On Friday, September 13, 2002, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) finally adopted a set of regulations that were the result of “excruciatingly detailed discussions”. This last comment was a quote from reporter Rone Tempest of the L.A. Times, and for a change a reporter was stating the facts accurately. The Council meeting did not finally adjourn until 10:05 PM on Friday night!

In summary, the adopted recreational regulations for the area from Cape Mendocino in northern California to the Mexican border are:

Nearshore Groundfish:
Open Area: 0-20 fathoms.
Season: July-December.
Daily Bag Limits: Nearshore Rockfish bag limit is 10 of which;
All ten can be rockfish (except bocaccio, cow cod, yellow eye and canary)
No more than 2 can be shallow water nearshore rockfish
No more than 2 greenlings
No more than 3 cabezon
Ling Cod limit is 2, with a 24-inch minimum size
Sculpin:
Open Area: 0-20 fathoms, except 0-50 fathoms between Pt. Fermin and Newport
Jetty (Huntington Flats) during July-August.
Season: January-February and July-December
Bag Limit: 5 fish.

Regarding the nearshore rockfish fishery in November-December of 2002, the Council agreed with the California representative that they should work with NMFS in evaluating the recreational fishery landings of nearshore rockfish to date and determine whether the fishery south of Cape Mendocino can be reopened during all or part of November-December without exceeding the quota in 2002. Most likely, the decision on the November-December nearshore rockfish fishery will be made by the Fish & Game Commission at their late October meeting in Crescent City.

The PFMC allowed an incidental catch of up to 20 tons of bocaccio for 2003, and based on the estimates of the scientists working for the Council, the adopted regulations would result in an impact of just under 11 tons, this by all gears. SAC is working with scientists in NMFS to design a hook and line survey south of Pt. Conception, in hopes that the abundance of bocaccio that has been seen by SAC skippers can be documented by NMFS personnel and incorporated in future stock assessments of bocaccio and the other shelf rockfish. As there has not been an adult fish survey of shelf rockfish south of Conception in 25 years, SAC considers this work extremely critical to developing an accurate stock assessment of this overfished member of the rockfish family!

In summary, the Council action, while the most restrictive taken so far, did allow for some small amount of fishing opportunity. The January-February recreational bag limit of 5 sculpin a day will be important for boats in the southern California Bight, and will be part of the 20 fish overall daily bag limit. The possession of up to ten rockfish will mean that up to ten reds a day can be taken a day July-December. This is very important, because reds are a rockfish that can be targeted in waters less than 20 fathoms without impacting bocaccio. The sculpin bag limit of 5 fish, while less than in 2002, can be taken in addition to the ten rockfish bag limit, and with 2 ling cod and the potential of white fish and sheephead within the 20 fish overall bag per day, SAC skippers running shallow water rockfish trips can still give their passengers a rewarding day on the water.

SAC will continue to work with the state Fish & Game and NMFS to gather the missing science so that the stock assessments will reflect the knowledge that SAC skippers know exists regarding the health of shelf rockfish stocks, especially the bocaccio that today is driving the closures and other restrictions on our rockfish fishery.