CAUFDRNIAI

FISH- GAME

"CONSERVATION OF WILDLIFE THROUGH EDUCATION^

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u

0

VOLUME 53

JANUARY 1967

NUMBER 1

Published Quarterly by

STATE OF CALIFORNIA
THE RESOURCES AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

EDMUND G. BROWN, Governor

THE RESOURCES AGENCY

HUGO FISHER, Administrator

FISH AND GAME COMMISSION

WILLIAM P. ELSER, President, San Diego

HENRY CLINESCHMIDT, Vice President THOMAS H. RICHARDS, JR., Member
Redding Sacramento

DANTE J. NOMELLINI, Member JAMES Y. CAMP, Member

Stockton Los Angeles

DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME

WALTER T. SHANNON, D/rarfor

1416 9th Street
Sacramento 95814

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME
Editorial Staff

LEO SHAPOVALOV, Editor-in-Chief Sacramento

ALMO J CORDONE, Editor for Inland Fisheries Sacramento

CAROL M. FERREL, Editor for Wildlife _ Sacramento

HERBERT W. FREY, Editor for Marine Resources Terminal Island

DONALD H. FRY, JR., Editor for Salmon and Steelhead Sacramento

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

III .M('iiioi'i;mi — W. Ij. Scofield 4

Five S])e'ri('s of Salmon, Oiicuili jinrh iis, in the Sai-i'aini'iito Kivcr,
California RicJuinJ ./. IJallock <iii<l Donald II. Fry, Jr. 5

Gi-ay AVIiale Censuses by Airplane in Mexico 23

Carl L. Huhhs and Laura C. Hnhhs

Summary of tlie ^9C)^ and 1064 Soutlu-rn California Inshore P>ait
Fishery Kenneth D. Aasen 28

Stemonosudis rothschildi. a Xew Paralepidid Fish from the Central
Pacific William J. Richards 35

Harvest, Mortality, and Movement of Selected Warnnvater Fishes in
Folsom Lake, California Robert R. Rawstron 40

The Diet of .luxcnile and Adult Striped P)ass. Rncrn.s saxatilis, in
the Sacramento-San Joaciuin River System Jolni L. Thomas 4!J

Note

Northerly Occurrences of Kelp Bass, Parcdahrax clathratus
(Girard), Since 1959___J. Oarf/ Swith aud Daniel IP. Gotshall ()3

Booli Reviews 64

ERRATUM

Smith, C. Lavett, and Parke H. Young. Gonad structure and the
reproductive ej-cle of the kel}) bass, Paralahrax clathratus (Girard),
■with comments on the rektionships of the serranid genus Paralahrax,
52(4) : 283-292,, 1966.

Figure 1, page 284, and Figure 2, page 285 are transposed in some
copies.

(3)

IN MEMORIAM

W. L. Scofleld

W. Ti. Scoficld. foniirr director of the California State Fisheries
Lal)oi'atoi-y, passed away September 27. lOGG. in Long Beach. He re-
tired from the California J)e])ar1m( lit of 1^'ish and Game on December
31, 1955, after almost 37 years of state .service.

^Ir. Scofield was ui-adnated from Stanford University in 1911 Avith
a degree in botany. In 1913 he received his master's degree from the
Yale University School of Forestry.

A veteran of World War I, he worked for the T'nited States Forest
Service before beginning his career with the State in April 1919. He
first worked on salmon investigations at Monterey. In 1920 he trans-
ferred to sardine stndies.

Mr. Scofield was appointed director of the California State Fisheries
Laboratoi-y at Terminal Island in ^larch. 1925. In Jannary 1942, he
was made pnblic relations coordinator and liaison representative for
the then ^Marine Fisheries Branch and other branches of the Depart-
ment of Fish and Game.

II(^ wrote several outstaiidiiit!' piil)]ications on varions types of com-
mercial fishing gear, and also compiled comprehensive historical ac-
eonnts of California's fishing ]V)rts and on kelp harvesting in the
State. The latter was compiled and ])ub]ished after his retirement.

'Slv. Scofield "s exceptional knowledge of the history of California's
fishing indnstry and of early regnlations aided materially in building
a strong foundation for the Department's marine resources program.

To his family, his many friends throughout the Department extend
their sincere sympathy. — Phil M. Boedel.

(4)

Cnlif. Fish and Game, 53 (1) : 5-22. 1007.

FIVE SPECIES OF SALMON, ONCORHYNCHUS, IN
THE SACRAMENTO RIVER, CALIFORNIA^

RICHARD J. HALLOCK and DONALD H. FRY, JR.

Marine Resources Branch

California Department of Fish and Game

King salmon (O. tshawytscha) are abundant in the Sacramento-San
Joaquin river system of California, but other species of salmon are
uncommon or rare. To determine the occurrence and abundance of the
less common species, all such fish encountered during routine king
salmon studies and hatchery operations were exomined and recorded.
From 1949 through 1958, a total of 130 chum, pink, sockeye, and silver
salmon (O. keta, O. gorbuscha, O. nerka, and O. kisutch> was identified.
All were from the Sacramento, its tributaries, or the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta. No salmon other than kings were found in the southern
tributaries of the Delta. These 130 fish do not include planted silver
salmon, which began entering the rivers in 1956. After this planting was
discontinued, silver saimon rapidly declined and have almost vanished
from the Sacramento. Highly tentative estimates were made of the
numbers of chum, pink, and sockeye salmon occurring in the Sacramento
River system. It was concluded that these three species are present as
very small spawning runs, but that silver salmon were so scarce that
they should be regarded as strays.

INTRODUCTION

Five species of salmon, -ieiius Oiicorhijiicluis, are coiiiukmi to the
Pacific Coast of Xorth America (Davidson and Hutchinson, 1938). The
((uestion of what species other than king salmon, 0. tshawytscha, enter
California's Sacramento and San .J()a(iuin River systems has been con-
fusing- to scientists and sportsmen alike for many decades. One reason
for this confusion is the abundance of literature in which reference is
made to kings being the only salmon in the Sacramento and San Joa-
quin River systems, or the only salmon commonly seen there, while at
the same time there have also been sporadic published and unpublished
reports of the presence of other species. Another reason is that to date
no one has made a detailed report describing the occurrence and abun-
dance of salmon other than kings in the Central Valley.

During the past 25 years the California Department of Pish and
Game has kept records of the annual numbers of king salmon spawning
in most of the principal streams in the Central Valley (Fry, 1961).
During the 10-year period 1949 through 1958 the authors made a sus-
tained effort to identify salmon other than kings, to encourage others
who were handling large numbers of salmon to do the same, and to
keep accurate records of those positively identified. In the 10-year
study period, 1.30 salmon other than kings, including all of the other
four species, were taken and identified in the Sacramento River system;
119 of them were taken above Sacramento. They included chum, pink,
sockeye, and silver salmon fO. keta, 0. gorbuscha, 0. nerka, and 0.

1 Submitted for publication June 1966.

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

SHASTA DAM-»

KESWICK DAM-
REDDING

NIMBUS
HATCHERY

7 CHUM
3 PINK

piye/f

FIGURE 1— Sacramento River system, showing numbers and locations of chum, pink, and sock-
eye salmon taken from 1949-50 through 1958-59. Only those silver salmon taken before
1956 are shown. In that year planted silvers began returning to the river.

SACRAMENTO RIVER SALMON 7

kisiitcJi). Ill most instances they were noted among fall-run king salmon
at counting stations, at fish hatchery traps, during salmon tagging
studies, and while counting carcasses on spawning beds during annual
])opulation inventories. Eleven rare salmon (chums and })inks) were
noted in commci-cial salmon landings from below the junction of the
Sacramento and San .Joa<|uiii rivci-s during the same period. Xo un-
usual salmon were found in the San Joa(iuin River above the junction,
in its ti-it)ntaries, or in the Mokelumne Kivcr system. Thus, king salnion
appeal- lo lie the only salmon r'cliably recorded from these other I'ixtT
systems in llie Central \'allcy. Because of this, the chiuu and pink
salmon recovered in the commercial fishery were considered to be
Sacramento River fish.

The numbers of unusual salmon identified in the Sacramento River
system do not give a true picture of tlieii- almndance, since they were
found while sampling only a fraction of the total salmon present.
Therefore, estimates were made of the total numbers of chums, pinks,
and sockeyes which were present during the study pei'iod. Data were
insufficient to permit a meaningful estimate of the numbers of silver
salmon.

Data are also included on the estimated abundance of king salmon,
wliich form over 1.>L>'/' of all salmon each year.

SPECIES OF SALMON

The species of salmon are listed in order of apparent abundance in
the Sacramento River system, not in taxonomic order.

King Salmon, Oncorhynchus fshawytscho (Walbaum)
Distributicn in North America and the Eastern Pacific

King salmon are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from southern
California to northwestern Alaska. Off the California coast, they are
regularly caught in good numbers as far south as Monterey (lat.
36° 37' X.), and in some ^^ears there is a fair fishery off San Luis
Obispo County (to about lat. 35° X.). Kings are rare south of Point
Conception (lat. 34° 27' X.). In the early part of this century, the
southernmost spawning in X'^orth America was by a small run in the
Ventura River (lat. 34° 17' X.), but at present the species spawns in
suitable rivers from the Sacramento-San Joaquin river system to
northwestern Alaska.

In California, kings are by far the most abundant species of .salmon,
but in Xorth America as a whole they are the least abundant species.

Life History

King salmon are known to migrate farther into fresh water than any
other salmon. They spaAvn over 2,000 miles from the sea in the Yukon
River. In general, kings prefer the larger rivers but also enter some
astonishingly small tributaries. A few relatively small coastal streams
support runs of kings but as a rule these runs are small.

In California, most young king salmon migrate to the ocean during
their first few months of life, but a few remain in fresh Avater until they
are yearlings. In many California salmon rivers, summer temperatures
are so high that in order to survive all young salmon must emigrate

8 ( ALIFOI^MA KlSll AND (JA.MK

bpff)ro the Avatpr beconies too wann. ^Fost kiiifj salmon mature at three
or four years of ajre; two-year-old precocious males ("jacks") are
also abundanl. Five-year-ctld fish used to be common in California but
now m;d\c np mdy ;i iiiinoi- |);ii't of i-;i1i'ln's iind spawniii<r I'uns.
Six-year-ohls and yearlin*: "jacks'' are rai-e. North of California, five-
year-olds are relatively more common and seven-year-olds are not un-
heard of. Kin<rs are tlic lar'rest of all Pacific salmon. ^lature four-year-
olds average a liitlc ovci- 20 poumls in wciirlil. 4()-])ouuders are not
uncommon, and fish over 100 jxjuuds have been recorded. Two-year-old
'"jaclcs" usually wci-jrh about 3 jionnds.

Occurrence in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River System

'I'licic ;ii-(' ihi'ce l)asically ditfei-cnt strains of kiiiff salmon in the
.Sacraiiu'Hto River .system and two in the San doacpiin Kiver system:

Fall-run fisli are the most numerous. Most of these fish enter both
ii\cfs sometime hetwccii early September and early T^ecember, although
many ari-ive either earlier or latei- than tliis. Fall-i-un fish reach peak
spawning in November and December, and normally spawn relatively
soon after they reach the appropriate part of the river. In general,
fall-i'iin fish enter the rivi'rs aftei' temperatures have begun to drop,
and fiows have started to im-rease. The timing of runs varies from
stream to .stream.

►Spring-run salmon used to be abundant in the Central Valley but
now relatively few streams support ;i ^pfiuo' run and most of the runs
that still exist are quite small. The s]n-ing run enters a I'iver in spring
or early summer, during the time when the snowmelt usually supplies
an adequate flow of cold water. The fish move upstream initil they reach
areas which nonually ri'iiiaiii cool in >niimiei'. S])awniiig takes place
during early fall. On many Ceiiti-al A'alley streams high dams have
made it impossible for these fish to reach their ancestral spawning
grounds, and below these dams low sunnner flows combined with high
water tempei-atures have made it imjiossible for them to survive. Low
stream tem])eratures below Sliasta Dam have enabled a fair spring
rini to persist in the main Sacramento River, but they have become
almost extinct in the San Joaquin River system.

Winter-run salmon are found on]\- in the Sacramento River system,
and about 98 /f spawn in the main stem of the Sacramento. The winter
run usually reaches the upper river near Red Bluff in December and
spends a relatively long period in the river before spawning. May and
June are the principal spawning months. According to a theory ad-
vanced by Slater (1963). these fish are presumably descendants of a
small run that formerly spawned in the McCloud River, a tributary
of the Sacramento to which access has since been cut off by Shasta
Dam. It is thought that a few fish survived the building of the dam.
found temperatures and other conditions below the dam suited to their
needs, and increased rapidly. The winter run is now con.siderably larger
than the spring run.

Abundance in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River System

Detailed king salmon sjiawning escapement records presented in this
paper cover only the period from 1953 through 1958. During this
period, estimates of the size of the fall I'lni for the entire Central
Valley varied from a low of 117,000 in 1957 to a high of 597,000 in

SACRAMENTO RIVER SALMON

1953 (Table 1). No satisfactory escapement records are available for
winter- or sprins'-run salmon during these years. In a later period
(1958 throu<ih 1968) De})artmeiit of Fish and Game salmon spawning-
inventories show that the total fall inn in the Central Valley averaged
about 380. 000 fish, the wiiitci- run jierhaps 60,000, and the spring run
about 28,000.

TABLE 1

Fall-Run King Salmon, Estimated Spawning Escapement

In Thousands of Fish

Socramento-San Jocquin River System, 1953—54 Through 1958—59 Seasons *

19.i3-.54

19.54-55

19.5.5-56

1956 .57

19.57.58

19.58-.59

Grand total, all rivers

597

487

400

165

117

283

Total, Sacramento River and trib-

butaries

Sacramento River Main Stem . .

Battle Creekt

Mm Creek

.513

408

16

10

4

28

6

28

13

412

27H

12

7

3

68

5

29

12

369

231

26

3

86
2

17

4

1.53
94
21

1

18
5
6
8

102
68
5
.5
2
10
1
8
3

237

128

29

4

Deer Creek

1

Feather River

Ynba River

32
8

American Rivert

Other Sacramento River tributaries-

27
8

Total, Mokelumne River and trib-
utary

Cosumnes River

4
2
2

9
'y
4

4
2
2

1

1

3

1
2

8
1

Mokelumne River

7

Total, San Joaquin River tributaries, _
Stanislaus River _ . - _ .

80
3.5
45

Tit;
■>•*

40
4

27

7

20

11
.5
6

12

4
8

38
6

Tuolumne River

32

Merced River . , . .

— Designates an escapement of .500 fish or less.
* From Fry (1961).
t Includes liatchery fisli and natural spawners.

Chum Salmon, Oncorhynchus keia (Walbaum)
Disfribufion in Norih America and the Eastern Pacific

In the eastern Pacific Oeean, chum salmon have been found from near
Del Mar in southern California (lat. 32° 57' X.. long. 117° 25' \V.) -
to northwestern Alaska. There are recognized spawning runs in streams
tributary to Tillamook Bay, Oregon, northward through Alaska and in
the Arctic Ocean tributaries as far east as the McKenzie River, Yukon
Territory, Canada. In California coastal streams, they have been re-
ported from the San Lorenzo River (Scofield, 1916).

Chums do not form a measurable part of the California salmon catch,
but in the entire North American salmon catch they usually rank third
(behind pink and sockeye, and ahead of silver and king).

Life History

Most chum salmon spawn close to salt water, but some runs migrate
considerable distances upstream. In the Sacramento River they have
been found in spawning condition over 200 miles from the ocean. The

2 Messersmith (1965).

10

CALIFORNIA FISH AND CAME

TABLE 2

Chum, Pink, Sockeye, and Silver Salmon
Sacramento-San Joaquin River System, 1949-50 Through 1958—59 Seasons

Earliest recorded date'

Latest recorded date'

Commercial fishing arca-

I'yke traps— Sacramento R.
' J to 2 mi. above Feather R.

u

C'

(Li

£

1

1

— -s

.~ OS

,2
2c

■2

o

£•1

t 5

A

i s

l.g

<7;

l-i
- — cS

2

H
O
H

Chum Salmon

l'.M!i-5(l. _

1951-52

"Fall-
Sept. 8
Sept. 15
Oct. 27
Aug. 10
July 21
Aug. 27
Fall
Aug. 6

"Fall"
.Nov. 14
Nov. 5
Jan. 4
Dec. 23
Nov. 20
Dec. 21
Fall
Feb.

1
2

2
3
4
17
4
2

2

1

1

2
1
2
3
2
2
1
1

2
1

1

1

1

2
5

2

1
5

1952-53

5

1953-54

10

1954-55

25

1955-56

6

1956-57

7

1957-58

1

1958-59

8

Total

3

34

1

15

4

1

1

7

2

68

Pink Salmon

1949-50

Fall

Sept. 20
Sept. 9
Sept. 3
Nov.
Aug. 30
Fall
Fall
Oct. 26

Fall

Sept. 20
Sept. 21
Nov. 10
Nov.
Oct. 11
Fall
Fall
Oct. 26

8

1
2
4

3

1

—

1
2

1
1
1
6

—

3
1

—

1

2

—

1

1951-52

3

1952-53

3

1953-54

8

1954-55

1955-56

1
17

1956-57

1

1957-58

3

1958-59

1

Total

8

11

—

12

—

4

—

3

—

38

Sockeye Salmon

1949-50

Fall
Fall
Fall
Fall
Fall
Sept. 7
Sept. 20
Ju y 24
Oct. 1
Aug. 11

Fall
Fall
Fall
Fall
Fall
Nov.
Sept. 25
July 24
Oct. 1
Aug. 20

—

2
1
2

—

1

2
3
2
2
3
2
1

1

—

—

;

—

1

1950-51

2

1951-52

1952-53

3
2

1953-54

1954-55

2
5

1955-56

2

1956-57

1957-58

2
1

1958-59

2

Total

—

5

—

16

1

—

—

—

—

22

Silver Salmon^

1949-50

1950-51

Fall
Fall

Fall
Fall

—

—

—

1

1

=

=

=

—

—

1

1

Total

—

—

—

2

—

—

—

—

—

2

Recap of totals

Chum Salmon

3

8

34

11

5

1

15
12
16

2

4

1

1
4

1

7
3

2

68

Pink Salmon

38

Sockeye Salmon,

22

Silver Salmon

2

Grand total -

11

50

1

45

5

5

1

10

2

130

^ Many fish entered hatchery ponds on an unknown date, were discovered later. These
are referred to the appropriate month or season.

-In 1949, commercial salmon netting was permitted from Carquinez Strait to Rio
Vista and in some of the lower San Joaquin Delta. Later, the area was reduced
and in September 19.57 was eliminated entirely.

^ Coleman National Fish Hatchery received fish from Battle Creek and the Sacra-
mento River. Except for king" salmon, we could not determine which fish or how
many came from each stream.

■• Downstream from the counting station.

■' Does not include planted silvers. Downstream migrating silver salmon yearlings
were planted in Mill Creek in March 1956 and began returning that same fall.

