California Halibut Scaled Management Webinar #1 Group

Exploring Scaled Management for the California Halibut Fishery Webinar #1: A Focused Discussion for the Recreational Sector Thursday, August 12, 2021 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT Small Group Discussion Notes

Room 1: Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel (CPFV) Owners and Operators

Participants:

- Tim Klassen, Eureka, CPFV owner (six pack), fish Humbolt Bay area mostly, vessel is “Reel Steel” - Sean Anderson, professor, study fishing behavior and what types of seafood are available in coastal ports in CA, likes to spear fish - Eddie Tavasieff, commercial H&L fishermen, San francisco area - Surprised that not many CPFV here, want to be fly on the wall and listen and prepare for the commercial discussion - Santos, CDFW LED, Monterey Bay area - Kristine Lesyna, CDFW - Chuck Valle, CDFW - Sara Shen, Strategic Earth

How does California halibut contribute to your personal livelihood?

- Tim: Halibut fishing inside Humboldt Bay offers fishing opportunity when there’s rough weather on the ocean - Rough ocean conditions in Humboldt, only able to fish 9 days in the ocean this May bc of weather - Can fish inside calmer Humboldt bay when can’t fish on ocean for other sps like salmon or rockfish - Not many fishery options other than CA halibut inside humboldt bay; we have leopard sharks and bat rays but not another fishery that folks fish on a regular basis so if rough weather then really can’t fish anything - Humboldt bay does not have a consistent CA halibut fishery; halibut would be even more important to personal livelihood if it was consistent - get one large age class, come into bay in May/June and they leave in Nov - May get almost all shorts for a year and then the next year get a mix of shorts/legal and then next year mostly legals but starting to be heavily impacted by fishing pressure, another year or two diminished and not a reliable fishery - Another year class comes and cycle begins again, not sure why this happens? - In last 30 years, seen 3 cycles of good fishing for a few years and then it’s over. - Would last longer if pressure reduced. Bay is small area. Fish go onto flats during high tide, but during low tide they are more concentrated to a smaller geographic area. Exploring Scaled Management for the California Halibut Fishery Webinar #1: A Focused Discussion for the Recreational Sector Thursday, August 12, 2021 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT Small Group Discussion Notes

- Q for Tim: is there a commercial fishery in humboldt bay? Are there other areas that are fishable for halibut outside the bay? - Really not consistent enough to have a commercial fishery. - Shelter cove and crescent city (south beach) can catch halibut but extremely rarely do we catch CA Halibut outside Humboldt Bay - Q for Tim: When did you first start having a good fishery? - First time I know, about 20 years ago. Fishery really cycles - What do you consider a good season for the fishery? - 30-60 fish per trip (including lots of short fish released), ideally fishery would be consistent and could do daily // fishery occurs about a mile from where boats are tied up so the fuel costs are low and customers don’t get seasick - If reliable year after year it would be a good fishery - What is the average size of the catch? - It depends as the year classes cycle through. This year no undersize, mostly over 22 in and lots up to 30 lbs, with 8 to 15 lb average. - How many CPFVs are operating in Humboldt Bay? - 15 years ago = three CPFVs, and it was that way for 10 years. Then 5 years ago numbers started to increase. - This year, there’s probably 15 (all 6-packs, there are no larger inspected vessels in Humboldt Bay); they have come from various areas (humboldt state graduates from fishery program, big variety of folks in fishery) - What is happening now, salmon fishing on klamath is poor, so river boats on bay has added a lot of pressure - Do you see patronage fluctuate with halibut during up and down years? - Booked May-Oct solid // just a matter of what is available to fish for; if rough, can’t fish and trip is cancelled; if halibut is available, could fish every day - 5 or 6 ppl on CPFV in Humboldt (chuck, in so cal it can be up to 40 or more, depending upon size of vessel) - CPFV operator numbers don’t seem to fluctuate with halibut fishing opportunity - not fishery dependent at all - people see a business and want to try it - Are you seeing a correlation between ca halibut fishing success in Humboldt compared to other areas along coast? - Yes, correlation amongst northern CA ports (shelter cove/crescent city, might be same biomass) - Not seeing correlation with SF bay area

Based on the definition within the MLMA, what does sustainability mean to you? Based on your experience, is California halibut a sustainable fishery?

