Limits On Cod, Sole, Other Fish To Be Cut Ground Fish Populations At 20 Percent Of Natural Levels, Experts Say

Fearing a sharp decline in Pacific fish, the federal government will toughen restrictions on the commercial catch for 83 species, including popular black cod, ling cod, Dover sole and rock fish, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

Commercial fishermen will be required to reduce ground fish hauls by up to 65 percent under Commerce Department regulations expected to be released in time to be effective when the new year begins Thursday, the Times said.

Ground fish, which are found near the ocean bottom, represent 50 percent to 60 percent of the total value of California’s annual commercial fish harvest.

“We are seeing fish populations that are 20 percent of what they would be if there was no fishing going on,” said Richard Methot, director of the Seattle-based fish-monitoring division of the National Marine Fisheries Service. “We don’t think ground fish can maintain sustainable populations under current fishing pressures.”

The new limits “may be a case of erring on the side of safety, but they are being put in place to assure that we have fish for the future,” Methot said.

West Coast fishing officials disputed the government’s dire assessment of fish stocks and said the new limits will put many people out of business.

“It’s going to be a rough year,” said Rod Moore, the executive director of the Portland-based West Coast Seafood Processors Association. Fishing and processing of ground fish in Oregon is a $100 million-a-year business.

“We’re looking at an overall harvest reduction of about one-third. Not everyone’s going to survive that,” Moore said.

Moore also contended that the new limits are based on flawed computer models and on ocean surveys that are too infrequent to be reliable.

Ground fish are especially vulnerable to overfishing because they are slow to mature and many are caught before they have a chance to reproduce, marine scientists said.

Declining fish populations also are being blamed on El Nino’s warming of the Pacific, which has meant less plankton for fish to eat.