SACRAMENTO KIVEK SALAIO-N

11

young go to sea soon after emerging from the gravel, and maturity is
usually reached in the fourth year of life. However, some may mature
in the third or fifth year. At maturity, the average chum weighs about
10 pounds, with a maximum v,eight of about 30 pounds.

TABLE 3

Fork Lengths (mm) of Chum, Pink, Sockeye, and Silver Salmon
Sacramento-San Joaquin River System, 1949—50 Through 1958—59 Seasons

Chum

Pink

Sockeye

Silver

M = Male
F = Female

M

F

Sex

not

known

M

F

Sex

not

known

M

F

Sex

not

known

M

F

Sex

not

known

625
630
720
725
740
750
785
785
795
910

470
510
620

r,:!5
I'li'iii
tiij.5
665
665
675
675
675
685
700
72.^)
7111

470
635
710
730
760
800

455

460
605
635

530

335
450
560
565

5(10
600

595

270
580

580

840

--

--

Number of fish measured

Not measured

10
9

IT)
12

16

4

10

1 <;

1 l:;

1

1 1 0

III II H

0
1

TOTALS ...

19

27

22

14 5 lU

:; 2

17 1 11 (1

1

1

TOTALS . .

Chums: 68

Pinks: 38

Sockeves: 22

Silvers: 2

Occurrence in fhe Sacramento River

During the pei-iod of study, 68 chums were positixclx' identified from
the Saci'amento River system. This includes catches made in the Delta
(Tables 2 and 3). Of these fish, 34 were taken in the fyke traps which
were operated in the Sacramento River near Fremont Weir, a short
distance upstream from the mouth of the Feather River (Hallock, Fry,
and I.aFaunce, 1957), 15 were recovered at Coleman National Fish
Hatchery on Rattle Creek, 7 at Nimbus Salmon and Steelhead Hatchery
on the American River, 3 from commercial salmon landings in the
Delta, 1 at Mill Creek Counting Station in Tehama County, and 8 as
spawned-out carcasses (4 in Mill Creek, 2 in the American River, and
1 each in Deer Creek and the Sacramento River).

Twenty-two of the chums taken in the fyke traps were tagged and
released over a four-year period. Only two of these tagged fish were
recovered. A male, 758 mm fork length, was tagged and released on
Nevember 3, 1953, and recaptured November 30, 1953, by department
personnel on Mill Creek, a tributary some 140 miles upstream. The
other was taken by a sportsman. Details could not be obtained.

IL* CAJ.ll'UltMA FLSli AND UA.MK

Pink Salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Walbaum)
Disfribufion in North America and the Eastern Pacific

Aldiii:- ilic Xorlli AiiHM-ifaii coast, pink salmon liavo been taken from
l.a .lolla. California (IIul)l)s, l!)4(i) to noi't liwcstern Alaska and east-
ward aloniT tlic Ai-ctic Coast to the M(d\en/.ie Hirer, Yidvon Territory.
The soil! he I'M II lost A iiiri-ican spaw iiiu^- runs ol' iinpoi'tance are ill streams
1ril)nlai-\ to I'lmTt Sound. I'inks are t he most ahiiiHlaiit Xorth American
salmon.

()(V Califoi'nia. small catches of pinks are made in some years by
salmon fishermen searching for kinj:- and sil\cr salmon. Pink salmon
have been recorded in several California coastal streams: Seofield
(1 !)!()) reported that several had been taken in the San Lorenzo River
in Xovembei- 1!)15; Snyder (]!):31) reported them as present but rare
in the Klamath River; Taft (1938) reported them as having entered
iMad, Ten Mile, Garcia, and Russian rivers in 1937; Smedley (1952) re-
corded one in Prairie Creek, Humboldt (*onnty, in 1951; Roedel (1953)
recorded ]iinks as spawning irregularly in some Mendocino County
streams. On ( >ctober 14, 1955, one of the present authors (Fry) watched
])ink salmon digging redds on one riffle in the lower part of the Russian
River. At least six females were involved; there were males in the
vicinity but not on the redds. Seofield (1916) reported several specimens
from the San Lorenzo River. These records are in addition to those of
the Sacramento River system, which will be discussed later.

Life History

On the average, pink salmon probably migrate shorter distances into
rivers than any other Pacific salmon. Some pinks even spawn in tidal
areas of streams at low tide, Avhen the gravel is covered with fresh water.
Although most pinks spawn within a few miles of salt water, there are
some streams in which they travel considerable distances to reach spawn-
ing areas, such as those of Babine Lake on the Upper Skeena River in
British Columbia. In the Sacramento River system, 12 pinks have been
identified in Battle Creek, w^hich is over 200 miles from the ocean.

Pink salmon are unique in that all individuals mature at the end of
their second year. It follows that any stream which supports an annual
run thus supports two independent populations. In maiw streams, there
is a large spawning run one year followed by a small one the next, and
sometimes one run or the other is nonexistent. In Xorth America the
southernmost pink salmon fisheries of importance land these fish in
large quantities only in odd-numbered years. Most records of pinks in
California have also been in odd-numbered j^ears.

The pink salmon is sometimes known as the "humpback" because an
exaggerated hump develops on the back of males between the head and
the dorsal fin, as they near spawning condition. Pinks are the smallest
of the Pacific salmon ; they usually reach a weight of 3 to 6 pounds,
and are occasionally as large as 11 pounds.

Occurrence in the Sacramento River

Jordan and Evermann (1896) reported that pinks were occasionally
taken in the Sacramento River, where they were referred to as "Lost
Salmon", Taft (1938) reported that a pink salmon was recovered in

SACRAMENTO RIVER SALMON l3

Mill Creek (Tehama County) in 1933. Early records refer to an occa-
sional pink beinii- taken at hatcheries on the upper Sacramento River.

Many commercial oill-net fishermen who formerly fished for salmon
in the Sacramento River have also fished for pink salmon in Alaska.
These men recot^nize the species and some of them remember having
taken an occasional pink in the Sacramento. Vincent Catania, a former
Sacramento River gill-net fisherman now employed by the Department
of Fish and Game, estimated that 30 years or so ago, in some seasons,
the entire fishing fleet would take jierliaps a dozen of these fish. Other
fishermen recall the niiniber as being higlicr than this.

In the period 1949 thi'ough 1958, 38 ])ink salmon were taken, iden-
tified, ;in(i recorded from the Saci'amento Rixci- system. Twelve of these
were from (^)lemaii National Fish liatchei-y. 11 were from fyk(^ traps
in the Sacramento River just above the mouth of the Feather River, 8
were taken by the comnu>rcial gill-net fishery (all in 1955). 4 were cap-
tured at the counting station on Mill Ci-e<'k. and 3 wci-f taken at
Nimbus Salmon and Steelhead llatciierv on the Amci-ican River-
(Tables 2 and 3).

Sockeye Salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum)

Disfribution in Ncrfh America and fhe Eastern Pacific

Sockeye salmon have been r'ej)orted in the eastern Pacific Ocean
from central California to northwestei-n Alaska. There are recognized
sj)a\vning runs in suitable streams from the Columbia River northward
to northwestern Alaska. Sockeye salmon ar-e abundant off British
Columbia and Alaska. In N(trth America as a whole they ai-e the second
most abundant salmon.

Life History

Adult sockeye salmon usually ascend those rivers in which there are
lakes. Some of them pass through the lakes and spawn in tributary
streams, while others si)awn along lake shores and in streams down-
stream from lakes. Relatively few soekeyes spawn in streams on which
there are no lakes. A few young migrate to the ocean as fry immediately
after emerging from the gravel, but the great majority spend between
one and three years in a lake before descending to the sea. Those
hatching upstream from a lake drop downstream into the lake, those
which are hatched immediately below a lake move upstream into it, and
those which hatch in a lake remain there. Soekeyes usually mature and
return from the ocean to spawn at four or five years of age, but some
mature at three, six, seven, or even eight years. The weight at maturity
is usually 5 to 12 pounds, with a maximum of about 16 pounds.

Jordan and Evermann (1896) stated that soekeyes occurred in the
Klamath River, and Scofield (1916) mentions that it was reported to
him in 1916 that the commercial gill-net fishery at the mouth of the
Klamath took 20 soekeyes. In contrast to these earlier reports, Snyder
(1931) found nothing to substantiate the presence of even a stray
sockeye in the Klamath in the 1920 's. Before October 1917, salmon
moving up the Klamath could continue as far as Klamath Lake and its
tributary streams. On October 25, 1917, Copco Dam became a barrier
that has since kept any salmon from reaching Klamath Lake. It is pos-
sible that the loss of this lake habitat was the final straw that led to the

14 CAIJFOKXIA FISH AND (iA.Mi:

extinction of sockcyc s;iliiioii in the Kl;iin;ilii Kiver. Taft (1937) rc-
j)c)rto(l a sin<rle .sockcyc taken in the IvUmiatli Hivo)' in IfKlG and casts
(lonht on tlic identification of ilic fish i-eported to Scofield.

Occurrence in the Sacramento River

Twenty-lwo sockeye salmon were i-ecovered and identified in the
Sacramento Kiver from l!t4I» tliroujiili 1!)58 (Tables 2 and '4). Tliere
has been some speculation as to whether these were part of a remnant
run, strays, or introduced kokanee salmon (the freshwater form of
OucorJnpicJiKs ncrlai) which had manaired to mi<rrate from lakes or res-
ervoirs in the Sacramento-San .Joa(|uiii river system to the ocean, and
"vvere returning to spawn at maturity.

Kokanee were first introduced into California's inland waters in 1941
(Seeley and jMcC'ammon, 1968). By 1963. they had been stocked in 35
lakes. However, it was not until 1951 that they were stocked in lakes
in the Sacramento River system. At that time, they were hatched and
reared at Coleman Xational Fish Hatchery, from eggs taken in British
Columbia, and released in Shasta Lake. Additional releases w^ere made
in Shasta Lake during 1952 and 1953. A large self-sustaining kokanee
population developed rapidly in the lake.

It is probable that kokanee evolved from anadromous sockeye stocks
where barriei-s to migration or other environmental changes caused con-
ditions unfavorable to an anadromous existence. Apparently there are
no structural differences between the two forms. The obvious differ-
ences of size and habit maj' be the result of environment rather than
heredity.

It has been theorized that if kokanee were released where they had
access to the ocean, some might migrate and return as sea-run adults.
This phenomenon was actually demonstrated in Britsh Columbia, where
sea-run sockeye were produced from kokanee reared and liberated as
yearlings at Cultus Lake (P'oerster, 1947 j. Fish passage studies by the
IT. S. Corps of Engineers at Shasta Dam showed that under favorable
conditions fingerling salmonids passing through the turbines had a sur-
vival rate as high as 91% (Cramer and Oligher, 1964). The possibility
that sockeye in the Sacramento River could develop from kokanee in
Shasta Lake may account for some of the 22 sockeye recoveries made
in the Sacramento River system, but it certainly does not account for
all of them. Six of these 22 sockeye were recovered between 1949 and
1951 ; i.e., before the first kokanee were planted in Shasta Lake.

Of the 22 sockeye recovered in the Sacramento River system, Ki
were taken at Coleman Xational Fish Hatchery (Coleman spawns fish
from Battle Creek and from the Sacramento River), 5 were taken in
fyke traps in the main stem of the Saci-amento. and 1 Avas recovered
at Mill Creek Counting Station.

Silver Salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum)
Distribufion in North America and the Eastern Pacific

In the eastern Pacific Ocean, silver salmon have been found from
about lat. 30° 50' N., long. 116° 11' W. (a few miles south of Cape
Colnett, Baja California, Mexico) northward to northwestern Alaska
(Messersmith. lf)65). They are rare south of ^Monterey Bay. Silver
salmon spawn in suitable streams from northern Monterey Bay, Cali-

SACRAMENTO RIVER SALMON 15

fofiiia, northward to Alaska, but rarely enter the 8acramento-San
.Ioa(|uin system, altlioiio'h there were and perhaps still are spawning
runs in at least two small Marin County streams tributary to San
Fi-aneisco Bay "'. Silvers enter many small coastal streams that are
not utilized by kiuj^-s, but they are also found in many lary'e rivers
Avhere kin<>:s do oeeur.

In Califoi'nia. sihci- salmon arc ol' i-c|;il i vcly minor im])ortance —
tliey constitute about 10'^' of tlie connnercial catch and about 15%
of the sport catch. In Xorth America as a whole, silvei' salmon catches
are exceeded by those of piid\s, sockeyes, and ciiums.

Life Hisfory

Silver salmon nuiy spawn a short distance from the ocean or they
nuiy proceed to tlie upper tributaries of the larji'er rivers.

Young silver salmon usually si)end a little over a year in fi-csh water
before migrating to the ocean; a few spend two years. This limits them
to streams whose sunnner tem])eratures renuiin low enough for the
young to survive. High summer temperature is ])robably an important
factor ])reventing the establishment of silver salmon in streams of
California's (^Miti'al N'alley (there may be other factors as well). Most
silvers mature at the end of their third year. Tender nornud conditions,
tliere are moderate numbers of two-year-old precocious males (grilse
Ol' "jacks"). Silver salmon older than three years are relatively rare.
During their stay in fresh water, young silviu- salmon actively seek
out stream areas which suit theii- net'ds and tlius distril)ute tlKMiiselves
through the available watei'shed.

Mature silver salmon are normally between (i and 12 ])ouiuls in
weight and the maximum is about -U) pounds.

Occurrence in the Sacramento River

As previously mentioned, silver salmon (other than planted ones)
have been the rarest of the five species of salmon in the Sacramento
River svstem. From 1949 to 1956 (when thev were introduced into the
Sacramento) only two had been identified; both of these were taken
at Coleman National Fish Hatcherv. One was recovered in the fall of
1949 and the other in the fall of 'l950 (Tables 2 and 3). One addi-
tional silver salmon was reported at Coleman before 1949 (John Pel-
nar, personal correspondence). It would seem safe to regard these
three recoveries as strays rather than as remnants of a silver salmon
run.

Introduction to the Sacramento River System

In March 1956 silver salmon were introduced into the Sacramento
River .system when 43,025 yearlings of Lewis River, Washington, stock
were released in Mill Creek. These fish had been reared at the Cali-
fornia Department of Fish and Game's Darrah Springs Hatchery on
u)iper Battle Creek. The original plant was followed by 53.505 year-
lings in February and March 1957, and 48,800 in April 1958; all were
])lanted in Mill Creek.

Population estimates Avere made of returning silvers, using the Peter-
sen method of tag and recapture. Calculated totals included a return

3 These are Corte ]Madera Creek and Arroyo Corte Madera Del Presidio. Tlie latter
is often called Mill Valley Creek.

IG CALIl'OKNIA KISII AM) (iA.ME

from tlic sr;i of :?.220 two-yoar-olds in the Fnll of l!!.")!). Tliis was folloAved
by roiiibiiicd totals of ().42() two- and t iii'cc-ycar-old fisli in 1957 and
llJillO in IDoS. Tlic iiil roduccd silvers scallcrcd llii-on^hont the Suera-
iiicnto Hivor syslciii wIkmi I'ct ni'ninji' 1o spawn, hut tho greatest con-
centrations were in Uiiltle ( 'I'eck. tlie Wilier in wliieji tliey were reared
nntil yearlings, and in Mill Creek, where they wei'c planted. Returns
were about ecjual in these two streams. Xo i)opnlati()n estimates were
attempted after 1958. but retui'ns to Mill Creek ami Coleman National
Fish Ilatehery. creel census studies, and examination of salmon car-
casses on spawninii- beds indicate a rapid decline after the stockin<>'
c(>ased. By the fall of 19().'5. silvei-s w(M'e almost as scarce in the upper
Sacramento IJivei- system as they had been before the introduction.

Appai-ently some of the intiodnced silvei" salmon strayed into the
Amei-ic-an Hivei- instead of I'etnrnini;- to l>attle Creek or Mill Creek.
One rii)e female appeared at Ximbus Hatchery in 1958 (a few intro-
duced silver salmon "jacks"" had been seen previously). There were no
adult silvers at Xindnis Hatchery in 1959. Some silver salmon young
were transferred from Coleman Hatchery to Nimbus and later planted
as yearlings in the Ameri<'an River. Prc^sumably. these were descend-
ants of the introduced silvers which returned to Battle Creek. Ninety-
nine adult silver salmon were reported as entering Nimbus Hatchery in
1 !)()() and 87 in 1961. These fish were of small size and poor quality.
Since that time, the American River has received no more silver salmon
])lants and the run has faded to practically nothing.

ESTIMATING THE NUMBERS OF CHUM, PINK, AND SOCKEYE
SALMON IN THE SACRAMENTO RIVER SYSTEM
In the lO-year pei-iod during which data were collected, 130 salmon,
other than kings, were identified in the Sacramento River or its tribu-
taries. How many oth(>rs entered the river? In an attempt to answer
this question, two ba-ically different methods Avere tried on chum,
]nnk, and sockeye salmon and a third method on chums alone. Only two
silver salmon were identified and no estimate of the total number of
silvers appears in this paper.

Ratio of King Salmon Escapement to
Kings Taken at Hatcheries and Counting Stations

Each year, thousands of salmon enter the two salmon hatcheries in
the Sacramento River system. Ail of the^e fish are examined, and hatch-
erymen believe that there is little chance of unusual species of salmon
being overlooked. If the total run of king salmon entering a spawning
stream is X times the hatchery take from that stream, we might assume
that the most probable number of salmon of each other species is also
X times the hatchery take of that species. For this assumption to be
valid, it is essential that the behavior of the various species be suffi-
ciently similar to asure that the chance of an individual salmon enter-
ing a hatchery would be the same regardless of species. For example,
a species that tended to spawn in the first suitable gravel might reach
Coleman Hatchery in disproportionately small numbers. This or other
differences in habits may affect the proportion of each species which
reaches the hatcheries. Certainly, we cannot trust the method implic-

SACRAMENTO RIVER SALMON

17

TABLE 4

Estimated Numbers of Chum, Pink, and Sockeye Salmon in the Sacramento River

System Based on the Fraction of the Total King Salmon Runs Handled

at Hatcheries and Counting Stations

King

Chum

Pink

Sockeye

A

B

c

D

E

F

c.

H

I

Computed

Computed

Computed

Es-

1/Fraction

escapement

e.sicapeiiieiii

escapement

capement

handled

(Cd. "C"

(Col. "C"

(Col. "C"

Location

Handled

(from Frv

(Col. "B"/

Handled

X

Handled

X

Handled

X

and year

alive

(1961))

Col. "A")

alive

Col. "D")

alive

Col. "K")

alive

Col. "H")

Sacramento

River plus

Hattle

Creek

1950

6,084

115,000

18.9

0

0

0

0

2

38

1951_. .

14,348

87,000

6.1

2

12

2

12

3

18

1952.. .

16,130

282,000

17.5

1

18

1

18

2

35

1953-.--

19,291

424,000

22.0

2

44

I

22

2

44

1954

13,641

288.000

21.1

3

63

1

21

3

63

1955- -

15.843

257,000

16.2

2

32

6

97

2

32

1956

10,099

115,000

11.4

9

23

0

0

1

11

1957. -.

10,734

73,000

6.8

i

7

0

0

0

0

1958..-.

22,496

157,000

7.0

1

/

0

0

0

0

Total

206
22.9

170

18 9

241

Mean

26 8

Mill Creek

1953. ..

