Abstract of Project:
The ecology of many of our nearshore fishes has not been well studied. The long-term sustainability of our local stocks and fisheries depends on collaborative research to improve our understanding of fish movement and survival. In Port Orford, the live fish fishery has increased rapidly over the past decade. As a precautionary measure to ensure replenishment of stocks, fishermen have proposed a conservation effort to release gravid female rockfish. The fate of these released BOFFFFs (big old fat fecund female fish) is unknown. We have initiated a collaborative research project with local fishermen to investigate the short-term of these BOFFFFs and estimate their contribution to the population through collaborative research.
 Port Orford, OR is unique on the West coast in its movement towards ecosystem-based management. The Port Orford Ocean Resource Team, a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, in an effort to move towards more localized management of their fisheries, established the Port Orford Marine Stewardship area. This 1,300 sq. mile marine area encompasses the fleet’s historic fishing grounds out to 18 miles. It also extends eastward to include the watershed, an important component in the health of the salmon fishery. The Fishermen’s board directing POORT developed goals and objectives that frame EBM in the Stewardship area. Included is the local conservation effort of releasing gravid female rockfish. This effort is one tool towards a more holistic approach to local resource management.
Local science is fundamental in successful local management. This project is a first step in cooperative science between commercial fishermen and scientists that speaks to local monitoring of stocks. Cooperation with the fishing community adds significant value of traditional and local knowledge to this research. Along with enhancing management of the Port Orford Marine Stewardship Area, participation of the fleet in local research promotes conservation, education and stewardship of nearshore resources. This research will contribute to the understanding of the nearshore ecology of Oregon, with particular interest in managing for a sustainable nearshore fishery.
The study looks at viability of gravid rockfish after release. Rockfish are prone to barotrauma (rapid swim bladder expansion), and releasing the BOFFFFs is thought to preserve the effective population of local stocks, allowing those fish to produce healthier, more vital offspring to seed local stocks(Berkeley et al. 2004). One method of reducing barotrauma is achieved by venting the air bladder of the fish then returning them to the water. Fish released for conservation purposes can be considered an economic loss to fishermen in the short term, as they are caught within catch limits and could be harvested, and bigger fish deliver a higher price. If survivorship is low, this conservation effort may be increasing total mortality as fishermen release fish and continue to fill their quota. On the other hand, if survivorship is high and released fish make a positive contribution towards population health, there may be longer term economic gains.
The initial desire of the fishermen was to implement a large-scale tagging study to look at survival of rockfish released within the live fish fishery, with particular interest in the gravid females. Tagging was attempted, but was determined not feasible for the scope of this study. While tagging the necessary number of rockfish to analyze survival was not possible, the short-term survival will be investigated using submergence cages and underwater video. Survival will be based on behavioral observations and further investigation of the physiological conditions, with particular attention to reproductive condition, of released fish. To observe more long-term survival up to 10 gravid fish will be held at a depth of 30 m in holding cages within Nellie’s Cove, and then examined for physiological damage and reproductive status after a period of 3-10 days. The cage studies will target black, china, and quillback rockfish, the ecology of which are of particular interest to fishermen collaborators
On a larger scale, successful cooperative research efforts encourage continued participation by management agencies in local management efforts. The success of this project can encourage Port Orford’s fleet in becoming positively engaged in local science and monitoring. As fisheries management adopts a more ecosystem based approach, the involvement of communities will become increasingly relevant in developing successful monitoring and management strategies.
There are several benefits to working within Port Orford that will facilitate the success of this research. Included are 1) limited spatial extent of fishing grounds, 2) small fleet size, and 3) great awareness of local science due to high publicity of POORT and its activities within the community. Upon completion of the study, the work will be presented to the Fishermen’s board, the fleet of Port Orford, and the interested public. Communication of science and its benefit to local resources is both essential for its support now and in the future. It is anticipated that the outcomes of this study will be used in support of local management proposals within the Stewardship Area.