Posted by Eric Frasco on August 15, 2002 at 12:51:00:
In Reply to: California Commercial Landings Stats posted by Chris on August 15, 2002 at 10:27:34:
A lot more than that is being landed. That is only what is being recorded. California does not have a law (like they do in Washington State and Canada) that requires commercial landings to be done at a specific site with a representative of Fish and Game present. In California, landings can be (and are) done anywhere.
From DFG meetings I've attended, it was admitted that the numbers are only rough estimates, that there were lots of inaccuracies in filing reports, and there was a great opportunity for "under the table" dealings so that income would not have to be reported (and therefore avoids being taxed).
So bycatch is not the only thing that is not being reported by these numbers!
-Eric-