The California anchovy reduction fishery amounted to 105,767 megagrams (116,588 short tons) for the 1974-75 season. Southern California catch was dominated by age-group II (1972 year class) with substantial numbers of age groups III (1971 year class) and IV (1970 year class). Central California's anchovy catch consisted of similar age groups II, III and IV (1972, 1971 and 1970 year classes). Document has 23 pages

Sunada, John S.

Aquatic Commons

I NORTHERN ANCHOVY 
AGE AND SIZE COMPOSITION, 
1974 -75 SEASON 
I MARINE RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT N0.36 1977 
CALIFORNIA D E P A R T M E N T  O F  FISH A ND GAME 
M A R I N E  R E S O U R C E S  T E C H N I C A L  R E P O R T S  
Marine Resources Technical Reports a r e  research 
documents by Department personnel that a r e  of sufficient 
importance to be preserved, but which for  some reason 
a r e  not appropriate for primary scientific publication. No 
restriction is  placed on subject matter. 
These Reports may be cited in publication, but ca re  
should be taken to indicate their manuscript status. The 
material in these Reports may eventually appear in the 
primary scientific literature. 
Inquiries concerning the Reports should be directed 
to The Editor, Marine Resources Region, 350 Golden Shore, 
Long Beach, California 90802. 
NORTHERN ANCHOVY 
AGE AND SIZE COMPOSITION, 
1974-75 SEASON 
JOHN S. SUNADA 
Marine Resources Region 
California Department of Fish and Game 
MARINE RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT NO. 36 
ABSTRACT 
The Cal i fornia  anchovy reduction f i s h e r y  amounted t o  
105,767 megagrams (116,588 s h o r t  tons)  f o r  t h e  1974-75 
season. Southern Cal i fornia  ca tch  was dominated by 
age-group I1 (1972 year c l a s s )  with s u b s t a n t i a l  numbers 
of age groups I11 (1971 year c l a s s )  and I V  (1970 year 
c lass) .  Central  Cal i fornia ' s  anchovy catch  consisted 
of similar age groups 11, I11 and I V .  (1972, 1971 and 
1970 year c lasses) .  
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Page 
LENGTH COKPOSITION OF THE CATCH ------------------- 9 
SEX AND WEIGHT RATIO .............................. 1 2  
CONCLUSION ........................................ 2 0 
REFERENCES ........................................ 2 1 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
Numerous people have contributed t o  the  completion of t h i s  
paper. Thanks goes t o  my colleague Rick Klingbeil f o r  sampling 
the  f ishery and t o  the  o t o l i t h  reading team of Steve Crooke, 
Marian Haxby, Rucker Hartmann, Ellen Gleason and Vickie Wine. 
I am great ly  indebted t o  David Carter f o r  h i s  ass is tance i n  a l l  
aspects of the  paper. Edi to r ia l  advice was supplied by Herbert 
Frey and David Ganssle. Laura Cartner and Charel Cueva performed 
wonders on t h e i r  typewriters i n  preparing t h i s  manuscript. 
NORTHERN ANCHOVY 
AGE AND SIZE COMPOSITION, 
1974-75 SEASON 
by 
John S. Sunada 
Marine Resources Region 
C a l i f o r n i a  Department of F i s h  and Game 
INTRODUCTION 
This  r e p o r t  is t h e  e i g h t h  i n  a s e r i e s  determining age ,  l eng th ,  and 
sex composition of C a l i f o r n i a ' s  1974-75 anchovy r educ t ion  ca tch .  The 
methods of sampling and age de termina t ion  used were those  descr ibed  by 
Co l l in s  (1971). Estimated numbers by l eng th ,  year  c l a s s ,  weight,  
ma tu r i t y ,  and s e x  were ca l cu la t ed  from samples taken a t  Terminal I s l and  
and Moss Landing. 
A t o t a l  of 527 samples taken a t  Terminal I s l a n d ,  contained 6,474 
ind iv idua l  f i s h ,  and 46 samples from Moss Landing contained 484 f i s h .  