3,765

10,000

2.7

1

3

3

8

0

0

1954---.

2,901

7.000

2.4

0

0

0

0

0

0

1955.--.

1,722

3.U00

1.7

0

0

0

0

0

0

1956. -.

131

1,000

7.6

0

0

0

0

0

0

1957 --.

1,341

5.000

3.7

0

0

0

0

1

4

1958.--.

1.140

4.000

3.5

0

0

1

4

0

0

Total

3
0.5

12
2.0

4

IVIean

0 7

American

River

1955. -.

7,439

17,000

2.3

0

0

0

0

0

0

1956

1,537

6,000

3.9

2

8

1

1

0

0

1957. ..

875

8,000

9.1

0

0

0

18

0

0

1958

9,571

27,000

2.8

5

14

0

0

0

0

Total

22

5.5

22
5.5

0

IVIean

0

Sum of means (rounded to nearest v,

hole numbe

r)...

29

26

27

Note that the meaiis for each of th

e three area

s covers a

different time period.

2 — 81236

18 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

illy, but it may p'ive soiiip iiidii-iilioti (if 1lie population of the less
coininoii si)C('ies.

Coleman Ilatcliery handles lisli fiom Keswick Dam Fish Trap on
the Sacramento River and from liattle Creek,^ Nimbus Hatchery
takes fish from tlic American River, and Mill Creek Counting Station
(now dismantled) took fish that Avere moving up Mill Creek.-'* By using
the approach given in the preceding paragraph, the average run in all
streams combined was calculated to be 29 chums, 26 pinks, and 27
sockeyes. The time period involved was 1950 through 1958 for Coleman
Hatchery and less for the other two stations (Table 4).

No Estimates Made From Carcass Counts

In theory, the carcasses of unusual salmon examined during the
annual spawning stock surveys could be used to estimate the total
escapement of each species in a manner similar to that just described.
Unfortunateh', this did not work out in practice. When the ratio of
kings to other salmon examined at hatcheries was compared with the
same ratio for spawued-out carcasses in the same streams it became
evident that the carcass counters were either missing salmon of un-
usual species or misidentifying them as kings. When the data on all
species are combined into a single 2x2 chi-square test, the difference
is highly significant (P=< 0.001). Part or all of this difference may
be because it is not necessary to examine the carcasses as closely as it
is the live fish, and because the carcasses may be fungus covered or
badly decomposed.

Estimates From Fyke Trap Catches

Another method of estimating the total escapement of chums, pinks,
and socke.yes involved the fraction of the total escapement taken by
fyke traps in the Sacramento River. The purpose of these traps was to
catch king salmon and steelhead trout (Sahno gairdnerii gairdnerii),
which were then tagged in the course of population estimates (Hallock,
Van Woert, and Shapovalov, 1961). The gear also proved effective in
the capture of the other species of salmon.

The first year for which we have satisfactory king salmon escape-
ment figures for the entire Sacramento Valley is 1953. We also haA'e
steelhead escapements for the period 1953 through 1958. During this
period, the traps took approximately 1 king salmon out of every 80
and 1 steelhead out of every 8 that went past the trapping site.

The traps proved to be highly size selective — most of the trapped
king salmon were two-year-old "jacks". It seems probable that the
high proportion of steelhead is due more to their smaller size than to
species selection. Further verification of the size selectivitj" of this
gear was provided by the hatchery-reared silver salmon which began
migrating upstream past the trapping site for the first time in 1956.
During the years 1956, 1957, and 1958, a total of 1,648 two-year-old
silvers was taken in the traps. The total population of two-year-old
silvers was computed to be 13,400 — a ratio of 1 trapped out of every

' uiifo. tunately, we were not able to determine how many of the unusual salmon
came from Battle Creek and how many from the Sacramento River. This intro-
duces still another source of error, since the hatchery took the majority of the
Battle Creek run but only a small fraction of the Sacramento River run.

''' At the Mill Creek Counting Station, each flsh was handled and it seems justifiable
to assume that all unusual species were noted. Odd-appearins salmon which
could not be readily identified were set aside for later study.

SACRAMENTO RIVER SALMON

19

8.13 ill the run. In 1957 and 1958, a total of 159 three-year-old silvers
was taken out of a computed population of 7,840 three-year-olds — ■
a ratio of 1 trapped out of every 49.3. The ehuins captured were
about the size of three-year-old silvers; the pinks and sockeyes were
smaller than three-year-old silvers but larger than two-j'ear-olds.

Not only is there a problem of size selection by fyke traps but there
is evidence whicli hints that there may be some ditference in the
fraction caught by species independent of size. From 1951-52 througli
1958-59, the fyke traps took 34 chum salmon. Chums recovered farther
upstream totaled only 22, a ratio of slightly over l^^ to 1 in favor of
the ti-aps. In the same period, tlie tra]^s took 11 pink and 5 sockeye
salmon, compared with 1(5 i)iiiks and Ki sockeyes recovered upstream —
ratios of roughly ly^ to 1 and 3 to 1 in favor of the upstream recov-
eries. By comparison with these upstream recoveries, the traps did
much better with cliums. This is the exact opposite of what one would
expect if the selectivity of the trajis favored small fish and depended
on size alone. Obviousl.v, this difference could be due to something
besides species selectivity by the traps. For instance, there is much less
chance of recovering fish whicli stay in the main stem of the Sacra-
mento, compared with those which enter Battle Creek or Coleman
Hatchery. The difference between species could be in preferred spawn-
ing areas and in the percentage recovered after spawning rather than
in trap selectivity.

If we ignore the possibility of species selectivity and assume that
the proportion of each species caught lies between that of two- and
three-year-old silvers (i.e., between 8 and 49 to 1), then for each
species we can estimate a supposed maximum and minimum which we
hope will bracket the true run size. For the period 1951-1959 the
mean chum run calculated by this method is between 34 and 210, the
mean pink run between 12 and 74, and the mean sockeye run between
5 and 31 (Table 5).

TABLE 5

Estimated Numbers of Chum, Pink, and Sockeye Salmon

Sacramento River System Above the Feather River

Based on Fyke Trap Catches

Chum

Pink

Sockeye

Weighted fyke

Weighted fyke

Weighted fyke

trap catch

trap catch

trap catch

Catch
in

Catch
in

( 'atch
in

fyke

catch

catch

fyke

catch

catch

fyke

catch

catch

Year

traps

X 8

X 49.3

traps

X8

X 49.3

traps

X 8

X 49.3

1951-52

2

16 99

1

8 49

0

0 0

1952-53

3

24 148

2

16 99

0

0 0

1953-54

3

24 148

4

32 197

0

0 0

1954-55

18

144 887

0

0 0

2

16 99

1955-56

4

32 197

3

24 148

0

0 0

1956-57

2

16 99

1

8 49

1

8 49

1957-58

0

0 0

0

0 0

0

0 0

1958-59

2

16 99

1

8 49

2

16 99

Mean (of 8 years)

34 210

12 74

5 31

Mean 1953-56

54 333

16 98

6 37

Traps are more effective on small fish of a given species. From 1956-58, they caught approximately }/s of the two-
year-old hatchery reared silver salmon which passed the trapping site. In 1957-58, they took only one three-year-old
silver salmon out of every 49.3.

20 ( Al.ll'OKMA IMSll AM) (JAM 10

Estimation of Chum Population From a Single Tag Return
\ nu'lliod wliicli i-oiild he used \i> rsljnuil' 1lic iiiiinbci' of (•hums
involves nso of llic 1;iji<iiii<i' data olilainrd while operating fyke traps
in Hie lower Saei'ainenlo IJivei'. Xo pinks of soekeyes were tagged and
no silvers wore taken until introduced sihci's stai'ted returning in
1956. Two chums were tagged in l!t53, Ki in ]!).'')4, 4 in 1955 and 1 in
195(i. (»f th(>se 28 fish^ 1 was eaui.''ht by a sportsman and thus became
una\ai]al)le to be recovei'ed by the hatcherymen or spawning survey
crews. Of the I'emaining 22, 1 fish was recovered by the spawning
survf\v crew in ^lill Creek. Dnring those same four years, 15 untagged
ehuiii s'dmon were i-ecovered at Coleman Hatchery, or on t!'e spawn-
ing gi-onnds upstream fi'()ni the 1i-a|)])ing site.

The ])opu!ation was estimated bv usinu' a foi-nnda from Kicker
(1958) :

Estimated population

M (C + 1)

Pv + 1

^ 22 (16 + 1)

1 + 1

= 187 for four years (1953-5()) or an
average annual I'un of 47
(rounded upward from 4().75).

In the al)()\'e ecjuatiou :

M = EfiectiA-e number of tagged fish (22)

C = Number of tagged and untagged fish in sample (1 tagged
+ 15 untagged)

R = Tagged fish l•(M'()^•ered in sample (1)

Calculating the spawning escapement for a total of 4 years on the
basis of a siu.gle tag n-tui-n is verv bad statistics, but the estimated
annual run of 47 does lie within the range of estimates by the other
methods.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

King salmon are abundant in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river
systems of California. To d<^termine the occurrence and abundance of
salmon other than kings in the Central Valley, a continuing effort
was made to record all such salmon that were encountered by fisheries
workers. This study lasted from 1949 until early 1959.

During the 10-year ]^ei-iod. 130 unusual salmon, including chums,
pinks, soekeyes, and silvers, were found among king salmon at count-
ing stations, at fish hatchery traps, on spawning beds, in commercial
fish landings, and during salmon tagging studies. All were taken in
the Sacramento River system or below the junction of the Sacramento
and San Joaquin rivers. No salmon other than kings were found in the
San Joaquin system above its junction Avith the Sacramento, or in
the Mokelumne River system.

SACRAMENTO RIVER SALMON 21

Data on the distribution, life liistory, and oeenrrenee of the five
species of Pacific salmon, antl on tlieir abnndance in tlie tSacranientu
River system, ar'c included.

Kill"' salmon make n]) over 99*/^ of all salmon in the Central Valley.
From lf)5.'} tln'on"-!! 19.")(S, the size of the fall I'uii \aried from a low
of 117,000 in lOf)? to ;i hitrh of fiKT.OOO in 1953.

During' the study period, <i^ clium, 88 ])ink, 22 soekeye, and 2 silver
salmon were taken and identified in the Sacramento River system.

Ordei- of m;iji'idt iidc estimates of tlie numbers of chums, pinks, and
sockeyes in tlie Sacramento River system during the study jieriod
were made by two methods; a thircl method was used on chums alone.
When we used the ratio of kiiiL;- salmon escapement to king's taken at
hatcheries, as a basis for computing the abundance of the less common
species, it was estimated that for the nine-year period 1950 through
1958 the average annual runs were: chums 29, pinks 26, and sockeyes
27. l>y computing their pi-dbalile nund)ers from fyke traj) catches it
was estimated that for the eight-year ])eriod 1951 thi-ongh lf)58 the
average annual number of chums was between '-'A and 210, of i)inks
between 12 aiul 74. and of sockeves between 5 and 'U . Comniding
the chrm salmon popidalion fi'om a single tag return gave an averag'e
annual i-un of 47 fish from lf)53 th.rough 195(). All of these methods
have serious statistical weaknesses.

It was concluded that chum, ])ink. and soekeye salmon enter the
Sacramento liiver regularly enough to he r-cgarded as very small i-uns,
but that silver salmon, before they were introduced in 1956, were so
scarce and so irregular that tlu\v should be regarded as strays.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

]\Tany persons in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and in the
California Department of Fish and Game helped supply the fish and
records on which this paper is based. Especial thanks for records of
individual fish are due John Pelnar, who was then District Supervisor,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and was in charge of Coleman National
Fish Hatchery, and to Jtnnes Ilinze, who managed Ximbus Salmon
and Steelhead Hatchery. W. I. Follett, Curator of Fishes of the Cali-
fornia Academy of Sciences, provided us with many early references.

REFERENCES

('raincr. Frpderick K.. and Raymond C. 01i<;her. 10(14. Passing- fish tlirough liydiau-

lic tnrhinps. Trans. Amer. Fi.sh. Soc. 93 CD : 24:!-2r)9.
Davidson, Frederick A., and Samuel J. Hutchinson. ID.'iS. The ;;eoj;raphic distrilm-

tion and environmental limitations of the Pacific salmon (genus Oncorhyiichiis ) .

Bull. r. S. P.ur. Fish., 48 (26) ; G67-692.
Foer.ster, R. E. 1947. Experiment to develoii sea-run from land-locked soekeye

salmon {OitcorJi uni-hua nerkn keniierli/i) . .Tour. Fish. Res. Bd. ('ana<la, 7 (2) :

SS-93.
Fry, Donald H., Jr. 19(51. Kins? salmon spav^-ning stocks of the Ca'ifornia CenUal

Valley. 1940-.19. Calif. Fish and (Jame. 47 (1) : .",-71.
Hallock, R. J., D. H. Fry, Jr., and Don A. LaFaunce. 1957. The use of wire fyke

tiai)S to estimate the runs of salmon and steelhead in the Sacramento River.

Calif. Fish and Game, 43 (4) : 271-298.
Hallock, R. J., W. F. Van Woert, and Leo Shapovalov. 1961. An evaluation of

stocking hatehery-reared steelhead rainl)ow trout ( Nahno gaiidnerii (lairdnerii) in

the Sacramento River system. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Fksh Bull., (114) :

74 p.

22 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

Hulihs. (^arl 1j. ^'^4^'>. W;iii(l(>rin}j of jn'nk snlmon and o(li"r salnionid fishes into
southorn Califuniia. Calil'. Fish and Game, 32 (2) : Sl-SG.

Jordan. David Slarr. and P.arlon Warren Everniann. 1Sll(i-Il)00. The fishes of North
and .AIi(h11c Amerioa. V. S. Nail. :Nrnsenni. Bull.. M7 1 : HP,'.',! p., .''.02 pi.

Messersniitii. .1. D. l'.Ut."». Soulliern i-aii.nc extension I'oi- cluini and silver salmon.
Calif. Fish anil Oame, 51 CM : 220.

Kicker. A\'. E. l!tr>S. IIandl)ooi< of <'omi)ulations for l)ioh)j;ieal statistics of lish pop-
ulations. Bull. Fish. Res. Bd. Canada, (110) : 300 p.

Roedel, I'liil INI. 19'}^. Common ocean fishes of the California coast. Calif. Dept.
Fish and (iame, Fish Bull.. (J)l) : ]S4 p.

Scofield, X. B. lOlO. Tlie humphacl^ and do;; salmon ta]<en in San I.(u-enzo River.
Calif. Fish and Game, 2 (1) : 41.

Seeley, Charles ^I.. and George W. ^IcCammon. 19G3. A review of kokanee in Cali-
fornia. Calif. Depf. Fish and Game. Inland Fish. Admin. Rept., ((53-11) : 3") p.
( INIimeo.) .

Plater, Daniel W. 1903. Winter-run chinook salmon in the Sacramento River, Cali-
fornia, with notes on water temperature recpiirements at spawning. U. S. Fish and
AVildl. S'jrv., Spec. Sci. Rept.— Fish. 461 : 9 n.

Smedley. S. C. 1952. Pink salmon in Prairie Creek. California. Calif. Fish and
(iame, 38 (2) : 275.

Snyder, John O. 1931. Salmon of the Klamath River, California. Calif. Div. Fi.sh
and Game, Fish Bull., (34 t : 130 p.

Taft, A. C. 1937. A red salmon (Oncorhynchus ncrka) taken in the Klamath River.
Calif. Fish and Game. 23 (2) : 178.

193S. Pink salmon in California. Calif. Fish and Game, 24 (2) : 197-198.

Calif. Fish and Game, 53 (1) : 28-27. 1967.

GRAY WHALE CENSUSES BY AIRPLANE IN MEXICO'

CARL L. HUBBS and LAURA C. HUBBS
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego

Aerial censuses of the gray whale, Eschrichtius gibbosus (Erxleben),
populations in the wintering waters in Mexico (from near San Diego to
around Cabo San Lucas, with a few records from the shores of the Gulf
of California), chiefly in and about the lagoons along the west coast of
Baja California, from 1952 through 1964, yielded the following counts
(counts plausibly explicable as too low in parentheses): 1952, 827;
1953, 912 and 737; 1954, r276j and 7,315; 1955, (584); 1956, (960); 1957,
(637;; 1959, 7,509; 1960, 7,455; 1961, (959); 1962, 7,793; 1964, 7,587.
When these explicably low counts are largely disregarded the following
conclusions seem warranted: (1) higher counts after 1952 and 1953
suggest a growing population; (2) data for 1954—1964 suggest a leveling
off of the population; (3) on assumption that about hah' the population
was observed, the total population may be roughly estimated as about
3,000; (4) nearly identical low counts for 1952 and 1953 and high
counts for 1959 and 1960 seem to refute the hypothesis that odd-year
runs differ markedly from the even-year runs.

In the winter of 1946-47 Ave initiated an annual census of the eastern
Pacific population of gray whales, Eschrichtius gihhosus (Erxleben), as
tliey migrated i)ast San Diego toward the lagoons of Baja California,
Mexico, where all of the calves ai-e born. Having continued this census
for several years until others took over the project (Gilmore, 1960a,h;
Rice, 1961), we began, in February 1952, an annual aerial census of
tliis population. The census covered the coastline from San Diego south-
ward to the Cape region of Baja California, at a time of year when
almost the entire population winters there. From 1954 through 1957 the
tally also included the small number of whales that winters along tin;
eastern coast of Golfo de California (Gilmore and Ewing, 1954; Gil-
more, 1958-1961; Gilmore and Mills, 1962; Gilmore et al., in press).

These aerial censuses were made with the aid and collaboration of
Gifford C. Ewing, then on the staff of Scripj^s Institution of Oceanog-
raphy. In addition to providing and piloting his plane, Dr. Ewing
actively participated in the counts. His skill as a pilot, his intimate
knowledge of the lagoon area, and his patience and dedication all con-
tributed greatly to the thoroughness of the censuses (other aerial tallies
are not comparable).

We accompanied Ewing on the Februarv fliohts of 1952, 1954, 1959,
1960, 1961, 1962', and 1964. On the flights of 19^59, 1960, 1962, and 1964
we were further assisted by several others (see footnotes to Table 1).
Raymond M. Gilmore made the counts with Ewing in 1953 (closely fol-
lowing a trip made by Ewing and Andreas B. Rechnitzer), 1954, 1955,
1956, 1957. Thus, over the period 1952-1964 we have counts from 13
flights, including 2 each in 1953 and 1954 (but none in 1958 or 1963).

Some particulars regarding our trips of 1952 and 1954 and his trips

1 Submitted for publication June 1966. This research was part of a program supported
by grants from the National Science Foundation. Contribution from the Scripps
Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.

(23)

24

CALIFORNIA FISH AND OAME

TABLE 1
Counts of Gray Whales, from Airplane(s), from San Diego, California Southward

Details regarding flights of 1952 to 1957 were specified by Gilmore fl960o: 26-29). Later
flights are discussed in text. The counts for 1954 to 1957 included a few whales on the east
shore of Golfo de California.