- Consistent fishery would be more important, consistent across years rather than a population that can support itself - Haven’t personally felt relationship between environmental conditions and halibut abundance, doesn’t seem there is a strong correlation- have looked to see if there is - Water temp in bay generally low-to-mid 50s during high tide, later in day/tide out can get to mid-60s - Would support stronger regulations in bay // thinking fish are getting captured, not that they are moving out - Have been told halibut don’t spawn in Humboldt but have seen milting males and females with some eggs // seeing some orange, immature eggs - Eddie- Economics, biological sustainability will support economical sustainability (comm fishermen) - need to discuss and define biological sustainability - Sean- so much of halibut catch is local, key component to sustainability also from restaurant surveys ppl know halibut, its a species that the public has some sense of identify, it gives some opportunities that other fisheries don’t have

Consistency year to year Need to support biological sustainability to support economic sustainability

How, if at all, is bycatch a concern for the California halibut fishery and/or your livelihood?

Tim - Only bycatch issue is the smaller sub-legal fish - people getting better with release methods (use nets that don’t tear tails, try to release in water if you can, don’t let flop on deck while measuring) - Using single hooks (no trap rigs) - Only caught 2 sturgeons in last 30 years, occasional leopard shark and pacific staghorn sculpin

Eddie - h&l, commercial- minimal, occasional catch and simple to release what is caught that is not marketable - Surprised to see question, thinking more of a trawl fishery question/issue - A recreational sector member was mentioning a boat limit, will this be a part of discussion? Brought up to commercial fisher Exploring Scaled Management for the California Halibut Fishery Webinar #1: A Focused Discussion for the Recreational Sector Thursday, August 12, 2021 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT Small Group Discussion Notes

- Tim: CPFV operators strongly oppose boat limit. You wind up with worst fishermen on boat trying to catch last fish so you can go home.

How, if at all, are changing ocean conditions (in the past 20 years) impacting the California halibut fishery and/or your livelihood?

Tim - Haven’t seen a big change, have seen cycles of forage fish in the bay (anchovy, herring, sardine) but haven’t seen any other issues - Have seen weather cycles (el nino, etc.) but hasn’t seen changes on a larger scale - See occasional rare fish that doesn’t normally show up but generally those are on same currents that bring over albacore, have seen this warm current come in close some years and farther offshore other years - Not seeing consistent year after year

Eddie - Seen a lot of changes over years - White seabass showed up over last 20 years // adds to livelihood and increases opportunity - Has seen diversity change and subsequent market change, not sure if climate change but yes changing ocean conditions - SF bay right now, really warm waters - Seeing red crabs and other animals that don’t belong in bay - Affects livelihood, seeing change in species association w change in ocean conditions - Always change, dynamic

Based on your understanding of the California halibut fishery, do you have recommendations related to the sustainability of the resource, bycatch, habitat, climate change, and/or socioeconomics?

- Seeing more participation in fishery up here so would support 2 fish limit in Humboldt Bay - No CPFV makes 2 trips a day in Eureka, and no plans for it // trying to make fishery last longer - Don’t see benefit of comm fishery in HB, not consistent year after year, no one making a living // sell off street, in stands Exploring Scaled Management for the California Halibut Fishery Webinar #1: A Focused Discussion for the Recreational Sector Thursday, August 12, 2021 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT Small Group Discussion Notes

- Sean: Different trajectories in n/s areas, hope recommendations will recognize regional differences and not be a one size fits all for the state - Ed: wanted to discuss limited entry options for CPFVs (but ran out of time in breakout room session)

Room 2: Environmental Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations, and Native Nations

Participants: Julia Coates, CDFW Greg Helms, Ocean Conservancy Kirsten Ramey, CDFW Paul Reilly, CDFW Huff McGonigal, RLF Gilly Lyons, Pew Charitable Trusts Sherry Flumerfelt Noah Ben-Aderet, OPC Geoff Shester, Oceana Gary Burke, bycatch working group, recreational and commercial fisher Andy Rasmussen, Seafood producer in Santa Barbara

How does California halibut contribute to your personal livelihood? - Kirsten: Fishers for halibut in Humboldt. Has a fishing guide friend and halibut contributes to his livelihood. Enjoyment & responsibility as civil servant. - Gilly: Favorite fish to eat. Contributes to quality of life. - Paul: Indirect relationship to our livelihoods for the most part in this group. Works primarily in statistics of fishery data and ageing research. Responsibility to sustainably manage is part of CDFW staff livelihoods. - Geoff: Gets halibut from Real Good Fish. Family enjoys. Conservation NGOs focused on sustainable fisheries and doing this work is integral to staff livelihoods.

Based on the definition within the MLMA, what does sustainability mean to you? Based on your experience, is California halibut a sustainable fishery?

