UC San Diego Library – Scripps Digital Collection

Analyses of the white seabass commercial fishery and the regulations governing it revealed that management techniques in use since 1931 have probably affected the yield. Values from catch-per-unit-of-effort, weight-length, age-growth, and population parameters were utilized in an equation to determine the best possible equilibrium yield under existing environmental, biological, and socio-economic conditions. Results indicate that under present fishery practices (namely, fishing on only a portion of the resource) the yield in weight per recruit could be increased if actual harvesting were to begin at age 5 (28 inches TL). Current regulations have sufficient latitude to permit the fishery, on its own volition, to harvest younger fish, namely 5- to 8-year-olds rather than 8- to 11-year-olds.