In 1916 an important industry, unique to California (and practically confined to southern California) was initiated by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, largely through the instrumentality of the director of the Southwest Museum. This was the syste matic harvesting , of the vast beds of kelp (macrocystis pyrtfera, with also the pelago phycus parva and butkeana), which skirt the littoral from about Point Concepcion to San Diego. These kelp beds cover 50,000 acres. "Kelp pirates' had for several years ravished the beds to a small degree by a crude method, and extracted the potash still more crudely; destroying the plants which they tore out by the roots, and causing great havoc among the young fish, of which the most important have their spawning-beds and nurseries in this same kelp`' field. State legislation has now been secured to regulate the harvesting of the crop by scientific methods, so that it will be enduring. Kelp is "the alfalfa of the sea.' The more it is cut (scientifically) the better it thrives. There are (1918) eight corporations with plants, with an investment of $6,000,000, *heading* kelp with a fleet of special boats of 12 to 600 wet tons capacity, and with reciprocating knives which cut the kelp not over five feet below the surface, without any injury whatever to this curious marine plant, or disturbance to the myriad fish-spawn sheltered thereby ; and carry the harvest to be treated in great modern plants.
The product of potash (selling in 1918, at $450 a ton, multiplied about 700-fold), amounts to $2,700,000. The wet-tons harvested in 1917 were 400,000; yielding 6,000 tons of potash at 13 per cent of potash to the wet-ton. The large content of ammonia and iodine by products is very important, and is already being saved — though too recently for accurate statis tics. The harvest, under this scientific treat ment, lasts all the year, three crops annually; the average, per acre, being wet-tons. No method is yet known of increasing the acreage of the kelp beds; but under the present system the crop will be perennial. About 75 per cent of the possible gathering is now harvested. On account of its vital relation to the important fisheries of California, the administration of this industry has wisely been placed under the control of the State game and fish commission. Whether to be rated among the *agricultural* *manufacturing' or *marine' products, this *Sea Alfalfa,' in view of the constant value of potash, ammonia and iodine, the inexhaust ible field, and its proximity 'to factories by rail make this extraordinary industry of southern California worthy the attention of economists.
The first commercial production of potash in California was in 1914 from 10 tons of kelp. The first potash derived from "mineral* sources was produced as a by-product from *cement treater' dust, at Riverside, in 1915. The yield of potash from purely mineral sources for 1917 was approximately 120,000 tons, valued at $2,200,000. This is principally from the *cement treater' dust in Riverside County and the evaporation of the natural brines in Searles Lake, San Bernardino County. Eight cor porations are now engaged in the manufacture of mineral potash; and in spite of the youth of this industry, it is already important. The development of the mineral industry is barely begun, and its potentialities can hardly be esti mated. The kelp potash can be practically measured as above. But the mineral potash cannot be. But it is the consensus of producers that there is an enormous possibility for the mineral potash industry in the great deposits now being developed in California.
Fisheries.— In 1865 there were 650 vessels, manned by 15,000 men, engaged in whale fish eries in the Pacific. The centre of the industry was San Francisco. Half a century later, San Francisco was still the foremost whaling port of the New World, but the industry had shrunk to $132,000. Long Beach, southern California,
is important in this fishery; whale meat has be come a valued market food. The State is the richest in marine and fresh-water fish; and ranks second or third, at present, in the canned pack. This was until recently almost altogether salmon. But within a few years the so-called 'Tuna' (really the albacore), and the sardine have become rivals of the salmon pack. The centre of this industry is in southern Cali fornia, at Los Angeles Harbor (formerly San Pedro). Another important fishing and can ning point is San Diego. The total pack for southern California, 1916, was: The value of the salmon pack (entirely con fined to northern California) was, for 1916, approximately $8,375,000. The sardine pack, for northern California, for 1916, had increased from 50,000 cases to 250,000 cases. Japanese and Chinese and other alien fishermen dry large quantities of fish which are not recorded State or Federal statistics. Throughout, the fishermen are about 90 per cent aliens. Statis tics are not readily available, under a loose system of State supervision. Probably now that the government has taken control of the food supply it will soon be easy to get some ac curate idea of this product, which is enor mously larger than the recorded statistics. Among the most important marine fishes are the clucken-halibut, sole, tom cod, rock cod, rock bass, mackerel, Spanish mackerel, barracuda, pompano, sand dab red snapper, flounder and other valued varieties, besides many fish of lesser estimation. These marine fish are in the market the entire year, at reasonable prices. The San Francisco market lists 133 varieties on sale by seasons. Of the fresh water fish, the striped bass of the Sacramento River is an esteemed delicacy. Salmon, sturgeon, steel-head trout, rockfish and smelt, running from sea to stream, are abundant and famous. Within the last 30 years all varieties of trout (besides the native) have been successfully colonized in California, which now exceeds any other State in the variety, size and abundance of trout. Black bass, shad, codfish, crab, etc., have also made handsome growths here. For game fish and sport, California is admitted to lead the world not only in trout and black bass, but in the marine fish, like the *leaping tuna' of Catalina Island, which has built about itself an international annual tournament with cups and gold medals and strict laws. The record tuna of 251 pounds and the black sea bass of 380 pounds were taken with light rod and reel and 21-strand line. The coast is very rich in shell fish. It is against the law to have in one's possession a crab less than six inches in diameter. But though large, they are delicious. Shrimps are abundant. Crawfish, like the eastern lobster in flavor but without mandibles, are abundant The native oyster is small but flavorsome; and eastern oysters propagate well here and are excellent in flavor. Mussels, clams, razor-shells, cockles and other edible mollusks are in great abundance. The mollusk most prized by the epicure, though still little known, is the abalone. Its beautiful shell is familiar to collectors all over the world, when polished — a beautiful nacre univalve, measur ing from six inches longer diameter, upward (six inches being the minimum allowed by law). It requires much labor to pry it from the rocks, and still more to beat it into edibility; but when properly macerated it is deemed the highest delicacy in the market. All game fish, as well as all game quadrupeds and birds, are pro by strict State laws, rigidly enforced. The State has 12 fish hatcheries, turning out an nually, of fry: trout, 17,000,000; quinnat sal mon, 20,000,000; shad, 1,000,000.