated dorsal fin. Underwater it is grey-white to pale yellow in color. The pelvic fins, usually dusky, darken on the male during the breeding season. Adults attain maximum lengths of about 6 inches. Bluespot gobies range from San Martin Island, Baja California, to British Columbia and adults live intertidally and to depths over 200 feet (Limbaugh, 1955). Although adults are usually considered bottom dwellers, juveniles are occasionally taken in plankton nets far at sea. One inch-long juvenile was found in the stomach of an albacore caught on Davidson Seamount, 60 miles SW of Point Sur. Although this sea- mount rises to within 745 fathoms of the surface it is surrounded on all sides by 2000-fathom water. Apparently Coryphopterus nicholsi is an old inhabitant of our waters; fossil otoliths have been identified from the San Diego forma- tion, a Pliocene deposit estimated between 8 and 12 million years old. Additional fossil otoliths, 20 in material screened from Timms Point, San Pedro (Lower Pleistoscene) and 1 from Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles (Upper Pleistocene), attest to its antiquity (John E. Fitch, personal communication) . Although eggs and larvae of some western Atlantic gobiids have been described (Hildebrand, 1938), nothing has been recorded for Cory- phopterus. We made all field observations while using SCUBA (self contained underwater breathing apparatus) in Santa Monica Bay while rou- tinely checking artificial reefs placed at strategic localities through- out the bay. Entire nests were brought to the laboratory and the eggs placed in 5 percent formalin. Drawings were made from preserved ma- terial. We observed breeding during the spring, summer and fall and found nests from April through October. These were off Hermosa Beach and Santa Monica in 60 feet of water, attached to the undersides of rocks on our artificial reefs. Water temperatures at the nest sites ranged from 12.9° to 14.6°C. We noted that males would select a rock for a nest site, hollow out a small depression beneath it, and then clean its underside; later the female would attach her eggs to this cleaned undersurface (Figure 2). During courtship, the male would rise straight off the bottom a few inches and settle back again, attracting the female's attention by spreading his dorsal and blackened pelvic fins which are quite striking at this time. In an aquarium, a male frantically rushed across the tank at a female and then returned to his starting place apparently in an attempt to stimulate her and force her into the nest area he had selected. (David Powell, Marineland of the Pacific, pers. commun.) After the female attaches her eggs, the male remains on guard and fans the nest to keep water circulating around the eggs. When dis- turbed, he will retreat into the "nest-cave" to protect his family. If the nest site is molested, the male swims away about a yard, becomes quite excited, and will not return to the "nest-cave" for several minutes. Nests average 4 inches in diameter, are roughly circular, and are made up of a single layer of eggs. The oblong eggs, pointed at both GOBY NESTING 251 N'JO FIGURE 2. By overturning the nest-cave roof, the single-layered nest of eggs (outlined) is visible. A sheephead and rockfish, upper left, are showing considerable interest in the exposed nest. (Photo by Charles H. Turner.) ends, are attached directly to the rock but do not have adhesive threads. Immature eggs gave the nest a faded-pink appearance while mature nests were greyish due to pigment on the developing embryos. The earliest stages we observed were of recently differentiated em- bryos at a time when the yolk filled only a small portion of the egg sac. Excess space is rapidly used as the embryo develops, resulting in the tail curling back on the body in advanced stages. A well-formed em- byro, prior to hatching, nearly fills its egg case. Mature eggs average 2.10 mm long by 0.48 mm wide. The embyro within each mature egg is 2.97 mm long and its head is directed op- posite (downward) the pole of attachment. The larva is released when its enveloping egg sac splits in a median plane. The attached end remains on the substrate, later disolving, and the larva drops out and swims away. Newly-hatched larvae are 2.97 mm long, have prominent, large eyes and almost transparent bodies (Figure 4). A line of pigment extends posteriorly over the yolk sac then curves downward to the base of the ventral finfold, ending in the caudal region. There is another short line of pigment near the caudal peduncle at the dorsal finfold base. The 252 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME FIGURE 3. Top: Developing embryo. The egg case is 2.10 mm long by 0.48 mm wide; its yolk is 0.30 by 0.42 mm and the embryo is 1.05 mm long. Bottom: Maturing embryo. There are melanophores ventrally and the black eyes are prominent. air bladder and gut are visible posterior to the yolk which, at this time, is little larger than the eye. The vent is slightly closer to the snout than the tail. The well-developed mouth is terminal, a normal position for this species. We calculated there were 1,700 eggs per nest and believe that only one female was involved, although fecundity was not determined. FIGURE 4. Just-hatched larva 2.97 mm total length. REFERENCES Bohlke, James E., and C. R. Robins 1960. A revision of the gobioid fish genus Coryphopterus. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., vol. 112, no. 5, pp. 103-128. Clemens, W. A. and G. V. Wilby 1961. Fishes of the Pacific coast of Canada. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada, Bull. 68 (second edit.), 443 pp. Roedel, Phil M. 1953. Common ocean fishes of the California coast. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Fish Bull. 91, 184 pp. Hildebrand, Samuel F. and Louella E. Cable 1938. Further notes on the development and life history of some teleosts at Beaufort, N.C. Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish., vol. 48, no. 24, pp. 543-573. Hubbs, Carl L. 1926. Notes on the gobioid fishes of California with description of the two new genera. Univ. Mich., Occas. Pap. Mus. Zool., vol. 169, pp. 1-6. Limbaugh, Conrad 1955. Fish life in the kelp beds and the effect of kelp harvesting. Univ. Calif. La Jolla, I.M.R. Ref. 55-9, 158 pp. ESTIMATING THE NUMBER OF ANGLING LICENSE PURCHASERS1 NORMAN J. ABRAMSON Marine Resources Operations California Department of Fish and Game INTRODUCTION The number of persons purchasing California angling licenses is of particular interest in relation to Federal Aid to Fish Restoration funds which are allocated according to number of license purchasers rather than number of licenses sold. California issues three types of special angling licenses in addition to the regular resident license. Because of the nature of these special licenses (3-day ocean waters only, 10-day nonresident, annual nonresident), some individuals probably purchase more than one of them. The object of this paper is to provide an estimate of the number of distinct persons who bought special licenses during 1961. ESTIMATION METHOD The estimation method I applied to the problem utilizes only infor- mation obtained by examining a sample of license stubs. This may be likened to solving a problem involving N balls of k different colors in an urn. There are n1 balls of the first color, n2 balls of the second color and nk balls of the kth color, k £ nj = N. Assume N is known and estimate k, the number of colors, from a sample of n balls. To see the analogy with the license problem, associate balls with licenses and colors with license purchasers. A theoretically more efficient method, which involves querying a sample of licensees regarding the number of licenses they purchased, could have been employed. However, such a method would have required either a high-cost field survey or a mail survey with possible large nonresponse error. Furthermore, surveys requiring the respondent to recall events of a past year may produce bias due to memory failure. Mosteller (1949) discussed solutions to the urn problem as well as the survey method and gave some results from experimental sampling. Goodman (1949) derived the unique unbiased estimator for k in the urn problem. Unfortunately this may give very unreasonable estimates and is too erratic for practical use. He also presented a modification of the unbiased estimator which, though not unbiased, always gives reasonable results. The modified estimator, which was deemed suitable 1 Submitted for publication June 1962. (253 ) 254 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME for estimating the number of persons purchasing special angling licenses during 1961, is s' = — ^7 7T~ x2 if s' > laX A k' = n(n—\) j^i UXi if s' < Li Xi i— 1 i— I where N is the number of special licenses in the population, n is the number of licenses sampled and Xi is the number of persons in the sample who purchased i licenses. To estimate the ratio of license purchasers to A A licenses, p' = k'/N was used. Raj (1961) derived an unbiased estimator for the variance of x2[N(N— l)]/[n(n— 1)] under the assumption that n,<2 for all j. We have used his formula, a fN(N-l) -|2r n(n-l) (JV— 2) (JV-3) -| V^ = Ln(n-l) *2J L1 N(N-1) (n-2) (n-3) J , N(N-1) r(N-2) (N-3) 1 + n(n-l) 2L(n-2) (n-3) J as an approximation to the variance of s'. The approximation will be close if very few persons purchased more than two special licenses. It should also be noted that the mean square error of k ' is less than MSE(s ') . Sim- A A ilarly, the variance of s'/N was approximated by V(s')/N2 and MSE(p ) < MSE(s'/N). ESTIMATES FOR 1961 Of 142,597 special angling licenses sold during 1961, 134,936 license stubs were available for sampling. A sample of 7,500 including seven illegible stubs was randomly selected. Examination of the sample revealed 52 pairs purchased by the same persons and one quadruplicate. Thus, JV = 134,936, n = 7,493, Xi = 7,385, x2 = 52 and x4 = 1. Computing the components of k', we obtain 2 x{ = 7,438 and s' = 118,070. Then, be- cause s' > S xif the estimated number of persons purchasing 134,936 special licenses in 1961 is k' = s' = 118,070. The estimated ratio of license purchasers to licenses is p' = .875. With respect to the bias oMhese estimates, it can be shown that for the iV and n of this problem, k' and p' tend to yield underestimates. Further, if the number of persons pur- chasing three or more licenses is small, the bias will be negligible relative to the estimate. A A The approximate standard errors of k' and p' are 2,305 and .017 respectively. ESTIMATING LICENSE BUYERS 255 SUMMARY An estimated 118,070 persons purchased 134,936 special California angling licenses during 1961. The corresponding ratio of license pur- chasers to licenses is 0.875. Approximate standard errors of the number of purchasers and the ratio are 2,305 and .017, respectively. Estimates were obtained from a random sample of 7,493 license stubs using a method involving examining the sample for persons purchasing more than one license. REFERENCES Goodman, Leo A. 1949. On the estimation of the number of classes in a population. Ann. Math. Stat., vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 572-579. Mosteller, Frederick 1949. Questions and answers. Amer. Stat., vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 12-13. Raj, Des 1961. On matching lists by samples. Amer. Stat. Assoc, Jour., vol. 56, no. 293, pp. 151-155. POTENTIAL PROFITS IN THE CALIFORNIA SALMON FISHERY1 DONALD H. FRY, JR. Marine Resources Branch California Department of Fish and Game INTRODUCTION More and more water and power projects are being built in Cali- fornia. Many of these will put dams in the paths of migrating fish, flood out their spawning areas and divert their spawning streams. In such instances, the Department of Fish and Game is legally required to order the construction agency to take appropriate steps to mini- mize damage to fish life by installing fishways, fish screens or fish hatcheries. Other state and federal statutes require the Department to report on and recommend other protective or compensating measures, including water releases to maintain fish life, and suggest changes in the project's design and operation to maintain and enhance these resources. The Department is not required to demonstrate the cash value of these fish in order to take steps to save them. Neither is the U.S. Coast Guard required to demonstrate that a sailor on a sinking ship is worth what it will cost to rescue him. In either instance, the victim's death would be apt to occur before the matter could be settled. This does not mean the Department can ignore the species or numbers of fish involved. Often, extensive studies must be carried out in order to determine how best to provide for fish runs, but such studies are based primarily on biology and engineering rather than on economics. Sometimes when studying a project it becomes evident that not only can runs be maintained but by spending a bit more money they can be increased. At this point, economics become of primary importance. Government agencies are required to regard fish production as one of the beneficial uses of water. If, in a state or federal project, an addi- tional expenditure would increase the run above its former (pre- project) level and the extra fish produced would more than offset the cost of producing them, there is an excellent chance that money to increase the run will be forthcoming. Conversely, if the cost of providing extra fish exceeds their value, the project will usually supply finances to maintain the run at its natural level — but no more. Once the cost of producing extra fish is known, the problem can be settled by determining the value of each fish. Unfortunately there are all too many ways to calculate this, and the answers are ridiculously far apart. For commercially-caught salmon, values from zero to well 1 An evaluation of the fishery based on a method suggested by Dr. James Crutchfield, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Washington, Seattle. Submitted for publication May 1962. (256) POTENTIAL SALMON PROFITS 257 above the retail cost-per-pound have been seriously suggested. In this paper, I will present a method of evaluating commercial salmon ; sport- caught fish pose altogether different problems and will not be dis- cussed. Quite logically, men who evaluate water projects want to be able to appraise the fisheries involved by methods comparable to those used on other parts of the project. Most values assigned to water, for example, are based on the increased profits that will be realized. A plot of land will ordinarily produce more if irrigated than if dry-farmed, but the costs of farming will be greater. Profits due to irrigating are calculated by deducting the extra expenses from the extra money gained from the larger (or different) crop. Commercial fisheries' values, on the other hand, have usually been expressed by the Department of Fish and Game as the total received for the fish at dockside, or some- times at the wholesale level, with no deductions for the cost of catch- ing them. On occasion this has led to the fisheries receiving little con- sideration because no one had calculated the profits involved. Some economists have insisted that, according to economic standards some- times used in business, many fisheries (including salmon) have no value because the fishermen could have made as much