The Dedicated Vessel Research Program Records, which date from 1972 to 1980, document the entire scope of the DVRP project undertaken in the late 1970s, and includes records generated by the DVRP as well as other records and publications scientists used, read, or considered over the course of the project.  The tuna/porpoise problem is heavily documented. The collection consists of agreements, summaries, reports, permits, notes, plans, "green books", logs, transcripts, letters, sighting records, raw data, statements, expendable bathythermographs ("XBTs"), correspondence, news clippings, publicity releases, photographic slides, and video. The collection is divided into five series: Background Material, Cruise Files, Statements and Stocks of Porpoises (SOPs), Correspondence and Reports, and Media.

San Diego, a geographical hot-spot for tuna fishing, was known as the Tuna Capital of the World from the early 1930s to the late 1970s. Since tuna often associate with porpoise in their native habitats, fisherman typically set nets around visible herds of porpoise to catch tuna. This type of fishing for tuna is known as purse seining, or "net fishing", and has led to the killing of many porpoises. Purse seines, first used in Southern California in 1916, are used to catch many different species of fish. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, as foreign competition out-caught American tuna fishermen, the U.S. bait-boat fleet slowly switched to purse seine gear to increase the number of tuna captured.

9.01 Linear Feet

The copyright interests in some of these materials have been transferred to or belong to San Diego State University. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections means that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. Requests for permission to publish must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish.  Materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

This collection is open for research.