Two Fisheries Biology Problems in West Coast Groundfish Management

Abstract

Two major fisheries biology problems currently confront managers of west coast groundfish. First, fisheries that develop while long-lived but low-production stocks such as rockfish (Sebastes spp.) and sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) are fished up attain a harvesting potential that vastly exceeds the long-term productive capacity of the resource. The most effective and perhaps only way to manage these types of fish stocks for sustained production is to control development and capitalization of the fishery at the outset. The biological nature of these species seems to preclude their recovery from overfishing while still supporting any semblance of a viable and productive fishery. Second, the more general or diverse the target of multispecies management is, the more biologically conservative the management policy must be to maintain the long-term production of the resource.