Rockfish Emergency Reopen 2025

The Fish and Game Commission adopted emergency regulations to reopen recreational rockfish, cabezon, greenling,
and lingcod fisheries in state waters.  Basically, we are getting 3 months back starting 2025 season.

Additional changes are a 2-fish sub-bag limit for canary rockfish.

For full details, you can watch the meeting for this agenda item:

Paul

Holy wah, thats a surprise to me and I may have been too pessimistic  about how long they’d do the quillback thing.

I was wrong originally.  Emergency regulations go into effect upon filing. That should happen sometime around the end of August and Start of September.

Paul

I'll be staying at the Noyo Lodge 10/3-10/5...take me to your leader...

I'll be staying at the Noyo Lodge 10/3-10/5...take me to your leader...

I am currently scheduled to be out of the state that weekend.  If my schedule changes, I will take you.

What’s the readers digest version? Why an emergency?

What’s the readers digest version? Why an emergency?

All depths will be open for rockfish. Emergency allows it to take effect immediately in response to/tandem with federal in-season action but only lasts 90 days before sunsetting. They will do a standard rule making on the same regs later in the year.

YAY
something good from the government!

nice

And just like that....Oh, maybe the closure was not necessary after we juggled the numbers.
 According to CDFW "On June 9, 2025, the draft stock assessment for quillback rockfish off California became available. This new, more robust assessment of the quillback rockfish stock indicates the California stock is healthy and not overfished as indicated by the 2021 quillback rockfish data moderate stock assessment"

Next will be EMERGENCY! Salmon Open Next week (I wish) 

It's great that we now have October, which can have great weather.  The 50 fathom thing was kind of interesting, but limited.

Next will be EMERGENCY! Salmon Open Next week (I wish) 

Yessah’ , one can dream

They should be held accountable for this mismanagement. This is a major fuckup.

-Allen

To the extent that you can take the people in charge at their word, it’s obvious they overestimate both their knowledge of what’s happening out there (even hundreds of feet deep in vast stretches of ocean) and their ability to control and improve complicated things via intricate regulations and centralized authority. This is a defining hallmark of a certain style of governance

Guessing, but I think what really made them decide to turn this around is that nobody believed their intentions, data, or “the science” around the quillback kerfuffle. Their credibility needs bigtime rehabilitation after this and they know it.

This is a good example of garbage in and garbage out.
I have been very impressed with the CDFW staff and the Fish and Game Commission.  I think they have many dedicated people working.  The rockfish regulation is, in my opinion, very complicated due to the Federal and State overlapping issues.  I am glad that they decided to take an emergency reopening to make this effective this season.  I have been communicating with both CDFW and F&G Commission staff for over a year, and they have been very helpful and responsive.

Paul