THE FISHERY 
Southern Permit Area 
The season began on September 15 ,  1974 and ended May 15,  1975 wi th  
a record  ca t ch  of 99,717 megagrams (109,919 s h o r t  t ons )  of which 82% 
was landed a t  Terminal I s land  and 18% a t  Po r t  Hueneme (Table 1 ) .  The 
seasonal  quota of 100,000 s h o r t  tons  o r  90,718 Mg was increased  t o  
115,000 s h o r t  tons  o r  104,326 Mg on May 2, 1975. 
The i n i t i a l  anchovy p r i c e  w a s  $35 per  s h o r t  t o n  bu t  dropped t o  
$30.25 a t  season ' s  end, Because of a p r i c e  d i spu te ,  t h e  San Pedro f l e e t  
d i d  n o t  f i s h  u n t i l  November. F ish ing  was good u n t i l  March when e r r a t i c  
f i s h  behavior reduced ca tches ,  a l though f i s h i n g  improved dur ing  Apr i l  
and May (Table 1 ) .  Po r t  Hueneme landings  were g r e a t e s t  dur ing  t h e  f a l l  
wi th  decreas ing  landings i n  win ter  and s p r i n g  (Table 1 ) .  
- 6 -  
TABLE 1, Anchovy Landings (weight in  ~egagrams) for the 1974-75 Season. 
LOCATION 
Months Monterey Port Uueneme; Teminal Ieland Total 
August 361 
September 229 1,407 
October 549 3,558 
November 2,485 3,845 16,585 22,916 
21.7% 
December 103 2,317 10,763 13,183 
12.5% 
January 1,332 2,662 12,854 16,848 
15.9% 
February 811 1,543 6,374 8,728 
8.2% 
March 
April 
Total 6,050 17,761 81,956 105,767 
% 5.7 16.8 77.5 100% 
Total 
short tons 6,669 19,578 90,341 116,588 
The San Pedro f l e e t  numbered 42 boats  although only 30 were considered 
ful l- t ime anchovy boats. These vesse l s  had a combined hold capacity of 
2,540 Mg (2,800 s h o r t  tons)  although cannery processing capacity was only 
1,450 Mg (1,600 shor t  tons)  per  day. Cannery imposed d a i l y  limits of 
23 t o  59 Mg (25 t o  65 shor t  tons). The Por t  Hueneme f l e e t  consisted of 
t h r e e  vessels, wi th  a hold capacity of 318 Mg (350 shor t  tons)  although 
maximum processing capacity w a s  only 227 Mg (250 shor t  tons) .  
Northern Permit Area 
The season counnenced August 1, 1974, and concluded May 15, 1975, with 
a seasonal  t o t a l  of 6,050 Mg (6,669 shor t  tons) .  Largest catches occurred 
during f a l l  months (Table 1 ) .  The quota remained a t  15,000 shor t  tons,  o r  
13,608 Mg. The opening anchovy p r i c e  was $42.50 per  shor t  ton, but soon 
dropped t o  $30 per shor t  ton. 
The Monterey f l e e t  consisted of 8 lampara boats  and 2 purse se ine r s ,  
with a combined hold capacity of 200 Mg (220 shor t  tons) ,  and t h e  reduc- 
t i o n  capacity w a s  200 Mg (220 shor t  tons) pe r  day. 
AGE COMPOSITION OF THE CATCH 
Oto l i ths  were used f o r  age determination, and age was assigned 
according t o  methods devised by Coll ins and Spra t t  (1969). 
Southern Cal i fornia  
The commercial catch was dominated by age group I1 (1972 year c l a s s ) ,  
comprising 39% by number and 37X by weight of t h e  Terminal Island landings 
(Table 2). Age groups I11 (1971 year c lass )  and I V  (1970 year c l a s s )  
const i tu ted  near ly  37% by number and 40% by weight (Table 2). These age 
groups appeared i n  unusually l a r g e  proportions during Apri l  and May 
(Figure 1) .  Age group I (1973 year c l a s s )  and young-of-the-year f i s h  
(1974 year c lass )  contr ibuted 23% by number and 20% by weight of t h e  Comer- 
c i a 1  catch (Table 2). Recruitment of these  groups occurred i n  January and 
TABLE 2 .  Estimated Weight and Number of Anchovies i n  Year Class and Age Landed a t  Terminal Is land fo r  Reduction 
i n  Southern Cal i fornia  During 1974-75 Season. 
