1. Fishery Analysis on the Bassesin Southern California E.T. Jarvis, H.L. Gliniak, and C.F. ValleMarine Resources Committee Mtg.Santa Barbara, California January 18, 2012

2. Overview Background Summary of fisheryanalysis Management optionsfor consideration Departmentrecommendations Photo: Tom Schabow 3. Policies for Achieving the Goals of the Marine Life Management Act (MLMA)1. Science2. Constituent Involvement3. Adaptive Management4. Socio-Economic ConsiderationsPhotos: DFG 4. Kelp Bass, Paralabrax clathratus Range: Columbia River, WA/ORborder to Magdalena Bay, Baja Associated with kelp/rocky reef Popular recreational fisherysince 1940s Mainland and island fishery Photo: Rob Johnson 5. Barred Sand Bass, Paralabrax nebulifer Range: Santa Cruz, CA toMagdalena Bay, Baja Associated with sand/reef Popular recreational fisherysince 1970s Mainland fishery (spawning Photo: author unknownaggregations) 6. Spotted Sand Bass, Paralabrax maculatofasciatus Range: Monterey, CA toMazatlan, Mexico/Gulf of Calif. Associated with bays/harbors Popular recreational fisherysince 1980s Mainland fishery (catch-and-release) Photo: Dave Rudie 7. Percent of Total Harvested Catch by Fishing Mode (California Recreational Fisheries Survey, 2004-2010)10080Beach/Bank60Man-made%40 69% 58%Private/rental20Party/charter 0Barred sand bass Kelp bassSpotted sand bass 8. CPFV landings (1980-2011)Barred sand bass85% decreaseFish keptKelp bass 70% decrease 9. CPFV catch per unit effort (CPUE) (1980-2011) Barred sand bassCPUE (fish/angler) Kelp bass 10. Hyperstabilityand Population Size10,000 kPopulat gion Size1,000 kg 100 kg10 kg Catch rates over timeModified from Larry G. Allen, 10-18-10 11. Hyperstability and Catch Ranges Catch rangeCatch when fishrange arewhen fish abundant are scarce Catch ratesNorthSouthModified from http://fish.washington.edu/ 12. Fishery-Independent DatasetsDATA TYPEORGANIZATIONLIFE STAGELarval Abundance CalCOFILarvae/recruitsRecruitmentPISCOFish EntrapmentEdison Sub-adultsGill Net Bycatch CSUN Hubbs Sea WorldSCUBA SurveysReef CheckAdults NPS PISCO Occidental College SF State Univ. 13. Mainland SCUBA Transects (1974-2009): AdultsBarred sand bassMean density (fish/100 m2) 16 14Kelp bass King Harbor Palos Verdes 12 10864201970 1975198020002005 2010 19851990 1995 14. Island SCUBA Transects(1985-2010): AdultsKelp bass 12 10 Santa Cruz IslandMean densityAnacapa Island8 (fish/100 m2)6420 19901995 2000200519852010 15. Entrapment Abundance (1975-2009): SubadultsBarred sand bassMean abundance (fish/106 m3)Kelp bass 16. Rockbass Larval Abundance(1951-2010)Larvae per 10 m2 17. Pacific Decadal Oscillation 18. Rockbass Larval Abundance(1951-2010) Cold Regime Warm Regime CoolerLarvae per 10 m2 19. CPFV landings (1936-2011)Rockfish 20. Kelp bass densities and kelp canopyJuvenileKelpKelp bass 2 yr 21. Tracking Dominant Age Classes (Fishery Recruitment Strength) Barred sand bass 1997 year classDominant age (yrs)CPUE (fish/angler) 22. Tracking Dominant Age Classes (Fishery Recruitment Strength) Kelp bass1997 year classDominant age (yrs)CPUE (fish/angler) 23. Recruitment and Larval AbundanceWarm Regime Cool Warm CoolLarvae per 10 m2 Population recruitment failure? Decrease in larval survival and/or larval supply? 24. Size structure of harvested catch (1975-2011)Barred sand bass Est. Age(yrs)~15+ 15+ 15+ 14 14 13 13 12 12 11 11 10 10Kelp bass9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5~4 4 4 25. The Basses are Different Steep catch declines Smooth catch declines Mainland fishery Mainland/Island fishery Very large, localized Smaller, broadlyspawning aggregations distributed spawningaggregations Range less to the north Range farther north Kelp habitat important= HIGHER LEVEL OF CONCERN 26. Management Goals and Considerations1) Provide measures that will favor a population rebound for the basses. Reduction in bag limit? Change in size limit? 27. Management Goals and Considerations2) Protect barred sand bass spawning population. Seasonal closure? Seasonal reduction in bag limit? 28. Constituent InputRecreational Fishing GroupsBag limit reductionSlot limits No slot limitsMinimum size limit increaseCatch-and-release only for spotted sand bass Environmental GroupsConcern for kelp bass and barred sand bassExplore management optionsPartial season closure for barred sand bass 29. Percent Reduction in Catch underHypothetical Bag LimitsIn-season 3 fish bag limitData source: California Recreational Fisheries Survey, 2004-2010 30. Percent Reduction in Catch underHypothetical Minimum Size LimitsData source: California Recreational Fisheries Survey, 2004-2010 31. Avg. Percent Reduction in Catch under Various2-wk Closures Barred sand bass504030%2010 0 Wks 1-2 Wks 3-4 Wks 1-2 Wks 3-4 Wks 1-2 Wks 3-4 JUNEJULYAUGUST Data source: CPFV logbooks, 2004-2010 32. Summary Environment andfishing have affectedour bass populations Precautionarymanagementmeasures appear Artist: Kelly Day Spadyprudent 33. Recommendations Increase minimum size limit Allows for at least 1 additional year of spawning Decrease bag limit Allows for modest savings Partial spawning season closure Allows for uninterrupted spawning activity 34. Recommendations Continue to evaluateregulationeffectiveness Take adaptivemanagementapproach tomaximize fishingopportunitiesArtist: Kelly Day Spady 35. Thank you