Southern California marine sport fishing: Private boat anglers' catch and effort in Los Angeles County, October-December, 1980

Item Type monograph

Authors Wine, Vickie L.

Publisher California Department of Fish and Game, Marine Resources Region

Download date 25/09/2021 10:14:46

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/17992 State of California The Resources Agency DEPARTPENT OF FISH AiiD G4.E

J SOUTHF,RN CAIJFOPdIA IIARINE SPORT FISIIING : PRIVATE BOAT AVGLEIIS' CATCH EFFORT IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, OCTOBER--DECEP.IRER, 1980

Vickie L. Wine

MARINE RESOURCES

Administrative Report No. 81-2 SOUTIIEKN CN,IFOKNIA FfARINE SPORT FISHING: PRIVATE BOAT ANGLERS' CATCII AND EFFORT IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, OCTOBER-DECEIIISER, 19 80 -1/

by

Vickie L. Wine -2 1

ABSTRACT

The catch landed and effort expended by private-boat sport fishermen was studied 3.n Los Angeles County between October and December 1980, in order to determine the impact of one segment of the sport fishery on local marine resources. Fishenn.en returning from fishing trips were interviewed at launch ramps, hoists, and boat rental facilities. This report contains quantitative data and statistical estimates of total effort, total catch, catch of preferred species, and length frequencies for those species \:hose catches are regulated by minilnun size limits.

An estimated 94,000 organisr?~were landed by 22,000 anglers and 1,200 divers. The inajor colnponen'is of the catch were Pacific mackerel, Seornber japonicus, 29,000 landed; whi te croaker, Genyonemus Zineatus, 17,500 landed; and Pacific , Sardu chizieasis, 11,500 landed. These three species comprised two-thirds of the total catch.

Anglers ' cornplj.ancc trith size limit regulations was variable. Nearly 80% of all measured bass, ParaZabrux spp., were legal size, but only 50% of the California halibut, ParaZichthys caZifornicz4s, were legal size. Divers showed much better compliance with the size limit regulations: 96% of all California spiny 3.obsters , PanzrZirus interrqt-us, were legal size.

-11 Marine Resources Region, Adminis trati.ve Keport No. 81-2 I -21 Marine Rcsourccs Region, Gal-ifornia State Fisheries Laboratory, 350 Golden Shore, Long Beach, California 9C902. INTRODUCTION

A project entitled the Southern California Independent Sport Fishing

Survey was conducted by the Department from mid-1975 to mid-1978. During

the follov?j.~lgtwo years lack of personnel caused temporary cessation of

the survey. IIowever, in July 1960 this restraint was 1-emoved and the pro-

ject geared up for proc11iction.

The msjor purposes of the survey were 1) to estimate effort levels

expended by anglers and divers fishing from private1.y owr:ed boats, 2) to

estimate the magnitude and species compositiorl of the catch by these

fishermen, and 3) to assess the degree of sport fisller~en'scompliance with

size liniit regulations.

The-re 2re five c&uafies covered in the survey: Sznta Earbara, Vei~tura,

Los Angeles , Orange, and Szn Diego. Gowever, we began san~pl-ingLos b-nceles

County in August 1980, and slowly expanded t!lc sampling frme to incl-ude

otllcr c0untj.e~as add-i-tional personnel completed training as field samplers.

lllc information presented in this report: is lirnited to Los Angeles County

during October-Decernber 1300. A further limitation results from the fact

that until late Novenbzr we did not have sufficient personnel to sample on

weelcdays. Therefore the results listed here are for weekends in October

and November, and for both weekends and wec?kdzys in December.

The sampling plan consisted of a progrnm of random field sampliny: at

selected launch ramps, hoists, and boat rental. facil.itics in Los Angeles

, County. Sampling was conducted on all treeker~dsand holidays, and 011 ran-

domly chosen weekdays in accordance with avai.l.able manpower. Field sampl.ers

remained at the sample locations from 1OOO to 1800 llrs and an attempt was made to interview all returniag angl-ers and divcrs. Information on length

of angling trip, nulnber of hours spent diving, number of fishing poles

used, and number of people. angling or diving was gathered along with the

identification and enumeration of all fishes, molluscs, , and lobsters

in possession (no data were requested about species caught but not kept).

An attempt was made to measure all species with minimum size requirements.

FESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Data Samples

During the October ]-December 31, 1980 quarter, four launch ramps, two

boat hoists, and one rcntal. facility were sampled 70 times. 'Samplers in-

terviewed 5,430 anglers and 288 divers who expended 34,122 angler-trip-

hours 3/ and 373 diver-hours in the coastal arco -off Los Angrles County.

These anglers landed 21,668 fishes of 95 species, arid 660 filleted fishcs

whose species could not be determjned (Tables 1 and 2). Divers landed

1,018 fishes, molluscs, and of Cc3 scecj-es.

