Challenges to Providing Harvest Opportunities in the Oregon Marine Recreational Groundfish Fishery

Managing the marine recreational groundfish fishery in Oregon has many challenges including: multi-state jurisdiction, multi-agency management, multi-species complexes and severe restrictions on overfished species impacts.  Stock assessments are completed by various agencies including state agencies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC); regulations are recommended by the Pacific Fishery Management Council and IPHC; and are set by NOAA Fisheries and the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. In recent years, salmon, groundfish and halibut fisheries regulations have become increasingly complex in an attempt to provide fishing opportunities through as much of the year as possible, while still staying within restrictions for both targeted and limiting species.  The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), with input from the public, has been attempting to use creative approaches to managing marine recreational groundfish fisheries such as: area and depth closures, catch and release, size limits, bag limits, gear restrictions and day of the week closures, to provide harvest opportunities while staying within federal regulations and harvest guidelines.  One of the biggest current challenges is reducing impacts to yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus), while allowing anglers opportunities to access lingcod (Ophiodon elongates), kelp greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus), Cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus), Pacific Halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) and other rockfish (Sebastes spp; including species that are hard to distinguish from yelloweye rockfish) and flatfish (Families Paralichthyidae and Pleuronectidae).  This presentation will speak to the challenges of providing marine recreational fishing opportunities, present some recent examples of management measures taken to maximize those fishing opportunities, and present some information on some possible future management measures.