Fishing in the Central Valley: California Collaborative Fisheries working on sustainability
One year ago, California’s rockfish world was turned on its head with the announcement of the nearshore rockfish closure on Sept. 1, 2023, from Point Conception north to the Oregon border due to data indicating an excessive take of quillback rockfish.
Since quillbacks are normally found from 20 to 50 fathoms, the rockfish regulations were modified this year to accommodate recreational fishing in less than 20 fathoms or greater than 50 fathoms. The 20 fathom or less restriction will occur through Sept. 30 and during of November while fishing is restricted to deeper than 50 fathoms during October and December.
As a result, the collection of accurate data is perhaps more important than ever as the economic consequences of a groundfish closure are tremendous. One organization constantly monitoring nearshore rockfish populations inside and outside Marine Protected Areas (MPA) is the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program. Established on the Central Coast in 2007, the program is a ‘community-based science program involving researchers from six California universities and surveyed 16 Marine Protected Areas using 31 vessels and more than 2,000 volunteer anglers to document over 200,000 fish from 95 species, tagging over 75,000 individual fish. One of my personal highlights every summer is to participate in a research trip on the central coast, and I recently sampled the Ano Nuevo State Marine Reserve on the New Captain Pete out of Half Moon Bay.
My next trip was scheduled for the Farallon Islands MPA In the southern portion of the central coast, researchers from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo fish with volunteers at Piedras Blancas and Point Buchon Point Marine Reserves.
By combining the expertise and ideas of a diverse group, they have successfully established protocols to evaluate Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), the status of nearshore fish stocks, and how climate change is impacting marine resources in California. Starting with the brainchild of Dr. Dean Wendt of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Dr. Richard Starr of Moss Landing Marine Labs, the program has expanded to sample the entire California coast with the addition of Cal Poly Humboldt, UC Davis, San Jose State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Santa Barbara, and UC San Diego.
A part of their mission is to conduct extensive education and outreach to the angling community and design and deploy socioeconomic surveys to gather diverse information including opinions of recreational fishers about MPA performance, changes in sentiments towards MPAs following establishment, fisheries management, and attitudes towards conservation.”
Each university and corresponding marine lab conduct a total of 12 research trips annually, six each to two specific MPA’s in their section of the coast, and the surveys take place inside and outside of the MPA using best science practices. Each grid is in less than 120 feet in depth, and they are fished for a 15-minute period with a total of 9 anglers – three on the bow with metal jigs, three on the port side with shrimp flies tipped with shrimp, and three on the starboard side with shrimp flies. All fish landed are measured, documented, and certain species are tagged prior to release. A descending device is used when necessary, and all fish are accounted for a live release.
In addition to the universities and the Marine Laboratories at Moss Landing and Bodega Bay, the program is supported by NOAA Fisheries, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ocean Protection Council, and California Coastal Conservation Association. Volunteering on a research trip for the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program, (CCFRP) provides the opportunity to fish in restricted Marine Protected Areas with the bonus of contributing to essential nearshore rockfish research. CCFRP has developed a successful model providing the best available data necessary for informed decisions on nearshore rockfish regulations.
The perception of volunteer anglers regarding the MPA’s is improved based upon a 2023 survey stating, “Collaborative fisheries research programs engage stakeholders in data collection efforts, often with the benefit of increasing transparency about the status and management of the natural resources. These programs are particularly important in marine systems where management of recreational and commercial fisheries have historically been contentious.”
To learn more about CCFRP or to volunteer for 2025, go to https://www.ccfrp.org/.
Dave Hurley is a longtime educator, fishing writer and member of the California Outdoors Hall of Fame.
This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Fishing in the Central Valley: California Collaborative Fisheries working on sustainability."