Masters Thesis

Biological and political factors affecting allocation of Pacific halibut quota to northern California

Recreational Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) catch in northern California has increased substantially since 2005, and for the last seven consecutive years has exceeded the small quota that has been allocated to the management subarea containing California. A lack of biological data characterizing Pacific halibut caught off California coupled with the recent increase in catch motivated the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) to extend setline surveys into California waters in 2013 and 2014, and prompted the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) to revisit allocation and regulation policies set for this area beginning in 2011. During the summer of 2013, I collected data from Pacific halibut caught by recreational anglers in northern California (whole and carcasses) to characterize their age, growth, and maturation. I also conducted a policy analysis to form an understanding of the mechanisms and processes driving the allocation of Pacific halibut quota to the northern California subarea. Age, growth and maturity data indicate that Pacific halibut in California are larger at age and mature at a larger size (fork length) and younger age than Pacific halibut found in more northern waters. The formation of policies regarding Pacific halibut management wasfound to be a complex, multi-level process, with policy decisions resulting from a combination of scientific and political considerations. In the future, continued data collection on Pacific halibut caught off California and review of Pacific halibut policies would help ensure that allocation and regulation decisions are equitable, scientifically based, and effective.

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