Restoring an Integral Part of the Ecosystem: Rockfish Conservation Planning and Implementation in Puget Sound

Numerous species of rockfish are, or were, common and provide(d) valuable ecological functions in Puget Sound, in addition to being exploited in commercial and recreational fisheries. Recognizing increasing pressure for resource managers to balance varied public needs to maintain/restore natural stocks and conserve a healthy ecosystem, in 2011 the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) developed a comprehensive plan for rockfish conservation. The Plan was developed to guide the evaluation and evolution of WDFW’s harvest, research, habitat, and outreach/education programs.  The specific objectives of the Plan explicitly include maintaining rockfish populations to achieve cultural, economic, and ecosystem benefits; using the best available science and fisheries management methods to effectively steward public resources; and monitoring and periodically reporting on Plan implementation and outcomes.  This talk will highlight several recent projects undertaken by the WDFW and its collaborators to achieve these goals, as well as describing recent complementary rockfish conservation actions occurring at the federal level.  While these federal actions are targeted at three rockfish species listed under the Endangered Species Act, many elements will have decided benefits for all species of rockfish, and the Puget Sound ecosystem at large.