2006 Recreational Fishing Rule Change
	Prohibit recreational fishing for rockfish and lingcod seaward of 20 fathoms in Marine Areas 3 and 4
	Fishing for rockfish and lingcod prohibited seaward of 30 fathoms in Marine Area 2
Adult Yelloweye

Protecting Washington’s Yelloweye Rockfish

Did you know that some yelloweye rockfish that are here today were Washington residents before it became a state in 1889? They have been and continue to be an important part of our heritage.

Halibut and bottomfish fishing have also been a part of Washington’s culture for hundreds of years. Many generations of fishermen have relied on halibut and bottomfish for food and recreation.

Fishery Management

A recent stock assessment indicates that the yelloweye rockfish population has declined over 80% from its initial level.  As a result, immediate action must be taken if the stocks of these long-lived fish are to be rebuilt. 

To rebuild yelloweye rockfish populations, the harvest opportunities for this species must be severely curtailed.  In recent years, the Pacific Fishery Management Council has set yelloweye rockfish harvest levels for all commercial, recreational, and tribal fisheries combined for California, Oregon, and Washington of about 25 metric tons (mt).

The Washington recreational harvest target is about 3 mt (fewer than 1,000 fish).  To put this in perspective, in 2001, the Washington recreational fishery harvested 15 mt.

Halibut Fishery in Jeopardy

Yelloweye rockfish, in general, are harvested during the Washington recreational halibut fishery.  If the yelloweye rockfish catch is projected to exceed 3 mt, then Pacific ocean waters adjacent to Washington outside 25 fathoms will be closed to recreational bottomfish fishing (including halibut). 

If yelloweye rockfish cannot be avoided when anglers are targeting halibut, then we may have to close recreational halibut fishing in the future to protect yelloweye rockfish.  Because the yelloweye rockfish stock may not be rebuilt for over 100 years, the problem of managing the yelloweye fishery will continue through our lifetime; however, you have the ability to help save the halibut fishery now and preserve the yelloweye resource for the future.

Juvenile Yelloweye

Yelloweye Rockfish Facts:

• Live to be 120 years old
• Range extends from Mexico to Alaska
• Found in deeper, rocky bottom areas
• Slow growing,low productive species
• Reddish-orange in color with bright yelloweye
• Commonly called "red snapper"
• Often spend their entire lifetime on one rockpile

How You Can Help

If you are participating in the coastal recreational halibut or bottomfish fishery, please avoid areas that are known to have yelloweye rockfish

Help spread the word to others about the severity of the yelloweye rockfish depleted population and the possible consequences of not avoiding yelloweye areas

If you do not know what areas may have yelloweye rockfish, please consult a local resort, motel, or charter office before fishing

2005 Recreational Regulations

• Rockfish bag limit – 10 rockfish in aggregate, with no retention of yelloweye or canary rockfish
• “C-shaped” closure in Marine Area 3

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife port sampling staff will ask all recreational anglers that they encounter whether yelloweye rockfish were caught during the fishing trip. Please cooperate and report all yelloweye rockfish caught,even if the fish was not kept.

• Status of yelloweye rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) off the U.S. West Coast in 2006
• Yelloweye Emergency Regulation Change - May 1, 2002
• Concern over yelloweye rockfish prompts tighter bag limit restrictions
• National Marine Fisheries Service Groundfish Management
• Pacific Fishery Management Council Yelloweye Rockfish Website