Yelloweye restrictions.

fish4all

Well-Known Member
-New recreational fishing rules in OR to protect Yelloweye rockfish-

The central Oregon coast nearshore (inside 40 fathoms) halibut sport fishery continues. Recent concerns over Yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) conservation have prompted the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to restrict recreational groundfish retention (regardless of species) to waters inside 20 fathoms. Anglers who want to retain both halibut and rockfish will have to fish for halibut first out to 40 fathoms, then return inside 20 fathoms to fish for groundfish/rockfish. All rockfish caught while halibut fishing in deeper water must be released unharmed (preferably with the assistance of a descending device) beginning Friday, July 15. Please visit the ODFW website (http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2016/07_July/071216.asp) for more information.
 
This stuff has been going on in WA state for years. Retention of ANY rockfish is illegal in Puget Sound.

I have fished BC since 1978 & can say DFO is consistantly late-to-the party/asleep at the switch on conservation. I had a friend who was a DFO biologist on the 80's who said the onlt reason the Chinook limit was 4 on WCVI is because "they are all Columbia River fish", which unfortunately is not true (maybe it's true now that the wild WCVI Chinook are about all gone). The regs on the sports sector are probably OK but this spring i heard of Commercial Halibut long lining in the Victoria area. When i went commercial Halibut long lining about 50% of our catch was rockfish/cod fish by catch.
No doubt that area's that are thick with rockfish now (Haida Gwaii) will be fished-out.
 
With the cameras and monitoring in place for the commercial fleet that can't happen any more. Our TAC's have been cut way back and recent surveys show an increase in YE in the north
 
Hi fish4all. I'd say the the monitoring will ensure no more than the limit will be caught, but than does not mean they won't be fished-out. By being fished-out I also consider catching only little on'e being fished-out as in if size declines over years.
 
What about putting on one of those sea monster looking circle hooks that are often used? Would that cut down on bycatch?
 
It would keep the small one's off & catch the bigger one's. Bad things are the outcome:

Selectively removing the larger breeding age fish.

I have commercial fished Halibut & have sport fished Salmon in close proximity to commercial Salmon trollers to see what the caught. For Halibut, we were required to release all Halibut under 30".

I'd say that unless proven otherwise, everything brought aboard a commercial fishing vessel is going to die. They may go back in the water alive, but within a week will be dead. As alluded to by fish4all, they are monitored - but does that prevent death or just count how many die? It takes time to attempt a live release & time is money if you are a commercial fisherman. If fish4all does live release, great for him.
Sportfishing is pretty much the same; most people are absolute butchers at the way they handle fish to be released; taking a Salmon out of the water for a picture then releasing it is criminal here in WA (not to be removed from the water).

Commercial versus sport is a matter of quantity.
 
Sportfishing is pretty much the same; most people are absolute butchers at the way they handle fish to be released; taking a Salmon out of the water for a picture then releasing it is criminal here in WA (not to be removed from the water).


I totally agree. Our regulations in BC are archaic. Our regs should require live release without removing the fish from the water.
 
Yup, we need live release without removal from water regs!!

As for commercially released hali, I'm pretty sure the fish need more than camera monitoring to ensure the release mortality is reduced.

This has been a fairly active topic lately at IPHC process. Rec fleet is now being charged TAC against our release morts, much like commercial fleet. We should be looking at other regulations to improve our release performance. This is certainly one major advantage the rec fleet has over the commercial fleet if we can improve release practices and methods.

I agree with Fish4all, halibut biomass is increasing. Fish at age and CPUE all going up. Those numbers quoted are vastly out of date.
 
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Hi searun. I looked at the reports posted by fish4all & they are for yellowed not hall's. My main point in my original post was that DFO allows hali long lining around Victoria, which is prime rockfish habitat. When i long lined hall's up in AK we fished at 1500 ft which should avoid rockfish, which is probably why we caught zero. Our by catch was true cod. Saw a couple boats at the processor that had 100's of Yelloweye's.
 
yes i was pointing out mainly for yelloweye. for commercials there is 100% retention of all rockfish and that comes directly off an individual vessels ivq. If we release anything other than rockfish there is a mortality associated with that release. I believe that halibut has a 16% mortality rate on releases.
 
Just looking at sockeye price at 1.49 a hundred grams equals roughly 50 bucks a sockeye. Who can buy that? Jimmy P makes way too much money. I would be ok with a commercial sockeye and sport ban. But prices would have to reflect it.
 
Just looking at sockeye price at 1.49 a hundred grams equals roughly 50 bucks a sockeye. Who can buy that? Jimmy P makes way too much money. I would be ok with a commercial sockeye and sport ban. But prices would have to reflect it.
I don't think the commercial fishermen get that at dockside. Like you said - Patterson gets the $$$.
 
The SEAK trollers were getting about $4.25lb US for Chinook. Fillets are $20 - $25 lb US in Seattle. Yellow fin Tuna flown from Hawaii or farther is cheaper. Retail price of seafood is what the market will bear based on demand to a point. It is not the commercial fishers that are gouging us. Case in point; Copper River Chinook fillets were $45lb here. Now "regular Chinook is $20lb. Does it cost more to deliver a Copper River Chinook to market? My neighbor runs a tender for Copper River (buys on the water from fishermen then delivers to the processor in Cordova. Cordova is serviced by Alaska Airlines 737's with direct flights to Seattle.
 
Oh for sure the fisherman isn't getting that it's like anything through the commercial food chain. However 50 dollars a fish? I would like to get into the argument of economic benefit of sport vs commie but I am sure it's been beaten to death. Needless to say I believe the spinoff of sportiest is ahead by leaps and bounds. It would be neat if sports fishing could sell commercially like Hawaii. Shut the door on commies
 
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