Date of

No

. (,1 whale.s couii

ed

^'ear of

flight

flight

(^unter(s), with G. C. Kwing

Calves

Adults

Total

1952

11:16-20

C. L. and L. (". Huhl)s

79

748

827'

1<)53

1:31-11:4

A. B. Rp(hiiit/er

190

722

9121

1953

11:2.5-27

K. M. Cilmorc

118

613

7311

1954

11:1-7

R. M. Gilmore

59

217

2762

1954

11:14-21

('. L. and L. (". Hubbs

227

1,088

1,315»

19.55

11:26-111:3

R. M. Gilmore

148

436

584^

1950

11:14-17

R. M. Gilmore

138

822

9605

1957

11:27-111:3

R. M. Gilmore

98

533

63 1«

19.59

11:20-26

C. L. and L. C. Hubbs'

286

1.223

1,5098

1961)

11:18-21

0. L. and L. C. Hubbs'

244

1,211

l,455'o

19fil

11:25-27

C. L. and L. C. Hubbs

169

780

949i»

1962

11:18-21

C. L. and L. C. Hubbs"

14112

1,052'2

1,193

1964

11:20-24

C. L. and L. C. Hubbs's

209

1,372

1,581

1 Total listed as 700 to 750 by Gilmore and Mills (1962 : 27).

-Count not comparable with others, because incomplete (whole west coast north of
Laguna San Igrnacio was bypassed) and too earlv.

^Preliminary, ai)pro>,imate tallv of 1,400 (200 calves and 1,200 adults) listed by Gil-
more (19P,0r;: 27) and by Gilmore and Mills (1962: 27).

* Very low count attributable to omission of Vizcaino breeding^ area in main survey,

only partly compensated for bv inclusion here of earlv (February 4) aerial count
of 69 calves and 121 adults l)y Gifford C. Ewing, Fred B Phleger, and Robert
Langford ; lateness of count also involved.

"' Low count attributable in part to omission of several areas, as detailed by Gilmore
(1960a: 28). Berdegue (19.o6: 10.5) who, along with D. Day, participated in the
census, gave the count as 1.34 calves and 814 adults (total 948), and making esti-
mates of numbers missed in areas not covered, arrived at a grand total of 1,008.

""The flight was made in good weather and provided excellent crtverage" (Gilmore,

1960a: 29) : because of the late date many whales had probably returned north.

'George E. Lindsay participated in this flight and assisted in the count.

* This high count was not mentioned by Gilmore and Mills (1962 : 27 ).

"On the 1960 flight we utilized a second, smaller plane provided and piloted by

Lawrence C. Kuebler, and in the counting were further assisted by George E.

Lindsay. Laurence M. Huey, and others.
'"Gilmore and Mills (1962: 27) listed about 1,400 for each of the 1960 and 1961

flights. The 19 61 count was abnormally low due to unavoidable haste, less than

optimal weather, and omission of parts of the coast.
"On the 1962 flight we again utilized the plane provided and piloted by Mr. Kuebler

and were assisted by George E. Lindsay, Earle Stanley Gardner, and Eva Ewing.
1- Calves were not distinguished from adults in all areas.
13 On the 1964 flight we were further assisted by Theodore J. Walker, Robert W.

Eisner, and Jean Filloux.

of 195;^ to lO.lT were prest^ntcd 1)\- (gIuioi-o nOGOr/: 25-29). Berdeguf^
(1956) gave an acr-ouiit of tho 1956 flif;]it. Our 1954 trip was in a
C(^ssiia 180 plane, which was exeellent for obsprvation. The 1959 and
1960 trips were in a Oruniman Snper Widgeon G44 amphibian, also
very serviceable. Beginnino^ in 1961 Pawing' flew a larger jolane, an Aero
Commander 500 A, which served well for census taking.

Several eircnmstanees may have favored higher counts as the aerial
censuses continued. Beginning in 1959, additi(mal personnel partici-
pated (except for the unsatisfactory count in 1961). On two of the last
four flights a second and smaller plane, provided and piloted by Law-
rence ('. Kuebler, not only carried more observers but increased the
M'idth of the eflfective band of observation without reriuiring as much
zig-zagging as on a single-plane operation. Greater skill in piloting and
in observing tended to increase the counts. However, it is thought
that there was only a moderate bias toward higher counts, particularly
since Ewing very early in the series developed notable skill in zig-

GRAY WHALE CENSUSES 25

zagjiiiiig his course along tlie coast to cover tlie band of migration (with
occasional sorties beyond the limit of occurrence), and in circling over
llic lagoons just tightly enough to lai'gely a\'oid either duplication or
omission. Furthei-more, the more c()mj)lete and therefoi-e more sig-
nificant enumerations were made by the same personnel, and the two
highest counts were made with a single ))lane.

Throughout (mii- ojxM-ations we stationed the |)i-ime observers in the
pilot's and copilot's seats, so that both sides were scanned. Altitude
was varied, so that a wi(h' barul was covered along the open coast and
close-np obsei-vation was maintained in lagoons and other areas in
which the wliales congregated. Observations were usually recorded on
tape, but a running tally was also maintained. Over the lagoons in
which the whales abounded, adults were enumerated by hand tallies
and the inimbers of calves were jotted down by a third party as they
were called out.

Sources of error in the aerial census as practiced do exist. In addi-
tion to factors favoring higher counts, visibility varied great l\- with
sea and wind state and with haze. To countei-act these factors in and
about Scaiiiiiions Lagoon, where the greatest concentration of whales
occurs, a count was usually made early in the day, when conditions
for obsei-vation wei-e best (once a count on a windy afternoon was
followed early the next day by a much higher count, which was ac-
cepted). Counts made pi'ior to mid-February or after February 27 are
suspect, because the whale population seems to be at its height in the
lagoons during the intervening period. In some years, few whales enter
the lagoons before early February, and toward the end of the month
the northward exodus seems to be underway. In fact, during the second
half of February the last down-migi-ating stragglers meet the vanguard
of the northward migrants along the open coast (both groups ordinai-ily
])roceeding without calves).

Despite these and other sources of error and variance, the summary
data (Table 1 and Fig. 1) from the aerial censuses of the eastern
Pacific gray whales appear to provide a significant basis for estimates
of the population. When explicably low counts are disregarded, sev-
eral conclusions regarding the population trend seem to be warranted.

(1) The initial low counts of 1952 and 1953, just before the high
count of 1954, seem to confirm other indications that the population
had not yet reached the level soon after attained. Early inexperience
may explain in part, but we think in small part only, the lower counts
on the first two censuses.

(2) The data for the 11-year period, 1954—1964, strongly suggest a
leveling off (suggested by Hubbs, 1959) of the population increase.

(3) The nearly identical low counts for 1952 and 1953 and the simi-
larity of the high counts for 1959 and 1960 seem to refute the hy-
pothesis held by some observers (for example, Gilmore, 1958), that odd-
year runs differ markedly in numbers from the even-year runs.

(4) On the assumptions that about half of the total population was
observed in the area covered, and that almost all the individuals were
concentrated in that area at the time of the counts, the entire popula-
tion of gray whales in the eastern Pacific may be roughly estimated as
about 3,000. Any major error in the admittedly rather intuitive estimate
that about half of the population was observed on the flights should

26

CALIFORNIA PISH AND OAME

^%Z\l'^^''''1 TT' °^ '"' "^°'" ^'■°" '^^2 *^^°"9^ 1964, from San Diego southword.
indicates an obviously incomplete count ^^- "^^ ''''''°''' surmounting: a column

not markedly vitiate conclusion (2), because the counting was closely
comparable, except as noted, from year to vear

^QmlT^^nl^''^^^ l'?P"]^^^°^ ^« ^''^^ as 5,000 to 9,000 rOilmore,
1960r/,Z, 196] ; Rice, 1961) seem unrealistic to us, and news dispatches
trom Mexico giviuo- an estimate of 15,000 seem unbelievable

lliofher (-stimates by American cetolo-ists have been based either on
the assumption that only about ono-fourth of the whales were counted
on the aerial s^urveys in Baja California, or on counts from the shore
statK.n at the Cal,ril!o National ifonument on Point Loma, San Diego
( al.t<;rnia. ^\e are inclined to believe that aerial surveys are somewhat
suj.erior to the shore counts (begun in 1946-47), as well as being much
more economical of time (5 days versus 2 months). The shore counts
involve imcertamties chiefly due to: (1) frequent periods of fog, which
nu,y oc.-Iude tlie view for as long as several days; (2) inabilitv to
observe movements at night, and lack of information as to the noc-
turnal conditions under which migration is continued or interrupted
(we have observed that migration continues under bright moonlicht
Out IS tully suspended during dark of the moon) ; (3) very real dfffi
eulty in deciding how many whales are in a migrating gam (some
observers have tended to count spouts).

A source_ of error in censusing from shore, which may be time-
clepeiident, is a change in migration route (tending more offshore) and

ZTn ^^S'^^^i ''■^"■"!' "^"^y ^^^1 ^'-^'-^ ^^esulted from the increase of
s nail-boat traffic along the shore and especially from the increase in
the number of commercial and private boats that chase the whales dur-
ing then; coastwise migration to obtain a closer view. Recent observa-
tions (Rice 196o) indicate a soutliward movement near the Channel
Jslands of California in excess of any we had previously observed in
that are.a. The tendency of gray and other whales to exhale under
water when disturbed m.d to expose only their blowholes for inhalation

(JRAY WHALE CENSUSES 27

(Iliibbs, 1965) renders tliem difficult to see and eount. These factors
seem to have been resi)onsib]e for the surprisingly low numbers of
whales observed passinjti- San Diego during- the southward migration of
li)();j-64. Wondering if there might have been a sudden depletion of the
whales due to disease, or to exploitation in the Arctic or in the western
Pacific, we resumed the aerial census in February 1964 (after the
planned termination in 1962). To our gratifj'ing surj^rise, the counts
from the airjjlane were slightly the highest yet obtained.

In this i)apei-, no attempt has been made to detail the counts for
each lagoon and for each coastal sector, nor to include observations on
migrational route, behavior, etc. Fui-ther analysis of the voluminous
field notes will probably slightly modify the total counts. We also have
many years of obserxations from shore, from vessels and small boats,
and from other plane trips and from helicopters. To date our obser-
vations have barely been summarized in print fllubbs. 1959).

LITERATURE CITED

Bordeffue, Julio. 1050. THtimo oenso de la ballena iris. Rharhinnntc^ ghntcitx
(Cope), en af-^iia.s <le Baja California. Ciencia CNIex.), 16(4-G) : !)!)~1()!>. fij>s. 1-4.

(Jilmore, Raymond M. 1958. The story of the gray whale. Privately i>ul)lished by
author: 1-16, 10 figs.

. 19(iO«. A census of the California gray whale, U.S. Fish and Wildl. Scrv.,

Spec. Sci. IJept. : Fisheries. 342 : i-iv, 1-80, figs. 1-15.

VM'Mh. Census and migration of the California gray whale. XursU 11\ alfangst-

Tidene, 49(9) : 409-431, figs. 1-7.

-. 19(51. Till' story of tlic j^r.-iy whale. l*ri\at('ly puhlislu'd l)y the author : 1-17,

10 figs,
(iilmore, Kayniond M.. Robert L. P>rownell, Jr., James G. Mills, and Al Harrison.

In Press. Cray whales near Yavaros, Southern Sonora, Golfo de California,

Mexico. Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist.
(lilmore, Raymond M., and GifFord Ewing. 1954. Calving of the California grays.

Pacific Discovery, 7(3) : 13-15, 30, 2 figs.
(Jilmore, Raymond M.. and James G. Mills. 19(52. Counting gray whales in the Gulf

of California. Pacific Discovery, 15(2) : 26-27, 3 figs.
Hubbs, Carl L. 1959. Natural history of the grev wdiale. XVth Intern. Congr. Zool.,

London, 16-23 July 1958, Proc. : 313-316.
. 1965. Data on speed and underwater exhalation of a humpback whale fol-
lowing ship. Hvalradets Skrifter, 48: 42^4, figs. 1-2.
Rice, Dale W. 1961. Census of the California gray whale. 1959/60. Norsk Hvalfangst-

Tidene, 50(6) : 219-225, figs. 1-4.
. 19(35. Offshore southward migration of gray whales off southern California.

Jour. Mamm., 46(3) : 504-505, fig. 1.

Calif. Fish I, ,1,1 donif. 53 (^)■. l>s-:m. idc.t.

SUMMARY OF THE 1963 AND 1964
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INSHORE BAIT FISHERY^

KENNETH D. AASEN

Marine Resources Operations

California Department of Fish and Game

Inshore bait species most commonly taken from intertidal areas are
discussed. The distribution, method of catch, and the 1963 and 1964
catch statistics are summarized. In 1963, the commercial catch was
200,000 pounds, valued at approximately $100,000. The 1964 catch
was 160,000 pounds and was worth $80,000. The most important
species in terms of value to the fishermen were ghost shrimp and jack-
knife clams.

INTRODUCTION

Californiaiis enjoj' many different recreational activities ; one of the
most popnlar is sport fishing. Annnally, more than l.fi million people
pnrehase sj^ort fishing- licenses in the State. Approximately 50% of
these fish in the ocean and bays at least once during the year and nearly
15% of them, as well as many ]ner fishermen and youngsters under
age 16, who are not required to have a license, confine their fishing ac-
tivities exclusively to the ocean (Abramson, 1963). These saltwater
sportsmen expended an estimated $107 million for food, lodging,
transportation, and fishing gear in 1963 (California Department
of Fish and Game, 1965). An important aspect of fishing often over-
looked is the universal need for bait.

The Department of Fish and Game has maintained catch records of
the pelagic bait species for many years (California Bureau of Marine
Fisheries, 1949). These records are from Aoluntary logs kept by live-
l)ait boat skippers and receipts completed by wholesale fish dealers who
l)urchase dead bait from fishermen. The live-bait catch is predomi-
nantly northern anchovies {Engranlis mordax), while the dead bait
consists of anchovies, Pacific sardine (Sardinops caernleiis), Pacific
herring {Clnpca pdJhis'n), squid {LoJifjo oj)aJr.9cetis), and small amounts
of Pacific mackerel {Sconihcr diego). Another segment of the bait indus-
try deals with inshore benthic species. In 1962, the Department began
gathering catch data on these inshore species, Avhich previously had
been ignored because they were assumed to be insignificant.

Source documents used for recording these data are furnished by the
Department to all dealers purchasing bait from fishermen. These docu-
ments, sometimes referred to as sales slips or pink tickets (Figure 1),
Avere designed before this fishery developed to its present extent. Some
modification was necessary before the pink tickets could be used. Since
this is generally a shore fishery, Department of Fish and Game boat
numbers do not always apply and, in some instances, units of measure
other than weight are accepted because of bait dealers' methods of op-
eration.

During a pilot survey from June through December 1962, we assessed
the magnitude of this inshore fishery and obtained data to convert the

1 Submitted for publication April 1966.

( 28 )

INSHORE BAIT FISHERY 1 963- 1 964

29

THIS COPY FOR

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME

Gerrif I?. Drenf S Harold Sanders 7427-748

NAME OF
DEALER_

PORT >XHERE FISH
FIRST LANDED.

YHi

Newport Bosch

^'^^i

t.

DATE_

BOAT

NAME.

^jyt). /j1 ^ .o^/7.iAR^^.^//-i^^I?"

FISHERMAN.

i^. C^A^

\ & G

BOAT

.NO .

WHERE WERE FISH CAUGHT
GIVE BLOCK NO

(OR DtAl^R FROM >X HOM HSH^*HRCHASED) ~7j

I ^XNGHT I PRICE I ^ AMOUNT

VARIfcl\

l,,U^J,. ^

V/^yK

11^

r^ /.^.

.^(f/

/^%.

^ ^

^

/^

J^V

^

CO

TO BE USED FOR >c^£; /t-C L-

P 502314

No

Rec d By.

/. y??^^^

FIGURE 1— An example of a completed receipt from a bait dealer.

various units of measure into pounds-in-the-round. These conversions,
from dozens, oallons. and sacks into pounds-in-the-round, were estab-
lished after numerous samplinos of the landing's at various bait shops
to standardize the completed bait reports with our other published re-
ports.

Conrersio)i factor
Species pounds-per-iiiiit

Ghost shrimi) 0.(l4(;

Mussel SO

3.8

:^o

Sand crab 0.041

4.5

liounds \wv dozen

pounds per sack
pounds per shucked ixmud
pounds per gallon
pounds per dozen
pounds per gallon

Bait shop operators from Santa Barbara to San Diego were visited
and those purchasing bait directly from fishermen were issued receipt
books. Currently about -15 bait shops are completing receipts. Periodi-
cally each shop is visited by a biologist or a warden to resolve any
questions that might arise. At present, approximately 25 fishermen
participate in this fishery ; about one-third fish only on weekends and
holidaA's.

30

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

DESCRIPTION OF THE FISHERY
Species

Tlic ])riniary gi'oups of or^Miiisins luii-vcsled by this fishery are
inoUiLsks and cnistaeeaiis. The six species that contribute most to the
landings are jackkiiife clams {Tagclus culifornianus), purple clams
[Sanguinolaria nuttalli), hay mussels (Mytilus edulis), sand crabs
{Emerita analoga), ghost sin-imp {Callianassa californicus), and red
rock shrimj) i Ilippohismaia calif arnica) . Bui'i'owiiig- species (clams and
ghost shrimp), inhabiting the mud of bays and estuaries, dominate the
catch. Mussels, gathered from rocky areas and pier pilings along the
coast and in bays, are also a major constituent of the harvest. There
are many other kinds of baits available to the fisherman (Turner and
Sexsmith, 1964j but these six species are the most important.

Bait Fishing Grounds

The southern California bait fishing grounds extend from Santa Bar-
bara to the United States-Mexican border ; however, fishing is concen-
trated in a few specific areas (Figure 2). Most catches are made in
bays or estuaries, where extensive mud flats are exposed at low tide.
These fishing grounds are usually accessible by road, precluding the
necessity of a boat. Some of the best potential bait grounds are on
military bases, such as the United States Naval Missile Testing Center
at Point Mugu and the Seal Beach Naval Ammunition and Weapons
Depot, and are closed to public access. Other baiting areas represent

Um Angeios Ho bof 6
Rad Rock Sni.fT.i
Ghoar Shi-.mp

Jocanntfc (, 31
ChOli Shrimp

NeNpor' Boy

iiacichiiifs C*a«
Puipia Ciani

1 Bsy fi Son Oi
>Lkliiufa Cium

FIGURE 2— The southern California coast, showing the most important bat digging areas.

potential mai'inas or housing sites. \\\ many instances where land de-
Yelopnient has occurred, irrevocable alterations and complete loss of
habitat to many bait species haA^e resulted. The *' improved" portions

INSHORE BAIT FISHERY 1 963- 1 964

31

of Huntington Harbour are good examples of the effects of land de-
velopment. Broad open mnd flats have been changed to high and dry
islands surrounded by deep channels.

