Newport Beach, July 1—More than two million fish are caught off the pier at Newport Beach each year. More than 150,000 are caught every month and 26,000 every week. The authority for this statement is William Racker, who operates a store dealing in fishing tackle and bait at Newport Beach.
“If I were to tell you that over 3000 fish are caught off that pier every day, you’d think I was trying to put something over, but it’s a fact,” said Racker.
Racker bases his statement on the number of customers he has daily and the number who fish off the pier who bring their own tackle and bait.
The dealer in fishing tackle estimates that there are from 300 to 400 who fish daily off the pier at Newport.
“I would say that an average of 350 daily could be conservative,” said Racker. “On Sundays there are easily 900 and usually 1000 or more.”
In order to prove his statement Racker went to his record book which showed that he had exactly 680 customers Sunday of this week. There were easily 300, he says, who brought their own tackle and bait.
“Each fisherman I would say averages month in and month out twelve fish,” estimated Racker. “Some leave daily with thirty or forty, others leave with seven or eight. As a rule the average catch is between ten and fifteen so I base the average at twelve. Now you figure it up.”
The result of the figuring brought out that 350 fishermen bringing in an average of twelve fish daily had a total of 4200 fish. On Sundays with an average of 900 fishermen the day’s catch would be 10,800 or for the week 26,000 fish. Figuring four Sundays a month to the month and twenty-six week days the total for the month was 152,4000 and for the twelve months or one year 1,828,800.
“And that is not all,” said Racker. “Dozens of boys daily bring in all the way from five to fifty little perch and smelt.”
Over two million fish in one year off one pier.
“Now you tell one,” said Racker.
—Santa Ana Register, July 1, 1924
Considering the fact that the Newport Pier was considered one of the best fishing piers in California, and seemingly always was crowded, it’s possible he was right.
