11 



WEST COAST AND 

 WESTERN PACIFIC LMR"S 



West coast, Pacific-wide, and Pacific island 

 fisheries (Units 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18) 

 account for more than 2.2 million t and 

 25% of the U.S. LTPY. These include 

 groundfish and northern anchovy (west 

 coast), tuna and billfish (Pacific-wide), and 

 reef and seamount finfish and lobster (Pa- 

 cific islands). 



Underutilized, fully utilized, and over- 

 utilized stocks range between 18 and 24% 

 of the total Pacific coast and western Pa- 

 cific stocks. Insufficient assessment data 

 exist for 1 9 stocks (36% of the total), which 

 are assigned an "unknown" status. The 

 large biomasses that existed for most of 

 the long-lived species (sablefish, Dover 

 sole, rockfish) prior to intense fishing have 

 been fished down to the point where these 

 species are fully utilized and the CPY is very 

 close to the LTPY. Stocks of several spe- 

 cies of rockfish need to be rebuilt after 

 severe overutilization and poor recruit- 

 ment. Other species, like jack mackerel 

 and shortbelly rockfish, are presently un- 

 derutilized for lack of markets. With the 

 exception of yellowfin tuna in the eastern 



tropical Pacific, virtually all the other 17 

 stocks in the highly migratory species unit 

 are unassessed for LTPY and CPY. In- 

 cluded are the large pelagic sharks, central 

 western Pacific tunas, swordfish, and alba- 

 core and skipjack tuna stocks, Pacific- 

 wide. 



The total economic value of these re- 

 sources is conservatively set at $1 .5 billion. 

 Pacific salmon produce commercial land- 

 ings worth about $ 1 40 million to west coast 

 fishermen. Conservatively valuing each 

 recreationally caught salmon at $20.00 

 would place the average annual 1988-90 

 recreational catch of 1 ,205,000 fish at over 

 $24 million. The Pacific tuna fisheries are 

 valued at more than $1.3 billion, and al- 

 though no estimate is available for 

 billfishes (owing to the variety of species in 

 this category and a large recreational fish- 

 ery component), the three principal spe- 

 cies (swordfish and blue and striped 

 marlins) are all valued in excess of 

 $2,000/t, for both recreational and com- 

 mercial fisheries. Groundfish commercial 

 landings are valued at $88 million. 



A large catch of shortbelly 

 rockfish on the Pacific coast. 