Gear and Fishing Methods

Fishing gear (shovels, spears, rakes, grappling hooks, traps, and nets)
varies according to the bait sought (Figure 3). AVith the exception of
sand crabs and red rock shrimp, these baits are usually taken during
low tide. Sand crabs are collected in a small wire-mesh net. The fisher-
man wades into the surf and places the net on the bottom as a wave
commences to recede. Tlie backwash carries the sand crabs into the net,
fr-om which they are removed and [daced in a can hung from the fish-
erman's n'M-k. Red rock shrim]) are captured in baited traps placed on

1. Clam spear

2. Red shrimp trap

3. Minnow trap

4. Sand crab net

FIGURE 3— Examples of some of the gear used in the inshore bait fishery.

32

CALIFUUMA FISH AND (iAMK

^^^^

/

'If^^'/f^""

'"'/^^ . ^ '

FIGURE 4 — A commercial bait digger "stomping" for ghost shrimp in an undeveloped section
of Huntington Harbour. Photograph by fhe author.

INSHORE BAIT FISHERY 1 963- 1 964 33

a rocky bottom near a breakwater or shore. The shrimp enter the trap
throii<ih a i'yke.

Clams are harvested with garden shovels or cliim spears. The spear,
used for jaekknife clams, is inserted about a foot into the hole in the
sand made by the clam's siphons and quickly rotated. The clam closes
i1s shell ai'ound the spear, cnalMing the fisherman to pull it from the
mud.

A shovel may be used to collect ghost shrimp, but the most comnu)n
method is stomping (Figure 4). As the fishenna.ii stomps the mud with
his feet, the slii-imps' burrows collapse and the animals move to the
surface, where they are gathered. In .Inly 1964 the Fish and Game Com-
mission api)r()ved the use of a liand-ojx'rated hydraulic ])innp to take
ghost shrimp in Los Angeles, Oi-ange, and iSan Diego counties. This
gear ])um])s water into the nuul, flooding the shrimps' burrows, forcing
the animals to the surface.

Mussels are usually gathei-ed by hand ; however, gai'deii rakes, shov-
els, or grapjiling hooks nuiy be employed to loosen them from rocks
or pilings.

CATCH STATISTICS
During 1!)()4, southern Calit'ornia "s insjiorc liail (ishcrmcn landed
nearly 160,000 pounds of bait valued at a|)|)roximately $80,000. In
1963," the landings ai)|)f(.\imate(l 'iOO.OOO pounds worth '$100,000.

DISCUSSION

Two years of data show this fishery to be oiu> of modei-ate nuignitude.
The landings of approximately 180,000 poniuls pev year have a vahu^
to the fishermen of nearly $90,000. A])i)roxinuitely 25 fishermen and
45 bait shops are involved in catching and marketing inshore bait
species. Most of the bait shops are between Malibu and Imperial Beach.
Generally, they are grouped near fisb.ing piers, around bays, or along
the beaches which provide the most productive sport fishing.

The largest bait catches are made in Alamitos Bay, Huntington
Harbour, the mouth of the Santa Ana River, Newport Bay, Mission
Bay, and San Diego Bay. These areas account for about 85 percent of
all bait landings. The remainder are taken along the coast and in
other small bays from Santa Barbara to San Diego.

The current supply of inshore bait meets the demands of spoi-t
fishermen ; however, this demand will grow as sport angling continues
to increase because of population growth and increased recreational
activities. The major problem facing this fishery is the loss of many
prime fishing areas and inaccessibility of others. Some bays and mud
flats are currently being modified to build new harbors and marinas.
A great deal more knowledge is needed about the ecology of these
species to minimize the deleterious effects of habitat modification.
Areas within the boundaries of military reservations are closed to
public access, and means of making these areas available should be
considered.

34

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

TABLE 1

Inshore Bait Landings for 1963 and 1964:
Pounds and Values by Area

Los Angeles

San Diego

Totals

Species

1964

1963

1964

1963

1964

1963

Jackknife clam

Ghost shrimi)

Sand crab

Mussel (bay and rcick)

Red shrimp..

30,917

$16,282

3,526

$16,081

4,896

$9,.539

54,380

$4,074

2.115

$1,050

15

$11

40,657

$20,776

7,737

$33,126

4,673

$11,010

85,260

S7,032

538

$260

1,897

$801

41,583

$20,420

1,173

$6,342

5

$20

13,372

$1,283

2,271

$870

408

$612

32,403

$15,207

453

$2,024

19.858

$1,782

280

$140

1,219

$572

72,500

$36,702

4,699

$22,423

4,901

$0,550

67.752

$6,257

2,446

$3,913

4,386

$1,920

423

$623

73,030

$3fi,()73

8,190

$36,050

4.673

$11,919

105,118

$8,814

4,056

Purple clam

MiscellaneDUs

$6,382

818

$400

3,116

$1,463

Total

95.849

$47,937

140,762

$74,013

58.812

$29,547

54,213

$20,715

157,107

$81,397

199,031

$101,110

REFERENCES

Ahramson, Norman J. 1963. Distribution of California anglins effort in 1961.

Calif. Fish and Game. 49 (.".) : 174-182.
California Bureau of Marine Fisheries. l!l.">2. The commercial fish catch of

California for the year 1950 with a description of methods used in collecting and

compiling the statistics. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Fish Bull. (S6) : 1-120.
California Bureau of Marine Fisheries. 1949. The commercial fish catch for the

year 1947 with an historical review 1916-1947. Calif. Div. Fish and Game. Fish

iBull. (74) : l-2(>7.
California Department of Fish and Game. 1965. California Fish and Wildlife

Plan. Vol. 3. Supporting data. I't. C. Land and water — resource 1980 — human

use. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, p. 681-10.-)1.
Turner, Charles H., and Jeremy C. SexsiniMi. 1964. Marine baits of California.

Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, 70 p.

Cdlif. Fish and dame, 53 (1) : 35-39. VMM.

STEMONOSUDIS ROTHSCHILDI, A NEW PARALEPIDID
FISH FROM THE CENTRAL PACIFIC

WILLIAM J. RICHARDS

U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries

Tropical Atlantic Biological Laboratory ^

A new species of paralepidid fish is described on the basis of a single

specimen found in the stomach of a lancetfish {Alepisaurus richardsoni

Bleeker). !t is easily distinguished from other species of Stemonosudis

on the basis of a long snout, a low number of dorsal and anal rays,

and a striking color pattern.

The fish described liere as a new species in tlie iniomous I'amily
Paralepididae was taken from the stomach of a Pacific lancetfish that
was canght by hjnolinc in the central Pacific (Rothschild and Uchida.
1963), and snp])lied to me by Brian J. Rothschild, P.nrean of Com-
mercial Fislierics. llonolnln. Hawaii.

Holotype

U. S.
stomach
on longl
Charles
15, 19(i8.

STEMONOSUDIS ROTHSCHILDI SP. NOV.

National :\Insenm No. l!li»087, juvenile, 1U7 mm sl. From the

of a specimen of Al( j)isain'us richardsoni 460 mm sl, canght

ine gear from the l'. S. l>ni-eau of Commercial Fisheries R/V

//. Gilbert at lat. 22 47' N., long. 150° 09' W. on February

TABLE 1
Comparison of Morphological Characters of S. rothschiWi and All Other

Species of Stemonosudis

Character

S. rothschildi

All other Stemonosudis spp.
(from Rofen, 1966)

Color:
Dorsal blotches in advance of dorsal fin

Ventral blotches in advance of anal fin*

Vertical bands posterior to the dorsal fin

Meristic:

5
4
3

9 and 33

20.6
11.1
10.3
72.8
5.2

Oto3
Oto2
Oor 1

13 and 30 or

Morphometric: (Percentage of standard length)
Head length - - -

7 to 9 and 35 or more
14.7-18.3

6.7-10.3

6.8- 9.6

58.3-68.0

9.6-17.5

* These blotches are superficial and not to be confused with peritoneal pigmentation.

Diagnosis:

A Stemonosudis differing from the other species of the genus by a
distinctive color pattern and several meristic and morphometric char-
acters (Table 1).

1 Submitted for publication April 1966. Contribution No. 27, Bureau of Commercial
Fisheries, Tropical Atlantic Biological L,aboratory, Miami, Florida.

(35)

36

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

*a-:

.L^

W

sit ■«■*

FIGURE 1— Sfemonosudis rofhschildi, holotype, USNM 199087, juvenile 107 mm SL. Drawing

by Grady Re'merf.

A NEW PARALEPIDID FISH 37

Counfs and Measurements:

Tlie specimen has several badly torn areas, Jiiid is twisted and dis-
torted. Therefore, many of the measnrements and tlie coniits of tlie
lateral-line sections and tlic \er1('brae are nnreliable. Dorsal rays 1)
(all rays counted) ; anal rays 38 (all rays counted) ; pectoi'al rays 12
on each side ; pelvic rays 8 on each side ; apiiroxiniately 109 scale-like
lateral-line sections; ai)proximately !)() vertel)ra(\ Proportional meas-
urements in thousandths of the staiidai-d lenji'th : body depth (il ;
caudal peduncle length 40; candid ])cdnncl(^ d(>ptli 21; (listance from
snout to vent 617; head lentith 20() ; snout length 111; eye diameter
24; interorbital width 24; upper jaw length 103; predorsal length 72S ;
length of dorsal fin base 30; ])elvic fin oi'igin to dorsal tin origin 14S;
dorsal fin oi-igin to anal tin oi'igin 02; tip of snout to oi'igin of anal
fin 742; length of anal tine base 17(); ])ectoral fin length 14"); pi'c-
pelvic length 574; jielvic fin h'uglh .")7 ; dorsal adijiose fin origin 1o
caudal base 62.

Descripiion:

Lateral-line scales, body scales, and scale jiockets not discerned.
Lateral-line sections bony, typical of the genus. Ventral carina mod-
erately dexclopcd ; no dorsal cai'ina visible. Two ventral adipose tins
(may he remnants of a single damaged tin) in ad\ance of anal fin;
one dorsal adipose tin in adxance of caudal fin.

.Vnterior portion of |)i'emaxillary bone with small hooked teeth
curving posteriad ; ])ostei'ioi' portion with similar teeth curving
mediad. Large, posteriorly curving, fang-like teeth on each side of
palatine bones. Two large, fangdike replacing teeth ("de])i'essible" )
prominent on eatdi palatine bone. Each dentary bone with a single row

J" I ; .■■%

D.

FIGURE 2 — Section of tlie first gill arcti of the holotype stiowing (A) gill tooth; (B) tooth
platelet; (C) mucosa; and (D) gill arch. Drawing by Grady Reinert.

of six erect fangs and an inner row of four replacing teeth ("de-
pressible") curving posteriad. Tongue and prevomer toothless.

Gillrakers (gill teeth) in one row on gill arch, mostly in pairs; each
pair on a separate tooth i)latelet (Figure 2B). Keplacing gill teeth
present in mucosa of a gill arch stained with Alizarin Reel S (Figure
2) ; teeth stained deeply, but showing no apparent replacement pat-
tern. Fixed teeth also stained deeply (Figure 2 A) except at tijjs, in
platelet (Figure 2B), and in gill arch.

88 CALIFORNIA FISH AM) (JAME

Colorafion:

Tile strikiii<r fcatiwc of tins species is tlir bold. (I;ii-k color ])Htterii.
Six doi-sal and four ventral blotclies antei-ior to the anal fin; and tfiree
wide hands (the anferioniiosi di\idi'd doi-sallyj ])osterior to the ana!
fin orifjin. Tliese lilotches and I amis are formed hy heavy concentra-
tions of dark pi<iinent near the siii'face of the skin. Seven or eight
snialh'r j^eritoneal blotclies lyinii- deeply alonu' veiiti-al body wall.
Daniajre to the specimen (not shown in l'''i<inr(' 1) piv-vcnts accurate
detei'mination of Ihc iinmber of these deep-lying blotches, or whether
the third and fonrlli doi-sal blotclies are entire. Remainder of body
clear except for very small scattered chromat(jphores in region of
lateral line and near fin bases.

Pectoral fin rays with scattered chromato])hores. Dense concentra-
tions of chromatophores present on interradial membranes starting
about y-, distally from base, but becoming faint on distal ^/f, of fin;
thus, middle portion of fin very dark. Pelvic fin rays with dark
chromatophores scattered along their entire length ; interradial mem-
bivines with very dark' concentrations of chromatophores throughout
their lengtli.

Anterior ventral adipose fin heavily scattered with dark chromato-
phores; posterior one clear. Dorsal adipose fin with heavily scattered,
dark chromatophores.

Dorsal fin rays heavily jjigmented witli evenly spaced dark chrom-
atophores ; interradial membranes pigmented as with pelvic fins. Anal
fin pigmentation similar to that of dorsal, but only 5th through 12th
interradial membranes heavily pigmented. Caudal fin rays, broken of¥
short in the specimen, with a few chromatophores on basal portions;
none on remnants of distal portions.

Head with various-sized chromatophores most heavily concentrated
on ridges and edges (if lioucs of snout, on pi-cmaxillary bone, and over
brain .

Species Associates:

Other fi.shes found in the lancetfish stomach with <*^'. roiliHchildi in-
clude: one Siernoptijx diaphana Hermann, 20 mm sl; one Pteraclis
velifer (Pallas), head missing; one Ranzania laevis (Pennant), 9.7 mm
SL; and one post-larval flatfish (Heterosomata), 20 mm sl.

Reiofionships:

S. rothschildi is referred to Stemonosudis because it conforms to the
following diagnostic characters of that genus (Harry, 195Sa,h; Rofen,
1966): more than 24 anal rays; 84-121 vertebrae; short pectoral fin;
naked head and body; snout to vent length 61.7% of standard length;
elongate body; dorsal fin originating well behind middle of body; an-
terior lateral-line sections longer than high; and nostrils anterior to
posterior tip of maxillary.

Knowledge of the species of Stemonosudis is so incomplete — a num-
ber of the species, including S. rothschildi, are known only from juvenile
and/or larval stages — that comments on interspecific relationships are
impractical. Superficially, at least, S. rothschildi does not seem to be
closely related to any of the other species. The characters used here to

A NEW PARALEPIDID FISH 39

separate S. rothscJiildi from the other species (Table 1) do not signifi-
cantly change with age in those species which are kno^^^2 from com-
parable and smaller sizes (Marshall, 1955; Ege, 1957).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

J. Lockwood Chamberlin and Bruce B. Collette, Bureau of Commer-
cial Fisheries, critically read the manuscript. Collette also provided the
X-ray. Grady Reinertj Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, made the
figure.

REFERENCES

E^f, V. UtriT. Pariil(>i)i<li(ljH' II i .Marroparahpis). 'r.-ixonomy. ontoijony, i(h.v]o<;oiiy
and (listrihiitiuii. 1 )aiia-licii. I 4:!) : 1-101.

Harry, K. K. llt."J3ff. Studies on the hathypelaglc fishes of the family Paralepididao.
1. Survey of the genera. Vac. Sei., 7(li) :21!) 24!>.

. 19n3?j. Studies on the bathypehigic fishes of the family Paralepididae. 2. A

revision of the North Paeific speeies. Proe. Acad. Nat. Sci.' Phila., 105 :1(;!)-2:U).

Marshall, X. P. llt.'i."). Studies of alepisauroid fishes. Discovery Reports, 27 :.'!():! .",.",(>.

Hofen, R. R. llMj.S. Diagnoses of new genera and species of alepisauroid fishes of tin-
family Paralenididae. A<inatica (2) : 1-7.

• . liHJC). Family Paralepididae. In Fishes of the Western North Atlantic.

Sears Found. Mar. Res.. Mem. 1, pt. 5, p. 217-461.

Rothschild, P>. J., and R. N. Fchida. 1!)(j8. The distribution of fishes in the transi-
tion zone between the North I'acific Central and North Pacific Eiiuatorial Water.

Ciilif. Fish mill Cniiic. E3 I 1 ) : 40- IS. VMM.

HARVEST, MORTALITY, AND MOVEMENT OF SELECTED
VVARMVVATER FISHES IN FOLSOM LAKE, CALIFORNIA^

ROBERT R. RAWSTRON ^

Inland Fisheries Branch
California Deportment of Fish and Game

Tagging studies cf six warmwater gfime fish species at Fo«som Lake
jreicated !ow annual harvest and high survival rstes for ictclurids and
high annL.S hcirvcst and low survivaf r::tes for cents orchids. Possible
errors in these estimates are discussed. Centrarchids moved considerably
less than she ictalurids during their time at large.

INTRODUCTION
A ta<i-<i-in<i" study was initiated in A])ril 1!)()2 to dotermine fisliino- and
natural mortality rates of the more im])()rtaiit p'ame fishes in Folsom
Lake. The primary reason for obtainin.u' this iiifoi'mation was to deter-
mine whether anglers were efficiently harvesting existing fish popula-
tions. The follcwing species Avere tat^-ged : largemouth bass, Micropteriis
auhnoides : smallmuuth bass, M. (hjlomifui : bluegill, Lepomis macro-
cliDiis; red-ear sunfish, L. microJophns: white catfish, Ictalurus catus;
and brown bullhead, I. nehulosus. This study was part of a broad in-
vestigation of the Folsom I^ake fidi(M-y. A description of Folsom Lake,
a l(J,()()()-surface-acre fluctuating reservoir, and other aspects of its
fishery have been given bv C. E. von Geldern (^IS) and Tharratt
(1966).

METHODS
Tagging Operations

All fish wet-e tagged with disk-dangler tags (modified Atkins tags).
These tags have proven to be efficient for largemouth bass (Kimsey,
10.16; LaFaniicc. Kimsey, and Chadwick, 1964); striped bass (Cal-
houn, 1953) ; channel catfish (McCammon, 1956) ; and white catfish
(Pelgen and ^NlcCammon. 1955). Tags were made of cellulose nitrate
disks 0.()4() inch thick and either 1 cm or | inch in diameter. The smaller
tags were used on centrarchids and the larger ones on ictalurids. Tags
were attached with tantalum wire 0.020 inch in diameter. Tags were
placed midway between the first dorsal fin and the lateral line under
the longest spine, using the technique described by Chadwick (1963).
Ictalurids were tagged similarly under the dorsal spine.

Numbered tags inscribed "$5 REWARD. California Fish and G^me,
Sacramento, Calif." were placed on 50 /c of the tagged largemouth bass,
bluegill, and white catfish. The remaining 50^6 of these species and all
the other species bore tags which offered no reward. The tag numbers
and the lengths of the fish which bore them were recorded.

'Submitted for publication March 1966. This work was performed as part of Dingell-
Johnson Project California F-18-R, "Experimental Management of Warmwater
Reservoirs", supported by Federal Aid to Fish Restoration funds.

(-10)

FOLSOM LAKE WARMWATER FISH STUDIES

41

Ta'i<>(Ml fish were captured with seines, eh^'trofishinj:' apparatus,
Oneida traps, and tyke nets (Table 1). Most of the eeiitrarehids were
captured by electrofishing at night. Catfishes were caught primarily in
entrapment gear.

Generally, fish caught by electrofishing were held ovcM-night in live
cars and tagged the following day in the vicinity of cai)ture. Fish
caught in seines and entrapment gear were tagged immediately at tlie
site of capture.

C'entrar'chids were tagged from April 26 through June 20, 1!)()2.
Ictalurids were tagged from April 2G through August 24, 1!)()2. ^lost
of the centrarchids were tagged in April and ^lay. Catfishes were
tagged j)riiiiai-ily frdiii -June through August (Table 1). Actual tag-
ging operations were discontinuous, and tiicrc were periods of two
weeks when no tagging was done.

