Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Areas [up to top of page]
The Yelloweye Rockfish Conservation Areas, or YRCAs, are various closed areas intended to protect yelloweye rockfish off the Pacific Coast.
The North Coast Recreational YRCA is a C-shaped area off the northern Washington coast intended to protect yelloweye rockfish. The North Coast Recreational YRCA is closed to recreational fishing for groundfish and halibut and is designated as an area to be avoided (a voluntary closure) by commercial fixed gear fishers. The North Coast Recreational YRCA is defined by straight lines connecting the following coordinates in the order listed:
48°18.00' N. lat.; 125°18.00' W.long.;
48°18.00' N. lat.; 124°59.00' W.long.;
48°11.00' N. lat.; 124°59.00' W.long.;
48°11.00' N. lat.; 125°11.00' W.long.;
48°04.00' N. lat.; 125°11.00' W.long.;
48°04.00' N. lat.; 124°59.00' W.long.;
48°00.00' N. lat.; 124°59.00' W.long.;
48°00.00' N. lat.; 125°18.00' W.long.;
and connecting back to 48°18.00' N.lat.; 125°18.00' W.long.
This closed area was implemented in 1998 for the halibut sport fishery and was adopted for the groundfish fishery in January 2003. The name of this closed area changed from the YRCA to the North Coast Recreational YRCA in 2007. Researchers interested in historical boundaries of this closed area should review the Read Me file (PDF 7kb) and then click here (WinZip 6kb) to download an archive of CSV formatted coordinates.
The North Coast Commercial YRCA is an area off the northern Washington coast, overlapping the northern part of North Coast Recreational YRCA, intended to protect yelloweye rockfish. The North Coast Commercial YRCA is closed to commercial fixed gear fishing (limited entry and open access fixed gear). The North Coast Commercial YRCA is defined by straight lines connecting the following specific latitude and longitude coordinates in the order listed:
48°11.77' N. lat., 125°13.03' W. long.;
48°16.43' N. lat., 125°07.55' W. long.;
48°14.72' N. lat., 125°01.84' W. long.;
48°13.36' N. lat., 125°03.20' W. long.;
48°12.74' N. lat., 125°05.83' W. long.;
48°11.55' N. lat., 125°04.99' W. long.;
48°09.96' N. lat., 125°06.63' W. long.;
48°09.68' N. lat., 125°08.75' W. long.;
and connecting back to 48°11.77' N. lat., 125°13.03' W. long.
This closed area was implemented in 2007.
The Salmon Troll YRCA is an area off the northern Washington coast, overlapping the southern part of North Coast Recreational YRCA, intended to protect yelloweye rockfish. The Salmon Troll YRCA is closed to fishing with salmon troll gear. The Salmon Troll YRCA is defined by straight lines connecting the following specific latitude and longitude coordinates in the order listed:
48°00.00' N. lat., 125°14.00' W. long.;
48°02.00' N. lat., 125°14.00' W. long.;
48°02.00' N. lat., 125°16.50' W. long.;
48°00.00' N. lat., 125°16.50' W. long.;
and connecting back to 48°00.00' N. lat., 125°14.00' W. long.
This closed area was implemented in 2007.
The South Coast Recreational YRCA is an area off the southern Washington coast intended to protect yelloweye rockfish. The South Coast Recreational YRCA is closed to recreational fishing for groundfish and halibut and is designated as an area to be avoided (a voluntary closure) by commercial fixed gear fishers. The South Coast Recreational YRCA is defined by straight lines connecting the following specific latitude and longitude coordinates in the order listed:
46°58.00' N. lat., 124°48.00' W. long.;
46°55.00' N. lat., 124°48.00' W. long.;
46°55.00' N. lat., 124°49.00' W. long.;
46°58.00' N. lat., 124°49.00' W. long.;
and connecting back to 46°58.00' N. lat., 124°48.00' W. long.
This closed area was implemented in 2007.
The Stonewall Bank YRCA is an area off central Oregon, near Stonewall Bank, intended to protect yelloweye rockfish. The Stonewall Bank YRCA is closed to recreational fishing for groundfish and halibut. The Stonewall Bank YRCA is defined by straight lines connecting the following specific latitude and longitude coordinates in the order listed:
44°37.46' N. lat.; 124°24.92' W. long.;
44°37.46' N. lat.; 124°23.63' W. long.;
44°28.71' N. lat.; 124°21.80' W. long.;
44°28.71' N. lat.; 124°24.10' W. long.;
44°31.42' N. lat.; 124°25.47' W. long.;
and connecting back to 44°37.46' N. lat.; 124°24.92' W. long.
This closed area was implemented in 2005 for the halibut sport fishery and was adopted for the groundfish fishery in 2007.
A depiction of overlapping commercial nontrawl and recreational fisheries closed areas -- YRCAs and RCAs -- off Washington State is provided here.