Current Status of Accomplishment or Milestone: A multi-disciplined workshop "Marine Harvest Refugia for West Coast Rockfish" was convened on September 17-19, 1997 at the Pacific Fisheries Environmental Laboratory (PFEL) in Pacific Grove, California.
Background: The multi-species rockfish complex has been among the most economically valuable commercial and recreational fisheries along the west coast of the U.S. for the last two decades, and historically has represented a mainstay of many coastal communities. Although rockfish landings and effort have increased dramatically over the last 40 years, population biomass and size composition have decreased for many individual species, and indeed for rockfish populations in general. While declines likely are attributable to natural variability in recruitment as well as overexploitation, it is clear that traditional management efforts alone are not successfully protecting and sustaining coastal rockfish resources. Marine harvest refugia are being promoted worldwide as a viable option for resource managers to mitigate overfishing, but their effectiveness in fisheries management is poorly understood and refugia concepts, especially as they relate to temperate marine systems, largely are untested. Harvest refugia can be most beneficial to species that have been overfished, reach great sizes or ages, and have limited movements or sedentary behavior, all of which apply to coastwide rockfish stocks. It is time to critically evaluate the function and effectiveness of harvest refugia in managing rockfish stocks and maintaining species and habitat diversity along the west coast.
Purpose of Activity/Goal of Project: The objectives of the workshop "Marine Harvest Refugia for West Coast Rockfish" were to 1) assess the current and future needs, benefits, and implementation of harvest refugia to protect and manage rockfish populations; and 2) develop recommendations for establishing and monitoring rockfish refugia on the west coast.
Description of Accomplishment and Significant Results: This workshop brought together biologists and ecologists, social scientists, economists, and resource managers to address these objectives. Workshop participants represented federal and state agencies from Alaska to California, as well as academic interests from relevant institutes. This workshop included personnel from the SEFSC Reef Resources Program, assuring that lessons learned in related, but tropical, programs are applied to our temperate example. Refugia design (including closure-time, location, size, number, and shapes of protected areas), requirements of relevant stakeholders (including fish and fishermen), and costs/benefits/risk assessment were among the relevant topics considered at this workshop. Critical elements that influence the extent and success of closed areas and those species most likely to benefit from harvest refugia were identified.
The workshop began with presentations of plenary papers during the first day, which provided the foundation for further discussions on issues related to marine protected areas. The following 1.5 days were spent in three concurrent working groups, focusing on issues related to the Requirements, Design, Expectations and Implementation of protected areas for rockfishes.
Significance of Accomplishment (e.g., to the Center, to Management, and to NMFS Strategic Plan Goals): The proceedings of the workshop (papers on plenary presentations, conclusions from the working groups, related abstracts) will be published as a NOAA Technical Memorandum. This document will serve to direct future research and managerial decisions regarding protection and conservation of rockfish resources, as well as to make specific recommendations on design attributes of refugia. While this workshop focused on west coast resources, the conclusions and recommendations will find application to harvest refugia, biodiversity, and habitat programs nationwide. This project has taken a proactive approach in addressing several critical elements of NOAA's Strategic Plan (e.g., Build Sustainable Fisheries; Coastal Ecosystem Health; Recover Protected Species), is relevant to NOAA's responsibilities for coastal ecosystem and living marine resources, and integrates common research objectives and activities across several of NOAA's research offices (i.e., NMFS, NURP, SRD, Sea Grant).
Key Contact: Mary Yoklavich (831-648-9036)