TABLE 1
Number of Fish Caught by Various Methods and Their Month of Capture

Largemouth
bass

Smallmouth
hass

White
c Itfish

Brown
bullhead

Bkegill

Red- ear
sunfish

Oneida trap

--

9

10

113

136

80

56
38
41
92
6

2
5

1

May...

June

1
3

July

August

Total

--

"i

348

1
4

16
20
42

233

18

0

1

43

40

8

15
'3

4

Fyke net
April

May .

1

June

July

August

--

Tonl

2(=3
182

1

12

1
1

83

1

102

12
3

1

18

89
44

133

'i

18

1

Klectrafiihing
April -

3T

May

June

11

Total...

451

"9

14

1
7

1

1

16

50

Seine

April

May ...

1

June

6

Total

9

8

8

-

19

7

Grand totals

460

23

440

351

178

62

Posters advertising the program were placed in conspicuous places
around the lake. Posters and franked envelopes were placed at all
state park entrances, at the only marina, and at other local businesses.
In addition, project personnel contacted many anglers while creel cen-
susing, which further helped to advertise the program. Commendation
cards were awarded to all anglers returning tags, and rewards of $5
were given to anglers who returned reward tags.

42

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

Mortality Computations
First-year ta<>- ictiiriis i!iclu(]i' ;ill tags returned from fish caught
from 0 through 365 days after the date of tagging. Second-year returns
arc those recajjtni'fil fi-oin l](\(') through ?:!() days after the date of

Harvest and nmrtjility iiolal ions and coinputal ions folloAV Ricker
(1958). Only reward tags were used to cak'ulate these parameters for
largemouth bass, hluegill, and white catfisli. Xonresponse for these fish
was used to correct return data for the other species.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Largemouth Bass
General Dafa

Tagged lai-geinouth bass averaged 11.8 iiiehes fork h-ngth and ranged
from !».() to 21 .0 inches (Tabh- 2) .

During the two-year study period anglers returned 119 (51.7%) of
tlie largemoutli bass reward tags. Anglers returned 111 reward tags
in the first year, but only 8 during the second year. The low^ numbers
of second -year returns indicate that returns were essentially complete.

Movement and "Time at Large"

The largemouth bass moved very little. The average distance from
the point of tagging to the point of recapture was 0.7 mile. This mile-
age represents the shortest straight-line distance by water to the point
of recapture as reported by the angler. The longest journey was 6.0
miles. Anglers caught 63% of the tagged bass less than one mile from
the point of tagging.

TABLE 2

Length Frequency, Mean Length, and Range of Lengths
of Fish Tagged— Folsom Lake, 1962

Length class*

Largemouth
bass

Smallmouth'
bass

White
catfish

Brown
bullhead

BluegiU

Red-ear
sunfish

6.0- 6.9

81
142
77
34
36
40
26
24

~2

10

9

0

2

77

120

81

50

53

27

18

9

5

'6
21
83
119
66
46
10

73

47

53

5

11

7.0- 7.9

15

8.0- 8.9 . .

27

9.0- 9.9

8

10.0-10.9.. . .

1

11.0-11.9

12.0-12.9

13.0-13.9

14.0-14.9 .

15.0-15.9

16.0-1-

Total .

460

11.8

9.0-21.0

23

11 0

9.8-13.8

440

10.8

8.0-17.5

351

11.6

8.0-14.8

178
7.4
6.0-9.5

62

Mean lenlh (inches)

Range (inches)

8.0
6.0-10.0

* Fcr'.v lc-n,'?th in inches.

Anglers returned 51 (43%) of the total reward tags Avithin 15 days
after tagging. Eighty-nine (75%) of this same total were returned
within 60 days. Kimsej' (1957) found a similar pattern of returns at
Clear Lake, California.

FOLSOM LAKE WARMWATER FISH STUDIES

43

Survival, Morfal'iiy, and Harvest

First-year reward ta<»' returns indicate an exploitation rate of 0.48.
Survival' rate between the first and second year amounted to 0.07. Both
values are probably inaccurate.

One source of error came from abnormal returns from one group of
64 fish which were held in live cars for two days, then tagged and re-
leased on Saturday morning in an area receiving heavy angling pres-
sure. I observed five of these fish in the catch during the first weekend,
and anglers caught 44 (69%) during the first year. This return is
higher than the returns from other groups (y- = 16.0 ; "/- d. ..).-,, .sd.f. = 3.8).
Because of the extremely high return rate, this group was eliminated
from further calculations.

The estimated exploitation rate then becomes 0.40 (Table 3). Since
returns from all groups other than the one aberrant group were sini-
ilar, and returns from disk-dangler tags have apparently given reli-
able measures of largemouth bass exploitation rates in 1lie past, this
estimate is ])robably accurate and appears most useful.

TABLE 3

Largemouth Bass Annual Survival, Mortality and
Harvest Rates from Selected Waters

Lake name

s

a

u

V

Source

Clear T.ake

0.44
0.30
0.11

0^40

0.30

0.56
0.70
0.80

0^60

0.70

0.20
0.36
0.40
0.42.0.41
0.15

0.26

0.36
0..34
0.40

0^45

0.44

KirtiFcv (1057)

Sutherland Reservoir

LaFaiiiico ct al. (1964)
Prt'sont study

TVA Reservoirs

Cha'ife (19.55)

Gladstone Lake

Malonev, Schupp. and Scidmorc

Suffarloaf Lake _

(1962)
f'oopcr and Latta (1054)

p ~ annual survival rate

a = annual mortality rate

u = expectation of death due to fishing (rate of exploitation, harvest)

V = expectation of death due to natural causes

The adjusted first-year survival is 0.11. Intuitively, this seems un-
reasonably low. The most probable source of error is a change in ex-
ploitation and/or natural mortality rates during the two years. These
were important at Sutherland Reservoir (LaFaunce et al., 1964). Since
no tagging was done at the beginning of the second year, there is no
way tx) detect or correct it. As a consequence, the estimate's precision
is not known. However, C. E. von Geldern (MS) in 1962 found that
71% of the angler-caught bass were less than 14 inches long, indicating
that survival was indeed low.

These facts point to a lower survival rate at Folsom Lake than sur-
vival rates reported for other lakes (Table 3). The exploitation rates
compare favorablv to both Sutherland and the two TVA lakes (Table

3).

A chi-square test demonstrated that reward tags from fish grouped
in one-inch length intervals, when tagged, did not return at signifi-
cantly ditferent rates (x-=7.86; 7- ,,or,. 7d.f.=14.07). This suggests that
all largemouth bass over 9 inches long were equally vulnerable to the
fishery.

44 Camfokxia fish AXD fiAME

Smallmouth Bass
General Daia

The mean fork length of stujinnioiit li bass was 11.0 inches. They
i-ang'ed from i). 8-13.8 inches (TabU^ 2).

Twenty-three smallmonth bass were taa'gefl with nonreward tag's.
Thirteen tags Avere returned in the first year; none in the second year.
Keturns are considered complete.

Movement and "Time at Large"

The seven fish for whicli anglers repoi-fed recaplui'c localities accu-
rately, moved an average of 0.7 mile from the ])<)iiit of tagging, sug-
gesting that smallmouth bass also move only short distances.

Of the 11 fish f(n- which an accurate date of ca])ture was supplied,
5 were captured within 45 days after tagging. The earliest recapture
was 6 days after tagging ; the latest was 846 days after tagging.

Survival, Mcrtality, and Harvesi

Since so few fish were tagged, mortality rates can not be estimated,
but the high percentage of first-year returns suggests an exploitation
rate as high or higher than that for largemonth bass.

White Catfish
General Data

The mean fork length of the white catfish tagged was 10.8 inches.
They ranged from 8.0-17.5 inches (Table 2).

During tlie two-year study period, anglers returned 05 (30%) of
the white catfish reward tags. They returned 42 reward tags in the
first year and 23 in the second year. Significant iiumliers of tags will
probably be rctui'iicd in the future.

Movement and "Time at Large"

White catfish are greatei- wanderers than largemouth or smallmouth
bass. The mean shortest straight-line distance traveled was 2.3 miles
from the point of tagging to the point of capture by anglers. Anglers
reported catching them as far as 10.4 mile.s from point of tagging.
Anglers reported catching only 7 catfish less than 0.5 miles from point
of taggijig. Ten recaptures were made more than 5.0 miles from point
of tagging. Two white catfish were returned from I^ake Natoma down-
stream from Folsom T.ak'e aftei- ))i'('sumably passing through tlic dam.
Unlike the largemouth and smalhriouth bass, the first tagged catfish
did uot enter the catch until 20 days after tagging. Didy 8 fish were
returned in the first f)() days.

Survival, Mortality, and Harvest

None of the systematic errors described by Kicker (1958) were
evident in the white catfish study. Catfish apparently distributed i hem-
selves randomly throughout the ])opulation and showed no indii-atiou
of differential vulnerabilitx- between the two vears.

FOLSOM LAKE WAKMWATER FISH STUDIES

45

Siirvivnl and exiiloitalioii rates of 0.55 and ().1!>, respectively, _ at
Fulsoni Lake followed closely those reported for other Calif ornian
waters (Table 4). These hi<i'li survival rates coupled with low fishing
jind natural mortality rates indicate that white catfish probably are
undcrexploited in most Californian waters. The catch could b'j m-
c-'cased by opening more areas to night fishing.

A ehi-square test revealed that no statistically significant difference
existed between the size of the catfish when fagged and the size, wlien
tagged, of catfish from which tags were returned (i' — :i()-i ; yj ,,;..-,.
-.if'^ 14.07). Thus, all tagged fish were (Mjually vulnerable to llic
fishery. Pelgen and .McCaininon (1!)55) and McCammon and Seeley
(1961) rei)()rt(>(l a higliei- vulnerability for fish over 8.5 inches and 10
inches, i-es])ectively. Xeilher of these last two studies offered substan-
tial rewards for the r.'tui'U of tags and did not measure nonresponse
by size. Folsoiu lake returns of nonreward tags as tested by chi-s(|uai-e
showed a significant diftVivncc (X" = 7.56; X' o.!..->. ui.f. = •5-84) between
returns of fish above and below 10.0 indies long (Robert H. Rawstroii,
MS). Therefore, their i-eported ditferential vidnerahility may actually
have been due to dilVerences in rep<»i-ting returns fi-oin various sizes
of fish.

TABLE 4
Survival and Mortality Rates of White Catfish from Californian Waters

Lake name

s

a

u

V

Source

0.55

0.81

0.43-0.50

0.45

0.19
0.50-0.57

0.19
0.10
0.15-0.33
0.17
0.08

0.26

0.09

0.24-0.35

Present study

Clpar Lake

Mcrammon and Seeley (1961)

Delta -

IlIMml>lii^lll'd

PelKen and McCammon (19551

Delta

Pine Flat Lalie

Unpublished

Brown BullheacI
General Data

Ta'Jged brown bullhead averaged 11.6 inches fl and ranged from
8.0-14r8 inches (Table 2i.

Anglers returned 41 nonreward tags during the two years. Twenty-
seven were returned in the first year and 14 in the second. Returns
are not considered complete.

^Aovement and "Time at Large"

Like white catfish, brown bullhead ajipeared to move longer distanc(-s
than largemouth bass. The mean shortest straightdine distance from
point of tagging to point of capture as reported by the anglers was
1.7 miles. The longest distance traveled Avas 16.2 miles. Fishermen
recovered only 15% of the bullhead at points less than 1.0 miles from
the point of their release.

Bullhead, like white catfish, did not enter the catch immediately after
tagging. The first bullhead tag was returned after 34 days. Only three
ofThe returns were made within 60 days after tagging.

46

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

Survival, Moriality, and Harvest

To c'Oiiipeiisate for iioiii'cpoi-l iii!.! of tags, biillliead tag returns were
adjusted by a iiieaii uoni-cspoiist' I'actoi- of 0.46 calculated for white
catfisli in a parallel study (Robert R. llawstrou, MS). This correction
seems justified, since anglers at Folsom Lake frecpiently do not dis-
tinguish between the s])ecies and each is caught using the same tech-
niques.

IJrowii bull lien (I. tlieu. had an annual survival T"ite of 0.52 and a loAV
hai-vest i-atc of 0.14. i\Ic( 'annnon and Seeley (1!)61) reported a 0.76
sni-\ival at (Jlear Lake with a harvest of only 0.07 (Table 5).

TABLE 5

Survival and Mortaiity Rates of Brown Sullhead
fror*ii Califorr.ian Waters

Lake name

s

a

VI

V

Source

FoLsoni I ake

0.52
0.76

0.18
0.-':5

0.14
0.07

0 .34
0.16

Present study

Clear Lake

McCammon and Seeley (1961)

The exploitation rate at Folsom Lake could be increased if night
fishing were permitted. At Quabbin Reservoir, Massachusetts, night
fishermen, who comprised only 8.5% of the total fishermen, caught
6,856 pounds (61.2%) of the 10,770 pounds of brown bullhead har-
vested (McCaig, 1963). (During experimental setline fishing by the
aiithor at Folsom I^ake during the summer of 1!)64, night sets outfished
day sets for bullhead by a ratio of 3.3:1.)

A chi-square test demonstrated that all tags from fish that were
11.0 inches long or long-^r when tagged returned at a significantly
higher rate dui'ing Hie two years than tags from fish less than 11.0
inches long {j-^4.H{}; y- ,, .,- ,,, f ir: 3.84). McCammon and Seeley
(1!)61) showed a similar i-esnlt for fish 10 inches and longer at Clear
Lake in their 1952 study. The differential nonresponse by size measured
ill this study for white catfish suggests that this phenomenon may be
due to variations in nonresponse and not to differential vulnerability
of the fish.

n I r, t BluegiN

Genera/ Dafa

The mean fork length of tagged bluegill was 7.4 Inches. They ranged
from 6.0-9.5 inches.

Anglers returned 33 reward tags during the tAvo-year study period.
Thirty reward tags were returned in the first year. Only three were
returned in the second year.

Movement and "Time at Large"

Bluegill moved an average of 1.1 mile from point of tagging to point
of capture by the angler. Distances reported ranged from 0-3.4 miles.
These determinations Avere made from 27 tags for which sufiScient
information was available.

Forty-one percent of the bluegill returns were from the point where
they were tagged.

Tagged bluegill were at large from 4—404 days after tagging. Eleven
tags were returned within 60 days after tagging.

FOLSOM LAKE WARMWATER FISH STUDIES 47

Survival Morfality, and Harvest

These parameters suffer for lack of sufficient data, which makes
them somewhat less useful. The calculated estimates are as follows:
s = 0.10
a = 0.90
u = 0.37
V = 0.53
This low survival rate creates doubt about the accuracy of these
estimates. All fish tagged were longer than 6.0 inches and from four
to six years old (Tharratt, in(i6). Tharratt's sampling during 1962 pro-
duced'only one fish six years old. Hence, virtually all tagged fish could
be expected to die within two years, so the low number of returns after
the first year is not surprising. However, the lack of tagging at the
beginning of the second year negates any determination of the accuracy
of these estimates.

Since so few reward tags wei-e returned, statistical examination of
differential return by size was not attempted.

Red-ear Sunfish
General Dafa

Tagged red-ear sunfish averaged 8.0 inches fl and ranged from 6.0
11.0 inches (Table 2).

Only three nonreward tags were returned, all in the first year.

Rate of Exploitation

Scanty return datn allow only a weak estinuite of first-year fishing
rate. Corrected for the 83% nonresponse calculated for bluegill, this
anuuuited to 0.28, slightly less than for bluegill.

SUMMARY

Largemouth bass over 9.0 inches long (the minimnm size tagged)
suffered a high annual apparent mortality of 0.89 and an exploitation
rate of 0.40. Possible reasons for suspected errors in these mortality
estimates are given. They moved an average of only 0.7 mile from point
of tagging. Seventy -five % of the reward tags were returned within
60 days after tagging.

Smallmouth bass, for which limited data were available, showed a
first-year rate of exploitation of 0.57.

Wiiite catfish appeared to be great wanderers, moving an average of
2.3 miles from the point of tagging to point of capture by the angler.
Only 8 returns were made within the first 90 days after tagging.

Annual mortality and exploitation rates were 0.45 and 0.19, respec-
tively. These values, and those for other Calif ornian waters, indicate
that generally our catfish populations are poorly harvested. The exploi-
tation rate could be increased by opening more areas to night fishing.

Brown bullhead also dispersed around the lake, moving an average
of 1.7 mile. Only three of the returns were made within 60 days.

Corrected for mean nonresponse of white catfish, bullhead had an
annual mortality rate of 0.48 and an exploitation rate of 0.14. Evidence
on the importance of night fishing to bullhead harvest rates is presented.

Bluegill moved an average of 1.1 mile from the point of tagging.
Eleven reward tags were returned within 60 days after tagging.

48 f'AI.IFORNTA FISM AND GAME

Oil Ihc basis of liiiiilcd data, ('stiriiatcs of annual niorlality and ex-
ploilatioii rates wvrv ().!)() and ().-"'>7, I'cspcctivcly. Possible eri'urs wliieli
make these estimates less reliable are |)r(^spnted.

Ked-ear siinlisli rdnriis were too I'cw lo nicasin-c ;iiiy niortalily
pai'aiiH'ters except an ailjiisti'd lirst-ycai' exploila! ion rale o|' ().'_!(S.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Indixiduals loo nniiicrous to nieiilion were resjxtnsibic t'oi' the tield
^vol•k. Among' those who deserve special mention are: Don A. LaFaunce,
wlio (lirect(Hl most of the field tapgino' operations; Harold K. Chadwick
and Charles E. \dii (ieldern, who planned tlie study; and Kobert C.
Tharratt, who collceled many of the fish.

REFERENCES

( ';illi(iuii. A. .1. I'.iri;;. Aduarium tests on striped liass. ('alit'. I'Msli and (Jaiiic 39 ( 1' ) :

209-21 S.
('l;ad\vick. II. K. I'.Kvi. An evaluation of five tas tyi)es used in a strijied liass

nioitalit.v rate and migration study, ("alif. Fish and Game. 49 (2l : (U-S."!.
Chance, Charles J. 1955. rnusualiy lii;;h rt turns from fish taj;j;inf; e.\i)erimeiits on

two TVA reservoirs. Jour. Wildj. .Mau-t.. 19 (4j : 500-501.
Cooper, (J. P., and W. C. Latta. 11154. F.other studies on the fish popula!^;on and

exploitation l)y anglin-;- in Suj;arloaf Laive, Wa.shteuaw County. IMichii;an. ;Mich.

Acad. Sci., Arts, and Let.. Pap.. (3::^) : 209-22:',.
Kimsey, J. B. 1950. Lar^emouth l)ass ta^Kins. Calif. Fisli and Came. 42 (4):

8H7-340.
1957. Lart;emoulli liass laRtiiui; at Clear Lake. Lake County. Califoruiji.