or more at almost any other job — the fishermen were, in effect, running a small business, paying themselves a bare minimum wage for long hours of hard work and, on the average, making no money whatever on their investment. Some American traditions and laws tend to reduce a fisherman's cash profit (above day wages) to the vanishing point. Truly efficient fishing gear is outlawed in the interests of conservation or to spread employment among as many people as possible. In California, for example, commercial fishermen may take salmon only by trolling — a grossly inefficient method made a trifle less so by a large investment in mechanized gear and electronic fishing aids. There is no limitation on the number of men who may enter this business. If too many do enter it, catches of individual fishermen fall off and the least efficient or most easily discouraged individuals drop out. If the dictates of conservation demand it, the State may hasten the process by shorten- ing the season. Limiting the number of boats and thus letting each make a fair living would be one approach — but our society has not chosen to use it. We do use this approach in some businesses such as radio and television stations, liquor stores, and power plants. It is often against the profits of a power-plant monopoly that fisheries' profits are compared. A farmer is allowed to own or lease land and manage it as efficiently as he is able. His crop is not open to harvest by anyone who comes along. A fisherman has no such protection even though his investment in boat and gear may exceed the cost of a farm. He must share the harvest with everyone who. enters the fishery and is often compelled by law to operate very inefficiently. Obviously, if the net economic yield concept is to be used to com- pare such differently managed businesses as power generation, farming and commercial fishing, it must be modified. For commercial fishing this could be done by calculating the profits a fishery would realize if it operated as a virtual monopoly, if it used the most efficient gear and 258 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME if the eatcli were adjusted to that which the resource could continuously produce under best management practices. For the salmon fishery of California's Central Valley, such profits can be calculated without wandering too far into fields of conjecture. A HYPOTHETICAL SALMON FISHERY I will describe a fishery which has been proven efficient. I am not proposing that such a fishery be created; it is only used as a method to calculate the potential net benefits of the resource — nothing else is implied. Assume that all commercial trolling was stopped and all commercial catches were made where they could be taken most efficiently. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would be an excellent area — the fish are still in prime condition (they are mature and have reached their maximum growth). A fishery would get maximum production out of Sacramento-San Joaquin fish. It would not harvest fish from other California rivers, but there is no reason why similar but smaller fisheries could not be established in other streams. Salmon in inland waters could be caught by many methods. Some of these are proven ones, having been used either in California or other parts of the world. Even electrical fishing could be considered in a study to determine the cheapest way to harvest fish ; however, I have chosen proven methods for this model in order to be on firmer ground when calculating costs. Some which might be used are : Salmon traps similar to those recently used in Alaska were once used in California but were not particularly effective in this State and were gradually being abandoned when the Legislature outlawed them. A dam with a fishway. This would have to be constructed upstream from the levee system controlling the lower river. Fish taken this far upstream would be approaching spawning condition and their desir- ability would be greatly reduced. Furthermore, capital investment would be very high, particularly because several streams would have to be dammed. Fishwheels have not been proven on the Sacramento. In any event, suitable sites are so far upstream that fish quality would have deterio- rated badly. Beach seines once met with moderate success but would never harvest the entire crop. There are not enough suitable seining sites in the Delta or in the lower Sacramento River. Gill nets were the only gear which proved successful for many decades in the inland waters of the Central Valley. Legislation reduced their effectiveness through the years, and gill-net fishermen had to be content with salmon that had escaped the expanding troll fishery. Finally, in 1957 salmon gill-netting was outlawed completely. A small gill-net fleet could be very effective if it operated to take the maximum sustainable yield for the lowest reasonable cost. In the last decades of the fishery, many gill-netters operated from Carquinez Strait to Pittsburg — an area with much open water which gave the fish a chance to scatter. Carquinez Strait is narrow but it is deep, has violent tides and such heavy boat traffic that the ship channel POTENTIAL SALMON PROFITS 259 must be kept free of nets. In the strait and other downstream areas, the boats had first chance at migrating fish but they were fishing in the large end of the funnel. Farther upstream in the Sacramento River, from Collinsville to Rio Vista and corresponding places on the San Joaquin, the boats were at the small end of the funnel but were catching only those fish that had escaped trollers and downstream gill-netters. To make sure they did not catch too many salmon, gill-netters were required to stop fishing on weekends.2 The season closed September 26 — at the peak of the fall migration — and did not open till November 15, by which time the run was down to a dribble. There was another closed season in early summer, but not nearly as many fish were moving at that time. All these restrictive measures (closed seasons, closed areas, etc.) were imposed largely because there were too many boats. Assume that instead of a large fleet scattered over a wide area, a small fleet fished in the small end of the funnel. Assume that instead of having two lengthy closed seasons, the fleet was kept small enough to permit the necessary escapement. This could be done by restricting the number of boats fishing when salmon were relatively scarce. The weekend closure could be lengthened when more escapement was needed and eliminated in times of excessive abundance. Assume also that this fleet was manned exclusively by competent fishermen. Such a fleet could harvest the Sacramento-San Joaquin at a very low cost. WHAT WOULD BE THE SIZE OF THE HARVEST? Obviously if there were no troll fishery, many more salmon would enter the Delta. Tagging and marking experiments have demonstrated that landings of salmon produced in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system exceed the total salmon from all sources which are landed in California. In other words, tonnages of Central Valley salmon taken by trollers off Oregon, "Washington, and Canada exceed all California catches of salmon from rivers outside the valley. Extensive additional analysis and possibly some additional marking experiments will be needed to demonstrate the amount of this excess, so for this study total state salmon landings will be used as a measure of how many pounds could be taken in the Delta if there were no troll fishery. This is a minimum figure, not only for the reason given above but because trollers keep many 5-pound salmon that two years later would weigh 20. In some years, the average weights of gill-netted salmon were almost twice those of troll-caught fish. Furthermore, many still-smaller fish are unintentionally killed in the course of being hooked, unhooked, and returned to the water. Average salmon landings over the 10 years 1952-1961 were 7,895,000 pounds, which will be used as the average catch of our hypothetical gill-net fleet operating in the Delta. How would the catch be distributed through the year? To determine this, the monthly gill-net catch of each of the last 10 complete years of the fishery (1947 through 1956) was expressed as a percent of that year's total catch and then averaged (column 1, Table 1). During this period, there were closed seasons during all of July and October, half •Weekly closed periods are useful to permit escapement and should probably be re- tained even with a much smaller fleet. 260 CALIFORNIA FTSII AND GAME TABLE 1 Theoretical Catch of a Gill Net Fishery Operating All Year Col. 1 Col. 2 Col. 3 Col. 4 Average percent of yearly catch 1946-1955 Column 1 expanded for closed periods Calculated average percent of yearly catch Catcli per month calculated from Col. 3 .69 2.15 1.88 3.15 5.62 1.05 7.10 76.53 .77 1.06 .09 2.15 1.88 3.15 5.02 2.101 0.052 10.00' 88.304 54.035 1.54« 1.06 .39 1.21 1.06 1.78 3.17 1.18 3.41 5.64 49.85 30.84 .87 .60 31,000 96,000 84,000 141,000 250,000 93,000 209,000 445,000 September, October November 3,935,000 2,435,000 69,000 47,000 100.00 177.17 100.00 7,895,000 1 June — Col. 1 doubled (15 days closed). 2 July — Interpolated between June and August (after expanding Avg.). 8 Aug. — x 31/22 (9 days closed). * Sept. — x 30/26 (4 days closed) 5 Oct. — Used ratio of Sept. to Oct. catches taken by Fish and Game employees in tagging traps operated in the lower Sacramento River 1953-1956. 6 Nov. — Doubled (15 days closed). of June and November, the first nine days of August and the last four days of September. To make a somewhat better estimate of the probable catch of a gill-net fleet operating throughout the year, the June and November catches were doubled, the August catch wa.s multiplied by 31/22 and the September catch by 30/26. The July catch is an interpo- lation between those of June and August since trap catches made by Fish and Game personnel in the lower Sacramento River indicated the run was gradually picking up over this period. The October catch was estimated by averaging our September and October trap catches for four years and using the ratio of the average September to the average October catch (column 2).3 Since this yielded 177.17 percent, it was reduced to 100 percent by multiplying each month's catch by 100/177.17 (column 3). Finally, the last column contains the theoretical monthly poundages that would be landed, assuming a total catch of 7,895,000 pounds. These figures will be used even though the total catch probably could be greater because only full-grown fish would be harvested. HOW MANY BOATS WOULD BE REQUIRED? The Sacramento-San Joaquin gill-net fleet increased from about 100 boats in 1872 to about 750 in 100!) and then gradually declined to about 150 in the mid-30 's. In 1946, each of 242 boats landed 1,000 pounds or * See Hallock, Fry, and LaFaunce (1957). The traps were fished through September and October in each of four years, but were operated from June through August in only one year. POTENTIAL SALMON PROFITS 261 more for the season.4 The 1909 fleet, presumably oar or sail powered, covered a much larger area than was legally fishable in later decades, but still overcrowded the fishing grounds. The 242 boats fishing in 1946 were covering a wider area than would be necessary for a smaller fleet — and they too were overcrowded. This fleet was gasoline powered but, with possibly one or two exceptions, nets were pulled by hand. Our hypothetical fleet would have power-driven net rollers and one man could handle a boat except during the height of the fall season. How many such boats, placed in the most strategic areas, would be required to take about 8,000,000 pounds per year? In 1946, the gill-net catch was 6,463,000 pounds — the highest year in which we have records of catches of individual boats. The September catch in 1946 was 3,674,000 pounds, although the season ended Sep- tember 26. Had fishing continued through September 30, the catch would almost certainly have exceeded 4,250,000 pounds — more than we would expect from our hypothetical fleet in an average September. The 1946 fleet had 219 boats fishing in September. There were too many of them; they got in each other's way. Boats and nets drift with the tide, and on the better drifts boats lined up and had to await a turn. Each boat caught some fish, alarmed others, and made fishing worse for the boat behind it. Half as many boats fishing the same drifts would have had a much better average-catch-per-boat. A quarter as many boats fishing only the best drifts would have had still better catches. The 59 poorest boats took only 283,000 pounds (Table 2). The re- maining 160 boats took over 3,390,000 pounds and had they fished at the same rate through September 30 would have taken over 3,900,000 pounds. Without a troll fishery, salmon in an average year would be more abundant than in 1946 — catch-per-boat would be greater and a smaller fleet would suffice. "We do not want our small fleet to take as high a proportion of the fish as the old fleet did — we want enough fish to get past the nets to eliminate all need for lengthy closed seasons. TABLE 2 Sacramento-San Joaquin River Fishery, September 1946 Salmon Boat Catches Catches in Number thousands of of pounds boats Under 5,000 30 5,000- 9,999 29 10,000-14,999 30 15,000-19,999 46 20,000-24.999 39 25,000-29,999 29 30,000-34,999 12 35,000-39,999 2 40,000-44,999 1 45,000-49,999 1 219 4 From Fry (1949), and unpublished records of the Department of Fish and Game. 262 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME The 1946 fleet pulled its nets by hand. Power rollers will bring a net in faster and with less effort and more time can be spent actually catch- ing fish. The 1946 fleet used linen nets — linen is relatively inefficient, especi- ally in the daytime. When nylon nets were tried in the Delta they took many more fish than linen.5 Monofilament nets were developed after all net fishing had been outlawed in the Delta. They have been used in other areas and took from two to more than three times as many fish as nylon nets with which they were competing.6 Monofilament nets have been outlawed in Washington and British Columbia — they are too ef- fective. The 3,900,000 pounds that the 160 "high" boats in 1946 would have taken had they been allowed to fish through September 30 were about what our hypothetical fleet would be expected to take in September. Without their 59 inefficient competitors, a somewhat smaller fleet could have done the job. Probably fewer than 40 boats would be required to take 3,900,000 pounds if they were using power pullers and fishing in the best places with nets capable of catching several times as many fish, and with salmon at a higher level of abundance. To allow for higher catches in above-average years, I am proposing a hypothetical fleet of 50 boats. These 50 boats would probably be able to take so much fish that weekend closures would be needed in most years to permit adequate escapement. The lengths of these closures could be varied to suit the sizes of the runs. Thus far I have stressed the fishery as it could be expected to exist in September, since that is the peak month and the one in which, his- torically, the largest catches were always made. In recent decades, October was always closed. Our hypothetical fishery could expect to make excellent catches in October. Based upon experimental fishing by department employees near the mouth of the Feather River, October catches would average about 62 percent as much as those made in Sep- tember. The limiting factor during September and October would not only be the catching capacity of the nets — it would include the fishermen's endurance. During the rest of the year neither of these problems would be serious and fewer boats could do the job. Ten boats would probably be sufficient to harvest the catch during 6 of the 12 months (Table 3). It might be necessary legally to limit the number of boats by law which could fish during months other than September and October, but eco- nomics probably would do a fairly good job of regulation. In the past only a small part of the fleet was fishing during poorer months. 