THE ROCKFISH FISHERY________________________

The fishery for rockfish off the West Coast is comprised of substantial commercial, recreational, and tribal components, with the recreational portion rivaling its commercial counterpart for its impact on the economies of many coastal communities.

Commercial Fishery

The commercial rockfish fishery described in this document is a year-round, multi-species fishery, taking place off of the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. The fishery includes limited entry, open access, and tribal components. The Makah, Quileute, Hoh, and Quinault tribes participate in commercial and ceremonial subsistence fisheries off the Washington coast. Participants in the tribal fishery utilize similar gear to the non-tribal commercial fishery and the fish caught in the tribal commercial fishery is sold through the markets as the non-tribal commercial catch.

  
     
 

Figure 28. Commercial rockfish landings in metric tons, of Treaty Indian tribes on the West Coast 1981-1997

 
  
     
 

Current Management

Management for rockfishes off the West Coast is complicated. This is a direct result of the number of species present, many of which are caught, and therefore managed, in mixed-stock fisheries. These "mixed-stocks" are actually assemblages of different rockfish species that can be found together in one area (see Table 7). To further complicate the
issue, these assemblages change with latitude, so the mix of species in an area changes depending on where you areon the coast. Rockfish caught within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), 3-200 miles from shore, are managed federally by a regional council, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

  
 

 
  
     
  The Council answers to the Secretary of Commerce, who in turn, follows the mandates of the Magnuson Act and answers to Congress. The PFMC manages rockfish directly through the groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP) which became effective September 30, 1982, while rockfish caught within State waters (0-3 miles) are primarily managed by the individualstates. There is, however, a concerted effort within the system to ensure consistency between state and federal management efforts. State regulations must be in line with the FFMC or they can be subjected to preemption by NMFS. Amendments to the Groundfish FMP involving such issues as essential fish habitat, provisions for reducing by catch and specifications of MSY, ABC, OY, overfishing control rules, and rebuilding plans were required by the Sustainable Fisheries Act to be submitted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council by October 11, 1998. While the Council met the deadline, many in the conservation community and some in the fishing industry that feel the plan amendments submitted are not in compliance with requirements in the Act especially in relation to habitat and by catch provisions.  
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