Calif. Fish and (iame, 43 (2) : 111-llS.
LaFaunce. 1 ). A.. J. P.. Kimsey, and Harold K. Chadwick. 19(:4. The Hshi ry at

Sutlu'riand Reservoir. San Lie.uo Count.\'. ('alifornia. ('alif. Fish and (J.anK",

50 14) : 271 291.
Maloney, .J. K.. I». R. S<-lui]ip, and \V. .L Scidninre. 1'.M>2. Lar^icuiouth l.ass p(']iii-

lation ;uul harvest, (iladstonc L.ikc, ('mw Wiui; Couiitv. .M iiiiii'sola . Trans. Amer.

Fish. Soc, 91 (1 ) : 42-52.
.MoCai^-, Rohert S. 190:!. Creel census. Jol. 1. ] )inuell-.Iolinson Pi-ojcct F-(i-IM((.

Quahhin Reservoir, Mass. Dept. Xat. Res. (Mimeo. i
McCamnuui, (ieorni' W. 1950. A lajisinj;' experiment with chaunel catfish { IctitJiinix

puiK-tiitiis ) in the lower Col(;rado River. Calif. Fish and (ianie, 42 ( M ) : :>2'!-o."v5.
AlcCammon. Ceorjie W.. and Charles ]\I. Seeley. 19()1. Survival, mortality, and

movements <if white catfish ami l)r<i\\u iiulliieads in ('lear Laki'. Californi;i. Calif.

Fish and Came, 47 ( 3 ) : 237-255.
Pelsen, David E. 1954. Progress rejiort on the lagjiiuf; of white catfish (Ivialtirus

ratus) in the S;icramento-San Jompiin Delta. Calif. Fish and (lame, 40 (3):

313-321.
Pelgen, David F.. and (ieoi-gc ^^■. .McCr.mmou. 1955. Second jirogress rejxirt on the

tagging of white catfish t Ii-fiihiriis rut us \ in tlie Saci ainento-San Joacpiin Dtdta.

Calif. Fish and (!ame, 41 (4 I : 201-209.
Richer, W. E. 1958. Handliook of computat i(Uis f((i- hiological statistics of fish

populations. P.ull. Fish. Res. P.d. Caiuida (119): 3,00 p.
Tharratt, R. C. 1966. The age and growth of centrarchid fishes in Folsom Lake.

California. Calif. Fish and Came, 52 (Ij: 4-10.

Calif. Fish uiid aamc, 53 ( 1 ) : 40-62. 1007.

THE DIET OF JUVENILE AND ADULT STRIPED BASS,

ROCCUS SAXATILIS, IN THE SACRAMENTO-SAN

JOAQUIN RIVER SYSTEM^

JOHN L. THOMAS ^

Inland Fisheries Branch

California Department of Fish and Game

More than 4,500 striped bass stomachs were examined during the
period 1957—1961. About half contained natural food items. Compari-
sons were made between size of bass and size of organisms eaten.
Major foods were nor. hern anchovies, shiner perch, striped bass, king
salmon, carp, crayfish, bay shrimp, mysid shrimp, isopods, scuds, and
insect larvae.

INTRODUCTION

Previous reports in \arviiig' (h^f^'ree luivc (lescrilx'd t'odds cjilcii l»y
striped bass in Califoi-iiia ' (Smith. IBDIJ; Scoficld. lf)l(); Seofield and
Bryant, U)2(i ; Scoficld, 1!)2S. 1!);-51 ; Shapovalov, ^'.m^; Hatton, 1!)4();
Johnson ami Calhoun, 1!).')2: Skinn(>r, 1!)6'2: and Ileubaeh. Totli, and
MeCready, IfXi."}). The pi-esenl study was initiated in an attempt to
obtain a wider picture.

Incidental eolleetion of striped bass stomachs befjan in lOT)? and
continued through 19()(). In 1061, monthly samples w(M-e obtained
throughout the entire area inhabited by striped bass. Work on youn<i--
of-the-year bass was completed in 1962 (Heubach et al., lf'63). Empha-
sis after 1962 was placed upon juvenile and adult bass.

Information in this report on the Sacramento-San Joactuin Delta
was collected before 1962. The Delta Fish and Wildlife Protection
Study of the California Department of Fisli and Game has studied
the diet of striped bass in the Delta since then and will soon publish
the results. Hopefully, understandinp- of the bass' diet will help explain
variations in bass mi<rrations, o'rowth. and year-class strength.

DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA

The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers merge to form a vast net-
work of channels, sloughs, and inland bays terminating in the Pacific
(^cean at San Francisco. This inland water system, which comprises
the study area, has been described and illustrated in a great number
of earlier reports on California's striped bass fishery. For this reason,
only a brief description is given in this paper.

Upstream from Carquinez Strait, the water is essentially fresh, de-
pending upon the season. Seaward from the Strait the water becomes
more saline and is essentiallv marine in character (Heubach et al.,
1963).

1 Submitted for publication October 1965. This work was performed as part of Din-
grell-Johnson Project California F-9-R, "A Study of Sturgeon and Striped Bass",
supported by Federal Aid to Fish Restoration funds.

- Xow with Inland Fisheries, Region 3, San Francisco.

(49)

50 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

.Tu\-('iiil(' striped bnss"'' ;ii-c foiind the year aromid in l;ir<i-(' iiuinbers
;d)()\(' San I-'^i-aiicisen P>ay, and apparently have no well d<'fined iin<ira-
tion pattern (('lai'k. 1!t-'>6). Adnll bass "* have well defined miyratiou
]»a11ei-ns (CalliDUn. Ifl.l'J: II. K. ('liadwick, MS). In the spring, adults
disperse t iirou^iiont the Delta and its tributary rivers to spawn. After
spawniiej, bass return to tlie lower bays and ad.iaeent coastal areas
foi' tlie suiuniei-. In I'ei-cnt xcai's. inany have i-enunne(| in the lower
l)ays dnring I'all and winter, while others ha\'e returned to the Delta.

METHODS

The striped bass habitat was dixided into si.\ sep;irate food com-
iiMinities: (i) San Francisco Bay, (ii) San Pablo Bay, (iii) Saera-
niento River and bays from Crockett to Bittsburo', fiv) Delta, (v)
lower Saerameido River, and fvi) upper Sacramento Riven-.

Bass were obtained by ang-ling, trawling, and gill Jietting in each
area. Tlu^v were se])arated into three size groups (6 to 10 inches — age T ;
n to 1") inches — age II; and 16 incdies and larg(n- — age 111 and older "i.
The sam])ling goal was a minimum of 20 bass containing food in each
siz(^ group present in each area every month.

In the field, stomach contents were individually wrapped in cheese-
cloth and preserv(Hl in 10% formalin. In the laboratory, these contents
were identified (Table 1) and the volume of each item was measured
in a graduated glass cylinder by water displacement.

■'Bass less than 1<5 inches total length (the mininium legal size in California).
•Bass 16 or more inches total length.

TABLE 1

Common and Scientific Names of Organisms
Cited in This Report

Vertebrates

Aniprican shad Alosn .tapidissima

Carp Ci/prinus carpio

(;()l)ies (robiidae

(ioldfish ('(iia.sxiiis nnrnius

(ireen sunfish ._ Lcpoints (i/onclhis

Jac'ksnielt 1 th(rinopsis culiforiiiciinin

Kin>r salmon _ (hicorhiinclniH tshairi/t^rha

Northern anchov.v _. l-liuiriiuUfi mordax

Northern midshipman PorichtJn/s noinius

Pacific herrinj; ('liiprd iialhisii

I'ile perch Rhnrochilus vacca

Pond smelt Hi/pomesus transpoc.ificus

River lampre.v ! .anipeira ayresii

Sacramento smelt Spiriiichiis Ihaleichthys

Shiner perch ('i/iiKitof/asfer aggregata

Si)littail I'ogonichthys macrolepidotus

Staghorn seulpin ^ LcplocotiuH armatus

Starr.v flounder 1' atichlhys stellatus

Surf smelt ._ /f i/poiiiesiis pretioKiis

Threadfin shad ._ DorosoiiKi peienense

Tomcod ._ . _ Mivrogadus proximvs

White croaker Cciii/OHenius Uneatus

AVhite seaperoh Phanerodon furcaius

STRIPED BASS DIET

51

Invertebrates

Bay shrimps Criif/o siiji. ;ni(l Pnhicinoii iintotKhirt i/lns

I>Iack Hies Siiiiiiliidac

Caddisfiies Hydropsycliidae

Cladocerans Cladocora

Clam Macoma iid.'oihi

Copepods Copepiida

Crayfish I'dcitdstacHs hniuxniJiis

Ghost shrimp Ctilidiuixsa eaJifornicnsis

Tsopod Si/nhlotea sp.

Mayflies Ephfmoroptera

Market crab fdiK-er )ii<i(iislcr

Midges Tciidipedidac

Moth flies I'syehodidae

Mysid shrimp Xeonn/sis au7atHclicnsis

Periwinkle Littorina sp.

Scuds Corophiiini spp.

True flies Diptera

RESULTS

The i-osiilts for each assi<2-n<'(l locality were suimiiarizcd on a soasonal
basis by perceiita<>'c frcMiuciicy of oecurrence (Tables 2-5) and pcr-
eentao-e volume (Figures 1-4).

About half (2,259) of the 4.551 juvciiih' aud adult sti-ipcd bass
stomachs examined contained uatural food. Allhou<;h the sam])le size
seems large, some ai'eas were not ade<|uately sam])le(l and in many cases
samples within size groups were small.

TABLE 2

Food Items Eaten by Striped Bass During Spring, by Area,*
in Percentage Frequency of Occurrence t

Foud Items

Verterbrates

Anchovy

Shiner perch

Herring

Staghorn seulpin

Surf smelt

Sacramento smelt,. .

King salmon

Lamprey

Striped bass

Pond smelt

Carp

Unknown fishes

Invertebrates

Bay shrimps

Crayfish

Isopod

Mysid shrimp

Scuds

Copepod

Cladocerans

Mayflies

Midges

Unknown Dipterans

Sample size

Area 1

29
40

t

t

28

X
X

65

.\rea :

15

X
13

69

X

16
6

X

I

X
X

68

Area 3

10

20

'2
3
3

10

19

+

30
6

127

Area 4

66
11

7

134

Area 5

X
X
X
X
22
9

"l
16
31

56

Area 6

X
62

18

18
13

7

45

* Areas : 1 — San Francisco Bay ; 2 — San Pablo Bay : 3 — Crockett to Pittsburg ; 4-

Delta ; 5 — Lower Sacramento Paver : 6 — Upper Sacramento River.
t Organisms with a frequency of occurrence of 2 or less are omitted.
t This forage organism is not normally present.

52

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAMi!
Spring Diet (March 1-May 31)

San Francisco Bay

Stdiiiaclis of {')') ailull bass taken l\v aiigliny; euiitaiiiecl iood. Shiner
pei-ch ami northern anchovies were the two most important items.
Shinef |)ei-ch const JTuled .")()', and am-hovies 34 /< by volume. Staghorn
sculpins and hay shi-iin])s were iiiinoi- items in the diet.

SPRING

San Froncnco Boy
(N» 65)

Son Pablo Boy
( N = 68)

K - ki ng »almon
A-onchovy L-lomprey

B S-bay thrimpt M S - my»id ihnmp

2 7^.

Croek«tt to Pifttburg
{ N» 127)

C - carp
CL - elom
CR - croyf i»h
*/ G - goldfi«h
H - herring
I - isopods
J • jacksmelt

PS - pond tmelt
ST SC-stoghorn seulpin
S P- thintr p«rch
SB' striped boii
T S - threodtin «t>ad
U F - unknown f i«he«

— ottitr

1.8%

Lower Socromento River
(N = 56 )

Upper Socromento River
( N'45 )

FIGURE 1— Food items found in striped bass stomachs during spring, in percentage of total

volume and by area.

San Pablo Bay

Northern anchovies and bay shrimps constituted 67% by volume
of the food eaten by 68 bass in all three size groups. Isopods occurred
frequently; however, because of their small size they were not im-
jiortant volumetrically.

Crockett to Pittsburg

In 127 stomachs containing food from all three size groups, northern
anchovies were the major item by volume and king salmon were second.
IMysid shrimp, isopods, Pacific herring, and bay shrimps occurred fre-
(luentlv. but added little volume.

STRIPED BASS DIET

53

Delia

Mysid shrimp occurred in 66^^ of 134 bass stomachs from all three
size groups coiitaiiiiiig food. Mysids constituted 42% of the total vol-
ume. Copepods, cladocerans, and scuds were minor diet items. The
stomachs of most adults were empty both here and in the next two
areas.

Lower Sacramenfo River

Carp cou.stituted the most important food in the stomaclis of 7^{) bass
of all three size groups from the lower Sacramento IJiNcr. Several
other fishes and crayfish were important by volume. Fingerling king
salmon occui-rcd in 22'( of the stomachs and formed Ihe pi'incipal
diet of bass in the Courtland area.

Upper Sacramento River

In the upper Sacramento and lower Ameri-an rivers, king salmon
were the major diet item of 45 juvenile bass. Salmon comprised 65%
of the stomach contents by vohnne and were fcund in (V2' '< of the bass
sampled. Acjuatic insect larvae, particularly caddisflies and true flies,
were the only other important foods.

TABLE 3

Food Items Eaten by Striped Bass During Summer, by Area,*
in Percentage Frequency of Occurrence f

Food items

Area 1

Area 2

Area 3

Area 4

Area 5

Area 6

Vertebrates

Anchovy

Shiner perch

Herring

Tomcod

Staghorn sculpin.
Starry flounder,,

Jacksmelt

Gobies

King salmon

Lamprey

Striped bass

Pond smelt

Carp

Unknown fishes, ,

Invertebrates

(ihost shrimp

Market crab

Bay shrimps

Crayfish

Isopod

Mysid shrimp

Periwinkle

Scuds

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Midges

Black flies

Moth flies

Unknown Dipterans,

Sample size

46

28
8
6
:i
3

t

+
+

23

3
3

11)

t
t
t
t

196

31
"i

45

26

I
t
t
t

74

34

2
1

28

25

+

23
13

127

23

91

173

t
t
t

+
+

t

+
+

t

t

30

34

12

t

19

10

104

t
t
t
5
t
t

23
3

21

10
2

11
2

184

* Areas : 1 — San Francisco Bay ; 2 — -San Pablo Bay ; 3 — Crockett to Pittsburg ;

Delta : .5 — Lower Sacramento River ; 6 — Upper Sacramento River.
t Organisms with a fre(iuency of occurrence of 2 or less are omitted.

t This forage organism is not normally present.

54

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

Summer Diet (June 1-August 31)
San Francisco Bay

X(ii-1 liri'ii ;nii-li(i\-i('s ;iiiil sliiiicr |nTch wci-i' tlic pi-iin-ipal dietary
items t'i»iiii(l ill l!Mi adult l)ass stdinachs (•(iniaiiiiiig' food. Anchovies were
iiKist iinportaiit both in niiiiilx'i's and voluiiic. I'acific licrriiijfi" and Pa-
cific toiiicdd were less iiiipoi-fant l)iit comprised 13% by volume. Bay
shrimps a])j)c;irc(l in 10'/ oT the bass stomachs containing food.

SUMMER

Son Fronciteo Boy
( N ■ 196 )

Son Pablo Boy
(N-74)

A-onchovy PP'pilt perch

AS -Arrnricon ihod PS " pond tm«lt

BS - boy ihrimpt S P - thin«r ptrch

C'corp S B ~ (triptd bOK

CR-croyfiih SP-tpiiftoil

H - h«rring TC " torn cod

I ' itopodt U F - unknown fiihet

K-king»olmon WC - whit* crocktr

MS- tiy»id thrimp — -oth»r

Crockitt to Pitttburg
( N ■ 127 )

Lower Socromtnto Riv«r
( N -104 )

Upper Socromento River
( N ■ 184 )

FIGURE 2 — Food items found in striped bass stomachs during summer, in percentage of total

volume and by area.

San Pablo Bay

Analysis of 74 bass stomaclis of all three size ^■ron])s showed that
northern anchovies made nj) HA't of the diet by volume. Bay shrimps
and isopods were the only other items that appeared frequently.

Crocketf to Pittsburg

Northern anchovies were the major dietary item both in freipiency
and volume in 127 bass of all three size groups containing food. Striped
bass and bay shrimps were less important, comprising one-fourth the
total volume. Isopods and mysid shrimp were frequently present bnt
did not add greatly to the total volume.

STRIPED BASS DIET

55

Delfa

Mysitl shriniii were tlie preferred food of 17-"i bass of all three size
izroiip-; exaiiiiiK'd (Ki!) bass were juveniles). ]\Iysids wcM-e found in DTr
of the saniplc and fcpfcsciilcd 80/^ of the total xohniif. The only otiier
food item of siji-nificaiice consisted of small sti-iped bass, which occiiiTcd
in 2>V/f of the stomachs and comprised 14', of the total volume.

Lower Sacramenio River

King salmon occurred most often in the diet and comprised 6()^/c by
volume of all food consumed by 104 bass. Pond smelt and crayfish
appeared in nunof nund)ei*s and volume. The frecpiency of occurrence
of scuds was second only to that of salmon; however, due to the scuds'
small size tiiev added \-ery little to the total volume eaten.

Upper Sacramenio River

Kinj»' salmon and carp comprised 739' ''.^' volume of food eaten by
184 juvenile bass. Crayfish ajipeai-ed in minor (iiumtities and con-
tributed 11 /( to the total \'olnme. Semis and the larvae of caddisHies
and true flies occurred fi-e(|Ueutly in stomachs but cont i-ibuted little
to the volume.

Fall Diet (September 1 -November 30)
San Francisco Bay

Noi-thei-n anchovies and shinei' ]ierch occurred in almost ecpial vol-
umes ami toiicthei' made up o\'ei' half the volume of all food eaten by

TABLE 4

Food Items Eaten by Striped Bass During Fall, by Area/
in Percentage Frequency of Occurrence t

Food items

Vertebrates

Anchovy

Shiner perch

Herring

Tomcod

Staghorn seulpin.
Starry flounder. _

Surf smelt

King salmon

Lamprey

Striped bass

(ireen sunfish

Carp

Unknown fishes _-

Invertebrates

Ghost shrimp

Market crab

Bay shrimps

Crayfish

Isopod

Mysid shrimp

Periwinkle

Scuds

Maj'flies

Caddisflies

Midges

Unknown Dipterans.

Sample size

Area 1

30

26

4

28

3

30

+
+

19

I

t
I

106

Area 2

15

14

9

2
55

t
25

t

t

+

+

t
183

Areas

3
16
12

34

+
+

23

25

119

Area 4

138

Area 5

10

t

I

t

30

t

63
40
31

Area 6

5

41

17

t

t
t

"t
t

24
10
14

"3

103

* Areas : 1 — San Francisco Bay : 2 — San Pablo Bay ; 3 — Crockett to Pittsburg ; 4-

Delta ; 5 — Lower Sacramento River ; 6 — Upper Sacramento River,
t Organisms with a frequency of occurrence of 2 or less are omitted.
t This forage organism is not normally present

56

CALIFORNIA FISH AND fiAME

l()(i adiill l)ass. Pacitic herriny and Pacific tumcod comprised 22% by
xolmiic but did not occur fretiucntly. Ray shrimps and isopods occurred
ofteu in stomaclis but coul rihntcd little to tlic total volume.