8 The most comprehensive comparison of nylon and linen gill-net catches I found was that by Davis and Posey (1959). They compare catches made with several mesh sizes and three twine sizes of cotton, two of linen, and five of nylon that could be directly compared with the cotton and linen. Gill nets and trammel nets were among the gear tested. (A trammel net is a highly modified form of gill net — both gill and trammel nets were used in the Delta salmon fishery.) The number of net days of fishing ran into the thousands. Comparing the most effective twine size of nylon with the most effective linen twine size for each mesh size, the weight of fish taken by nylon trammel nets averaged about 2.5 times that taken by linen trammel nets, and nylon gill-net catches averaged about 3.5 times those of linen gill nets. (Cotton ran third.) Monofilament was not Included in their tests. a Pacific Fisherman (1961) states that in the Japanese high seas salmon fishery of 1961, the catch rate of monofilament nets is reported to have averaged 2.5 times as much as for the conventional multifilament nylon nets. POTENTIAL SALMON PROFITS 263 TABLE 3 Fleet Needed to Harvest Sacramento-San Joaquin Salmon Thousands of pounds to be landed1 Boats fishing Fishermen fishing January... February. . March April May June July August September October November December. 31,000 96,000 84,000 141,000 250,000 93,000 269,000 445,000 3,935,000 2,435,000 69,000 47,000 7,895,000 10 10 10 15 20 10 15 20 50 50 10 10 230 10 10 10 15 20 10 15 20 100 100 10 10 330 1 These are the theoretical catches that would be made If the timing and relative size of the runs averaged the same as they did from 1947-56. Department of Fish and Game men believe that, at present, the winter run would be larger and the spring run smaller than shown above. COST OF FLEET OPERATION Because we might want as many as 50 boats fishing at the peak of the best years, costs will be calculated on the assumption there are 50 boats in the fleet and that all are allowed to fish during September and October of every year. During a poor year, it would be necessary to close the season enough days per week to let enough salmon escape to maintain the run. We will assume that in an average year, 25 fishing days per month would be permissible including any lost because of bad weather. (Bad weather rarely is a problem in the Delta.) During September and October, each boat would be operated by two men. Dur- ing the rest of the year, only one man per boat would be required. Fewer boats would be licensed to fish from November through August in the event smaller catches did not automatically reduce the active fleet. In any fishery which is at its peak for only two months each year, most of the fishermen would have other jobs during much of the year. Historically, many gill-net fishermen migrated to Alaska to work in other gill-net fisheries. Some entered other seasonal fisheries and still others had nonfishing jobs. An adequate gill-net boat with engine can be built for as little as $6,000. Because our fleet would have to be in top condition, I am allow- ing $7,500 per boat— $6,000 for the hull and $1,500 for the motor. The hull would have a useful life of about 20 years and could be sold for about $1,000 at the end of that time, making a net cost-per-year of $250. The motor would have a useful life of only 10 years, and would be worth about $300 on a trade-in, making its net cost-per-year about $120. Proper maintenance of boat and motor would require a cash outlay of about $300 per year. This is based on the assumption that much of the maintenance (especially hull maintenance) would be done by the 264 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME fishermen themselves. (It nearly always is.) Using $20 per working day as a fisherman's wages and allowing 20 daj-s per year of maintenance work, would add $400 per year to maintenance. A nylon net which normally would have a life of about two years can be purchased for about $1,500. To allow for accidents and for heavier usage than normal, I based costs on a useful life of 1^ years at $1,000 per year. Allowing 20 days per year of a fisherman's time for net work adds $400. All these costs total $2,470 per year per boat exclusive of fuel and oil. Gasoline and oil would probably cost about $6 per day r>r $150 per 25-day boat month. Fuel and oil costs will, of course, be applicable only when boats are operating. Fishermen would be making wages if working at nonfishing jobs so, for determining costs and profits, fishermen's wages while fishing were calculated at $20 per day with no allowance for overtime and were then included in the expense of operation. Profits, as used here, would be the amount over and above all expenses, including wages. According to the costs just given and the fishing schedule in Table 3, the calculated cost of operating the entire fleet for a year would be $323,000 (Table 4). Salmon are high-priced fish. The public has always been willing to buy the entire California catch and usually additional tonnages that are imported into the State as well. Since our hypothetical fishery will be operating in the future and because its costs are all based on current prices, I have used the latest price figures available in detail, i.e., those of 1959. The 1960 prices were higher, but I lack full details. TABLE 4 Cost of Operating a 50-Boat Fleet Item Cost Boat, other than fuel Hull $6,000 ; useful life 20 years ; sale value $1,000 ; cost per year $250.00 Motor $1,500 ; useful life 10 years ; turn-in $300 ; cost per year 120.00 Boat and motor maintenance, cash outlay per year 300.00 Fisherman's time on maintenance, 20 days per year at $20 per day 400.00 Net Purchase price $1,500; useful life 1J years; cost per year 1,000.00 Fisherman's time spent maintaining net, 20 days at $20 per day 400.00 Total per boat other than fuel or wages of fisherman while fishing, per year $2,470.00 Total cost of fleet of 50 boats, per year $123,500.00 Fuel, 230 boat-months at $150.00 per boat-month — total per year 34,500.00 Wages of Fishermen (exclusive of maintenance) 330 man-months at $500 per 25-day month 165,000.00 TOTAL COST OF OPERATING FLEET OF 50 BOATS, PER YEAR $323,000.00 POTENTIAL SALMON PROFITS 265 TABLE 5 Income and Profit from the Hypothetical Fishery Average gross income : 7,895,000 lbs. of salmon at $0,421 per lb $3,324,000 Less: Total cost of operating fleet 323,000 (see Table 4) " POTENTIAL NET PROFIT $3,001,000 Potential net profit per pound of salmon landed $0.38 Potential net profit per fisb landed , $8.45 The 1959 salmon catch was landed entirely by trollers who, in 1959, received an average of $0,468 per pound for their fish. Traditionally, gill-net caught fish sold for a trifle less than troll-caught fish, because as soon as salmon leave the ocean some begin to lose their silvery color and take on spawning colors. To determine the ratio between troll- and gill-net fish prices, the average received for each was compared during the last five years of the gill-net fishery. Gill-net fish sold for as little as 75.5 percent of the troll fish price-per-pound in 1955 and as much as 99 percent in 1954. The five-year average was 90 percent. At this rate, the 1959 catch would have been worth 0.9 times $0,468, or $0,421 per pound. A 7,895,000-pound catch would have sold for about $3,324,000. The fishermen would have received roughly $3,000,000 over and above their boat operation costs and their wages of $20 per day (Table 5). This is the equivalent of a profit of 38 cents for each pound of salmon landed, or about $8.45 per fish.7 These are the profits a 50-boat fleet could have made if the operators had owned and harvested the Sacramento-San Joaquin salmon runs much as a farmer owns and harvests crops grown on his land. With appropriate adjustments as prices change, these figures can be used to calculate net benefits to commercial salmon fisheries if a water or power project is able to enhance existing salmon runs or establish new ones. This method takes no account of sportfishery values. In making the calculations it was assumed there would be a sportfishery in addition to the hypothetical commercial fishery just as there is a sportfishery in addition to the existing commercial fishery. Sport values would, there- fore, be in addition to commercial values. SUMMARY "When water or power projects might damage a fishery, it is not nec- essary under California and federal law to determine the dollar value of the threatened fishery, to obtain fishways or hatcheries, or in other ways maintain the fishery at its natural preproject level. To obtain funds to enhance a fishery, it is necessary to show the value of extra fish produced will exceed the cost of producing them. The methods presently used to evaluate commercial fisheries are varied, and none is directly comparable with methods used to calculate the value of other beneficial uses of water. 7 According to Cope and Slater (1957) the average weight of a gill-net caught salmon was 22.23 pounds during 1947-1949. 266 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME The net-economic-yield concept is not applicable to a fishery in which everyone can participate and in which efficient methods are outlawed to prevent overfishing. The concept could be applied, however, in a fishery managed for maximum efficiency. The profits that would accrue from such a fishery are calculated. The troll fishery, now the only legal way to take commercial salmon in California, is very inefficient. Several other fishing methods are briefly considered and costs are calculated for operating a hypothetical gill-net fleet in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. (It is not proposed that gill netting be legalized — the study is strictly for calculating profits.) In such a hypothetical fishery all trolling would be stopped, all fishing for Sacramento-San Joaquin salmon would be in the Delta. Similar fisheries could be established in other rivers. The historical gill-net fishery was outlawed in 1957 after its efficiency had been reduced by overcrowding, closed seasons, and closed areas. It could take only those fish which escaped the trollers. The harvest in the Delta could be at least as large as the total ocean salmon catch off California because landings of Sacramento-San Joa- quin salmon presently made off Oregon, Washington, and Canada exceed catches made off California of salmon from all other rivers. California's 7,895,000-pound average annual catch (1952-1961) was used as the normal catch of the hypothetical gill-net fleet. The probable monthly distribution of the catch was determined from gill-net catch records and from some experimental fishing during the closed season. The largest gill-net catch for which we have detailed records was made in 1946 when 6,463,000 pounds of salmon were taken. The season closed September 26 when fishing was at its peak. In September, 219 boats were fishing, including a number of unsuccessful ones. The fishing grounds were seriously overcrowded and the fishermen were using linen gill nets which were pulled by hand. By doing away with lengthy closed seasons and by using nylon or monofilament nets (which have been proven much more effective) and mechanical net pullers, a fleet of 50 boats manned by good fishermen could land the same poundage. The 50 boats would be needed only during the peak months of Sep- tember and October. The cost of purchasing, maintaining and operating such a fleet would be about $323,000 per year, including $20 per day for time spent by each fisherman either while fishing or doing maintenance work. The gross income at 1959 prices, about $3,324,000 per year, would yield a net profit of over $3,000,000 which is the equivalent of 38 cents per pound or $8.45 per fish landed. Thus, 38 cents per pound or $8.45 per fish would be a justifiable amount to allow when calculating net benefits to the commercial salmon fishery that would result from enhancing existing runs or establishing new ones. Values of the sport catch are not included in these determinations. POTENTIAL SALMON PROFITS 26? REFERENCES Cope, Oliver B., and Daniel W. Slater 1957. Role of Coleman Hatchery in maintaining a king salmon run. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Res. Rept. 47 ; 22 pp. Davis, James, and Lloyd Posey, Jr. 1959. Relative selectivity of freshwater commercial fishing devices used in Lou- isiana. Louisiana Wild Life and Fish. Comm., New Orleans, 27 pp., 9 figs., 3 tbs., Suppl., 144 pp., 187 tbs. Fry, Donald H., Jr. 1949. Salmon. In The commercial fish catch of California for the year 1947 with an historical review 1916-1947. Calif. Fish and Game, Fish Bull. 74, pp. 37-49. Hallock, Richard J., D. H. Fry, Jr., and Don A. LaFaunce 1957. The use of wire fyke traps to estimate the runs of adult salmon and steel- head in the Sacramento River. Calif. Fish and Game, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 271-298. Pacific Fisherman 1961. What the Japanese report about monofilament salmon gillnets. Pac. Fish., vol. 59, no. 12, p. 29. THE RESPONSE OF BROWSE PLANTS TO FERTILIZATION1 R. P. GIBBENS and REX D. PIEPER School of Forestry, University of California, Berkeley INTRODUCTION The wildland areas serving as game ranges today are covered pre- dominately by shrubs. The browse produced by these plants is a staple item in the diet of game, particularly deer. Thus, shrubs constitute a crop ; just as corn, grass, or trees are crops on other land. Fertiliza- tion, a technique which has proved its worth in managing other crops, may be useful in managing game ranges as well. Although there is a wealth of knowledge about the response of "cash" crops to fertilization, little information is available on the response of shrubs. This study was undertaken to gain some knowledge of the growth and utilization of browse plants on a deer winter range following fertilization. The soils of wildland areas in California are often deficient in nutrients. A survey of about 100 upland soils, many associated with a brush cover, showed about two-thirds were low in available nitrogen and phosphorus, indicated by lettuce grown in pot tests (Jenny, 1950). Similar tests of brushland soils from southern California showed nearly all were deficient in nitrogen and phosphorus, especially in the lower horizons (Vlamis, et al, 1954). Native brush plants, as well as lettuce, have been used as indicators in pot tests of some common brushland soils from the coast ranges and the central Sierra Nevada. Available nutrients were often low and the brush seedlings used as indicators were much larger and more vigorous when deficiencies were corrected (Schultz, et al, 1958; Vlamis, et