Cabezon Retention Prohibited

Retention of cabezon will be prohibited beginning Saturday morning, August 18, 2018.
 
Total mortality (catch plus discard mortality) of cabezon in Oregon’s recreational bottomfish fishery is projected to meet or exceed the annual recreational harvest guideline of 16.8 metric tons by Friday, August 17. Anglers will be asked to safely release any cabezon encountered beginning August 18.
 
Sportfishing for other bottomfish remains open, find latest regulations at https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/marine-zone

News release is here: https://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2018/08_august/081518b.asp

at the Halibut/Bottomfishing meeting in Newport, we heard that our cabezon quotas should improve when the new stock assessment of them becomes available, I don't think it helps with 2019 but should in 2020.    cheers, roger

This year certainly has proved to me that cabby numbers are up.  I have honestly caught more cabs this year than I have rockfish.   I don't usually keep cabs, but with the 4 fish limit, and not finding the rockfish, I gotta do what I gotta do.

This year certainly has proved to me that cabby numbers are up.  I have honestly caught more cabs this year than I have rockfish.   I don't usually keep cabs, but with the 4 fish limit, and not finding the rockfish, I gotta do what I gotta do.

I had the same experinece.  I have seen that the catch rate for lings seem down compared to previous years.  I could not seem to keep the cabs off this year.

 

I'm hearing it wasn't the number of fish being caught but the weight of them was way above normal that put them over the top this year. 

I'm hearing it wasn't the number of fish being caught but the weight of them was way above normal that put them over the top this year.

Good thing I couldn't harvest that 31" cab I caught earlier this spring, they would have shut us down before it even opened.   

looking at the cabby data through July 29, I think the closure logic can be 'reverse engineered' something like this:

Jan to Jun, retention closed, looks like mortality estimates took about 2.5mt of quota.

looks like we used 7 mt over 29 days in July, it is open another 20 days to get us to Aug18, that's another 5mt used up.

so at Aug18, estimate is that we will have used about 14.5mt of quota against a max of 16.8mt.

working back from Dec 31 to Aug18, we need 4.5 months of quota left for mortality after the closure.  The 2.3mt left seems about right because if we run out of quota, bottom fishing must be closed. 

Feedback to ODFW from charters and rec. fisherman has been clear and consistent- no more total closures, make adjustments as needed to avoid that.

Math checks out!

On a more happy note (for next year) They might be going to raise the lingcod limit to "3 fish" for next year- not a all year long thing but maybe like for 2 months then 2 months at 2 and so forth. The're still working on the details and some other stuff, so we will have to wait and see.

On a more happy note (for next year) They might be going to raise the lingcod limit to "3 fish" for next year- not a all year long thing but maybe like for 2 months then 2 months at 2 and so forth. The're still working on the details and some other stuff, so we will have to wait and see.

that would be really excellent. 

other happy notes are the new assessments for Yelloweye and Blue/Deacon rockfish.

Yelloweye jumped from 21.4% of unfished biomass in 2011 to 28.3% now, which pulls the 40% 'rebuilt' target in from 2053 to 2029, and more importantly, our OR rec. quota jumps from 3.0mt this year to 7.0mt for 2019. 

Blue/Deacon is at 69% and we jump from 27mt in 2018, shared between WA and OR, to 101.5mt in 2019 all for OR!

If this trend holds for the new cabezon assessment, it is entirely possible that our 16.8mt quota could really jump (double, triple, even more?) and if that hits us in 2020, all year cabby retention of at least 1 per day is very possible....

On a more happy note (for next year) They might be going to raise the lingcod limit to "3 fish" for next year- not a all year long thing but maybe like for 2 months then 2 months at 2 and so forth. The're still working on the details and some other stuff, so we will have to wait and see.

that would be really excellent. 

other happy notes are the new assessments for Yelloweye and Blue/Deacon rockfish.

Yelloweye jumped from 21.4% of unfished biomass in 2011 to 28.3% now, which pulls the 40% 'rebuilt' target in from 2053 to 2029, and more importantly, our OR rec. quota jumps from 3.0mt this year to 7.0mt for 2019. 

Blue/Deacon is at 69% and we jump from 27mt in 2018, shared between WA and OR, to 101.5mt in 2019 all for OR!

If this trend holds for the new cabezon assessment, it is entirely possible that our 16.8mt quota could really jump (double, triple, even more?) and if that hits us in 2020, all year cabby retention of at least 1 per day is very possible....

Just curious...Where are you getting this information?  I would love to be reading about this.  Is it on ODFW releases?

Just curious...Where are you getting this information?  I would love to be reading about this.  Is it on ODFW releases?

these links should get you to the info provided at the meetings:

Bottom fish:
http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTgwODAxLjkzMjQ1MTUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE4MDgwMS45MzI0NTE1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3Mjg2NTI1JmVtYWlsaWQ9cmVtaWdoQGdtYWlsLmNvbSZ1c2VyaWQ9cmVtaWdoQGdtYWlsLmNvbSZ0YXJnZXRpZD0mZmw9Jm12aWQ9JmV4dHJhPSYmJg==&&&100&&&https://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/finfish/halibut/docs/Aug2018-Bottomfish-for%20web.pdf

Halibut:
http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTgwODAxLjkzMjQ1MTUxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE4MDgwMS45MzI0NTE1MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3Mjg2NTI1JmVtYWlsaWQ9cmVtaWdoQGdtYWlsLmNvbSZ1c2VyaWQ9cmVtaWdoQGdtYWlsLmNvbSZ0YXJnZXRpZD0mZmw9Jm12aWQ9JmV4dHJhPSYmJg==&&&101&&&https://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/finfish/halibut/docs/Aug2018-HAL-%20for%20web.pdf

the info on our cabezon quota coming from an old assessment and that a new assessment was in process, expected to be very positive, but too late for 2019 was shared verbally at the Newport meeting. 