Effort / Angling and diving activity levels were much higher than usual for

this time of year. In fact, the estimzted number of anglers was 15%

higher than the estimate made for the sane 3-month period in 1975, and

diving effort increased by 80%. One factor which may have contributed to

the heavy effort levels was the very clear, calm, and warm weather which

prevailed duri.ng ~ostof the quarter.

An estimated 22,000 angler-days and 1,200 diver-days were expended

during this period. (An angler- or diver-day is one angler or diver who

fished for any amount of time on a given d&).

! -3/ The unit of angler effort is one hour of triv time per angler. Adjust- ments are made for those using more than one fishing pole concurrently. -4/ The unit of divcr effort is one hour snent underwater. Catch

An estimated total of 94,000 fishes and other organisnls were landed

: by anglers and divers in Los Angeles County (Tables 3 and 4). Althoup,li

anglers landed a large variety of fishes, two-thirds OF the catch was corn-

posed of three species: Pacific mackerel, Scorriber japo~zicus, which contribu-

ted 33% of tlie estimated catch; wliite croaker, Genyo)zem~Zineatus, 20%;

and Pacific bonito, Sarda chiliensis, 13%. Another major component of the

catch (14%) was rockfish, Sebastes spp. At this time of year, favored game

fishes such as bass, ParaZabrax spp.; California halibut, ParaZickthys

caZifomicus; California barracuda, Sphyraena argentra; and white seabass,

Atrackoscion nobizis; normally contribute only a small part of the catch.

A Since much of the Los Angeles County coastli.ne was closed to abalone

fishj-ng, most dfvers concentrated ttinir efforts on rock scallop, Hinnites

mu~tirz4gosz!.sJan estir;latcci 1,203 landed; Califorrria spicy lobster, Pn-~zuzirus

.inter~uptus, 950 landed; and Calif crnia sheephead, Semicossyplzus puZche17,

600 landed.

Length Frequencies

Examination of length frequency data (Tablc 5, Figures 1-3) shows

that a substa~ltialnumber of sublegal-size fish appeared in the samplcd . . catches. The three bass species averaged 23X sublegals, while 49% of all

California halibut measured were less than the mininuni size. Although

very few white seabass or California barracuda we3:e landed, nearly all were

sublegal-size.

Divers paid strict attention to the size limit on lobster: only 4%

of all measured lobsters were sublegal. TABLE 1. List of Species Sampl.ed from Lcs Angeles County Private-Boats, October through December 1980.

Scientif i.c name Coninon nane - No. sampled Fishes

AZopias vulpinus common thresher Amphistichus argentez:~ barred surfperch Anisotremus chvidsonii sargo Amp Zopoma fimhricz sablefish Atherinops affinis topsmel-t Athelinopsis caZi f omziozsis j acksmelt Atractoscio~znobi lis white seabass CauZoZati Zzrs princeps ocean k7hitefish Chei Zotrevn satzlmm; black croaker firomis punctipinnis blaclcsrriith Citharichthy s sordidus Pacific sanddab C. stignaeus speclrled sanddab DamaZichthys vacca lpile surf perch Ikcaptertrs hypodus Mexican scad Bnbiotoca jacksoni black surfperch' E. ZateraZis striped surfperc:~ Eopsetta jordnni petrale so1.e GizZeor?zinus zyopterus spupfin shark Ge~zyotzemirs Zi-neatus wlli~ecroaker Gire Z la n7:3r*icans opaleye EaZi,nhoe~-~ssz!nio

Scientific name Common name No. samnled Scorpaena gz?ttata sculpin 555 Scorpacnichthys mu~rn~ratus cabczon 48 Sebastes .atrovirslzs kelp roc1:f ish 5 S. aur-iculut us brown rockf is11 4 7 S. babcocki redbanded roclcf ish 1 S. cmzatz4s gopher rockfish 22 S. cam'i~tus copper roclcfish 14 S. ch Zol~ostictus greenspot ted roclcfish 157 S. chrgsome Zas black and yellow rockfish 2 S. consteZZatus starry roclcf j.sh 68 S. &ZZii calico rockfish 19 S. dipZoproa splitnose rockfish 1 S. elongatus greenstriped rockfish 4 1 S. ensifcr swordspine roclcf ish 3 S. entoma Zas widor? rockf is11 1 S. fhvidus ,yellor\.tail roclcf ish 8 S. goodei . chilipepper 2 87 S. hopkinsi squarespot roclcfish 2 6 S. jorda?zi shortbe1l.y rockf i.:;h 1 S. Zevis cowcod 6 S. mac&naZd< tiexican rockfish 3 S. nrinfa-tzls vermilion rockfish 7 3 S. rmjstint:~ blue roclcf ish 123 S. ovalis speckled rockfish 42 S. paucispinis bocacc-io 694 ' S. pinniger canary rockfish 1 S. rastreZ Ziger grass rockfish 4 1 S. rosaceus rosy roc1:f ish 33 S. roseti3 Zatti greenblotcl~edrockfish 43 S. ruby-ivilzctus flag roclcfish 29 S. rtcfus bank rockfish 1 S. sm-ico Za stripetai.1 rocl:fi.sh 6 S. semicinctus halfbanded rockfish 1 S. serranoid~s olive rodcfish 553 S. serriceps treefish 30 s. .~rosus honeycon~b rockfish 30 Semicossyphus puZcizer Californie sheephead 269 SerioZa do29salis yellowtail 3 Seriphus politus queenfish 170 Sphyraena argcn-tea California barracuda 2 7 . . SquaZus acanthius spiny dogfish 35 Squatixa caZifornica , Pacific angel shark 1 StereoZcpis gigas giant sea bass 3 Synodus Zucioccps California 1-izardfish 10 Trachurus symnetricus jack niacltcrel 143 Vrnbrina roncador yellow fin croaker 3 Xystrcurys ZioZepis fantail sole 1