al, 1959). In the semiarid San Gabriel mountains of southern California, soil nutrition, as well as water, was a controlling factor in the growth of shrubs and trees, both for seed- lings in pots and for mature plants in the field (Hellmers, et al, 1955). Thus it seems that fertilization might prove valuable for increasing the quantity, and possibly the quality, of browse on game ranges. The effect of fertilizers was investigated in conjunction with other brush manipulation studies on the San Joaquin deer winter range. The winter range lies on the west side of the San Joaquin river in Madera County. The topography is rough, ranging from precipitous slopes to relatively level benches. Soils vary from deep to shallow and rocky, with frequent granite outerops. The vegetation is predominately mixed chaparral, but ponderosa pine and oak woodland, with grass or brush understory, are also present. The study area is at an elevation of about 1 Submitted for publication June 1961. This study Is part of a project conducted by the University of California under contract with the California Department of Fish and Game under Federal Aid in WMldlife Restoration Act Project 51-R, "Big' Game Investigations." Part of the fertilizers used were supplied by the California Spray-Chemical Corporation. (268) BROWSE FERTILIZATION 269 3,800 feet. The average annual precipitation is 34 inches, but during 1959 and 1960, when the studies were conducted, rainfall was only 24 and 28 inches, respectively. The winter range is occupied by a large population of migratory deer from November to the middle of May each year. Browse plants are utilized very heavily during this period. Pellet counts made on brushy areas manipulated by mashing and burning showed as many as 200 deer days of use per acre. Livestock also use portions of the winter range at various seasons. RESPONSE OF BRUSH SEEDLINGS To determine the effect of fertilization on brush seedlings, two areas were selected on which the original cover had been manipulated by mashing and burning. One, the Lion Point area, was mashed and burned in the fall of 1955. When the fertilization studies were started in the fall of 1958, this area had a dense stand of three-year-old wedge- leaf ceanothus seedlings (Ceanothus cuneatus), an abundant and im- portant source of browse. Eight plots, each 60 x 33.5 feet, were laid out in two contiguous rows on a gentle slope. In each plot, 100 seedlings were marked by tagging every one encountered in transects 1 foot wide until all the tags were used. Heights of the plants were recorded when they were tagged ; the plants were remeasured each spring and fall until the study was termi- nated. Another series of eight plots, each 50 x 37.5 feet, was laid out on Kinsman Flat which had been mashed and burned in the spring of 1957. Wedgeleaf ceanothus seedlings were not so abundant here as at Lion Point and only 50 seedlings were tagged and measured in each plot. These seedlings were one and two years old in the fall of 1958, with one-year-olds predominating. At the start of the study, there were 2.26 seedlings per sq. ft. on the Lion Point plots and 0.14 per sq. ft. on the Kinsman Flat plots. On both the Lion Point and Kinsman Flat plots, herbaceous cover consisted primarily of annual grasses and filaree. There were scattered perennial grasses on the Lion Point plots. Shrubs, other than wedgeleaf ceanothus, were thinly scattered on the plots. Ammonium phosphate (20-20-0) was applied to alternate plots in both groups at the rate of 150 pounds of N and 150 pounds of P2O5 per acre in October 1958 and March 1959. During the second year, fertilizer applications were repeated, so the final treatment was 600 pounds of N and 600 pounds of P205 per acre. All of the plots were browsed by deer from November 1st to the middle of May. Two fertilized and two nonf ertilized plots in each group were fenced to exclude cattle. Cattle grazed the Lion Point area during March, April, and May and the Kinsman Flat area during August and September. Mortality The mortality of seedlings was greater on fertilized plots than on the control plots; this was true of both age groups (Figure 1). Losses were much greater on the Kinsman Flat plots where the seedlings were younger. Fertilization resulted in almost complete annihilation of small 270 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME LION POINT 400 300 200 in o z 100 _j Q UJ UJ IS) KINSMAN FLAT 200 CD 2 => 150 100 50 FALL 1958 FIGURE 1. Number of wedgeleaf ceanothus seedlings surviving on fertilized plots (black bars) and control plots (white bars). Seedlings on Lion Point plots three years old when fertilizers applied, those on Kinsman Flat plots one and two years old. seedlings. Most of the seedlings which died on control plots were also small. Virtually none of the largest seedlings died on either treatment. The stimulation of the growth of herbaceous vegetation was probably a prime factor in increasing mortality of the brush seedlings on ferti- lized plots. The yield of herbaceous vegetation was determined in 1959 on both Lion Point and Kinsman Flat plots. Production did not exceed 600 pounds per acre, due to the very dry growing conditions which prevailed during the spring. However, yields were significantly higher on fertilized plots on both areas. Production of herbaceous vegetation was not measured in 1960, but better moisture conditions resulted in an obvious increase in yield on fertilized plots as compared to control plots (Figure 2). Growth By using only the tagged seedlings which were alive at the end of the experiment, it was possible to determine if fertilization caused an increase in height. The heights recorded for surviving seedlings at the start of the study did not differ significantly between fertilized and control plots. In the fall of 1960, when the final measurements BROWSE FERTILIZATION 271 FIGURE 2. Stand of five-year-old wedgeleaf ceanothus seedlings on the Lion Point plots in the fall of 1960. Plots in upper left and lower right were fertilized in each of the two pre- ceding years. This orea has not been grazed by cattle and grasses on the fertilized plots obscure most of the seedlings. were made, there was no significant difference in seedling heights on the two treatments. The fall measurements included a season increment not yet browsed, but evidently the heavy use during previous winters suppressed any measurable response to fertilization. A few seedlings protected from browsing by exclosures made more growth when ferti- lized than those not fertilized but similarly protected. Utilization Each fall 200 twigs were tagged and measured on fertilized and nonfertilized seedlings. In the winter of 1958-59, deer removed 27 and 28 percent of the twig length on fertilized and control seedlings, respec- tively. The average reduction in twig length was 33 percent on fertilized plants and 36 percent on control plants in 1959-60. The difference in amount removed was not significant in either winter. The reduction in seedling heights during the winter, another measure of utilization, was not significantly different on fertilized and control plants. Reduc- tion in height is a rather poor measure of utilization because the tallest living portion is often a group of leaves on an old twig, instead of a new leader which may be bitten off. Deer exhibited a preference for the herbaceous growth on fertilized plots. This was especially evident on the Kinsman Flat plots in April 1960. At this time, grazing by deer had kept large portions of the fertilized plots mowed off, while the control plots showed little use. 272 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Livestock also preferred the forage on fertilized plots, but they used ncmfertilized plots heavily too, as forage was scarce during both years. No differences were found in the growth or mortality of seedlings between plots protected from livestock and those which were grazed, but there was a greater accumulation of mulch and litter, since the herbaceous vegetation was not grazed by cattle. RESPONSE OF MATURE WEDGELEAF CEANOTHUS PLANTS A series of plots was established on a portion of the winter range burned by wildfire in 1939. The area studied has a stand of heavily- hedged wedgeleaf ceanothus plants 2 to 4 feet high (Figure 3). In November 1958, ammonium phosphate (10-20-0) was applied to about 4 acres with a mechanized spreader at about 100 pounds of N and 200 pounds of P2O5 per acre. On small plots, 50 x 75 feet, fertilizers were applied in the following amounts and kinds : ammonium nitrate, at 80 pounds of N per acre; ammonium sulfate, 80 pounds N and 90 pounds S ; treble superphosphate, 140 pounds of P2O5. These applica- tions were made in combination so that the following treatments were obtained; control; nitrogen (N) ; nitrogen-phosphorus (NP) ; nitrogen- sulfur (NS) ; and nitrogen-sulfur-phosphorus (NSP). After ammonium phosphate was applied to the 4-acre plot, four plants in each of the following vigor categories were selected: 75 per- cent decadent; 50 percent decadent; and healthy or nondecadent. Two plants in each category were on the fertilized area and two on an adjacent nonfertilized area. These plants were protected by individual FIGURE 3. A portion of the stand of heavily-hedged wedgeleaf ceanothus plants used in the fertilizer trials. Picture taken in the fall of 1958 when the plants were 19 years old. BROWSE FERTILIZATION 273 exclosures from the fall of 1958 to the fall of 1959. On each plant, 20 twigs were tagged and measured at intervals during the spring and summer to determine the amount and rate of growth. A shortage of fencing material limited the protection on the small plots to a single plant on the NSP treatment. Due to similarity of response and subjective nature of selection, the 75 and 50 percent decadent plants were combined when analyzing the data. One decadent plant on the control area and scattered twigs on other plants died. Only twigs still living in the fall of 1959 were used in computing growth. As the tagged leaders were selected at random, twigs of different lengths were marked. The twigs with the longest original length made the most growth, probably because of a more favorable location on the plant. The differences among twig lengths on the various treated plots were significant. Consequently, the seasonal increment of each leader was adjusted by using the regression co- efficient of seasonal increment on original twig length. Adjusted sea- sonal increment for the treatments could be compared by a "t" test, since the influence of original twig length on growth had been equal- ized. Seasonal increment included the length of lateral branches which developed on the twigs and the increase in length of the central, dominant branch. Fertilization failed to stimulate leader growth on the healthy plants sampled (Table 1). The nonfertilized, healthy plants produced sig- nificantly more growth than the fertilized ones. However, the decadent plants which were fertilized produced significantly more growth than those which were not fertilized. Twig growth on all of the plants was largely confined to the period from April 15 to June 19. Only fertilized decadent plants grew appreciably in the latter part of the season. Since the spring of 1959 was extremely dry, moisture was probably more limiting to plant growth than nutrient supply. There were no visible differences in herbaceous growth on the plots during the season. A 3-inch rain which fell on September 18 did not initiate measurable twig growth. In the fall of 1959, additional ammonium phosphate (20-20-0) was applied on a portion of the 4-acre plot fertilized the previous year. Hand broadcasting was used to spread the fertilizer at a rate of 200 pounds of N and 200 pounds of P205 per acre on a plot 100x300 feet. TABLE 1 Seasonal Increment of Wedgeleaf Ceanothus Twigs During the 1959 Growing Season Treatment Number of plants Number of twigs Average twig increment (inches) Adjusted twig1 increment (inches) NP 2— healthy 1 — healthy 2 — healthy 4 — decadent 3 — decadent 40 20 40 72 55 3.78 4.19 4.52 3.94 1.64 2.84b° NSP --- 3 . 58 « b 4.34" NP --- 3.94»b 2.67° 1 There is a significant difference (P < .05) between adjusted means of treatments having different letters for superscripts, and no significant difference where the same letter occurs in the superscript. For example, in Table 1 the NP treatment with a mean of 2.84bc is significantly different from the control (4.34*) because the superscripts have no letter in common. The NP treatment is not different from any other treatment because either b or c appears in all other superscripts. The superscript letters should be read individually and not as terms. 274 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME TABLE 2 Twig Increment of Fertilized Plants During the 1960 Growing Season Treatment1 Number of plants Number of twigs Average twig increment (inches) Adjusted twig' increment (inches) NP (1958 and 1959). NP (1958)- Control Wedgeleaf ceanothus (large plots) 100 100 100 NP (1958) _. NSP (1958). N (1958)... NS (1958).. P (1958) Control Wedgeleaf ceanothus (small plots) 20 20 20 20 20 20 NP (1959).. NS (1959).. NSP (1959). P (1959).... Control Mariposa manzanita 60 60 60 60 60 9.71 8.98 7.71 8.18 8.73 7.27 6.74 2.57 5.00 8.38 5.83 7.69 8.60 4.87 10.20* 8.94» 7.20b 8.82» 7.30'' 6.69b 5.61b 4.73b 5.32b 8.90» 7.35» 7.08' 7.00» 5.02b 1 Symbol of element and year applied. 2 See Table I footnote for explanation. On each of the following areas five healthy plants were protected by exclosures : fertilized in 1958 — 100 pounds of N and 200 pounds of P205 per acre ; fertilized in 1958 and 1959 — total treatment 300 pounds of N and 400 pounds of P2O5 per acre; and a control area. Vigor was not considered in this experiment because an adequate sample of de- cadent plants could not be found on each area. Twigs were tagged and measured on each fenced plant to determine growth during the spring and summer of 1960. Seasonal increments were adjusted in the same manner as before. Both fertilizer treatments produced significantly more twig growth of wedgeleaf ceanothus than the control (Table 2). There was no signi- ficant difference in twig growth between the two fertilizer treatments, although twigs on plants receiving the second application of fertilizer were longer. On the small plots fertilized in 1958, one representative plant was protected by an exclosure during the winter of 1959-60. No additional fertilizer was applied to these plots. Again, differences in the original length of twigs among treatments made it necessary to adjust seasonal increment before comparisons could be made. The NP treatment pro- duced significantly more twig growth than the control (Table 2). The other fertilizer treatments did not increase twig growth over the control although the NSP treatment approached significance. Thus, pronounced carry-over effect was evident only when N and P were in combination. This conforms to the effects observed in agricultural crops. Better moisture conditions in the spring of 1960 resulted in a sea- sonal increment nearly double that of 1959. From 75 to 95 percent of the season's growth was completed by June 15. There were no apparent relationships between fertilization and the length of growing period. BROWSE FERTILIZATION 275 RESPONSE OF MARIPOSA MANZANITA In the fall of 1959, plots were laid out on a portion of the 1939 wild- fire burn occupied by low, hedged mariposa manzanita (Arctostaphylos mariposa) plants (Figure 4). This species was selected because it is abundant, but low in palatability. Fertilizers were applied by hand broadcasting on plots 50x75 feet. Single superphosphate, ammonium sulphate and ammonium phosphate were used to give the following treatments : 100 pounds of N and 114 pounds of S per acre; 100 pounds of P2O5 per acre; 100 pounds of N, 100 pounds of P2O5, and 114 pounds of S per acre ; and 200 pounds of N and P2O5 per acre. Growth response was measured by tagging and measuring 20 twigs on each of three plants on each treatment. The plants were protected by exclosures when the fertilizers were applied and twig growth for the 1960 grow- ing season determined. The seasonal increments in twig length were adjusted for differences in original twig length in the same manner as those of wedgeleaf ceanothus. All of the fertilized plants had significantly more twig growth than the control plants (Table 2). There were no significant differences among the fertilizer treatments, although the NP treatment produced slightly longer twigs ; note the heavier rate of N fertilization. Mariposa manzanita completed a large part of the season's growth by June 15. FIGURE 4. Mariposa manzanita plants on plot fertilized with NSP. Grasses outside exclosure were grazed by deer earlier in the season and consequently are much shorter than those inside the exclosure. 