- Stock Assessment Through Egg Production Methods in the U.S.

Both Pacifi c sardine (Sardinops sagax; hereafter “sardine”) and northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) are distributed widely off the west coast of North America from Baja California, Mexico, to British Columbia, Canada and the majority of both species are located off California (Felin 1954, Murphy 1966, Emmett et al. 2005, McFarlane et al. 2005, Smith 2005, Hewitt and Methot 1982, Hernandez-Vazquez 1994). The non-migratory northern anchovy occupies the coastal area while the migratory sardine’s spatial distribution is density dependent. Sardine are in the inshore area when the abundance is low and extend to the offshore area when the population increases, migrating between California and British Columbia and between California to northern Baja California (Janssen 1938, Clark and Janssen 1945, MacCall 1990).