USA: Overfished declaration for Quillback Rockfish off California

Overfished declaration for Quillback Rockfish off California. NOAA Fisheries has declared quillback rockfish off the coast of California overfished. This declaration prompts development of a rebuilding plan likely to curtail fishing for many species in shallow coastal waters for years. The declaration is the result of three main factors: Where fisheries managers had long managed all quillback off the West Coast as one overall stock, research found geographic differences in their abundance and fishing pressure. In June, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, based on input from the Scientific and Statistical Committee, recommended that quillback off each of the three states be managed as separate populations. NOAA Fisheries approved the change. That makes fluctuations in any one of the smaller state-divided stocks more pronounced, with less room for declines before overfishing protections take effect. State and federal biologists estimated the California quillback stock had ...