276 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME DEER UTILIZATION OF FERTILIZED PLANTS Mature wedgeleaf ceanothus and mariposa manzanita plant utiliza- tion was determined by tagging and measuring large numbers of cur- rent twigs in the fall and remeasuring the same twigs in the spring after the deer had left. The reduction in twig length caused by browsing was used as an index to utilization. No leaf-use measurements were made, but leaf utilization probably would be in the same proportion as twig use. Since the deer were present until the middle of May, utiliza- tion and growing periods overlapped. Tagged leaders of the previous season gave no indication of use during this period. However, when tagged leaders were measured in the spring, a record was made of the number having new axillary leaders and the number browsed. Less than 5 percent of the new leaders were browsed, indicating little nse of new twig growth during the spring. During the winter of 1958-59, small aluminum tags were used to mark twigs. Deer liked to chew these tags, resulting in an unplanned reduction in sample size. Consequently, small lengths of electrical hook-up wire with insulation of different colors were used the second winter. This method was very successful. The deer did not chew the wire and a great deal of time was saved when making measurements, as it was not necessary to look for, and read, a number. Ten color pat- terns were used as this was the number of twigs marked on an in- dividual bush. The number of bushes used varied with the size of the plots. Deer removed more from longer twigs than they did from shorter ones. Also, the original length of twigs differed significantly among treatments. Thus, to compare the amount removed from twigs on various treatments, it was necessary to adjust the amount removed from each twig with the overall regression coefficient of amount removed on original length. This adjustment equalized the influence of original twig length. Treatment differences could then be determined by the "t" test. This procedure had not been necessary for the twigs measured on the seedlings because the original lengths were not significantly differ- ent between treatments. In the fall of 1958, wedgeleaf ceanothus twigs were tagged on the following treatments: control, NP, P, NS, and NSP. Comparison of the TABLE 3 Reduction in Twig Length by Deer on Fertilized Wedgeleaf Ceanothus Plants During the Winter of 1958-59 Treatment1 Number of twigs measured Percent of twigs browsed Percent of twig length removed Average amount of twig removed (inches) Adjusted amount' of twig removed (inches) NS (1958) 94 96 546 99 567 96 99 98 98 99 33 32 23 15 21 1.15 1.45 0.79 0.47 0.66 1.10« NSP (1958) NP (1958). 1.02» 0.79b P (1958) 0.55« 0.74>> 1 Symbol of element and year applied. 2 See Table I footnote for explanation. BROWSE FERTILIZATION 277 TABLE 4 Reduction in Twig Length of Fertilized Plants by Deer During the Winter of 1959-60 Average Adjusted Percent amount amount1 Number Percent of twig of twig of twig of twigs of twigs length removed removed Treatment' measured browsed removed (inches) (inches) NSP (1958) NS (1958) P (1958) NP (1958) N (1958) NP (1958 and 1959) NP (1958) Control NP (1959) NSP (1959) NS (1959) P (1959) Control Wedgeleaf ceanothus 98 98 54 1.20 1.07» 97 100 60 0.89 1.00» 98 99 56 0.79 0.92 b 98 100 54 0.70 0.86* 100 97 44 0.64 0.76d 300 100 42 0.73 0.75d 293 99 36 0.75 0.66<» 300 100 37 0.75 0.68d 96 100 94 1)7 Mariposa manzanita 99 89 96 61 74 32 33 36 15 30 1.44 1.22 0.92 0.56 0.84 1.35* 1.17»b l.Olbo 0.52d 0.93 « 1 Symbol of element and year applied. Large plots have more than 100 measured leaders. 2 See Table I footnote for explanation. adjusted values of amount removed revealed that the NS and NSP treatments were browsed significantly more than the control, NP, and P treatments (Table 3). These data indicate deer actually consumed more of the twigs of the sulphur-fertilized plants since there was very little difference in the percent of twigs browsed among the treatments (column 3 of Table 3). During the winter 1959-60, wedgeleaf ceanothus utilization was mea- sured on the following treatments : control ; fertilized with NP in 1958 and 1959 ; and fertilized with NP in 1958 only. On the small plots fer- tilized in 1958 the NP, N, P, NS, and NSP treatments were included (Table 4). The percent reduction in leader length on all treatments indicated utilization was heavier than during the previous winter (column 4 of Tables 3 and 4). The deer did not browse the large plot NP treatments, even the one fertilized in 1958 and 1959, more than the control. But the treatments containing sulfur were browsed significantly more than the control and most of the other treatments (Table 4). The consistent pre- ference by deer for the sulphur-fertilized plants indicates that sulphur may help increase the palatability of the plants. While wedgeleaf ceanothus is a preferred browse species, mariposa manzanita is low in palatability. Consequently, utilization of the fer- tilized mariposa manzanita plants was measured to see if fertilization increased its attractiveness to deer. All of the treatments previously described for this species were used. As with wedgeleaf ceanothus, it was necessary to adjust the amount removed before making com- parisons. The NP treatment received the heaviest use, probably reflecting the heavier rate of fertilization (Table 4). The NPS treatment was used 278 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME more than the control but the NS treatment was not. Utilization on the P treatment was significantly lower than on the other treatments. Besides having larger amounts browsed from twigs, plants in the NP, NS, and NSP treatments also had a higher percentage of twigs browsed (Table 4). This indicates they were more attractive to deer than the control or phosphorus-fertilized plants. Why the P treatment received less use than the control is not clear. This phenomenon also occurred on the wedgeleaf ceanothus treatments the first season after fertilization. NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS CONTENT OF WEDGELEAF CEANOTHUS LEAVES Leaves were analyzed to determine how soon fertilizers were taken up by the mature wedgeleaf ceanothus plants and how the nitrogen and phosphorus content of leaves was affected. Leaves furnish the bulk of usable browse and can be collected and analyzed more readily than twigs. Composite leaf samples from mature wedgeleaf ceanothus plants were collected from the area fertilized with ammonium phosphate at the rate of 100 pounds of N and 200 pounds of PoOr, per acre in the fall of 1958. Collections were made for five different months during 1959. Total phosphorus determinations were made colorimetrieally after wet digestion with ternary acid as described by Johnson and Ulrich (1959). Total nitrogen was determined by the micro-Kjeldahl method. The total nitrogen and phosphorus content of the leaf samples is given in Table 5. Analysis of variance showed a highly significant difference (P < .01) among dates and between treatments for both nitrogen and phosphorus. The nitrogen content of the leaves from fertilized bushes was consistently higher than that from the leaves of control bushes. This difference was less pronounced for June than for other months. However, fertilizing apparently had a depressing effect on the phosphorus content of the leaves. The phosphorus content was consistently lower for the fertilized plants than for the control plants. One possible explanation for the lower phosphorus content in the leaves of fertilized plants is a dilution effect resulting from stimulation by nitrogen. Contrary to data of Gordon and Sampson (1939), the content of both nitrogen and phosphorus increased from June to October. This increase is probablv related to an unusually heavy rain which fell on September 18, 1959. TABLE 5 Total Nitrogen and Phosphorous Content of Wedgeleaf Ceanothus Leaves Collected from Fertilized and Control Plots During 1959 Treatment January April June July October Fertilized Control Perc 1.80 1.70 Perce 0.153 0.156 ent Nitrogen* 2.52 2.25 nt Phosphorus 0.229 0.245 1.87 1.83 * 0.150 0.183 1.67 1.43 0.120 0.140 2.10 1.90 0.173 0.200 • Each figure Is an average of three composite samples collected for each date and treatment. Averages were made after arc sine transformations (Snedecor, 1956). BROWSE FERTILIZATION 279 DISCUSSION Although the fertilizer trials were conducted during years of below normal rainfall, they showed that fertilization will significantly increase the growth of browse plants, even when moisture becomes limiting early in the growing season. The magnitude of response would undoubtedly be grea'ter in years of higher rainfall. Since fertilization increased the mortality of wedgeleaf ceanothus seedlings, even when well-established, it would not be advisable to fertilize areas where manipulation results in a poor stand of seedlings, or where natural thinning will provide the desired density. But by increasing the growth of herbaceous plants, fertilizers could be used to thin a stand of seedlings if they were too thick. Such a practice might be desirable on areas where livestock are more important users than deer. Even when growing in competition with grasses, brush seedlings will respond to an increase in fertility level (Gartner, et al, 1957). Thus, the growth of surviving seedlings in a thinning operation would be increased. There was no measurable growth response to fertilization by the heavily browsed wedgeleaf ceanothus seedlings, but a response could be expected under lighter use levels. Since browse production on manipulated areas dominated by nonsprouting species is low until the plants attain a fair size, an accelerated growth rate is desirable. Ferti- lizers could be used to increase growth while allowing a higher level of use than would otherwise be possible. Mortality of mature wedgeleaf ceanothus and mariposa manzanita plants was not affected during the study period. The increased growth of partially decadent plants indicates that fertilization might be effec- tive for restoring plant vigor on over-utilized areas. Deer exhibited some preference for plants which were fertilized, especially those receiving sulphur. It is quite possible that, if more browse were available and the deer had more freedom of choice, a greater preference would be displayed. Even though it seems logical to assume leaf use is proportional to twig use, a measure of the amount of leaves utilized, especially in the spring; might show a higher prefer- ence for fertilized plants. Mariposa manzanita, for example, has very large leaves which are easily picked off without biting the twig. Reduc- tion in the length of twigs is not the best measure of preference. The basal portions of twigs become progressively more woody, and harder to bite off, regardless of how they taste to a browsing animal. On areas such as winter ranges, where use of preferred browse species is extremely heavy, it might not be advisable to increase utilization of the plants by making them more attractive to deer. The increased use could cause excessive mortality. However, many of the preferred browse plants grow rapidly and can readily escape the deer (Gibbens and Schultz, 1961). On areas receiving moderate to light use, fertilization could be used to increase the utilization of preferred browse species and prevent them from growing out of reach. The preference shown by deer for the fertilized mariposa manzanita plants indicates that the utilization of less preferred species may be increased. In this case nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur in combination were effective. Other combinations and rates need to be tested. Browse 280 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME species lo"w in palatability occupy vast areas and tend to increase at the expense of their more preferred neighbors. An effective means of changing palatability would resull in a manyfold increase in range area and quantity of usable forage. The quality of browse may be equally as important as quantity. If protein is a critical constituent, nitrogen fertilizer may improve the quality of browse. Since the uptake is very rapid, there would be little time lag in the application of such a management practice. However, if phosphorus is critical, nitrogen fertilization may actually decrease the phosphorus content of the leaves and phosphorus may become defi- cient. Certainly the nutritional requirements of deer and the amounts of nutrients supplied by browse need further investigation. The use of fertilizers on game ranges would have desirable effects in aspects other than quantity or quality of browse. Maintaining a grass- brush ratio adjusted to the relative needs of livestock and game on par- ticular areas would permit fuller use of the land. The inability of many brushland areas to support a maximal growth of plants due to low fer- tility levels leads to a high erosion rate and further depletion of soil nutrients. Interruption of this cycle by fertilizers would greatly in- crease the watershed value of the land (Hellmers et al., 1955). While no argument is being presented concerning the economic feasi- bility of fertilizing game ranges at this time, it is quite conceivable that such a practice may be desirable, and readily financed, in the future. This study indicates that fertilizers could supply the game manager with a valuable tool for habitat manipulation on brush ranges where soil fertility levels are low. Further study of the effect of fertilizers on browse plants, particularly on palatability, is recommended. SUMMARY The effect of fertilization on the growth and utilization of browse plants was studied on a deer winter range in Madera County, Cali- fornia. The effect of N, P, and S, in various combinations, on seedlings and mature plants of wedgeleaf ceanothus and mature plants of mari- posa manzanita was investigated. The studies were conducted in 1959 and 1960. During both years precipitation was far below normal. Fertilization with NP increased the mortality of wedgeleaf ceanothus seedlings, especially those only one and two years old. Deer did not utilize fertilized seedlings more than nonfertilized seedlings. Fertilized seedlings did not increase in height more than those not fertilized, prob- ably because of the heavy utilization. Despite the extremely dry conditions, mature, heavily hedged wedge- leaf ceanothus plants on an old wildfire burn responded to fertilizers by increased twig growth. Carryover effect was evident only when N and P were in combination. Growth response of mariposa manzanita was meas- ured for only one season. All of the fertilized plants produced signifi- cantly more twig growth than those not fertilized. The reduction in twig length by deer was used as an index to utiliza- tion of the mature plants. Sulphur-fertilized plants of wedgeleaf ceano- thus were browsed significantly more than control plants and most of the other fertilizer treatments. Fertilized plants of mariposa manza- nita, a species low in palatability were utilized more than control BROWSE FERTILIZATION 281 plants. The rather consistent preference by deer for fertilized plants indicates that fertilization may be an effective means of increasing pal- atability. Analyses of leaves collected from wedgeleaf ceanothus plants showed a consistently higher nitrogen content in leaves of ammonia-phosphate- fertilized plants. Phosphorus content was consistently lower for the fer- tilized plants, possibly due to a dilution effect resulting from stimula- tion by nitrogen. Since fertilizers may be used to increase growth and palatability, cause selective thinning and browsing, and improve watershed values, they offer the game manager an effective tool for habitat manipulation on brush ranges where soil fertility is limiting. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors thank Drs. A. M. Schultz and H. H. Biswell of the Uni- versity of California, and Dr. George R. Hawkes, Agronomist, Cali- fornia Spray-Chemical Corporation, for their advice and assistance. REFERENCES Gartner, F. R., A. M. Schultz, and H. H. Biswell 1957. Ryegrass and brush seedling competition for nitrogen on two soil types. J. Range Mgmt., vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 213-220. Gibbens, R. P., and A. M. Schultz 1961. Manipulation of shrub form and browse production. Calif. Fish and Game, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 49-64. Gordon, Aaron, and Arthur W. Sampson 1939. Composition of common California foothill plants as a factor in range management. Calif. Agri. Expt. Sta. Bull. no. 627. 95 pp. Hellmers, Henry, James F. Bonner, and John M. Kelleher 1955. Soil fertility : a watershed management problem in the San Gabriel Moun- tains of southern California. Soil Sci., vol. 80, no. 3, pp. 189-197. Jenny, H., J. Vlamis, and W. E. Martin 1950. Greenhouse assay of fertility of California soils. Hilgardia, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 1-8. Johnson, Clarence M., and Albert Ulrich 1959. Analytical methods for use in plant analysis. Calif. Agric. Expt. Sta. Bull, no. 766, pp. 25-77. Lay, D. W. 1957. Browse quality and the effects of prescribed burning in southern pine for- ests. Jour. Forestry, vol. 55, no. 5, pp. 342-347. Schultz, A. M., H. H. Biswell, and J. Vlamis 1958. Responses of brush seedlings to fertilizers. Calif. Fish and Game, vol. 44, no. 4, pp. 335-348. Snedecor, George W. 1956. Statistical methods. Iowa State College Press, Ames, 534 pp. Vlamis, J., A. M. Schultz, and H. H. Biswell 1959. Nutrient response of ponderosa pine and brush seedlings on forest and brush soils of California. Hilgardia, vol. 28, no. 9, pp. 239-254. Vlamis, J., E. C. Stone, and C. L. Young 1954. Nutrient status of brushland soils in southern California. Soil Sci., vol. 78, no. 1, pp. 51-55. NOTE THE OCCURRENCE AND DISTINCTION OF THREADFIN SHAD IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OCEAN WATERS1 A threadfm shad, Dorosoma petenense (Giinther), was caught Feb- ruary 13, 1962, in a 10-minute tow with a shrimp try-net approxi- mately 75 yards off Belmont Shore, Long Beach, in three fathoms of water. This specimen, 80 mm standard length, was taken while trawl- ing for juvenile white seabass. Although introduced into many fresh- water areas of California by the Department of Fish and Game, this is the first known record from southern California ocean waters. Pos- iA contribution of Federal Aid to Fish Restoration, California Project F 16 R, "Barracuda-White Seabass Management Study." FIGURE 1. Threadfm shad Dorosoma pefenense, 113 mm standard length. (Photo by Jack W. Schott.) FIGURE 2. Thread herring, Opisthonema libertate, 111 mm standard length. (Photo by Jack W. Schott.) (282 ) NOTE 283 TABLE 1 Characters for Distinguishing Threadfin Shad and Thread Herring Characters Species Mouth Pectoral fin Dorsal-pelvic fin relationship Total ventral scutes Threadfin shad-. inferior extends at least to pelvic fin insertion dorsal origin nearly ver- tical to pelvic insertion 25 to 27 Thread herring.. terminal.. does not reach pelvic fin insertion dorsal origin well in ad- vance of pelvic inser- tion 31 to 33 sibly the heavy rains during January and early February 1962 flushed this individual from the Los Angeles or San Gabriel Kiver drainages. This occurrence demonstrates a possible need for a simple means of differentiating this species (Figure 1) from the thread herring, Opis- thonema libertate (Giinther) (Figure 2), a similar clupeid reported in California ocean waters (Radovich, 1961). The characters I have listed will enable the field biologist to distinguish between the two species easily (Table 1). Characters were determined from 10 threadfin shad, 105 to 165 mm standard length, from the Salton Sea and 10 thread herring, 82 to 176 mm standard length, from the Gulf of California. LITERATURE CITED Radovich, John 1961. Relationships of some marine organisms of the northeast Pacific to water temperatures, particularly during 1957 through 1959. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Fish Bull. 112, p. 27, tab. 4. James G. Thomas, Marine Resources Operations, California Department of Fish and Game, June 1962. RETIREMENTS RICHARD S. CROKER Richard S. Croker, Chief of Marine Resources, retired from the Department of Fish and Game on August 31, 1962, after 33 years of service. His interest in the marine resources and fish and game work was kindled by summer employment with the California Fish and Game Commission while working toward his degree in zoology at Stanford University. In 1927 he worked as a fish car messenger, transporting fish from Mt. Shasta hatchery. In 1928 he worked as a student biologist on albacore studies. Croker commenced his permanent career with the Department of Fish and Game in July 1929 following graduation from Stanford. From July 1929 to 1942 he worked at Terminal Island as a biologist. The results of his scientific investigations and research are published in numerous bulletins. It was at this time that he was also editor of California Fish and Game. He went on military leave from 1942 to 1946 where he served in the U.S. Army Air Force, attaining the rank of captain with specialized training and served nine months as fisheries officer for the occupation forces in Japan. Croker was reinstated in the Department in 1946 and was promoted to chief of the Marine Resources Branch. His broad and comprehensive knowledge of marine resources and the problems involved in their management brought international recognition to both himself and the Department of Fish and Game. As chief of Marine Resources Branch his unique ability to foresee into the far future of resources, plus his unselfish recommendations for scientific management, is reflected in many of the present-day policies. Duties and responsibilities in addition to that of chief of Marine Resources Branch included serving since 1947 as member of Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission; since 1947 to date, as secretary of the California Marine Research Committee; 1953 to date, member of Ad- visory Committee to U.S. Section of the International North Pacific Fisheries Commission; 1946 to date, member of Fisheries Advisory Committee for the Department of State; October 1950 to January 1951, visiting expert assigned to Fisheries Division to investigate and analyze the fisheries administration of Japan for the Supreme Com- mander of Allied Powers in Tokyo; January to March 1952 as instruc- tor, Fisheries Training Center, FAO Valparaiso, Chile; March to April 1960, consultant and adviser for U.S. Senate Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce at second United Nations Conference on Law of the Sea, Geneva, Switzerland; February 1961, member of Governor Egan's Inter Agency Conference on Salmon, Juneau, Alaska. (284 ) RETIKEMENTS 285 Croker belongs to the following professional societies : American Fisheries Society (president) ; American Institute of Fisheries Re- search Biologists (fellow) ; American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (member) ; Pacific Fisheries Biologists (member). He is also a member of the Sierra Club and the Air Force Associa- tion. From 1931 to 1962 his career was further enriched by numerous trips in the interests of marine resources to Canada, Mexico, and Japan. Vacation travels took him to Panama, Central America, and Europe. The following inscription was found on a wall in Croker 's office: "No life is more satisfactory than one of service to your country and humanity, with the courage to stand up unflinchingly to your convic- tions" (Dag Hammarskjold). Croker believes this and it seems to epitomize his 33 years' service with the Department of Fish and Game. Croker 's retirement will not take him from the field of marine re- sources for he has accepted the position of Executive Director of the Pacific Marine Fisheries Commission. With his wife Annie he will move to Portland, Oregon, headquarters of the Pacific Marine Fish- eries Commission. There, it is hoped, he can continue to pursue his hobbies of fishing, hunting, photography, stamp collecting, radio, and travel. His numerous friends and colleagues at home and abroad wish him well. — W. T. Shannon, Director, California Department of Fish and Game. WILLIAM LaMARR William LaMarr, Chief of Wildlife Protection Branch retired from the Department of Fish and Game on May 2, 1962, after 26 years of service. He is a native of Colorado. Prior to his service with the State, LaMarr served in the U. S. Army Cavalry, San Mateo County Sheriff's Office and the Palo Alto Police Department. He began his State service as a fire-suppression crewman with the Division of Forestry in 1935. He advanced to Forest Fire Lookout in 1936. Later the same year he joined the old Division of Fish and Game as an Assistant Fish and Game Warden. In 1938 he was appointed Fish and Game Warden. LaMarr went on military leave from 1942 to 1943. In 1947 he was promoted to Fish and Game Patrol Captain. In 1953 he was promoted to Wildlife Protection Supervisor and in 1955 was elevated to Chief Wildlife Protection Branch. During his career in Fish and Game, LaMarr was assigned to Shasta, Los Angeles, Monterey, Oakland, Nevada City, Truckee, Angels Camp, Colfax, Auburn and Sacramento. His co-workers and many friends in the Department extend best wishes for a long and happy retirement. — W. T. Shannon, Director, California Department of Fish and Game. BOOK REVIEWS The Physiology of Crustacea. Volume II — Sense Organs, Integration and Behavior Edited by Talbot H. Waterman, Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1961 ; v 4- 681 pp., 22 tables, 142 figures. $22. Volume II continues the fine work begun in its predecessor (Vol. 1, Metabolism and growth). The text is a review of crustacean physiology written by selected western world authorities. They cover a wide range of material as indicated by the following 14 chapter headings : "Light Sensitivity and Vision," "Mechanoreeeption," "Chemoreception and Thermoreception," "Pigmentary Effectors," "Light Produc- tion," "The Neuromuscular System," "Reflexes and the Central Nervous System," "Neurohumors and Neurosecretion," "Locomotion," "Kinetic and Tactic Responses," "Physiological Rhythms," "Migrations," "Complex Behavior," and "Comparative Physiology." The authors should be complimented for using excellent photographs and drawings and for their extensive list of up-to-date world-wide references. Also worthy of note are the author, systematic and subject indexes. Although little attention has been given the commercially important species of the Pacific West Coast (two references to Cancer magister Dana), it can be a valuable source book to the crustacean biologist. Because of this value, and because of its expense ($22) it should be available in libraries. The only error noted was one of binding : pages 659-674 of the subject index were inserted between pages 352 and 353 of the text. No confusion resulted however since these pages were repeated in their proper place. J. D. Messersmith, Cali- fornia Department of Fish and Game. Fishes of the Pacific Coast of Canada By W. A. Clemens and G. V. Wilby ; Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Ottawa, 1961 ; 443 pp., 281 black and white figures, 6 color plates ; $5. This is the second or revised edition of the only recent complete work on Canadian Pacific Coast fishes. The first edition, published in 1946, had been out-of-print for nearly three years. The general arrangement of this book is quite similar to that of the first edition ; however, the 39-page key to families and species has been greatly improved and made easier to use. Also, with revision the total pagination went up from 368 to 443 and the number of species from 245 to 272. A new feature is the six pages of color plates at the center of the book. Since the first edition was so well-known and well-used by fishery workers, students and educators everywhere, it would be superfluous on my part to describe in detail the content of this edition. It should be mentioned, however, that the authors have followed closely the vernacular nomenclature proposed by the Ameri- can Fisheries Society in 1960. The only "big" complaint I would like to register is that the authors have limited the range for each species, "to that portion of the Pacific coast of North America from Southern California to the Alaskan coast of the Bering Sea." As with any undertaking of this magnitude, a few inaccuracies and erroneous statements have crept in — a few are original but others have been carried in various published works for years. Regardless of these problems, the volume is an outstanding contribution to the literature and the field of fishery biology and should grace the book shelves of every student of fishes or fisheries whether amateur or professional. John E. Fitch, California Department of Fish and Game. (286 ) REVIEWS 287 Illustrated Dictionary of Tropical Fishes By Hans Frey ; (translation from the German), T.F.H. Publications Inc., Jersey City, N.J., 1961 ; 768 p., over 1,000 illustrations incl. 24 color plates. $7.95. Dictionary form is used in this unique volume listing virtually every known species of tropical fish and a number not tropical. Subjects pertinent to fish rearing are also included : aquatic plants and insects, snails, and