the monthly updates on quota usage are being posted here:

https://www.dfw.state.or.us/MRP/finfish/groundfish_sport/estimates.asp

cheers, roger

Response I got from ODFW:

From: Maggie Sommer [mailto:Maggie.Sommer@state.or.us]
Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2018 7:08 PM
To: Paul; Maggie.Sommer@state.or.us; Christian.T.Heath@state.or.us
Subject: RE: sport anglers can no longer retain cabezon

Hello Mr. Walker,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us.  I’ve attempted to respond to your questions, with some additional detail in an effort to anticipate some follow-up questions that might arise:

“When was the last time this species had a population survey conducted & analyzed?” 
•        The last stock assessment was conducted in 2009, and the next assessment will be in summer, 2019. 
o   Stock assessments are scheduled by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which has a goal of assessing each of the more than 90 groundfish species at least every ten years. 
o   Data used in the assessment will include information on catches and released fish collected by the states’ sampling programs through 2018.  We have been hearing reports similar to yours from a lot of anglers this year, who say they have encountered more cabezon, and larger ones, this year than ever before.  It’s too early to say how this might translate into the assessment results, but good to know it will be considered.
o   Total annual catch limits (the amount of all fishing-related annual mortality that a stock can sustainably support on a long-term basis) are set by the Pacific Fishery Management Council based on stock assessment results. The Council manages on a 2-year cycle beginning in odd years, so the first year in which we will have a new annual catch limit for cabezon based on the upcoming 2019 assessment will be 2021.

“What is the quota limit for recreational retention versus commercial retention?”
•        In 2018, the recreational quota for cabezon is 16.8 metric tons, and the commercial quota is 30.2 metric tons. 
o   These amounts are determined by applying specified proportions (36% recreational, 64% commercial) to the overall total annual catch limit for Oregon cabezon. 
o   The proportions are approved by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission each year when they adopt the recreational and commercial quotas.  They are different for each nearshore species or species group.  The proportions were initially set by the Commission in 2005, based on the actual harvest levels for each nearshore species/group in the recreational and commercial fisheries in Oregon in 2000. 
  The year 2000 was chosen by the Commission as a point that reduced commercial harvest of nearshore groundfish below the higher levels to which it had grown by 2005.  The commercial nearshore fishery began a period of rapid growth in 1997, and the Commission wanted to limit it at a level that recognized some of that growth, but not the full amount of it, due to concerns about the status of nearshore stocks (little was known at that time). 
  For cabezon, the quotas set in 2005 represented about a 30% decrease from the year 2000 commercial harvest levels, and about a 6% increase from the 2000 recreational harvest levels. 
o   The proportions are different for other species, with black rockfish and nearshore rockfish going more to the recreational fishery and more cabezon and greenling to the commercial fishery, based on that original year-2000 baseline.  Currently, the recreational share of black rockfish is 76%, of minor nearshore rockfish is 72%, and of greenlings is 25%. 
o   The proportions have not changed, except for technical adjustments associated with changes in species groupings, since they were established; the Commission has continued to reaffirm them on an annual basis and it would take Commission action to change them. 

“Is commercial cabezon retention also closed? If not, why not?”
•        Commercial cabezon retention remains open because the commercial fishery has not reached its quota (30.2 mt this year). 
•        The commercial and recreational fisheries are managed independently of each other, with the goal that neither one affects the other in-season. 

I hope I have answered your questions.  You are welcome to call our office next week (541-867-4741, ask for me or Christian) if you would like any additional information.

Regards,
Maggie

Maggie Sommer   Marine Fisheries Section Leader
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2040 SE Marine Science DR., Newport, OR 97365
(541) 867-0300 x227   maggie.sommer@state.or.us

&

From: Maggie Sommer [mailto:Maggie.Sommer@state.or.us]
Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2018 7:15 PM
To: Maggie Sommer; Paul; Christian.T.Heath@state.or.us
Subject: RE: sport anglers can no longer retain cabezon

Hello again – I just thought of one addition you might be interested to hear –anglers at several of our public meetings a few weeks ago suggested increasing the minimum length for cabezon in the recreational fishery, in order to stretch out the season a little.  This was pretty widely supported by other attendees at the meetings where it came up.  There was also a suggestion of a slot limit (i.e., both minimum and maximum length limits), which some thought was a good idea and others disagreed.  This is something that staff will be analyzing (How much larger might we propose for a minimum length?  How many fish would that mean releasing rather than retaining when the season’s open?  How much more open season might we expect that to buy?) as we pull together proposals and staff recommendations for the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission’s decision-making this December for 2019 state regulations for the recreational bottomfish fishery. 

Maggie

A longer minimum length for cabezon would make life more difficult for our jetty fishing kayakless brothers. It may be a good idea overall, but sometimes I feel for the shore guys when these rules take effect.

I'm really surprised at the catch amounts reported for cabezon. Don't get me wrong, I love them on the table. I don't love them so much in the ice box (slimey). I don't think I kept a single one last year, and I for sure didn't this year. I would hope we could figure out something where we could keep the season open longer than 10 weeks, mostly because it's a bummer the impact that has on AOTY. Hopefully rogerdodger is right and things change.

EDIT: THANK YOU for all the good info, rodgerdodger and PNW!

(OK random musings over, back to work.)

I'm glad surf12foot caught a cabezon earlier this year so I could at least see one before the season closed.  Cabezon are my white whale...