Southern California partyboat sampling study Quarterly Report no. 2

Abstract

During the period October 1 - December 31, 1975, Department personnel made 176 sampling trips aboard southern California partyboats. A total of 25,721 fish from 77 species was identified and measured. Otoliths were removed from 1,767 rockfish carcasses representing 30 species for use in age determination. Sampling personnel tagged and released 192 California barracuda, Sphyraena argentea; 2 white seabass, Cynoscion nobilis; and 29 sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria. The 10 most common species sampled during this period represented 84% of the total number of fish measured. These were, in order of importance; bocaccio, Sebastes paucispinis; Pacific bonito, Sarda chiliensis; chilipepper, Sebastes goodei; olive rockfish, Sebastes serranoides; vermilion rockfish, Sebastes miniatus, white croaker, Genyonemus lineatus; blue rockfish, Sebastes mystinus; greenspotted rockfish, Sebastes chlorostictus; sculpin, Scorpaena guttata; and Pacific mackerel, Scomber japonicus. Bocaccio alone accounted for 44% of the sampled catch. (20pp.)