- - -- 
1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 
( 0 )  ( 1 )  ( 2 )  (3  ( 4 )  ( 5 )  ( 6 )  Total  
Megagrams 2,678 13,781 30,415 23,542 9,631 1,458 198 81,703 
Standard 
deviat ion 255 387 535 500 37 2 151 60 
Percent 3.27 16.86 37.22 28.81 11.78 1.78 0.24 99.96 
Number 182,124,000 728,326,000 1,522,930,000 1,036,963,500 378,768,500 50,071,000 5,583,000 3,934,766,000 
Standard 
deviat ion 19,561,488 21,030,557 28,032,566 21,608,141 14,032,445 4,962,905 1,669,121 
Percent 4.62 18.51 39.46 26.35 9.62 1.27 0.14 99.84 
TABLE 3. Estimated Weight and Number of Anchovies by Year Class and Age Landed a t  Monterey f o r  Reduction i n  
Central  California During 1974-75 Season. 
1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 
( 0 )  ( 1 )  ( 2 )  ( 3 )  ( 4 )  ( 5 )  ( 6 )  Total  
Megagrams 2 5 309 1,346 2,574 1,312 359 2 2 5,947 
Standard 
deviat ion 33 103 297 ' 541 337 114 37 
Percent .41 5.18 22.62 43.28 22.0 6.0 .37 99.86 
Number 1,412,200 16,283,700 58,584,300 104,209,100 47,952,800 10,300,100 753,400 239,495,600 
Standard 
deviation 160,824 4,670,557 12,853,004 22,905,242 10,537,407 3,643,746 1,259,353 
Percent .6 6.8 24.0 43.8 20.0 4.0 . 3  99.5 
40 '- 
30 - NOVEMBER 1974 
N = 1448 
20 - 
10 - 
t 
50 r 
40 - 
30 - DECEMBER 
N = 1016 
20 - 
10 - 
40 t FEBRUARY 
4 0 t  MARCH 
40 1 APRIL 
40 - MAY 
30 - N.955 
20 - 
10 - 
AGE 0 I I I 11 1 I V  V 
1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 
FIGURE I. Southern California anchovy age composition 
by month 1974- 1 9 7 5  season 
- 9 -  
reached a peak i n  March when they const i tu ted 58% of the  catch, but 
diminished i n  f ollowfng months (Figure 1). 
Central California 
Age group I11 (1971 year c lass )  dominated the  comnercial catch consist- 
ing of 44% by number and 43% by weight of the  landings (Table 3). Age 
groups I1 (1972 year c lass )  and IV (1970 year c lass )  const i tu ted 44% by 
number and 45% by weight (Table 3). Young-of-the-year f i s h  (1974 year 
c lass )  and age group I (1973 year c lass )  contributed only 7% by number and 
6% by weight a s  compared with 31% by number and 22% by weight (Figure 2) 
f o r  t h e  previous season (Sunada, 1976). 
LENGTH COMPOSITION OF THE CATCH 
Southern California 
Approximately 48% of t h e  estimated 3.9 b i l l i o n  f i s h  were greater  than 
125 mm (4.9 inches) standard length although the  lengths varied from 85 mm 
t o  173 nrm (3.3 t o  6.8 inches) SL (Table 4). This percentage was consider- 
ably l a rger  than 17% i n  1972-73 season and 29% i n  1973-74 season (Sunada, 
1975, 1976). This increase w a s  the  e f f ec t  of greater  proportions of age 
groups I11 (1971 year c lass )  and IV (1970 year c lass) .  
TABLE 4. Estimated Number of Anchovies by Length Group Landed a t  Terminal 
Island During 1974-75 Season. 
