A Progress Report on the Status of Canary Rockfish (Sebastes pinniger) in the INPFC Vancouver, Columbia and Eureka Areas in 1984

Identification Information

Citation

Originator: Golden, James T. and Robert L. Demory

Publish Date: 1984

Online Link: None

BPA Project #:

Contact Information

Agency: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Name: Cedric Cooney

Job Position: Natural Resources Data and Systems Manager

Telephone: 503-947-6094

E-Mail Address: cedric.x.cooney@odfw.oregon.gov

Description

Abstract: This report summarizes progress made to date on the assessment of canary rockfish (Sebastes pinniger) stocks in the INPFC Vancouver, Columbia and Eureka Areas (Figure 1). Canary rockfish are an important constituent of the rockfishes inhabiting the continental shelf off northern California to southern Washington, especially. Vancouver Area landings have declined in recent years with a recent increase in 1983 where landings reached 1,558 mt (Table 1). Most of the increase (695 mt) came from Canadian trawl landings in PMFC Area 30 while landings in the U.S. section of the Vancouver Area have remained stable. Landings of canary rockfish have increased substantially since 1979, and 1983 landings from the Columbia Area were twice the twenty year average (Table 2). Average domestic trawl catch in the Eureka Area from 1977-1983 was 384 mt (Table 3). The Fishery Management Plan, approved by the Pacific Fishery Management Council in February, 1981, stated that acceptable biological catch (ABC) of canary rockfish should not exceed 1,300 mt in the Columbia Area and 4,000 mt in the Vancouver Area. The Groundfish Management Team (Team) set assessment of canary rockfish as a high priority item since landings have substantially exceeded the recommended ABC in the Columbia Area. Both ABC estimates were based on trawl survey data. In late 1982, the Team recommended and the Council approved an 800 mt ABC for the U.S.-Vancouver Area, based on the highest catch of record instead. Several technical problems have made traditional analysis such as production modelling (Pella and Tomlinson, 1969) and virtual population analysis (VPA) (Gulland, 1965) difficult to perform satisfactorily. In the case of the former approach, insufficient effort information is available and the variability inherent in data that are available is large enough to render catch per effort models useless (Johnson, 1982). In the case of the latter techniques, uncertainties in validity of new aging techniques, the large number of age classes, the large number of incompletely recruited ages, high variability of catch at age data and lack of samples complicate VPA as an assessment means. Newer techniques such as stock reduction analysis (SRA) (Kimura and Tagart, 1982) hold some promise and may be useful for canary rockfish when an appropriate version of the model is developed. We have chosen a simpler approach based on a subjective evaluation of age and length data as well as catch history and recent rockfish survey results, instead of relying on the more formal albeit published techniques to assess canary rockfish.

Purpose:

Time Period of Content: 1984

Geographic Extent: INPFC Columbia, Vancouver and Eureka Areas

Status: Final

Use Constraints:

Format: PDF

Data Quality Information

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Data Information

No data information was supplied.

Entity and Attribute Information

Attributes Description: Field attribute information is available in the attached file(s).

Is a physical copy maintained for reference at Headquarters? Unknown