diseases. The original edition, Das Aquarium von A biz Z, a popular book in communist East Germany, has been revised to include well over 1,000 excellent illustrations including line drawings, photographs and 24 full-page color plates. The color plates in a few cases are somewhat exaggerated. Fin formulas are given for many of the fishes along with brief descriptions of other anatomical features. A pictorial catalogue featuring microphotographs of various forms of algae and other aquatic organisms is on the last several pages. Minor technical errors were encountered, e.g., page 42, referring to Ampullarius, "Aquatic plants cannot be kept with them." This is true for Ampullarius with the exception of Ampullaria cuprina, a popular aquarium snail ; page 97, "The fishes in these regions feed preponderantly on the larvae of Chironomus and other mos- quitoes . . ." This error in classification and other technical errors are probably the result of the author's endeavor to cover too large a field. Mistakes commonly incurred in translation are present but do not detract from the technical value of the book. The naturalist as well as the most experienced biologist will find this a very worthwhile reference manual for his library. J. A. St. Amant, California Depart- ment of Fish and Game. All About Camping By W. K. Merrill, The Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, Pa., 1962; 262 pp., il- lustrations by Dick Pargeter and Luis M. Henderson ; $3.95. When one sees the colloquial phrase of comparison, "all about — something," his first reaction is usually one of doubt. Admittedly, this was my first reaction. But like most first reactions, mine changed after reading this book. If it is not "all about camping" it is about as close as is presently available between the covers of a single volume. Everything from an extensive list of camping areas within the United States to details for the care of pack animals is discussed. Some subjects are dealt with in a sentence or two, while an entire chapter is devoted to others. A rather extensive bibliography refers the reader to more exhaustive literary works on spe- cific subjects. Three chapters covering three separate but related subjects are particularly note- worthy. These are: "Pathfinding by compass" (how to make practical use of a compass) ; "Pathfinding with maps" (how to read and use topographic maps) ; and "Outdoor measurement" (how to determine height and distance in the field without the customary measuring aids). All three technical subjects are amazingly clear and complete. The author has drawn upon knowledge gained during nearly a half century of experience in the wilderness. His youth was spent on the Colville Indian Reservation and most of his adult life has been with the National Park Service as a park ranger, primarily in California. Sometime between 1922 and 1927 he was an em- ployee of the California Fish and Game Commission. All About Camping is appropriately summarized by a short quote from the "Foreword," written by Secretary of the Interior Steward L. Udall. "Here, in a volume small enough to be tucked into a knapsack, is a ready reference filled with camping hints and woodlore gleaned from W. K. Merrill's years of experience as a park ranger — covering all those numerous details that make camping a comfortable and rewarding experience instead of a bedraggled comedy of camping errors." William L. Craig, California Department of Fish and Game. California Desert Wildflowers By Philip A. Munz, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1962; 122 p., 96 color photos, 172 line drawings, 2 maps ; $2.95 paperbound. California Desert Wild flowers is the second of three little books on California flowering plants that Dr. Munz has undertaken to produce for the person with no particular botanical training but with an avid interest in our native flora. 288 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME For ease of use, the book has been arranged into five sections, four according to flower color with ferns and conehearers in the other. The illustrations .are all excellent, whether line drawings or color plates, and are the backbone of the publication. There are no "keys" other than flower color so identification is a matter of recognition and remembrance. The two indexes (one to color plates and the other to common and scientific names) speed the task of finding a species for which one recalls the name but little else. The brief species descriptions include details on plant size, blooming season, gen- eral appearance of the flowering plant, geographical distribution, habitat prefer- ences, and distinguishing characters or peculiarities. John E. Fit'-h, California Department of Fish and Game. Manual of Ski Mountaineering Edited by David Brower ; Sierra Club, San Francisco, California, 1962; xxii -4- 224 pp., 32 pp. of photographs, many diagrams; cloth $3.75. This" book represents the third edition (revised and brought up to date) of a work that has long been out of print. Two editions with two printings of the second attest to its previous popularity. Although the name of the book implies it is for the ski mountaineer, its contents have wide application. It has useful information to the cold weather camper, the fisherman rock climbing to that "inaccessible"' spot or to the hiker on the top of a mountain in a lightning storm who has an. "overwhelming desire to be back in camp." This manual is not designed to condense all that is known on the subject bul does a masterful job in presenting the basic fundamentals of how to make a safe and sane winter excursion. The following chapter titles give an idea of the subjects covered: 1. Warmth; 2. Equipment ; 3. Climbers and Waxes ; 4. Water ; 5. Food ; 6. The Technique of Travel ; 7. Selecting a Campsite ; 8. Shelter ; 9. Miscellaneous Notes on Camping : 10. Snow Formation and Avalanches; 11. Compass and Map; 12. First Aid; 13. Transportation of the Injured; 14. The Ski Mountaineering Test; 15. Mountaineer- ing Routes; 16. Rock-Climbing; 17. Ice-Climbing; and the appendix — Check List of Equipment. This is a valuable reference book of the subject and is highly recommended for those planning cold weather or snow trips or for others just wanting to lie prepared in case an emergency does arise. Jack L. Hiehle, California Department of Fish and Game. INDEX TO VOLUME 48 Abramson, Norman J. : Estimating the number of angling license pur- chasers, 253-255 Acipenser trans montanus: food study, 79 Adenostoma fasciculatum: deer browse, 56 Ages : albacore, 44 ; Pacific mackerel, 1958-59, 222 ; Pismo clam, 35 ; sardines in 1959-60, 232 ; white sturgeon, 79 Aix sponsa: on northwest coast, 68 Albacore: age determination, 39-48 ; bluespot goby in stomach, 250 ; eye lens proteins, 199 ; survey in northeastern Pacific Ocean 1960, 179-198; taken by purse seiners, 81 Allenrolfea occidentalis: dove habitat, 92 Ammonium nitrate: used on browse plants, 272 Ammonium phosphate: used on browse plants: 269 Anas acuta: on northwest coast, 65 Anas carolinensis: on northwest coast, 69 Anas cyanoptera: on northwest coast, 68 Anas discors: on northwest coast, 6S Anas platyrhynchos: on northwest coast, 65 Anas strepera: on northwest coast, 69 Anchovies: albacore bait, 181; common names, 24 Angler: nonresponse of tag returns, 5 Annuli: determination for albacore scales, 42 Anotopterus pharao: from albacore stom- ach, 196 Anser albifrons frontalis: on northwest coast, 67 Arctostaphylos mariposa: as deer browse, 53 ; effects of fertilizing, 275 Argentines: common names, 24 Arrow-weed: dove food, 95 Artemisia tridentata: in bitterbrush study area, 203 A triplex spp. : dove habitat, 92 Ay thy a affinis: on northwest coast, 69 Aythya americana: on northwest coast, 69 Aythya valisineria: on northwest coast 72 B Bag limit: effect on striped bass catch, 158 Bairdiella: in Salton Sea, 126 Bairdiella icistius: in Salton Sea, 126 Baja California: sardine catch in 1959- 60, 235 Baldwin Hills: fossil gobv otoliths found, 250 Banding: waterfowl at Humboldt Bav, 69 Barracudas: common names, 32 Bass, kelp: eye lens proteins, 199 Bathythermograph: records during alba- core cruise, 183 Baxter, John L.: The Pismo clam in 1960, 35-37; see Ripley, Cox and Baxter, 228-231 Behavior: blacksmith nesting, 243 ; blue- spot goby nesting, 249 Bell, Robert R.: Age determination of the Pacific albacore of the Cali- fornia coast, 39-48 Big Bear Lake: pond smelt introduced, 142 ; reward program for tagged trout, 12 Big Lagoon: duck habitat, 66 Billfishes: common names, 29 Bitterbrush: stocking and spacing re- quirements, 203-208 Blacksmith: nesting behavior, eggs and larvae, 243 Blennies, combtooth: common names, 32 Elite, sea: as dove food, 95 Bonefishes: common names, 23 Branta bernicla hrota: on northwest coast, 67 Branta canadensis fulva: on northwest coast, 67 Branta canadensis minima: on north- west coast, 67 Branta canadensis parvipes: on north- west coast, 67 Branta nigricans: on northwest coast, 65 Brant, American: on northwest coast, 67 Brant, black: on northwest coast, 65 Bromus tectorum: in bitterbrush study area, 203 Browning, Bruce M.: Food habits of the mourning dove in California, 91-115 Browse plants: deer, 49 ; response to fertilizers, 268 Browsing factor: effect on shrubs, 50 Bucephala albeola: on northwest coast, 69 Bucephala clangula americana: on north- west coast, 67 Bucks Lake Dam: salmon spawning in stream below, 77 Bush, flannel: deer browse, 52 Butler, Robert L.: Recognition and re- turn of trout tags by California anglers, 5-18 ( 289) 290 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Butte County: food items of dove, 96 Butterfishes : common names, 32 California, central: sardine catch in 1959-60, 232 California Current : during 1960 alba- core cruise, 187 California, southern: sardine catch in 1959-60, 235 Canedav, Robert H. : see Craig and Caneday, 179-198 Canneries: sardine in 1959-60, 233, 235 Cannibalism: bairdiella in Salton Sea, 126 Carassius auratus: in Big Bear Lake, 142 Carlisle, John G., Jr.: An unusual catch of a large number of Pacific round herring off Long Beach, California, 209 Carquinez Strait: striped bass fishery, 161 Catch records: evaluation of party boat, 155-171 ; from postal card sur- veys, 172-173 ; striped bass sportfishing, 153-177 Cattle: influence on browse, 53 Ceanothus cuneatus: deer browse, 53 ; fertilization studies, 268 Ceanothus leucodermis: deer browse, 53 Ceanothus, wedgeleaf: deer browse, 53 ; fertilization studies, 268 Cedar, salt: dove food, 95 Census: ducks, 68 ; Pismo clam, 35-37 ; sea lion, 22S Cercocarpus betuloides: deer browse, 52 Chadwick, Harold K.: Catch records from the striped bass sport- fishery in California, 153-177 Chamise: deer browse, 56 Cheatgrass: in bitterbrush study area, 203 Chen hyperborea hyperborea: on north- west coast, 67 Chimaeras: common names, 23 Chromis punctipinnis: nesting behavior, eggs and larvae, 243 Chrysothamnus spp.: in bitterbrush study area, 203 Clam, Pismo: census results, 35-37 Clinids: common names, 32 Clupea pallasi: spawning in San Fran- cisco Bay, 169 Codfishes: common names, 25 Cololabis saira: seen during albacore cruise, 186, 196 Columbia River: albacore caught off, 82 Combfishes: common names, 31 Competition: among plants with bitter- brush, 206 ; for space among vegetation, 49, 62 Contracaecum legendrei: nematode par- asitic in albacore, 186 Coot: at Humboldt Bay, 68 Corophium spinicorne: sturgeon food, 79 Coryphopterus nicholsi: nesting behav- ior, eggs and larvae, 249 Cox, K. W.: see Ripley, Cox and Bax- ter, 228-231 Craig, William L., and Robert H. Cane- day: The 1960 preseason alba- core survey in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, 179-198 Crappie: in Big Bear Lake, 142 Croakers: common names, 26 Croker, Richard S.: retirement, 284 Crops: dove, 91 Cutlassfishes: common names, 28 Cynoscion xanthulus: in Salton Sea, 127 Damselfishes: common names, 28 Decapterus hypodus: at Monterey Bav, 210 Deer: dieoffs from overpopulation, 126 ; pellet counts, 52 ; pellet counts on San Joaquin winter range, 269 ; San Joaquin winter range, 268 ; utilization of browse, 56 Delisle, Glenn E.: Water velocities tol- erated by spawning kokanee salmon, 77-78 Del Xorte County: waterfowl area, 65 Delta: site for hypothetical salmon fish- ery, 258 Denson, Eley P., Jr.: see Yocom and Denson, 65-76 Distichlis spicata: dove habitat, 92 Distinction: threadfin shad from thread herring, 282-283 Dodge Reservoir: pond smelt introduced, 142 Dolphins: common names. 26 Dormitator latifrons: new to California. 220 DorosoiiHi petenense: in southern Cali- fornia ocean waters, 282 Dove, mourning : food habits of, 91-115 Duck, American golden-eye : on north- west coast, tiT Duck, bufflehead : at Humboldt Bay, 68 Duck, canvasback : on northwest coast, 72 Duck, gadwall : on northwest coast, 69 Duck, harleouin : on northwest coast, 67 Duck, lesser scaup : on northwest coast, 69 Duck, pintail : on northwest coast, 65 Duck, redhead : on northwest coast, 69 Duck, ruddy : on northwest coast, 69 Duck, shoveler : at Humboldt Bay, 68 Duck, wood : on northwest coast, 68 Dwinnell Reservoir : pond smelt intro- duced, 142 INDEX 291 Ebert, Earl E. : see Turner and Ebert, 243-248 Ebert, Earl E.. and C. H. Turner : The nesting behavior, eggs and lar- vae of the bluespot goby, 249- 252 Eggs : blacksmith, 246 ; bluespot gobv, 250 Electrophoretic characteristics : of fish eye lens proteins, 199-201 Eleocharis macrostachya: in Lake Earl, 67 Eleotris pica: relative of Pacific fat sleeper, 220 EngrauUs mordax: albacore bait, 181 Etrumeus accuminatus: caught near Long Beach, 209 Eucidaris thouarsii: new to California, 216 Eumetopias jubata: census, 228"^^ Euphorbia spp. : dove food, 104 Filefishes : common names, 33 Fire : effect on vegetation, 57 Fishery : Pacific mackerel, 1958-59, 222 Fitch, John E. : A sea urchin, a lob- ster and a fish, new to the ma- rine fauna of California, 216- 221 Flounders, lefteye : common names, 32 Flounders, righteye : common names, 33 Flyingfishes : common names, 25 Flyway, Pacific : importance to water- fowl, 65 Food habits : dove, 91-115 Fremontia californica: deer browse, 52 Freshwater Lagoon : duck habitat, 66 ; pond smelt introduced, 142 Frey, Herbert W. : A range extension for the Mexican scad to Mon- terey Bay, California, 210-211 Fry, Donald H., Jr. : Potential profits in the California salmon fish- ery, 256-267 G Garibaldi : preying on blacksmith eggs, 246 Gates, Doyle E., and R. S. Wolf: Age and length composition of the sardine catch off the Pacific Coast of the United States and Mexico in 1959-60, 232-242 Gibbens, R. P., and Rex D. Pieper : The response of browse plants to fertilization, 268-281 Gibbens, R. P., and A. M. Schultz : manipulation of shrub form and browse production in game range improvement, 49-64 Gobies : common names, 29 Goby, bluespot : nesting behavior, eggs and larvae, 249-252 Goldfish: in Big Bear Lake, 142 Goose, cackling Canada : on northwest coast, 67 Goose, Canada : on northwest coast, 67 Goose, Emperor : on northwest coast, 67 Goose, lesser Canada : on northwest coast, 67 Goose, lesser snow : on northwest coast, 67 Goose, white-fronted : on northwest coast, 67 Grass, eel : duck food. 67 Grass, salt : dove habitat, 92 Greenlings : common names, 31 Growth curve : albacore, 45 Grunts : common names, 26 Guitarfishes : common names, 22 Guppies : reproduction in aquaria, 127 H Hagfishes : common names. 