unidcnt i fi.ec1 fish 22 uni.dcnti iied fi.llGtcd f is11 628 Scbastcs spp . uni.dcnti.fied filleted 15 rockfish TABLE 1.-contd.

Scientific name Common name NO. sampled IIolluscs and Crustaceans Cancer antennaGus rock C. anthonyi yellow crab C. productus red crab HaZiotis cormqata pink abalone H. crad1erodi.i black abalone H. fulgens green abalone Hinni-Lcs n:uZtirugosus rock scallop Octopus bimacu Zn ttis twospot octopus Pmu Zi~usinteri~uptus

Brachyura unclassified spider crab 5

StronggZocenkrotus franciscanus red urchin

Kolothuroidca sea cucumber TABLE 2. Most Commonly Landed Species in Los Angeles County During October through December 1980.

'Scientific--- name Comnlon name NO. sampled Fishes Scomber japonicus Pacific mackerel 7,750 Genyonemus Zineatus white croaker 4,480 Sarda chiZiensis Pacific bonito 3,162 Sebastes paucispinis pocaccio 694 IIediaZtcna caZi forniensis halfmoon 636 Scorpaena guttatc sculpin 555 Sebastes serra~zoides olive rockfish 553 ParaZabrm c lathratus kelp bass 438 P. nebuZifer barred sand bass 364 Sebastes goodei chilipepper 287 Semicosyphus pulcher - 269 Miotoca jacksoni black surfperch 245 GireZZa nigricans opaleye. 231 CauZo latiZus princeps 225

hiollusks and Crustaceans .

Hinnites muZtirugosus rock scallop PanuZirus interruptus California spiny lobster TABLE 3. Estivates and Standard Error of Angler Catch and Effort, October through Dccembcr 1980.

Estimate Standard error

Angler parties Angler days Angler- t rip-hours No. fishes landed No. rockfishes landed .

AnopZopoma fimbria (sablef ish) Atractoscion nobi Zis (white seabass) CauZoZatC Zus' princeps (ocean whitefish) Citharichthys sordidus (Pacific sanddab) Embiotoca jacksoni (black surf perch) Genyonemus Zinecrt-us (white croaker) Gire Z Za nigricans (opaleye) MediaZuna cat ifo~ziensis (halfmoon) Oncorynchus tshmytscha (king salmon) Ophiodon eZongatus (lingcod) ParaZabrm cZathratus (kelp bass) P. rnacuZatofasciatus (spotted sand bass) P. nebu Zifer (barred sand bass) ParaZichthy s califomicus (California halibut) Sarda chi tZe?zsis (Pacific bonito) TABLE 3.-contd.

Estimate Standard error Scoder japonicus (Pacific mackerel) Scorpaena guttata (sculpin) Sebas tes atrovirens (kelp rockfish) S. akcuZatus (brown rockfish) S.' catcrinus (copper rockfish) S. ch ZorostCctus (greenspotted rockfish) S. goodei (chilipepper) S. miniatus (vermilion rockfish) S. mystinus (blue rockfish) S. paucispinis (bocaccio) S. ras trsl Z

. . Estimate Standard error

Diver parties Diver days Diver hours No. organisms landed

HaZiotis corrugata (pink abalone)

H. cracherodii (black abalone)

H. fuZgens (green abalone)

H. rufescelzs (red abalone) Him

PanuZirus inter~uptt~s (California spiny lobster)

Semicossyphus putcher (California sheephead) TABLE 5. Occurrence of Sublegal-size Fishes in Examined Catches.

No. Scientific name Common narne exavlned % legal Fishes Atractoscion nobizis white seabass 20 2 5

Para Zabra~cZat7lratus kelp bass 303 7 4

nebuZifer barred sand bass 279 . 79

ParaZichthys caZifornicus ~al;fornis halibut 102 52

Sphyraena argentea California barracuda 24 8

.Crustaceans

PanuZirus interruptus California spiny lobster 118 9 6 lteip bass

303 measured

Totol length in centimeters . .

FIGURE 1. Lonyth .frequency of kelp bass.