Adult roundworms of the family Anisakidae are common stomach parasites in marine mammals. Larval anisakid worms are known to infect humans when eaten in undercooked, salted or marinated fish (Oshima, 1972; Jules et al,; Pinkus et al, 1975; Chitwood, 1975). During November 1975 to December 1979, 2,268 fishes representing 36 genera and 68 species were collected from southern and central California waters and examined for larval nematodes of the family Anisakidae. Larvae of the genus Anisakis were found in visceral tissue of 41.6%, while those of Phocanema occurred in 5.9%. Phocanema was also recovered from the muscle tissue of 11 species.