Will there be catch limits
for the Pacific grenadier?
To regulate deep-water fisheries, the National Marine Fisheries Service gets advice from the regional fisheries management councils, groups composed of state and industry representives. California regulations are suggested by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC), which covers California, Oregon, and Washington. As the Pacific grenadier catch increases, people are beginning to notice. PFMC's Glock says, "Fishermen have started to talk about Pacific grenadier at meetings. That's typically how it starts." Regulations may follow. Andrews and his colleagues at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories are discovering just the information Glock will need to set limits on the Pacific grenadier catch. "Size and age of the fish in the population," Glock says, "is pretty critical." If,or maybe when,Glock must set quotas on Pacific grenadier, Andrews expects to be able to tell him what a conservative harvest level is. No one at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories wants to see Monterey Bay's Pacific grenadier population cited as the newest example of an over- exploited fishery. |