Status of Pacific Mackerel spawning population, 1976

In order to initiate a fishery for the Pacific mackerel, Scomber japonicus, it is required that the spawning biomass be determined to have reached 10,000 short tons. Tag and recovery data and jack mackerel, Trachurus symmetricus, fishery data are analyzed for evidence of an increase in Pacific mackerel population size. The present level of the spawning population of Pacific mackerel, although larger than in recent years, is determined to fall short of the 10,000 tons needed to initiate a fishery. (24pp.)