- Greg: MLMA broadens definition of sustainability beyond single species replacement to include ecosystem-based considerations. Surprised at the statement that both northern and southern stocks are “broadly sustainable” given the results of the 2011 assessment. Open to information but believes we should be on a management path that grows the stock (11-18% B/B0 insufficient). Recognizes halibut is highly variable. Does not mean we don’t have to worry about harvest. Rather, harvest needs to be scaled to population fluctuations. Exploring Scaled Management for the California Halibut Fishery Webinar #1: A Focused Discussion for the Recreational Sector Thursday, August 12, 2021 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT Small Group Discussion Notes

- Geoff: Echo Greg’s statement. Set gillnet and trawl are multispecies fisheries. Looking at sustainability in the context of all species caught. Looking at ecological risk assessments. Hook & line and spear methods are selective and generally view as sustainable. Also wanting habitat impacts to be addressed. Need a climate-ready fishery. - Gilly: Agreeing broadly with Greg & Geoff.

How, if at all, is bycatch a concern for the California halibut fishery and/or your livelihood?

- Kirsten: challenging to define bycatch in recreational sectors. - Geoff: Bycatch of sublegal halibut a concern for resource. Want to ensure CDFW is looking at different discard mortality rates with different gear types. Suggests focus on retention and discard rates of other associated species. - Gilly: Is there information on bycatch in recreational fisheries? Not part of bycatch analysis project with Rick Starr but is an area we are attentive to in the MR. CRFS samplers collect info on catch but discard info is often not available to them unless on CPFVs. - Paul: Travis studied post-release mortality and found relationship to handling. Working to educate anglers on proper techniques. - Geoff: Oceana and Monterey Bay Sanctuary did a study with the commercial h&l fishery using onboard observation. - Greg: Bycatch likely to be a major issue which needs finesse. Prefers ESR+ but expects we’ll need a complex FMP.

How, if at all, are changing ocean conditions (in the past 20 years) impacting the California halibut fishery and/or your livelihood?

- Kirsten: Consistent presence of halibut in Humboldt Bay is recent. - Paul: Heavy recruitment in SF Bay area over last decade, strong year classes in 2008- 09. From 2017 to 2019 Eureka has had relatively high commercial landings. Blob in 2015-16 seemed to be favorable to halibut in northern stock. Cyclical pattern. Significant shift north since 1980s. - Gilly: Unpredictable climate-induced community changes. Warming waters not bad for halibut? Exploring Scaled Management for the California Halibut Fishery Webinar #1: A Focused Discussion for the Recreational Sector Thursday, August 12, 2021 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT Small Group Discussion Notes

- Greg: Perceived winners and losers. Halibut becoming even more dynamic. - Gary: SF Bay halibut catch related to Covid? - Paul: Rec catch has gone down from the peak so seeing a high year class cycling through. - Noah: Do we see a spike in recent effort in the data? During Covid, some launch ramps were closed but people had more free time.

Based on your understanding of the California halibut fishery, do you have recommendations related to the sustainability of the resource, bycatch, habitat, climate change, and/or socioeconomics?

- Geoff: None specific right now other than addressing bycatch concerns through gear modifications, limits to tow duration, etc. All options should be on the table. -

Room 3: Recreational Anglers (Including Spear, Shore, Pier, CPFV and Private Boat Customers)

Participants: Travis Tanaka, CDFW Miranda Haggerty, CDFW Douglas Kaber, Kaber Eureka Larry Deridder, Humboldt Saltwater Anglers Shane Wehr, commercial San Francisco Wayne Kotow, Tom and Mary Marking, Humboldt Ken Oda, CDFW Mike Peery, San Francisco Bay Area, commercial Sector Ryan Gentry, spearfisherman out of Monterey John King, Forest Service Research and rec angler // kayak Mike Moser Dwaynne Jones Darren Gertier Bill D Robert Godfrey, rec angler Robert Gardener, UPSAC

How does California halibut contribute to your personal livelihood?

Primary fish in Humboldt Bay (HB), every year // mainstay, particularly for the small boat angler - Water rough offshore, safe place to fish - Bring out guests, reduce seasickness - Only sportfish in the Bay - Gateway fishery, entry-level saltwater fishermen getting their experience on the water through the CH fishery - Introducing more people to salt water fishing // small boats - Have there been changes in HB over time? - Moved up to the area, no Halibut (decades ago) and now much more prevalent

Quality of life - Important fishery Exploring Scaled Management for the California Halibut Fishery Webinar #1: A Focused Discussion for the Recreational Sector Thursday, August 12, 2021 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT Small Group Discussion Notes

- Mainstay for recreational fishermen - Enjoyable, San Francisco Bay // meal on the table

Spearfishing - Fish that puts meat in the freezer without pushing bag limits // feed a good amount of people without needing to take a lot of fish - Also flagged for non-spearfishermen, important

Based on the definition within the MLMA, what does sustainability mean to you? Based on your experience, is California halibut a sustainable fishery?

