CATCHES OF HUMPBACK AND OTHER WHALES FROM SHORE-STATIONS AT MOSS-LANDING AND TRINIDAD, CALIFORNIA, 1919-1926

Logbook data from California shore whaling stations at Moss Landing (1 919-1922 and 1924) and Trinidad (1920 and 1922-1926) are analyzed. The logs for the two stations record the caking of 2,111 whales, includin g 1,871 humpbacks, 177 fin whales, 26 sei whales, 3 blue whales, 12 sp erm whales, 7 gray whales, 1 sight whale, 1 Baird's beaked whale, and 13 whales of unspecified type (probably humpbacks). Most whales were t aken from spring to autumn, but catches were made in all months of som e years. The sex ratios of humpback, fin, and sei whales (the three sp ecies with sufficient sample sizes to test) did not differ from parity . Primary prey, determined from stomach contents, included sardines an d euphausiids for both humpback and fin whales, and ''plankton'' (prob ably euphausiids) for sei whales. The prevalence of pregnancy was 0.46 among mature female humpbacks and 0.43 among mature female fin whales , although these values are reported with caution. Information on leng th distribution for all species is summarized. Analysis of the catch d ata for this and other areas supports the current view that humpback w hales along the west coast of the continental United States comprise a single feeding stock and also suggests that the present population is well below pre-exploitation levels.