Current Status of Accomplishment or Milestone: The conclusions of the workshop are now available on the Internet at www.pfeg.noaa.gov, and linked to NMFSs national homepage.
Background: This workshop, sponsored by NMFS F/PR, was convened specifically to i) assess the current and future needs, benefits, and implementation of harvest refugia to protect and manage rockfish populations, and ii) develop recommendations for establishing and monitoring rockfish refugia on the west coast of North America. The workshop brought together thirty-seven biologists, ecologists, social scientists, economists, and resource managers, representing federal and state agencies from Alaska to California, as well as academic interests. Refugia design (including closure-time, location, size, number, shapes and boundaries of protected areas), requirements of relevant stakeholders, and costs/benefits/risks were among the topics considered.
Purpose of Activity/Goal of Project: The fishery management councils, conservation organizations, and scientists are currently considering harvest refugia, or no-take zones, in terms of a supplement to traditional resource management. Our objective was to disseminate the conclusions of the workshop as quickly as possible to a wide audience of resource managers, conservationists, policy makers, and scientists.
Description of Accomplishment and Significant Results: There was general consensus among workshop participants that marine harvest refugia exemplify a precautionary approach to the management and conservation of rockfish resources on the west coast. It was recognized that, while there are limits to our scientific knowledge of rockfish ecology, we have sufficient understanding of the problems associated with their management and conservation to proceed with the process of implementing refugia as a supplement to traditional management practices and for research on refugia effectiveness.
Significance of Accomplishment (e.g., to the Center, to Management, and to NMFS Strategic Plan Goals): This information 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. Marine harvest refugia are one of the few constructive ways to address protection and conservation of essential fish habitat, and offer the opportunity for habitat to recover from disturbances including impacts from fishing gear. Refugia hold promise in allowing us to separate environmental variables from fishery effects, incorporate ecosystem principles into fisheries assemblage management, and collect the needed baseline data for more accurate stock assessments. The proceedings of the workshop (full papers on plenary presentations, conclusions from the working groups, related abstracts) will be published as a NOAA Technical Memorandum in Summer 1998.
Problems: Temporary loss of funding delayed publication of reports and workshop proceedings.
Key Contact: Mary Yoklavich (831-648-9036)