ver the past five years squid has soared past salmon, swordfish and tuna to become the top seafood species in California by volume and dollar value. California's commercial squid harvest has been nothing short of phenomenal, growing 500 percent since the early 1980s to about 125,000 tons last year, with a wholesale value of $30 million, more than double the value of salmon.

When demand for squid grew, fishing crews from as far away as Washington, Oregon and Alaska steamed into California waters in search of the quick-swimming mollusks. There were no state catch limits, permits, seasons or boundaries, as other fisheries required. That led a growing number of observers to fear that 50 years after California's worst over fishing disaster, the collapse of sardines in the 1940s off Monterey Bay, the lessons of Cannery Row were being forgotten.

The new rules are a rare example of government stepping in to regulate a fishery before it crashes, say supporters. Biologists note that squid are a key link in the Pacific food chain. As with herring or anchovies, they provide food for salmon, sea lions, whales, dolphins and seabirds. Crash the squid population and other sea life might follow.

The good news for many in the fishing community is that after several years of scientific study, the Department of Fish and Game report found that squid populations appear stable despite heavy fishing. "This is in all likelihood still a healthy fishery," said Marija Vojkovich, a senior marine biologist with the Department of Fish and Game in Santa Barbara. "But we know very little. We're recommending measures that will make sure the catch is sustainable."

The state Department of Fish and Game's recommendations are three years in the making and subject to approval by the Legislature. They would end the last "Wild West" fishery in California's marine waters. They also mark a rare point in U.S. fisheries management: setting limits before there is a crisis. The proposed rules would set fishing quotas, limit the number of boat permits and recommend new research and oversight.

The proposed rules came about after State Sen. Byron Sher, D-Redwood City. a Stanford University law professor, wrote a law in 1997 that required Fish and Game to study the squid population. Sher said Friday he will place the new recommendations in a bill and push for passage this year. Environmentalists also pledged support.

"This is the state's most valuable fishery," said Karen Garrison, a senior policy analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Fund. "It is the foundation of the food chain in the Channel Islands and Monterey Bay. If the Legislature acts, it is an example of good fisheries management."