COMMERCIAL FISH CATCHES & POPULATIONS

What Was Measured?
Shown are the California Department of Fish and Game records of commercial fish catches at Princeton Harbor, the only commercial fishing port in San Mateo County. Catches are recorded by total pounds. Sport fish catches are not recorded.

Why Is This Important?
The Pacific Ocean is a biological habitat for a vast array of animal species. Salmon, halibut, cod, mollusks, shellfish and others are important sources of food. In addition, the fishing industry provides jobs and contributes to the economy. The environmental health of the ocean is linked to how much of that wealth can be harvested.  Conservation of wildlife populations and habitat are necessary to maintain a sustainable equilibrium between current harvests and those of the future.  Wide fluctuations of wildlife populations can upset the balance among species and lead to dramatic changes in wildlife living patterns and habitat.

What Was Found?
Total commercial fish catches rose each year from 1989 to 1992, an average of roughly 20 percent per year.  In 1993 the commercial harvest dropped by nearly 33 percent from the previous year.  For several years prior to 1993 the number of salmon returning to spawn had dropped alarmingly.  This information raised concerns that the salmon population was being overfished and in 1993 the salmon season was shortened in order to allow salmon populations to regenerate.  Commercial salmon quotas have been implemented in order to limit the number of salmon removed from the spawning cycle.  Even so, the 1994 harvest was 56 percent higher than 1993, a level surpassing even 1992.

What Is The Trend?
Commercial Fish Catches have gone up each year except for 1993, when dramatic changes in the number of spawning salmon occurred and the salmon season was shortened.  The increase seen in 1994 may be the result of greater numbers of fishing boats (due to season closures in Oregon and Northern California) instead of higher fish populations.

Source: California Dept. of Fish and Game Annual Reports

Researcher: W. Goertz (Green Environment, Inc.)