21 Hakes : common names, 25 Halfmoons : common names, 27 Hermosa Beach : nesting gobies seen, 250 Herring, Pacific : spawning in San Francisco Bay, 169 Herrings : common names, 23 Herring, thread : distinguished from threadfin shad, 282 Hirudinella fusca: parasitic in albacore, 186 Histrioniciis histrionicus: on northwest coast, 67 Honeysuckle, as deer browse, 53 Horseshoe Kelp : round herring caught at, 209 Hubbard, Richard L., Pinhas Zusman and H. Reed Sanderson : Bit- terbrush stocking and minimum spacing with crested wheat- grass, 203-208 Humboldt County : waterfowl area, 65 Hypomesus olidus: from Japan, 141 Hyatt, Harold : The southern Califor- nia mackerel fishery and age composition of the Pacific mackerel catch for the 1958-59 season, 222-227 Hypsypops rubicunda: preying on black- smith eggs, 246 I Icichthys lockingtoni: from albacore stomachs, 196 Imperial Valley : food items of dove, 100 Increment, annual : for albacore, 45 Iodine bush : dove habitat, 92 Jacks, common names, 26 Jenkinson Lake : pond smelt introduced, 142 2i>: CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Juniper: in bitterbrush study area, 203 Juniperus occidentalis: in bitterbrush study area, 203 K Kern County: food items of dove, 90-98 Kern River : reward program for re- turning tagged trout, 10 Killifishes: common names. 2." Kinsman Flat: browse fertilization area, 269 L Lake Earl : duck habitat, 66 Lake Pillsbury : rewards for tagged trout, 11 Lake Talawa : duck habitat, 66 LaMarr, William : retirement, 285 Lampara boats : making sardine catch. 233, 235 Lances, sand : common names. :tl Lancetfishes. common names, 24 Larvae : blacksmith, 247 ; bluespot goby, 251 ; lobster, 218 Lebistes reticulatus: reproduction in aquaria, 127 Length frequency : albacore, 44 License, angling: estimating purchasers, 253 Lion Point : browse fertilization area. 269 Lizardfishes : common names, 24 Lobster, pinto : new to California, 218 Long Beach : round herring caught near, 209 Lonicera interrupta: deer browse, 53 Lophortyw californica: skeletal differ- ences, 117 Lophotus sp. : from albacore stomach, 196 Los Angeles Harbor: mackerel catch near. 223 Louvara : common name, 29 M .Mackerel, jack: seen during albacore cruise, 186. 196 ; with round herring, 209 .Mackerel. Pacific: catch and age, 1958-59, 222: with round her- ring. 209 Mackerels : common names, 28 Madera County: deer browse study. I>2 Mahogany, mountain : deer browse. ."".:! Mallards: on northwest coast, 65 Mantas : common names, 23 Manzanita, Mariposa: deer browse, 53; effects of fertilizing, 269 }farera americana: on northwest coast, 67 tfareca penelope: on northwest coast, 67 Mead, Rodney : A method of distinguish- ing mountain and valley quail by skeletal analysis, 117-121 Melanitta deglundi dixoni: on northwest coast, 69 Melanitta perspicillata: on northwest coast, 69 Merganser, American : on northwest coast, 67 Merganser, red-breasted : on northwest coast, 67 M cry us merganser americanus: on north- west coast, 67 Mergus scrrator serrator: on northwest coast, 67 Mesquite : dove habitat, 92 Methods : albacore purse seining, 81 ; applying fish common names, 20 ; browse study, 50 ; census- ing Pismo clams, 35 ; collecting dove crops, 95 ; counting sea lions. 228 ; determining alba- core age, 39 ; determining bit- terbrush condition, 204 ; deter- mining potential salmon fishery profits, 258 ; determining weight of ceanothus, 55 ; distinguish- ing quail by their skeletons, 117-118 ; distinguishing thread- fin shad from thread herring, 282 ; electrophoresing fish eye lenses, 199 ; estimating angling license purchasers, 253 ; evalu- ating partyboat records, 155 ; fertilizing browse plants, 269 ; fishing for striped bass, 169 ; locating albacore schools, 181 ; observing blacksmith nesting, 244 ; observing goby nesting, 250 ; obtaining trout tag re- turns, 6 ; sturgeon food study, 79 ; tagging and marking trout, (i ; taking oceanographic data, 181 ; water velocity determina- tion, 77 Midge: sturgeon food, 79 Migrations: ducks, 65 Milk, dove : nestling food. 102 Modoc County : bitterbrush plants in, 203 Molas : common names, 33 Monterev Bay : Mexican scad caught, 210 Morays : common names, 24 Morro Bay : Pismo clam situation, 37 Mullets : common names, 32 Myctophidae : seen during albacore cruise, 186, 196 Myctophum ajjine: collected during alba- core cruise, 196 N Names, common : reasons for having, 19 Neanthes succinea: in Salton Sea, 126 needlefishes : common names, 25 Neomy8%8 mercedis: sturgeon food, 79 Nesting : waterfowl on northwest Cali- fornia coast, 68 INDEX 293 Nets, gill : for salmon fishing, 258 Nets, nylon : cost for salmon fishery, 264 Nibblers : common names, 27 Notolepis coruscans: from albacore stomachs, 196 Occurrence : threadfin shad in southern California ocean waters, 282 Oidemia niger americana: on northwest coast, 67 Olor columbianus: on northwest coast, 67 Opisthoneiita liber tat e: distinguished from threadfin shad, 282 Oncorhynchus nerka kennerlyii: spawn- ing study. 77 Opahs : common names, 25 Grangemouth corvina : in Salton Sea, 127 Oreortyx picta: skeletal differences, 117 Otoliths : bluespot goby, 250 OxyjuUs californica: preying on black- smith eggs, 246 Oxyura jamaicensis: on northwest coast, 69 Palos Verdes : new fish collected there, 220 Pdnulirus gracilis: new to California, 218 Panulirus interruptus: compared with pinto lobster. 218 Paralabrax clathratus: eye lens pro- teins, 199 Parathunnus sibi: caught near Fieber- ling Guyot, 183 Partyboat : striped bass catch, 153 Philacte canagica: on northwest coast, 67 Pilchard, South African : pilchard egg predators, 127 I'inieloDietopoii pulchrum: blacksmith egg predators, 246 Pine, ponderosa : in Modoc County, 204 Pinus ponderosa: in Modoc County, 204 Pipefishes : common names, 25 Pismo Beach : Pismo clam situation, 35 Pluehea sericea: dove food, 95 Plumas County : Kokanee salmon study, 77 Pomfrets : common names, 26 Pomoxis nigromaculatus: in Big Bear Lake, 142 Pompanos : common names, 26 Porgies : common names, 27 Pneumatophorus diego: catch and age in 1958-59, 222-227 Potamogeton pectinatus: in Lake Earl, 67 Predators : on blacksmith eggs, 246 ; on pilchard eggs, 127 Pricklebacks : common names, 32 Prosopis juliflora: dove habitat, 92 Purshia trident at a: stocking and spac- ing requirements, 203-208 Q Quail, mountain : skeletal differences, 117 Quail, valley : skeletal differences, 117 Rabbitbrush : in bitterbrush studv area. 203 Radovich, John : Effects of sardine spawning stock size and envi- ronment on year-class produc- tion, 123-140 Rays, eagle : common names, 23 Rays, electric : common names, 22 Recoveries : banded ducks, 72 ; trout tags, 8 Redberry : deer browse, 53 Reefs, artificial : site of goby nesting. 250 Remoras : common names, 33 Retirement : Richard S. Croker, 284 ; William LaMarr, 285 Reviews : All about camping, 287 ; Ani- mal behavior, 212 ; Animal ecol- ogy, 145-146 ; Animal sounds and communications, 85 ; At- lantic Ocean fisheries, 83 ; Birds of the world, 146; Cali- fornia desert wildflowers, 287 ; Deep sea trawling and wing trawling, 143 ; Dolphins, the myth and the mammal, 145 ; Fishes of the Pacific coast of Canada, 286; Illustrated dic- tionary of tropical fishes, 287 ; Living fishes of the world, 83 ; Man and dolphin, 84-85 ; Man- ual of ski mountaineering, 288 ; Mollusks of the tropical east- ern Pacific, Panamic-Pacific Pelecypoda, 147-148 ; New Mex- ico birds, 85-86 ; 130 Feet down ; handbook for hydronauts, 148 ; Parasitology of fishes, 147 ; Physiology of Crustacea, II, Sense organs, integration and behavior, 286 ; Porpoises and sonar, 144 ; The Great Barrier Reef and adjacent isles, S4 ; The living land, 146-147; The natural history of North Amer- ican amphibians and reptiles, 144-145 ; The natural history of the Lewis and Clark Expedi- tion, 212; The salmon, 143; Things to do in science and con- servation, 84 Rhamnus crocea ilicifolia: deer browse, 53 Ribbonfishes : common names, 25 294 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME Ripley, Wm. Ellis, K. W. Cox and J. L. Baxter : California sea lion cen- sus for 1958, 1960 and 1961, 228-231 Roccus saxatilis: California sportfisherv, 153 Rockfishes : common names, 29 Roedel, Phil M. : The names of certain marine fishes of California, 19 Round herring, Pacific: catch off Long Beach, 209 Sablefishes, common names. 31 Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta : striped bass fishery, 153 Sagebrush, big : in bitterbrush study area, 203 Salmo gairdnerii: tagging, 6 ; require- ments in Japan, 141 Salmon, kokanee : spawning study, 77 Salmon : potential profits in fishery, 256 Salmons : common names, 24 Saltbush : dove habitat, 92 Salton Sea : threadfin shad from, 282 Sanderson, H. Reed : see Hubbard, Zus- man and Sanderson, 203-208 San Diego formation : fossil goby otoliths found, 250 San Diego : pinto lobster taken, 218 San Francisco Bay : striped bass fishery, 169 San Joaquin County : sturgeon study, 79 San Luis Obispo County : food items of dove, 99-100 San Pablo Bay : striped bass fishery, 163 Santa Catalina Island : blacksmiths nest- ing, 243 Santa Monica : nesting gobies seen, 250 Sardine, Pacific : age and length in 1959- 60, 232; catastrophic decline, 123 ; fish egg predators, 127 Sardinops caerulea: age and length in 1959-60, 232; catastrophic de- cline, 123; fish egg predators, 127 Saury, Pacific: seen during albacore cruise, 186, 196 Sauries: common names, 25 Scad, Mexican: at Monterey Bay, 210 Scads: common names, 26 Scales: for aging albacore, 39 Scirpus americanus: in Lake Earl, 67 Scirpus acutus: in Lake Earl, 67 Schreiber, Max R.: Observations on the food habits of juvenile white sturgeon, 79-80 Schultz, A. M.: see Gibbens and Schultz, 49-64 Scoter, American : on northwest coast, 67 Scoter, surf: on northwest coast, 69 Scoter, white-winged: on northwest coast, 69 Sculpins: common names. 31 Sea basses: common names, 25 Sea chubs: common names, 27 Sea lion: California: census, 228 Sea lion, Steller: census, 228 Seamount, Davidson: bluespot goby, 250 Seamount, San Juan : albacore caught, 82 Searobins: common names, 31 Seiners, purse: making sardine catch, 233, 235 Seining, purse: for albacore, 81 Senorita: preying on blacksmith eggs, 246 Shad, threadfin : in southern California waters, 282 Sharks, angel: common names, 22 Sharks, cat: common names, 21 Sharks, cow: common names, 21 Sharks, dogfish: common names, 22 Sharks, frill: common names, 21 Sharks, hammerhead : common names, 22 Sharks, horn: common names, 21 Sharks, mackerel: common names, 21 Sharks, requiem: common names, 21 Sharks, whale: common names, 21 Shaver, John A.: Purse seining for Pa- cific albacore, 81-82 Sheephead: blacksmith egg predator, 246 Shrubs: factors affecting growth, 49 ; utilization by deer, 56 Silversides: common names, 32 Skates : common names, 22 Skeletal analysis : quail, 117-121 Sleeper, Pacific fat : new to California, 220 Smelt, pond : from Japan, 141-142 Smelts : common names, 24 Smith, Albert C. : The electrophoretic characteristics of albacore, bluefin tuna and kelp bass eye lens proteins, 199-201 Source Point : burn, 58 Spaulding Reservoir : pond smelt intro- duced, 142 Spawning : Kokanee salmon, 78 Squaretails : common names, 32 Squid : seen during albacore cruise, 196 St. Catherines Bay : new sea urchin col- lected, 216 Sticklebacks : common names, 25 Stingrays : common names, 23 Stone Lagoon : duck habitat, 66 Striped bass: California sportfisherv, 153-177 Sturgeons : common names, 23 Sturgeon, white : food habits, 79 Suaeda spp. : dove food, 95 Suisun Bay : striped bass fishery, 171 Surfperches : common names, 27 Survey, postcard : striped bass, 172 Swan, whistling: on northwest coast, 67 Swordfishes : common names, 29 INDEX 295 Tag : recognizing on fish, 8 ; comparison of returns from trout, 8-9 ; re- tention by anglers, 9 ; reward for returning, 10 ; striped bass returns, 173 ; type used on trout, 14 Tagging : salmon, 259 ; shrubs, 56 ; twigs, 269 Tamarix aphylla: dove nesting tree, 95 Tarletonbeania crenularis: collected dur- ing albacore cruise, 196 Tarpons : common names, 23 Teal, blue-winged : on northwest coast, 68 Teal, cinnamon : on northwest coast, 68 Teal, green-winged : on northwest coast, 69 Tetragonurus sp. : from albacore stom- achs, 196 Thomas, James C. : The occurrence and distinction of threadfin shad in southern- California ocean wa- ters, 282-283 Th annus germo: aging, 39 ; eye lens pro- teins, 199 ; preseason survey, 1960, 179-198; taken by purse seiners, 81 Thunnus saliens: eye lens proteins, 199 Tilefishes : common names, 26 Timms Point : fossil goby otoliths found, 250 Toadfishes : common names, 33 Tonguefishes : common names, 33 Trachurus symmetricus: seen during al- bacore cruise, 186, 196 Triggerfishes : common names, 33 Trout, brown : spawning with kokanee salmon, 77 Trout, rainbow : requirements in Japan, 141 ; tagging methods, 6 Trouts : common names, 24 Tunicates : seen during albacore cruise, 196 Tuna, bigeye : caught near Fieberling Guyot, 183 Tuna, bluefin : eye lens proteins, 199 Tunas : common names, 28 Turner, Charles H. and E. E. Ebert : The nesting of Chromis punctipinnis (Cooper) and a description of their eggs and larvae, 243-248 Turner, C. H. : see Ebert and Turner, 249-252 u Underwood soil series : for classifying soil, 204 Urchin, club-spined : new to California, 216 V Velella lata: seen during albacore cruise, 187 Vertebrae : for aging albacore, 39 Vinciguerria nimbai'ia: from albacore stomachs, 196 w Wales, Joseph H. : Introduction of pond smelt from Japan into Califor- nia, 141-142 Waterfowl : banding at Humboldt Bay, 69 ; importance of California northwest coastal areas, 65-76 ; recoveries of banded, 72-75 Weed, noxious : utilization bv doves, 100- 102 Wheatgrass, crested : planted with bitter- brush, 203-20S Whitethorn, chaparral : deer browse, 53 Widgeon, American : on northwest coast, 67 Widgeon, European : on northwest coast, 67 Wolffishes : common names, 32 Wrasses : common names, 28 Worm, polychaete : in Salton Sea, 126 Yocom, Charles F. and Eley P. Denson, Jr. : Importance of northwest coastal California to water- fowl, 65-76 Zalophus calif or nianus: census, 228 Zenaidura macroura: food habits, 91 Zostera marina: as duck food, 67 Zusman, Pinhas: see Hubbard, Zusman and Sanderson, 203-208 69171 7-62 5,300 printed in California state printing office Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Section 206 of the Fish and Game Code, that the Fish and Game Commission shall meet on October 5, 1962 at 9:30 a.m. in the Employment Building, 722 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento, California, to receive recommendations from its own officers and employees, from the Department of Fish and Game and other public agencies, from organizations of private citizens, and from any interested person as to what, if any, regulations should be made relating to fish, amphibia, and reptiles, or any species or subspecies thereof. FISH AND GAME COMMISSION Monica O'Brien, Secretary Notice is hereby given, in accordance with Section 206 of the Fish and Game Code, that the Fish and Game Commission shall meet on December 7, 1962 at 9:30 a.m. in Room 115, State Building, 217 West First Street, Los Angeles, California, to hear and consider any objections to its determinations and proposed regulations in relation to fish, amphibia, and reptiles for the 1963 angling season, such determinations and orders resulting from hearing held on October 5, 1962. FISH AND GAME COMMISSION Monica O'Brien, Secretary