The Pacific Fishery Management Council has announced that it will be modifying the West Coast groundfish fishery, including closing some areas with populations of deep-sea corals, and reopening some previously closed areas to groundfish fishing.
The council’s purpose, laid out in federal law, is to protect the habitat and stocks of groundfish, while at the same time taking into account the needs of fishing communities and the seafood industry.
The PFMC action will establish protection for more than 136,000 square miles (352,000 square kilometers) of coral, reefs, and undersea canyons off the U.S. West Coast, which serves as the habitat for more than 100 groundfish species including rockfish, flatfish, and sablefish.
At the same time, PFMC announced that it would reopen more than 3,000 square miles (7,770 square kilometers) of fishing grounds that had been closed due to overfishing. The closure gave the groundfish stocks some time to recover to the point that the council deemed them sustainable and reopened them to fishing.
“This decision demonstrates the council’s commitment to protecting important fish habitats including rocky reefs, corals, and sponges. The decision was informed by sound science and further informed by the fishing industry and environmental community who are to be commended for their important contribution to the council’s decision. The result provides an increase in habitat protection while providing greater opportunity for our trawl fleet to more efficiently harvest target stocks,” Council Chair Phil Anderson said. “The West Coast trawl fishery has been reduced in size and transformed into a sustainable fishery, including full accountability that provides the public with high quality fish products.”
The changes were implemented following the results of a study ordered by the PFMC and the NOAA Fisheries seven years ago. The PFMC decision was made taking into account input from federal, tribal, and state agencies, as well as the general public.
The council’s decision will now be transferred to the National Marine Fisheries Services for the enactment of the regulations.
Photo courtesy of NOAA