Length group Estimated Standard 
(mm SL) number deviation Percent of landings 
75-84 
165-174 1,385,500 937,904 0.03 
Total  3,934,766,000 99.95 
AUG: SEPT. 1974 
40 - JAN- MAR. 1975 
3C - N = 8 2  
20 - 
AGE 0 I I I 111 IV V VI 
1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 
FIGURE 2 Central California anchovy age composition by month 
for the 1974-75 season. 
The mean length  of t h e  sampled ca tch  was 125 am (4.9 inches) SL as 
compared t o  116 laa (4.6 inches) SL f o r  t h e  1972-73 season and 119 am 
4 
(4.7 Inches) SL f o r  t h e  1973-74 season (Sunada, 1975, 1976). 
Recruitment of smal l  f i s h  in  March accounted f o r  t h e  average f i s h  
length of 119 pas (4.7 inches) SL while t h e  reappearance of l a r g e  f i s h  i n  
Apr i l  increased t h e  mean length t o  132 mrm (5.2 inches) SL (Figure 3). 
Length at age f o r  a l l  age groups was s l i g h t l y  l a r g e r  than the  1973- 
74 eeason's lengths  (Table 5) .  Females w e r e  l a rge r  than males f o r  a l l  
age groups (Table 6). 
Central  Cal i fornia  
Central  Cal i fornia  anchovies ranged from 100 mm t o  184 mm (3.9 t o  
7.2 inches) SL, with 40% of t h e  estimated 240 mil l ion  anchovies g rea te r  
than 135 mm (5.3 inches) SL (Table 7). This percentage was considerably 
smaller than t h e  55% during 1973-74 season and 85% i n  1972-73 season 
( ~ u n a d a ,  1975, 1976). 
Average f i s h  length f o r  t h e  season was 131 mm (5.1 inches) SL which 
was s imi la r  t o  133 mm (5.2 inches) SL f o r  t h e  1973-74 season (Sunada, 
1976). Mean lengths of females were l a rge r  than males f o r  a l l  year 
c lasses  (Table 8) .  Monthly length frequencies indicated an in f lux  of 
smaller f i s h  during t h e  winter  ( ~ i g u r e  4). 
SEX AND WEIGHT RATIO 
Southern Cal i fornia  
The female t o  male numerical r a t i o  was 1.6: l  and t h e  weight r a t i o  
was 1.7:l (Table 9 ) .  These r a t i o s  were less than those of t h e  1973-74 
season which were 2.01:l by number and 2.2:l by weight (Sunada, 1976). 
The increased nukbers of age groups 0 (1974 year c lass )  and I (1973 year 
c l a s s ) ,  consis t ing  of equal proportions of males and females, reduced t h e  
e f f e c t s  of o lder  age groups with i t s  preponderance of females ( ~ i ~ u r e  5 ) .  
NOVEMBER 1974 
5r DECEMBER 
FEBRUARY 
N = 5 3 2  
15- 
10- 
5 
MARCH 
N = 360 
JANUARY 1975 
N =I148 
g=122 MM 
- 
-lrc 
15- APRIL 
N= 1015 
10 - x=132 MM 
- 
15- MAY 
1 0 -  N = 955 
x=l30 MM 
L - 
LENGTH IN MILLIMETERS 
FIGURE 3 Length distribution of anchovies landed at 
Terminal Island f o r  the 1974- 75 season 
15, OCT. 
15- JAN.- MAR. 1975 
N =82  
10- );( = 133 M M  
5 - 
N OV. 
120 13C 140 150 
LENGTH IN  MILLIMETERS 
1 5' 
10, 
5 
FIGURE 4 .  Length distribution of anchovies landed a t  
Moss Landing for the 1 9 7 4 - 7 5  season. 
N =  140 
X =  134 MM 
- 
CENT RAC CALIFORNIA 
male 
fema 
0 I I I 111 IV 
AGE 
FIGURE 5 Percentage of northern anchovy males and 
by age groups from the 1974-75 season 
v 
females 
TABLE 5 .  Length Frequency of Anchovy (all fish) for Southern California 
During the 1974-75 Season. 
