RETURN OF PACIFIC SARDINE (SARDINOPS-SAGAX) TO THE BRITISH-COLUMBIA COAST IN 1992

The Pacific sardine (pilchard) (Sardinops sagax) supported an important commercial fishery in British Columbia for more than 20 yr before it suddenly collapsed in the mid-1940s. We report here the first confirmed catches of Pacific sardine in British Columbia since the 1950s and discuss the most likely explanation and possible future significance to British Columbia fisheries of the return of this species.