▁History ▁and ▁conservation ▁ ▁Gi ant ▁sea ▁bass ▁were ▁once ▁a ▁relatively ▁common ▁inhab it ant ▁of ▁Southern ▁California ▁waters , ▁yet ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 0 s , ▁it ▁was ▁facing ▁the ▁threat ▁of ▁local ▁ext inction ▁off ▁the ▁California ▁coast . ▁Begin ning ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁the ▁species ▁supported ▁both ▁a ▁commercial ▁fish ery ▁taking ▁hundreds ▁of ▁thousands ▁of ▁pounds ▁ann ually , ▁and ▁a ▁sport ▁fish ery ▁that ▁also ▁land ed ▁hundreds ▁of ▁fish ▁each ▁year . ▁ ▁Gi ant ▁sea ▁bass ▁were ▁also ▁a ▁popular ▁“ big ▁game ” ▁quar ry ▁for ▁both ▁fre ed iving ▁and ▁sc uba ▁spe ar fish erm en . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁spe arf ishing ▁for ▁this ▁species ▁was ▁made ▁illegal ▁by ▁the ▁California ▁Department ▁of ▁Fish ▁and ▁Game . ▁One ▁un fortun ate ▁incident ▁precip itated ▁this ▁ab rupt ▁change ▁in ▁the ▁law . ▁Several ▁fre ed ivers ▁had ▁taken ▁ 7 ▁fish ▁at ▁Santa ▁Cruz ▁Island . ▁Unable ▁to ▁eat ▁nearly ▁a ▁ton ▁of ▁fish , ▁they ▁sold ▁the ▁fish ▁il leg ally ▁to ▁a ▁fish ▁market ▁in ▁San ▁Pedro . ▁Fish ▁and ▁Game ▁w ard ens ▁discovered ▁that ▁the ▁fish ▁had ▁been ▁spe ared ▁by ▁obser ving ▁the ▁holes ▁and ▁s lip ▁tips ▁left ▁behind ▁in ▁their ▁bodies . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁bi olog ists ▁with ▁the ▁California ▁Department ▁of ▁Fish ▁and ▁Game , ▁recognized ▁that ▁the ▁local