Protected waters foster resurgence of West Coast rockfish

September 20, 2017

West Coast rockfish species in deep collapse only 20 years ago have multiplied rapidly in large marine protected areas off Southern California, likely seeding surrounding waters with enough offspring to offer promise of renewed fishing, a new study has found.

The research published in Royal Society Open Science shows that protecting important ocean habitat promotes the long-term recovery of rockfish such as cowcod and bocaccio that have long been a staple of West Coast fishermen. Favorable ocean conditions also played a role, according to the study by scientists from NOAA Fisheries' Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC), University of San Diego, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

"The larvae of several species of rockfish that were once heavily fished increased in number within protected areas over the past decade," said Andrew Thompson, a research scientist at the SWFSC in La Jolla, Calif., and lead author on the study. "The larvae have the potential to drift outside the protected region. That's good for fisheries because it can build populations beyond the protected waters too."

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Study examines ocean acidification effects on rockfish, a key California marine prey base

Date: January 5, 2017
Source: California State University, Monterey Bay

A new study led by researchers from Moss Landing Marine Labs of San Jose State University, California State University Monterey Bay and University of California Santa Cruz examines how ocean acidification may negatively affect some juvenile rockfish, a key marine prey base to the Calif. ecosystem. The research, which suggests potential negative affects to the structure and function of marine ecosystems that support coastal fishieries and communities, was conducted in collaboration with researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Southwest Fisheries Science Center and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

"Our study shows that some rockfish are more tolerant than others when exposed to future ocean chemistry conditions. Copper rockfish displayed behavioral changes, slower swimming speeds, depressed ability for aerobic activity, and increased expression of regulatory genes. Blue rockfish did not show significantly altered behavior or physiology," said Cheryl Logan, co-author and assistant professor at the School of Natural Sciences at CSU Monterey Bay who led the genomics portion of the study. "Blue rockfish showed gene expression changes indicative of greater acclimatization capacity."

 

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Lingcod meet rockfish: Catching one improves chances for the other

May 20, 2016 by Michelle Ma

Along the West Coast, lingcod fish are top predators—voracious eaters that aren't picky about where their next meal comes from.

But lingcod in the Pacific Ocean used to be overfished, to the point where managers created protected areas for these fish and other depleted groundfish species, such as yelloweye and canary rockfish.

Lingcod have recovered well with commercial and recreational fishing restrictions and closures, called rockfish conservation areas, and now are benefitting from these "safe zones" where they can escape the net of a fisherman. Alternatively, some rockfish species also designated as overfished haven't yet recovered, even with vast fishing closures.

Scientists at the University of Washington together with The Nature Conservancy and West Coast fishermen are hoping to find a win-win solution to this imbalance. Specifically, the UW looked at whether fishing for lingcod in closed areas using an innovative approach could still allow sensitive species to continue recovering. Their study, published this month in the ICES Journal of Marine Science, found that selectively fishing for lingcod in protected areas actually avoided hampering the recovery of other fish, including rockfish species listed as overfished.

"If we can use our specific knowledge of the ecosystem, we might be able to manage these conservation areas a bit more creatively—and hopefully benefit both the fishing and fish communities," said lead author Kiva Oken, a UW doctoral student in quantitative ecology and resource management.

This is an example of the new lingcod fishing gear. The two 'wings' guide fish into tunnels that lead into the main chamber. A grid resembling a tic-tac-toe board keeps large flat fish (like halibut) out, while letting lingcod in. If other …more

"I don't think this paper means we should start fishing for lingcod right away. This is a case study that exemplifies that if we think with a system-wide perspective and we're creative, we might be able to benefit multiple groups."

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