Summary Report of the 2003 Experimental Purse Seine Fishery for Pacific Sardine (Sardinops sagax)

In Washington, sardines are managed under the Emerging Commercial Fishery provisions, which provide for the harvest of a newly classified species, or harvest of a previously classified species in a new area or by new means (WAC 220-88-010). From 2000 through 2002, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife had trial purse seine fisheries for Pacific sardines, under which the number of participants cannot be limited. Following an extensive public process which included establishing and meeting with a formal Sardine Advisory Board, the Director decided to advance the sardine fishery to an experimental fishery in 2003, under the Emerging Commercial Fisheries legislation, which mandates that permits be limited.

Pacific sardines are managed under the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s Coastal Pelagic Species (CPS) fishery management plan. The Pacific Council develops and adopts a coastwide annual harvest guideline, which is then allocated between the two areas which take into account the biological and ecological impacts of harvesting forage fish. Earlier this year, the Pacific Council adopted an interim allocation regime with plans to develop a long-term allocation strategy over the next year.

The Northwest sardine fishery has rapidly expanded over the past few years, which was the primary reason the Department decided to convert from a trial to an experimental fishery. Oregon began its limited developmental fishery in 1999, which yielded 771 mt in sardine landings. Since then, the Northwest landings have increased with Oregon catching 22,711 mt and Washington landing another 15,212 mt, for a total of 37,923 mt in 2002. In 2003, the overall coastwide harvest guideline decreased slightly to 110,908 mt (from 118,442 mt in 2002), producing a northern allocation of 36,969 mt.