Rockfishes of the genus Sebastes are trophically important in most nearshore environments of the west coast of North America, and support important commercial and recreational fisheries. Though the 72 northeast Pacific species have drumming muscles along their swim bladders, little is known about sound production in the genus. Sounds produced by nearshore rockfish were recorded using fixed hydrophones and underwater video in aquaria, and acoustical dataloggers in the field. Sounds were analyzed from six species: Sebastes nebulosus, S. atrovirens, S.carnatus, S. chrysomelas, S. caurinus, and S.maliger. These six species are closely related, mostly bottom dwelling species with similar drumming musculature. No sounds were recorded from twelve other species in response to diver harassment or agonistic interactions. All the sound production observed was close range, agonistic and relatively quiet (estimated source level 122 dB re 1uPa). Sounds were recorded at all times of the day in the field, presumably from S. nebulosus. While courtship type behavior was observed and video-recorded for only two species, no sounds were produced during courtship. Analysis of the sounds (duration, number of pulses, pulse rate, peak frequency, interpulse interval) from the six species showed considerable overlap between call characteristics, although S. carnatus and S. chrysomelas produced some longer calls with more pulses than the other species. It appears that these agonistic sounds are designed for short-range communication and that they are not species-specific.

Concerns about declines in marine biodiversity led to the creation of marine protected areas and spatial fishery closures as tools for recovery. Yet many marine conservation areas suffer low levels of compliance from diverse fishing populations, including recreational fishers. Little research quantifies levels of recreational fisher compliance and its drivers, especially in temperate marine environments, despite the prevalence of this kind of fishing in some regions. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap through a study of recreational fisher compliance in Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs) in British Columbia, Canada. One hundred and sixty four RCAs were implemented between 2003 and 2007 and now cover 4847.2 km2. These conservation areas were created in response to widespread concern from fishers and non-governmental organizations about inshore rockfish population declines. However, recent research suggested that recreational fisher compliance might be low. This thesis had two goals: 1) contribute to knowledge about, and develop methods of assessing, non-compliance within marine conservation areas, and 2) address the immediate problem of suspected recreational non-compliance in RCAs. I had the following objectives: 1) Assess ecological and social RCA effectiveness to date, using a framework for improving governance from the literature on common pool resources; 2) Assess recreational fisher knowledge and perceptions of RCAs, and 3) Quantify non-compliance and social and ecological compliance drivers in RCAs. Methods included a literature review, structured surveys with 325 recreational fishers at 16 locations in the Salish Sea (Southern Gulf Islands and Victoria area), and trail camera monitoring in 42 coastal locations (both RCAs and unprotected sites). Results show that recreational fisher knowledge and compliance to RCA regulations is low. The assessment of social and ecological effectiveness shows much room for management improvement for recreational fisheries. This finding is supported by my survey and trail camera data. I found that 25.5% of recreational fishers had never heard of RCAs and ~60% were unsure of RCA locations. The total non-compliance rate was 23% in RCAs. Seventy nine percent of trail camera monitored RCA sites showed confirmed or probable fishing activity, with no significant difference between fishing effort inside and outside RCAs. However, 77% of fishers surveyed believed that rockfish conservation is necessary with advertising, fisher education, and increased monitoring offered as solutions to non-compliance. I recommend managers implement a public outreach and education campaign to address low levels of compliance. This study suggests that positive perceptions of marine conservation areas and conservation initiatives are not enough to create high compliance. Educating stakeholders and creating high levels of awareness should be an essential first step when creating marine conservation areas. My research offers important insights into the study of non-compliance, and the immediate problem of recreational non-compliance in BC’s RCAs. My successful use of a simple and cost/time efficient multiple methods approach to assessing compliance provides robust tools for future compliance analyses, and hence provides a valuable contribution to the compliance literature. The study also suggests that trail camera monitoring could be a promising new method for monitoring coastal conservation areas. / Graduate / 0768 / 0792 / 0306

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [184]-194).

Recent studies have shown environmental factors influence life history traits in fishes. Understanding intraspecific variability of life history characteristics and condition is necessary to determine local fisheries management strategies. Gopher rockfish, Sebastes carnatus, comprise 50% of the estimated shallow nearshore recreational rockfish catch in California, yet insufficient local data exist regarding life history traits and condition of this species. Our study locally defines growth parameters (maximum size and age), size (age) at reproductive maturity, and condition (hepatosomatic indices) for gopher rockfish in south central California. The growth parameter values of gopher rockfish from our study are similar to previously published research. However, our data also indicate that the current local gopher rockfish stock in south central California reaches reproductive maturity at a larger size and an older age when compared to gopher rockfish sampled throughout central California (primarily in Monterey) between 1977-1982. Furthermore, we examined spatial and temporal differences in life history information, within and outside of two south central California Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) established in 2007, between two time periods. Our data show that the size and longevity of fish has increased after the establishment of MPAs.

Stock assessments are statistical models which characterize the state of a population of fish. Data for stock assessment models of West Coast nearshore groundfish come largely from fisheries-dependent sources. Incorporating fisheries-independent data would increase data availability. A potential source of fisheries-independent data which is comparable to existing fisheries-dependent data is the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP), a Marine Protected Area (MPA) monitoring study. We are interested in understanding the context in which CCFRP could be implemented into assessments of nearshore groundfish, specifically rockfish. To investigate this, we used management-relevant metrics to examine three questions concerning the implementation of CCFRP as a data source: whether the scope of the project captures the core depth distribution of a species, whether the methodology of the project affects assessment metrics, and how the presence of data from MPAs affects assessment metrics. Comparisons were made for three species with different life histories and desirability in the recreational groundfish fishery: Blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus), Vermilion rockfish (S. miniatus), and Gopher rockfish (S. carnatus). Based on these metrics and comparisons, we found that the specific method of potential implementation of fisheries-independent data into stock assessments is highly species dependent, but all species could benefit. Implementing this data will lead to better-informed management, ensuring that these populations persist.