PIER partners with NOAA to kick off Opah research on poorly-studied fish off the California coast
A recent collaboration between PIER and researchers from the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center and CICESE seeks to learn more about an important but poorly understood species that commonly occurs off the coast of California. ...
Testing electronic monitoring and addressing observation constraints in a developing deep-set fishery for swordfish in California
Commercial fishing for swordfish in Southern California is experiencing a period of transition, and it is in these periods of flux that opportunities for modernization and innovation can arise and take hold. The recent recommendation for the authorization of a new deep-set fishery for swordfish offers an example of how innovation in fishing gear technology can help provide forward momentum and opportunity during a period of fishery decline. ...
Deep-Set Buoy Gear and Swordfish: NMFS Moves Forward
In August, the West Coast Region branch of the National Marine Fisheries Service announced a move to allow deep-set buoy gear (DSBG) for swordfish in federal waters offshore of California and Oregon. It’s a step that fishery officials are optimistic could help invigorate commercial domestic swordfish markets. Officials also say that the move could potentially provide almost $5 million in annual revenue for fishers, an economic impact that could expand if deep-set gear proves widely adaptable....
Catch of Swordfish Takes Off as Southern California Anglers Embrace New Technique
More recreational anglers turning to catch-and-release as swordfish catches increase. Recreational fishing for swordfish off southern California has surged over the last year. Fishermen have started borrowing a strategy from East Coast anglers and the commercial fishing world: going deep during the daytime....
Kelp Forest Research
For over 10 years, researchers at the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research (PIER) have used Loggerhead products to study white seabass. Using the acoustic data they collected, the team identified spawning-related sounds (chants) the fish make around sunset in May and June. This confirmed the utility of a bioacoustic approach to non-invasively identify white seabass spawning periods and locations....
After the driftnet ban, swordfish fishery faces sustainability & market pressures
With the scrawl of Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature and the unanimous backing of both the California State Senate and Assembly, California has officially banned the controversial drift gillnets used to catch swordfish....
Into the deep, understanding swordfish eco-physiology
Cold-blooded vertebrates, such as fish, are extremely susceptible to changes in the temperature of their surroundings. Yet one successful ocean predator, the swordfish, migrates from tropical to temperate seas, and dives daily from warm surface waters to cooler depths, with seeming ease....
Innovation In Swordfish Fishery Fetches A Higher Market Price
A new method of fishing for Pacific swordfish off the West Coast is proving its value to both fishermen and protected species. As part of its effort to maximize economic benefits while minimizing non-target catch, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) has considered and recommended to NOAA Fisheries a variety of exempted fishing permit (EFP) applications that, if issued, will test different methods to sustainably harvest Pacific swordfish....
The PIER team petitions an Exempted Fishery Permit (EFP) from the Pacific Council for deepset buoy gear (DSBG)
The PIER team petitions an Exempted Fishery Permit (EFP) from the Pacific Council for deepset buoy gear (DSBG). In early 2015 the PIER team submitted an EFP application for five vessels to fish DSBG off California. The EFP trials are a necessary step towards fishery implementation, and offer a way to validate recent research trials performed by the PIER team. ...