San Pablo Bay

Bay slii'inii)s made up 2.")'/( of the diet l)y volume, and appeared in
over half of 183 stomachs containing food. Northern anchovies oc-
curred more often than stao-horn sculpins. but the sculpins, being
larger, were more important in volume. Togetluu-, tliese two fishes con-
stituted 38% of the volume. Isopods constituted the second most fre-
(pu^nt item, although they were of little importance by volume.

FALL

Son Froncltco Bay
( N -106

Crockttt to Pittsburg
( N-II9)

A-onctiovy L-lompr»y

AS -Amtncon shod MS-mytid ihrimp
BS- boy thrimpt MC -morkct crab
C - clam ST SC-ttaghorn iculpin

CR-crayfi»h S P - thintr ptrch

^1 GR SLhgraan tunfith SB- (tripad bott
H-h«rring SA SM- Sacramento imdt

I - iiopodi TC - tomcod

K - king tolmor) UF- unknown fithcs
oth«r

Delta
( N ■ 138)

'— 0J%

Lower Sacramento River
(N f 3 I )

Upper Sacramento River
{ N- 103)

FIGURE 3 — Food items found in striped bass stomachs during fall, in percentage of total

volume and by area.

Crockett to Pittsburg ,

In 119 stomachs containing food, young striped bass constituted
50% of the diet by volume. Bay shrimps, mysid shrimp, and isopods
occurred frequently, and the first two made up 22% of the diet by
volume.

STRIPED BASS DIET

57

Delta

Mysid shrimp comprised the major portion of the diet by both num-
ber and volume. Young striped bass also appeared in signifieant vol-
ume. In the sample of 18.S fish containing food, all but fi were under
16 inehes long.

Lower Sacramenfo River

Tliii't.N-onc (»f 10!) fisli contained food. The majority had scuds,
midges, or both in IIumi- stomaclis, but crayfish aiul river lampreys
made up 97% of tlic total volume

Upper Sacramenfo River

Carp ac<'ount('(l foi- 68% of tiie diet l)y \-olum(' and 41%, by fre-
({uency of occurrence in M)'.'> bass. >S(M1(Is and insect larvae occurred
fre(pU'n1l>- hut jidded an insignificant amount by volume because of
their small size.

Winter Diet (December 1-February 28)
San Francisco Bay

In 16 adult bass containing food, white seaperch and Pacific herring
compi'ised ()A' i of the diet by xolume. l>ay shrim]is appeai'cd most
often but contributed little to the volume.

TABLE 5

Food Items Eaten by Striped Bass During Winter, by Area,*
in Percentage Frequency of Occurrence t

Food items

Vertebrates

Anchovy

Herring

Sacramento smelt-

Lamprey

Striped bass

Pond smelt

Threadfin shad

Unknown fishes

Invertebrates

Bay shrimps

Isopod

Mysid shrimp.-
Periwinkle

Sample size_

Area 1

13

56

19

"t

16

Area 2

4
13

70

48

3

3

118

Area 3

14

14
12

21

39
18
29

28

Area 4

15

74
61

* Areas : 1 — San Francisco Bay ; 2 — San Pablo Bav : 3 — Crockett to Pittsburg ; 4-

Delta.
t Organisms with a frerjuency of occurrence of 2 or less are omitted.
t This forage organism is not normally present.

San Pablo Bay

Bay shrimps accounted for 47%. of the diet by volume and occurred
ill 70% of the stomachs containing food. Isopods occurred in 48% of
the bass containing food but accounted for less than 8% of the total
volume. All but 15 of 118 fish containing food were less than 16 inches
long.

58

CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

Crockett to Pittsburg

TwciilN -rijilit bass coutaiiiin'i- food were collected. Small striped bass
constituted '.]-[''( of the diet by xohime. Sacraiiieiito smelt and pond
smelt accounted for 31%. Smaller or<>'anisms, such as bay and mysid
slirini])s and isopods. occuiT(>d fi-e(|uently but added less than 13% by
\-olume.

Delta

]\Iysi(ls ai)i)eariMl in 74' < of (il bass eontaiiunu' food. Stri])ed bass
and threadfin shad comprised 51% of the stomach contents by volume.

Sacramento River

Six stomachs containing food from the lower Sacramento River near
Rio Vista indicate that river lampreys, small striped bass, pond smelt
and ])ay slirimps appear in tlie diet. However, the sample is too small
1(1 shoAv tlie amounts reliably.

WINTER

San Franc it CO Boy
(N° 16)

San Poblo Boy
( N -MB )

A-onchovy PS- pond »rT>e!t

BS - boy Bhnmp SB - stnped bosj

GS- ghost jhr.mp SA SM-Soc'omenfo smelt

H-h»rring TS - f hreod'in s^-od

I-isopodt UF - unknown 't^'SS

L- lomprgy wSP-white saa pe'ch
MS- mytid shrimp — o'hsr

C'Oek»tt to Pittsburg
( N«28)

V— I 7 %

FIGURE 4— Food items found in striped boss stomachs during winter, in percentage of total

volume and by area.

Food Selection

Althouofh bass ate many diflferent organisms occasionally, there Avere
instances in which a minor item occurred in large numbers in one or
two specimens and formed the only record of that item in the diet.

STRIPED BASS DIET

59

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0 ^

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— a.

9) ^

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w

C C

— 8)

■0 t

C 3

3 w

0 "

u. 0

.

0)

E o

3

4)

J}

«- X

M

w

^

'5

01

■o
e

k k

0

0 "■

4. 1

*• '

0 <U

0)

S otji:

0

u

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0

3 C

k

0 <u

u

u. «

e

X. a>

0)

0 a.

i)

c c

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.£ 4)

ea

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0

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0)

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a.

a

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c.

a

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rf c o
-=■= o

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1^ .» * I csco

OC IC -^ CM C3 ^ oo

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60 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

For ox;niii)l(\ '2 of 448 stomaelis from San Pablo T>ay r-oiitained nortli-
ern iiiidsliijinii'ii. a sj^ecics found in The l>ay all \'ear. ( )ir' stomach con-
tained !• iiiidsiii])iiicii. and the oilier ]'.K Xo other food was present in
these 2 bass. Ai)i)arently, these items were selected deliberately; other
bass canulit at the same time in the same ar(>a contaiiKMl different food
items.

In the area between Crockett and Pittsburg, all three size groups
of bass were collected at the same time, and significant differences were
noted in the size and kind of food selected (Table 6). Smaller bass
selected small food items such as mysid shrimp, while large bass gen-
erally ate larger items, such as fish. Isopods and shrimps were abund-
ant medium-sized food items in the area and occurred frequently in
stomachs of 11- to lo-inch bass. Sha])oval()v (1936) also noted size
selectivity of bass in AVaddell Creek lagoon. There, the diet of large
bass consisted primarily of fishes, while smaller bass fed almost exclu-
sively on small crustaceans.

DISCUSSION

Striped bass eat a witle variety of the foods available within their
habitat. Important foods incdude both pelagic forms such as anchovies
and bottom dwellers such as shrimps, but animals which live in the
bottom, sucli as annelid worms and clams, seldom contribute signifi-
cantly to their diet.

Factors othei- than ovei'all al)undance obviously affect an organism's
availability to bass. Fin- examph\ pond smelt. American shad, white
catfish, and various native minnows are much more abundant in the
Delta and Sacramento River than their occurrence in the diet indi-
cates. Conversely, cai"p and king salmon are probably less abundant
than their occurrence in the diet indicates. While identification of the
factors controlling availability would be important in understanding
ecological relationships, the necessary facts are not available.

The migrations of the bass are the primary factor causing seasonal
variations in their food habits. However, diets in each area also varied
siginficantly, reflecting migrations of forage organisms and seasonal
fluctuations in abundance of endemic forms. Major seasonal variations
were associated with the following:

1) The upstream migration by anchovies, which become most nu-
merous in Carquinez Sti-ait fi-om June through August (]\Ies.ser-
smith, 1966).

2) The distribution of yonng-of-the-year striped bass, which is re-
lated to the amount of i-unoft' (Chadwick, 1964).

3) The downstream migration of young king salmon, which occurs
primarily in the spring and early sunnner.

At times striped bass fed heavily on their own young and on young
king salmon. The effects of this predation on these populations can not
be determined from the available data.

Since most of this study's collections from the Delta were made
before 1962, and threadfin shad did not become abundant until after
this, these collections do not reflect the present situation. Threadfin
shad now make a substantial contribution to the bass' diet there (Don
E. Stevens, unpublished data).

STRIPED BASS DIET 61

Throiig'hont their range in tlie Saeramento-San Joaquin system
yonng-of-the-year striped bass rarely eat fish (Tlenbaeh et al., 1963).
The results of tliis study indieate that juveniles frequently eat fish,
but the size at which they turn to a fish diet apparently varies with
locality. In the Delta, juveniles ate invertebrates almost exclusively,
while in other areas fish generally dominated their diet on a volume
basis even though various invertebrates were eaten frequently. Since
many of the fish eaten in other areas are abundant in the Delta and
mysid shrimp, the primary invertebrate eaten in the Delta, are abund-
ant immediately downstream from there, the most likely hypothesis for
explaining the difference is that the greater turbidity in the Delta
severely limits predation on fishes.

The results of this study are similar to an analysis of stomach sam-
ples obtained in 1947 and 194S (.Johnson and (Vdhoun. 1952). Both
indicate that shi'im]) and anchovy are major food items tluring sum-
mer and fall in the San Pablo IJay area, but shrimp are apparently
less important now. Doth showed mysid shr-imp were a major food of
small bass in the Delta (lui'in<_;- winter and spi'ing.

SUMMARY

The year-round diet of striped bass in the Sacramento-San Joaquin
River system was described from 4,551 juvenile and adult bass, 2,259
of which contained food. Collections were combined by season and area
to show variations in the bass' diet. !\Iajor food items in the diet of bass
were f(mnd to be northei-n anc[iovies, shiner ])erch, striped bass, king
salmon, carj), crayfish, bay shrimps, mysid shrimp, isopods, scuds, and
insect larvae.

Limited data on selection of food by dift'ei-cnt ages of bass indicated
that there is a positive coiTchition t)etweeu size of fish and size of
organisms eaten.

Diet varied seasonally in response to the migrations of food or-
ganisms, and fluctuations in the abundance of endemic foods. Bass
ate a wide variety of pelagic and bottom animals, but animals living in
the bottom seldom contributed significantly to their diet. Factors other
than abundance obviously affected an organism's availability, but not
enough is known to identify these factors.

Juvenile bass (less than 16 inches tl) seldom ate fish in the Delta,
and it is hypothesized that this is due to the high turbidity there.

REFERENCES

Calhuuu. A. J. 1952. Animal migratioiLS of California .striped ba.ss. Calif. Fish

and Game, 38 (3) : 391-403.
Chadwick, H. K. 19C4. Annual abundance of younff striped bass ( Roccus saxa-

filis) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. Calif. Fish and Game,

50 (2) : 69-99.
Clark, G. H. 1936. A second report on striped bass tagging. Calif. Fish and Game,

22 (4) : 271-283.
Hatton, S. R. 1940. Progress report of the Central Valleys Fisheries Investiga-
tion. Calif. Fish and Game, 26 (4) : .335-373.
Heuliach. W., R. J. Toth. and A. M. McCready. 1963. Food of young-of-the-year

striped bass (Roccus saxatilis) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system.

Calif. Fish and Game, 49 (4) : 224-239.
Johnson, W. C, and A. J. Calhoun. 1952. Food habits of California striped bass.

Calif. Fish and Game, 38 (4) : 531-534.

62 CALIFORNIA FISH AND GA:mE

Messorsinitli. .1. I'.mk;. I'islics rollcotod in C)ii-i|uiiicz St rail in liKil-l'.Kii:. \i. r>7-()."!.

/(/ I >. W. Ki'llcy I (■(iiiii)il('i' I Kcnlui'ical studies of tjic Sacrainciitn-Saii .loaiiiiiii

t'sluan. Part 1. ("alif. l)ci)t. Fish and Came, Fish liull. !.''.:',.
Scofipld, E. C. 1028. Striped bass studies. Calif. Fish and Came. 14 (1 i : 2U-:',7.
. 1!>."!1. Striped bass of California. Calif. Div. I^'isli and (;aine, Fisli. T'.ull.,

(2!)) : 1-S2.
Scofield. X. B. lino. Notes on the strijied l)ass in * 'alifurnia. ("alif. I-'isli and

(iame Conini.. 21st liien. Kept., p. 104-1<l'.».
Scofield. X. I'... and H. C. Bryant. I'.t2i;. The strijie.! Iiass in California. Calif.

Fish and (Jame, 12 (2) : .",-74.
Sha|)o\alov, L. VSM't. Food of striped ba.ss. Calif. Fish and (Jann-. 22 (4) : 201-271.
Si<inner, J. E. I'.t02. An historieal review of the fisli and wildlife resources of the

San Francisco Bay area, Water Projects Branch Kept., (1) : 80-82.
Smith. H. .M. 1806. A review of the history and results of attempts to acclimatize

fisli and otlier water animals in the Pacific stati'S. U. S. Fish Comm., Bull., (15) :

44!J-4r,,S.

NOTE

NORTHERLY OCCURRENCES OF KELP BASS,
PARALABRAX CLATHRATUS (GIRARD), SINCE 1959

Kelp bass, iiihabitin<»' inshore kelp beds and island shores from Mag-
dalena Bay, Baja California, to ^Monterey Bay, California, rank among
the five most important sport fishes in southern California. Tagging
studies (Young, 1963) in(lieate that the species is nonmigratory, and
few individuals had been encountered north of Point Conception before
195!).

Recent captures of kelp bass at Half Moon Bay, Fort Ross, and
Trinidad, California, suggest that northerly occurrences of this species
may be correlated with periods of warm ocean tem]ieratures. Follow-
ing the Avarmwater period 19.17 thi-ough 1959, small individuals began
to appear in spoil fish catches at ^Monterey Bay (Miller and Cotsludl,
lf)65). At least 282 sport-caught kelj) bass were sam])led in the ]\Ion-
terey Bay area between 1959 and 1965, with the best catches being
reported in 1963 (I). J. .Miller, pers. corres.). Underwater observations
within the lUiy during December 1963 revealed large numbers of kelp
bass as small as 8 inches. Sport-caught fish, however, ranged from 11
to 20 inches (29.5-51.5 cm), total length.

Oil the basis of the following occurrences, the recorded range of the
kelp i)ass is extended more than 280 miles northward to Trinidad
Head, llumbodt County, California (lat. 41° 03' X, h)ng. 124^ 09' W).

1. A skiff fisherman captured a 15-inch (37.8 cm tl) specimen in
November 1959 at Half Moon Bav, California (lat. 37° 29' X. Ion-.
122° 2S'^Y).

2. On September 21, 1963, a 14-inch (36.3 cm tl) spent female was
speared in water 10 feet deep bv Paul Lilljengren, near Fort Ross,
California (lat. 38° 31' X, long.' 123° 15' W).

3. Two specimens have been captured from Trinidad Pier (lat.
41° 03' N, long. 124° 09' W). The first, an immature female measur-
ing 12.5 inches (31.5 cm tl), was caught February 21, 1965. by
Archie Hamilton in approximately 20 feet of water. The second, a
16-iuch (40.3 cm tl) maturing female, was taken by Joe Lindgren
in 10 to 15 feet of water on August 6, 1965.

Our examination of otoliths and scales from the northern specimens
suggests no apparent deviation from the growth rate for .southern
California kel}) bass (Young, 1963). Although the presence of imma-
ture, maturing, and spent gonads suggests the northern migrants may
reproduce, we have not observed gravid females or juvenile specimens.

REFERENCES

Miller. Daniel .T., and Daniel Gotshall. 196.j. Ocean sportfish and effort from Oregon
to Point Ar5;uello, California. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Fish Bull., (1.30):
1-135.

Young, Parke H. 1963. The kelp bass {Paralnhrax clathratus) and its fishery, 1947-
1958. Calif. Dept. Fish and Game, Fish Bull.. (122): 1-67.

— J. Gary Smith and Daniel W. Gotshall, Marine Resources Operations,
California Department of Fish and Game, April 1966.

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CA CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME

BOOK REVIEWS

Inland Fisheries Management

Edited by Alex Calhoun; California Dept. Fish and Game, Sacramento, 1966; 546 p.,
illustrated. $4 (paper). Sold only by Office of Procurement, Documents Section, P. O.
Box 1612, Sacramento, California 95807.

As stated in the preface, "Fishery l)i()l<i};ists will now soon have a handbook like
those the physical scientists take for granted. However, this volume represents an-
other step in that direction. It is aimed primarily at the field men responsible for
California's inland fisheries: the biologists, the men who operate the fish hatcheries,
and the wardens. Its purpose is to give them ready access to a large body of inland
fisheries fact and theory."' The authors have snpplemente<l material from the pub-
lished literature with liberal amounts of information based on recent management
experience.

The manual consists of 7(j chapters authored or coauthored by 30 contributors.
The titles of a few chai)ters, "■Poiiulation Dynamics and I'opulation Estimation",
"Fish Marking", "Flectrofishing". "Yields of California Lakes", "Maximum Swim-
ming Speed of Fislies", "Fishways", "Lake Destratification", and "Fisheries Oriented
Computer Programs" indicate the wide range of subject matter covered. There are
also individual chapters on inland fish species found in California. A list of refer-
ences accompanies each chapter and a thorough index concludes the volume.

All in all. this reference work will help \n till a loiij;-felt need. — Leo tShapovalov.

The Crabs of Sagami Bay

By Ture Sakai; Moruzen Co., Ltd., Tokyo, 1965; xvi • 206 p. in English — 92 p. in
Japanese * 32 p., 100 colored plates, 1 map. $25. Send all orders originating in
Asia to Maruzen Co.; send all orders originating elsewhere to East-West Center
Press, Honolulu.

The Emperor of .lajian for many years has been interested in marine biology
and liis valuable collections include many marine invertebrates from Sagami Ba.v.
This beautiful book is a catalogue of the Sagami Bay crabs collected by His
Majesty.

In my judgment, the .-ittractive and accurate plates of water colors painted from
live specimens by Mrs. Sakai form the outstanding feature of the book.

The text in Engli.sh and .Japanese covers synonymy and distribution of 344 species,
including the synonymy and homonymy of some of the broadly distributed Indo-
I'acific six'cies. Verbal descriptions are presented only for some of the less common
genera and species. Three new species and two subspecies are reported for the first
time.

Four of the crabs discussed and illustrated also occur off California: Cancer gib-
iosulus, (J. amphioetus, C. oregonen.sis (in Japan — C. anaglyptus), and Pachygrapsus
crassipes.

It is unfortunate that more of the fauna! works originating from the United
States have not contained similar detailed, quality color illustrations of the species
under discussion.

This book is a true collector's item. Its chief attraction, aside from its unique
royal connection, lies in its lovely, glossy color plates which may be appreciated
either for their life-like accuracy or for their sheer, breathtaking, artistic and
aesthetic value — Daniel W. Gotshall.

printed in californma office of state printing
81236 — 800 10-66 5,300

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