Year class (age) 
1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 
Length (0) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Total 
80 
82 
84 
86 1 1 
88 
90 2 2 
92 10 1 11 
94 3 3 
9 6 11 11 
9 8 8 1 9 
100 15 1 1 17 
102 23 7 6 36 
104 2 2 6 4 1 33 
106 20 12 12 3 1 48 
108 28 25 32 6 1 92 
110 27 35 5 0 9 1 1 123 
112 17 4 7 109 25 3 1 202 
114 19 7 8 119 29 9 254 
116 2 2 117 185 5 6 19 2 401 
118 11 134 215 77 2 1 1 459 
120 20 134 272 8 5 26 1 5 38 
122 15 115 27 1 101 2 0 2 524 
124 10 131 287 110 34 3 5 75 
126 12 99 240 149 3 8 1 539 
128 5 84 218 152 36 3 498 
130 4 61  163 172 40 2 1 443 
132 1 40 131 175 4 2 5 394 
134 33 74 134 3 7 4 282 
136 9 66 139 34 1 2 25 1 
138 1 12 35 9 1 53 7 199 
140 5 2 4 7 1 4 5 6 1 152 
142 * 5 11 60 42 12 130 
144 7 22 33 4 6 6 
146 3 2 1 28 3 55 
148 2 12 24 2 40 
150 1 3 5 16 5 30 
152 4 9 7 20 
154 1 5 2 1 9 
156 4 3 7 
158 3 5 1 9 
160 3 2 5 
162 2 2 
164 1 1 
166 
168 1 1 
170 
172 
174 1 1 
Total 307 1193 2541 1710 628 86 9 6473 
- 
x 110 121 123 129 133 140 150 125 
S-R.M. 0 -  5LR -2Q9 -115 .202 .416 1.301 4.967 
TABLE 6. Mean Length (mm SL) of Males and Famales Landed at Terminal 
Island and Moss Landing by Year Class. 
Year Class (age) Mean length 
1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 f o r  a l l  
(0) (1) (11) (111) (IV) (V) (VI) year c lasses  
Terminal Island 
Males 
Mean length  109 120 122 127 132 138 130 123 
Females 
Mean length  112 122 124 130 134 141 152 126 
Moss Landing 
Males 
Mean length  122 127 131 135 143 
Females 
Mean length 123 124 128 133 139 150 150 132 
TABLE 7. Estimated Numbers by Length Group Landed a t  Monterey During 
1974-75 Season. 
Length group Estimated Standard 
(mm SL) number devia t ion Percent of landings 
95-104 3,067,000 4,399,279 1.28 
Total  239,495,600 99.96 
TABLE 8. Length Frequency of Anchovy (all fish) from Central California 
During the 1974-75 Season. 
1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 
Length (0) (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) Total 
100 1 1 
102 
104 1 1 
106 1 1 
108 
110 1 1 
112 3 1 1 5 
114 3 2 1 6 
116 2 3 1 6 
118 2 4 6 
120 1 3 8 6 1 19 
122 11 15 10 1 37 
124 1 4 14 11 1 31 
126 1 9 2 3 10 5 48 
128 4 15 2 2 4 45 
130 4 14 12 4 34 
132 1 14 2 2 6 43 
134 2 11 2 3 7 4 3 
136 2 3 2 5 4 1 35 
138 5 15 6 1 1 2 8 
140 3 17 8 2 8 
142 4 8 6 3 2 1 
144 1 6 3 10 
146 2 3 5 
148 3 1 6 
150 3 4 7 
152 3 3 6 
154 3 3 
156 1 1 2 
158 2 2 
160 1 1 
162 1 1 2 
184 1 1 
Total 3 53 141 200 7 2 13 2 484 
- 
x 123 123 127 132 138 149 150 131 
S.E.M. 1.73 1.07 .6 .5 1.11 2.4 12.0 
- 19 - 
C e n t r a l  C a l i f o r n i a  
Females outnumbered t h e  males by a r a t i o  o f  2 .7: l  by number and 2.9:l  
by weight  (Tab le  9 ) .  These  f i g u r e s  were s u b s t a n t i a l l y  l a r g e r  t h a n  1.1:l 
by number and 1.3:l by weight  r a t i o s  f o r  t h e  1973-74 s e a s o n  (Sunada, 1976).  
