U.S. Department Of Commerce Cuts Limits For Pacific Bottom Fish

Adopting the recommendations of federal marine scientists, the Department of Commerce on Wednesday dramatically cut back catch limits on several of the most commercially valuable Pacific Coast ocean fish.

Slashing allowable catches by as much as 65 percent, the new limits were ordered to try to halt the decline of popular bottom fish species including black cod, ocean perch, lingcod, Dover sole and various rock-fish.

“These are the most restrictive limits ever to be imposed on bottom fish,” said Bill Robinson, assistant regional administrator for sustainable fisheries for the National Marine Fisheries Service, which reports to the Department of Commerce.

Acknowledging the fears of the West Coast fishing industry, Robinson said that the new limits, which go into effect today, were likely to have “a dramatically negative effect” on the industry along the California-Oregon-Washington coastline.

There are 83 species of bottom fish.

While most have been subject to at least modest catch limits in the past, according to Robinson, the 1998 restrictions focus on eight of the most sought-after species.

“The regulations affect the heart of the fishery,” he said.

For example, four of the species subject to the new limits account for more than half of the total value of California’s annual commercial fishing harvest.

Robinson said that even with the new limits it may take decades for some species to return to healthy population levels.

Representatives of the West Coast fishing industry objected strenuously to the new restrictions, arguing they are based on inadequate survey data by government scientists who don’t know how to count fish.

The scientists themselves have admitted their data is sometimes questionable, and, in the past, they said, the uncertainties caused them to hold off recommending strict catch limits.

While the new limits “may be a case of erring on the side of safety,” said Richard Methot of the National Marine Fisheries Service, “We don’t think bottom fish can maintain sustainable populations under current fishing pressures.”

Environmental groups argue that strict limits should have been imposed years ago.

Bottom fish were fished down over the last 20 years on the theory that the thinned populations would become more productive, said marine ecologist Rod Fujita of the Environmental Defense Fund.

But because bottom fish take years to mature, Fujita said, their rate of reproduction did not keep pace with allowable catch rates.