Commercial Fixed Gear Rockfish Landings Condition

View the CR-102 Rule Proposal and WAC Text

The department is considering amending WAC 220-353-050 to add certain bottomfish (also known as “groundfish”) to the list of commercially taken species that are permitted to be possessed, transported through the waters of the state, and landed in dressed condition.

Purpose of the proposoal

The purpose of this rule change is to allow commercial landings of dressed rockfish for vessels that obtain a director’s permit to do so. To ensure accurate data collection for stock assessments, fish are currently required to be landed into Washington ports in the whole (also known as “round”) condition, unless specifically exempted in regulation. This rule would expand the list of exempted species/species groups to include rockfishes, again as authorized by permit of the director.

Reasons supporting proposal

Some commercial fishers in the fixed gear sablefish fishery, as well as the salmon troll fishery, have requested that additional species, such as rockfishes, be exempted from the existing rule because dressing them at sea would preserve their marketability and reduce discarding early in the trip due to spoilage. The average trip in the largest portion of the fixed gear sablefish fishery lasts 7-8 days. Therefore, some first receivers (or “buyers”) are refusing rockfish deliveries unless the rockfish was caught within the last few days of the trip, and some fishers are therefore discarding or are unable to market a portion of their incidentally caught rockfish. Even for the rockfish that vessels are able to sell, a dressed/gutted fish may get a higher price. Additionally, the department has received support letters about growing interest in selling dressed rockfish at direct-to-consumer markets, and allowing dressing of rockfish at sea may better serve this type of market. Rockfish are an important contribution to overall revenue, and this rule change would allow more fishers to sell a larger percentage of their catch. Buyers have also commented that, with this rule change, they expect to be able to re-sell more of the rockfish they receive from fishers. Overall, this rule change would be expected to reduce waste by reducing discards. The permits, which will be issued at the discretion of the director, will include terms and conditions designed to ensure that the department maintains the ability to adequately sample rockfish for stock assessments.