Recreational Fisheries December 2023 Newsletter

Here on the West Coast, fishing is a way of life.  On average, nearly 1.5 million recreational anglers take over 5 million fishing trips each year. This supports over 10,000 jobs and contributes almost $1.5 billion in sales to the U.S. economy.  It contributes to the fabric of our communities. We can protect marine fisheries, ecosystems, and habitats by fishing sustainably.  

Through interviews with anglers about sustainable fishing in California and a webpage with a few tips and information about how to get involved, this resource aims to inspire West Coast anglers to practice sustainable recreational fishing. Check out the video and webpage and share it with the anglers you know!

Longtime citizen scientists, including Marcy Dorflinger from the West Coast, share why they first got involved with NOAA Fisheries programs and why they’ve continued volunteering over months, years, and even decades. Check out this citizen science spotlight.

Effective January 1, 2024, Amendment 32 to the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan opens fishing areas that have been closed since the early 2000s to protect several species of overfished rockfish. With the successful rebuilding of nearly all these species, reopening these areas will provide recreational and commercial fishermen with greater access to healthy groundfish stocks. The action includes reopening the Cowcod Conservation Area off Southern California to non-trawl groundfish commercial and recreational fisheries, giving new access to approximately 4,600 square miles of historically important fishing grounds. The action will also create new closures to protect rebuilding yelloweye rockfish, groundfish essential fish habitat, and other sensitive areas. Learn more about Amendment 32 in this webstory or through a new storymap.

NOAA Fisheries is seeking nominations to fill vacancies on the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee. The Committee advises the Secretary of Commerce on all marine life matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce. It researches, evaluates, and provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary and NOAA on agency policies, activities, science, conservation, and regulatory programs critical to the mission and goals of NOAA Fisheries. A letter of interest and resume are due by December 15, 2023. Full details on the opportunity, including instructions for submitting nominations, can be found here.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) met in Garden Grove, California November 3rd - 8th. The Council made recommendations to NOAA Fisheries on actions related to salmon, groundfish, highly migratory species, Pacific halibut, and administrative matters. The Council’s recommendations include modifications related to salmon abundance modeling and forecasting; the schedule for 2024 salmon public hearings; groundfish harvest specifications; a range of groundfish management measures for over-winter analysis; and Pacific halibut Catch Sharing Plan amendments, including inseason flexibility provisions for sport fisheries. Read the Council’s decision summary document here.

The annual Tri-State Enforcement Report highlighting fisheries enforcement actions off our West Coast is now available. The report identified several violations including failure to immediately complete and validate report harvest cards, exceeding daily bag and possession limits, fishing in closed areas, taking of non-fin clipped salmon, lacking descending devices, illegal methods of take (e.g., snagging or use of barbed hooks), illegal charters, and more. Read the annual enforcement report here.

The NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation and Recreational Fisheries Initiative are seeking to identify and support projects within coastal Fish Habitat Partnerships that enhance collaboration with recreational, subsistence, cultural, and non-commercial fishing communities and that also protect or restore fish habitat. Healthy habitat leads to more fishing opportunities and increased climate resilience, and there are numerous opportunities to advance habitat conservation by working together. Project proposals should be coordinated with your local Fish Habitat Partnership, and are due by April 15, 2024. For more information, please contact your local Fish Habitat Partnership or Alex McOwen, alex.mcowen@noaa.gov. Projects funded in 2023 can be viewed here.

Secretary of Commerce, Gina M. Raimondo, has determined that a commercial fishery failure due to a fishery resource disaster occurred in two California ocean and inland salmon fisheries. This positive determination makes these fisheries eligible for disaster assistance from NOAA. Fishery participants may also qualify for disaster assistance from the Small Business Administration. The Department of Commerce has fishery disaster assistance funding available, and soon, will determine the appropriate allocation for these disasters. Find the determination here.

The Inflation Reduction Act has made $60 million available for NOAA Fisheries to address tribal priorities and tackle the impacts of climate change on Pacific salmon. The funding will focus on shovel-ready and high-priority hatcheries that are funded with Mitchell Act grants. Since 2019, NOAA Fisheries has been working with hatchery operators in the Columbia River Basin to develop a comprehensive list of deferred maintenance and needed upgrades and will distribute these funds to operators for these actions. Learn more about the funding here.

Each year, the National Fish Habitat Partnership hosts the Waters to Watch campaign. This campaign raises the visibility of some of the Fish Habitat Partnerships’ best on-the-ground projects. This year, five of the ten Waters to Watch projects are in coastal, estuarine, and marine habitats, where NOAA works. Three of these projects are on the West Coast, Reconnecting Floodplains in Oregon, Improving Seasonal River Flow in Northern California, and Restoring River Flow for Chinook Salmon. Learn more about these projects here.

Hear the latest Pacific halibut stock assessment results, during presentations and Q&A sessions by Dr. Ian Stewart, Quantitative Scientist at the IPHC Secretariat. Information on the sessions, along with the stock assessment paper, projections, and associated presentations can be found here.

Researchers from NOAA Fisheries, the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences (SAFS), and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have developed new insights into the status of imperiled yelloweye rockfish. Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2010, the yelloweye rockfish population in the Puget Sound/Georgia Basin is vulnerable due to historical exploitation from fisheries and contemporary climate change. Our recovery plan for this population sets biological criteria to measure recovery based on the spawning potential ratio – an indicator of how well the population is doing. A team led by SAFS PhD student, Markus Min, delved into the exploitation history and population dynamics of the population, confirmed a less severe estimate of population decline, and projected a slow, steady increase in population size to levels nearing initial recovery goals. Read more about this research and find the assessment here.

On November 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a proposed settlement valued at approximately $33 million to compensate for natural resource injuries that resulted from hazardous substance releases and oil discharges into the Willamette River and Portland Harbor in Oregon. The settlement would resolve the liability of more than 20 potentially responsible parties for damages to natural resources, loss of recreational services and tribal uses, as well as the cost of assessing those injuries. The settlement is open for a 45-day public comment period until December 29, 2023.