I POSTED THIS A WHILE BACK. CANEARSHORE FIRST HEARD ABOUT THIS STUDY BY WAY
OF DAN PLATT A YEAR SO SO AGO. IT HAS YET TO BE PUBLISHED BUT SOME OF THE
DATA WAS SUMMARIZED BY DFG STAFF FOR CANADIANS. WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE DATA
SET IN FULL RE: MORTALITY, EFFICIENCY, AND SECTOR IMPACT.

ANECDTOTAL REPORT: FT. BRAGG AREA SPORTFISHERMEN WERE MADE AWARE IN 2002
THAT LOCAL COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN WERE KILLING BY-CAUGHT LINGCOD, UP TO 30 A
DAY, AS PESTS IN THEIR PURSUIT OF LEGAL CABEZON AND GREENLING CATCHES AS PER
DFG LANDING RULES. UNCONFIRMED, BUT THE CURRENT REGS PROVIDE AN ECONOMIC
INCENTIVE TO KILL LINGCOD WHILE FISHING FOR GREENLINGS AND CABEZON IN THE
COMMERCIAL FISHERY.

from:
California Department of Fish and Game Agency Report
to the
Technical Subcommittee
of the
Canada-United States Groundfish Committee

May 2000


Nearshore Reef Fish Tagging Project (Northern California)

An ongoing fisheries independent tagging study of nearshore reef fish
including rockfish, cabezon and greenling continued during 1999 in order to:
a) evaluate movement and homesite fidelity by size and stage of maturity for
nearshore species, b) determine growth rates in northern California and
compare them to published studies elsewhere, c) determine if conventional
external tags are less effective than coded wire tags with respect to
mortality, loss rates, or effects on growth, d) establish relative fishing
mortality from an expanding live-fish fishery to sport fishing both near and
far from ports of access, and e) examine changes in size distribution and
size frequency of nearshore reef fish during a period of expansion in the
Mendocino county live fish fishery. A total of 12,307 nearshore reef fish
were captured between 1996 and 1998. Preliminary recovery rates for
individual species ranges from 0% to 25% with an average return rate of 6.2
percent for species in which tags have been recovered. The overall return
rate including all tag types is 3.1% (305 tag returns/9,751 tagged fish
released). We expect that tagged fish will continue to be recaptured for
several more years, because a large share (over 30%) of the tag returns
occurred in 1999.

Preliminary results:

Home site preference has been shown in cabezon recaptured on their home reef
after being captured and displaced several miles. High recovery rates for
cabezon and a shift to smaller average size suggest extreme fishing pressure
focused on this species from the newly formed live-fish fishery off Fort
Bragg. Two lingcod tagged inshore during the spawning and egg incubation
season were captured by offshore trawlers during non-spawning months. Based
on recapture of tagged fish, commercial fishing mortality from the live-fish
fishery was highest for cabezon, gopher rockfish and china rockfish. This
source of mortality was greatest in near-port areas. Recreational fishery
impacts were greatest for black rockfish, vermillion rockfish and lingcod.
Sport fishery impacts predominately occurred 0 to 7 nautical miles from
major ports, and commercial live-fish fishery impacts were mostly nearer to
ports, at 0 to 5 nautical miles. A black rockfish that was tagged 8/24/96
near Fort Bragg was recaptured on 8/2/99 off of Depot Bay, Oregon (north of
Newport), a total of 360 nautical miles from where it was released. Seven
additional black rockfish and two canary rockfish have also been recaptured
in Oregon.

Contributed by Dale Sweetnam (707-964-9078).