UNIT 21 

 NEARSHORE FISHERIES 



sport fishery where allowed by law, but otherwise 

 sport fishing is restricted to free diving and shore 

 picking. 



At present, most ot the species of abalone in 

 central and southern California are overutilized. 

 This is due to commercial harvesting efficiency, 

 increased market demand, popularity of the sport 

 fishery, habitat degradation, increasing predation 

 by sea otters, and disease. Despite stricter man- 

 agement, abalone stocks remain vulnerable to 

 continued depletion, and a new state management 

 plan is being developed. The history of catches 

 shows a continually declining trend (Figure 21- 

 4). 



Clam — Clam digging is a popular recreation for 

 many families throughout the Pacific Coast, and 

 most are harvested this way. Many species are har- 

 vested: razor clam, littleneck clams, pismo clam, 

 gaper clam, Washington clam, butter clam, geo- 

 duck, and others. The clam fisheries are regulated 

 by season length and bag limits. The status of the 

 stocks can be inferred from catch performance and 

 would be expected to be known for localized areas 

 only. Since the number of beaches and, thus, stocks 



are too numerous, it would be difficult to genet- 

 alize on the status of the stocks. Ihus status of the 

 stocks and degree of utilization are largely un- 

 known. 



The Pacific geoduck is the largest burrowing 

 bivalve on the Pacific coast. Individuals can live 

 for more than 100 years and reach 9 kg. They are 

 harvested both commercially and rccreationally, 

 and the majority of the harvest comes from Puget 

 Sound and British Columbia. Commercial har- 

 vest is by divers using high pressure water jets to 

 excavate the clams. In Puget Sound, the popula- 

 tion between 10 and 30 m depth is estimated at 

 127,000 t, and the average annual commercial 

 harvest is 1,300 t. 



Squid — One species, the market squid, is har- 

 vested throughout the region, with California pro- 

 viding most of the catches. Squid landings in Cali- 

 fornia reached a record high of 78,825 t in 1996, 

 valued at about $30,000,000. It is harvested for 

 bait as well as for food. In southern California, 

 squid is popular in local ethnic food markets and 

 the restaurant trade, but most of the catch is ex- 

 ported to Asia. Squid jigging is also a popular win- 

 ter activity in the Pacific Northwest. In this sport 

 fishery, anglers of all ages crowd under pier lights 

 and jig for squid in the middle of cold winter 

 nights. 



Large-scale fluctuations are characteristic of the 

 squid stock, due mainly to its short life span and 

 from the influence of wide variations in the ocean 

 environment, such as the 1997-98 El Nino event 

 that caused landings to decrease by about 13% 

 from 1996 landings. This short life history, how- 

 ever, makes it possible for squid to recover after 

 natural population disasters as soon as ocean con- 

 ditions improve again. Little is known about the 

 biomass, structure, and status ot the stock. 



In recent years, the expansion of the southern 

 California squid fishery and large harvests have 

 prompted some fishermen and biologists to call 

 for management measures to protect the squid re- 

 source, such as harvest restrictions and some form 

 of limited entry. In 1977 the California state leg- 

 islature enacted a bill that implemented a squid 

 fishery permit program and directed the state De- 

 partment of Fish and Game to provide recommen- 

 dations for a squid management plan. 



Left page, abalone; right 

 page, California market 

 squid. 



22 1 