Halibut fishing gotten better over the past 10 years, leads to believe sustainable - Not catching juveniles - Has transcended El Nino - Not seeing other fisheries improve, but CH is improving - Trajectory of the fishery even beyond 10 years of improvements

Sustainable // fishermen’s needs met without compromising the fishery’s needs/future

When can predict what the next season will look like // good predicability, then can correct things along the way

Have watch seabass population fluctuate // annual changes, unclear if that means the fishery isn’t sustainable // predicability is challenging to consider, due to other influences to the health of a fishery (e.g., changing ocean conditions) // perhaps more appropriate to this about predicable over a time period (not year to year but over 5 years)

Sustainability // maintain fishing opportunity while remaining close to your target management levels

How, if at all, is bycatch a concern for the California halibut fishery and/or your livelihood?

Non-issue in recreational fishery - The amount of times when you catch something you didn’t want to catch, extremely rare

Spearfishing: identifying size underwater Exploring Scaled Management for the California Halibut Fishery Webinar #1: A Focused Discussion for the Recreational Sector Thursday, August 12, 2021 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT Small Group Discussion Notes

- Large group in community, mentors trying to educate newer fishermen to help inform sizing

Humboldt Bay // tend to arrive legal size because coming in from other places (migration) - Batrays - Leopard sharks - Sometimes green sturgeon

Other HB // subject of shorts, flyer from CDFW that included best practices for handling short CH // would suggest recirculating this - Travis has a video (R3 huddle talk) available as well, proper handling was one topic presented

Effects of shorts in San Francisco Bay - This year, heavy pressure (on the fishery) with lots of sublegals - Shifted to 10 sublegals to 1 legal // moving to now primary shorts - Could be a concern and supports recirculating educational materials about proper handling

How, if at all, are changing ocean conditions (in the past 20 years) impacting the California halibut fishery and/or your livelihood?

Sustainability // San Francisco Bay area, CH declined during salmon closure and increase has followed the period // unclear relationship between river/ocean connections

Humboldt Bay // halibut availability reliant on the bait available - Also freshwater influences, push CH down into the Bay

Shift of populations moving north, Coos Bay now fishing CH

Water temperature during spawn cycle can affect male/female offspring - HUBBS program - Spawning daily in Mission Bay part of HUBBS program - CDFW confirmed, relationship between warm water events and spawning/recruitment event success - CH better recruitment in warm water years

Based on your understanding of the California halibut fishery, do you have recommendations related to the sustainability of the resource, bycatch, habitat, climate change, and/or socioeconomics?

Concerns about gillnet fishery-suggestion to institute gillnet ban - What are the species in concern with bycatch? Can cover during the commercial webinar // sublegal halibut - Discards, not counting towards quota

Design a more flexible system // rather than reacting years down the line, anticipate what might happen - For example, salmon closure - Anticipate increased CH activities when other fisheries are closed // be able to relieve some of the pressure - Pressure of the forage fish fisheries // squid and anchovy fisheries, relationship on CH presence

Continue CDFW research, spawning grounds and condition for CH

Concerns, San Francisco Bay - There are certain times of year/season that the fishery is being fished more so than other times - Year to year variation // when other fisheries are delayed (e.g., salmon) then there is more attention placed on fishing CH

Southern California - During spawning cycle, do target the fishery // concerns - Shifting ocean conditions, seeing the fish have moved north

Data considerations - Needing to consider CH in the context of other fisheries that are happening concurrently - Having other fisheries to move to, relationship to CA fishery - Eg COVID, landings down and needing the interpretation of the data based on/informed by fishermen’s knowledge

As time allows: recreational fisherman’s view on the Commercial fishing pressure Exploring Scaled Management for the California Halibut Fishery Webinar #1: A Focused Discussion for the Recreational Sector Thursday, August 12, 2021 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT Small Group Discussion Notes

What is known about the source of the northern stocks? Unclear at this time // could be northerly push of central population

Participants: Exploring Scaled Management for the California Halibut Fishery Webinar #1: A Focused Discussion for the Recreational Sector Thursday, August 12, 2021 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM PDT Small Group Discussion Notes