Females were  p r e s e n t  i n  g r e a t e r  p r o p o r t i o n s  among a l l  a g e  g roups  (F igure  5 ) .  
TABLE 9 .  Sex R a t i o  by Number and Weight of Anchovy Landings  fo r  
1974-75 Season. 
Sex r a t i o  by number Terminal  I s l a n d  Moss Landing 
Males 
Number 1,502,690,000 63,671,074 
P e r c e n t  38.19 26.6 
Females 
Number 
P e r c e n t  
- 
Unknown 
Number 
P e r c e n t  
L 
Sex r a t i o  
Fema1e:Male 1 .57 : l  2.66:l 
Weight i n  Megagrams Terminal I s l a n d  Moss Landing 
Males 
Weight 29,703 1,496 
P e r c e n t  36.35 25.2 
Females 
Weight 
Percen t  
Unknown 
Weight 
P e r c e n t  
Sex r a t i o  
Fema1e:Male 1.72: 1 2.90: l  
CONCLUSION 
Several v a r i a t i o n s  i n  t h e  sampled catch occurred i n  southern Cal i fornia .  
The appearance of o lde r  f i s h  during spr ing deviated from t h e  normal t rend 
of recruitment of incoming age groups. Although t h e  seasonal  proport ions 
of age groups 0 (1974 year c lass )  and I (1973 year c lass )  were normal, 
t h e i r  decl in ing numbers during spr ing were unusual. The presence of 
C 
t h e  successful  1970 year c l a s s  was s t i l l  evident ,  a s  it comprised 10% of 
the  catch. 
Central  Cal i fornia  age and ca tch  d a t a  indicated a dominance of o l d e r  
f i s h  and a notable absence of younger age groups. 
REFERENCES 
Coll ins,  Robson A. 1971 .  Size  and age composition of northern anchovies 
( E n g r a d i s  morduz)  i n  t he  Cal i fornia  reduction and canning f i eher ies  
1968-69 season. Cal i f .  F ish  Game, 5 7 ( 4 ) : 2 8 3 - 2 8 9 .  
Coll ins ,  Robson A. ,  and Jerome D. Sprat t .  1969 .  Age determination of 
northern anchovies, EngrauZis mordax, from o t o l i t h s ,  p. 39-53 .  
- I n  
the  northern anchovy (EngrauZis morduz)  and i ts f i shery  1965-68.  
Cal i f .  Fish and Game, Fish.  Bull., ( 1 4 7 ) : l - 1 0 2 .  
Spra t t ,  Jerome D. 1973 .  Age and length  compoeition of northern anchovies, 
EngrauZis m o r h ,  i n  t he  Cal i fornia  anchovy reduction f i shery  f o r  the  
1971-72 season. Cal i f .  Fish Game, 5 9 ( 4 ) : 2 9 3 - 2 9 8 .  
Sunada, John S. 1975 .  Age and length composition of northern anchovies, 
EngrauZis mordux, i n  the  1972-73 season Cal i fornia  anchovy reduction 
f i shery .  Cal i f .  Fish Game, 6 1 ( 3 ) : 1 3 3 - 1 4 3 .  
. 1976.  Age and length composition of northern anchovies, EngrauZis 
m o r b ,  i n  the  Cal i fornia  anchovy reduction f i shery ,  1973-74 season. 
Ca l i f .  Fish Game, 6 2 ( 4 ) :  
6-24-77 400 LDA 


Northern anchovy age and size composition, 1974-75 season

http://aquaticcommons.org/705/1/Technical_Report_1977_No._36_A.pdf

Northern anchovy age and size composition, 1974-75 season

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Aquatic Commons