Threatened Yelloweye and Canary Rockfish and Endangered Bocaccio in Puget Sound/Georgia Basin
Why is it important to recover rockfish listed under the Endangered Species Act?
Rockfish are important part of the food web. We do not yet understand the effects of their loss on the Puget Sound ecosystem and on species like salmon that eat larval rockfish. However, we know that actions we can take to recover rockfish, such as improving nearshore habitat, will also help other species in Puget Sound. The loss of rockfish is also a loss to the local economy and culture.
Draft Recovery Plan
The draft recovery plan can be found here, with appendices. There is also a factsheet with frequently asked questions.
If you have questions about the recovery planning process, please contact Dan Tonnes at: Dan.Tonnes@noaa.gov.
Why have rockfish declined in Puget Sound and what regulations are in place now to protect them?
Most rockfish species do not reproduce until they are 5-20 years old, few of their young survive, and some rockfish species live to over 100 years old. These traits make them susceptible to overfishing. Historical overfishing, along with water and habitat degradation and other factors, lead to decline.
All rockfish species have decline by an estimated 70% in Puget Sound, and yelloweye, canary, and bocaccio have likely declined to an even greater extent.
Washington State has closed many commercial fisheries that caught rockfish incidentally and there is no direct commercial harvest in Puget Sound. Recreationally, targeting or retaining any species of rockfish in Puget Sound waters east of Port Angeles is not allowed because it is difficult for many fishers to identify the species that are in decline from other species.
Recovery Planning
We have developed a Draft Recovery Plan and Implementation Appendices to recover yelloweye rockfish and bocaccio. It is a roadmap for recovery and consists of research and actions to restore listed species and their ecosystems. NMFS hopes to finalize the plan in 2017. We have proposed to delist canary rockfish because we have found it does not meet the criteria of a Distinct Population Segment.
Sign up for the Rockfish Mailing List
ESA-Listed Rockfish
Proposal to Delist Canary Rockfish
Factsheet about Proposal to Delist Canary Rockfish
Puget Sound/Georgia Basin Bocaccio
Puget Sound/Georgia Basin Canary Rockfish
Puget Sound/Georgia Basin Yelloweye Rockfish
ESA LISTING/CRITICAL HABITAT
Management
RECOVERY PLANNING
Draft Recovery Plan Federal Register notice
Recovery Plan Fact Sheet & Frequently Asked Questions
Salish Sea Rockfish Workshop, June 2011
Salish Sea Rockfish Workshop Report
NMFS-Funded Research Projects that Inform Recovery Planning
Resources & Partners
STEWARDSHIP
Report Sightings Of Derelict Fishing Gear
Sustainability, It's In Our Hands
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH/COLLABORATION
Stakeholder Participation & Rockfish Recovery Work Group
Citizen Science Young of Year (YOY) Rockfish SCUBA Photo Project
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES