Biology, Assessment, and Management of Pacific Rockfishes (Lowell Wakefield Fisheries Symposium)

Moderator: Sherri Pristash
Email: fyconf@uaf.edu

Date: Tuesday, September 13 to Thursday September 15, 2005
Time: all day
Location: Hilton Denali

http://www.uaf.edu/seagrant/Conferences/rockfish/info.html

Background

The rockfish symposium is the 23rd Wakefield Fisheries Symposium, organized by Alaska Sea Grant. One of the tenets of the Wakefield Symposium Series is that fishery managers and policy makers must have credible, research-based information on which to base management decisions. This principle is ever more important for the assemblage of rockfish species in the genus Sebastes. Rockfish species are diverse, are difficult to distinguish, and have a large and enthusiastic following in the commercial and recreational fishery. It is not surprising, given the array of color polymorphisms in some species, that Sebastes translates to "Magnificent" ( Love et al. 2002 ).

Some of the 100+ rockfish species of the northwestern and northeastern Pacific are currently experiencing declines in abundance, especially off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington. Some rockfish are more vulnerable to exploitation based on species-specific life history traits such as long life, variable recruitment success, habitat fidelity, and changing oceanographic conditions. In the long tradition of Lowell Wakefield Fisheries symposia, this rockfish symposium will extend the knowledge base and bridge the gap between contemporary rockfish science and management challenges since the Wakefield rockfish symposium held in 1986 in Anchorage.

Goal

The goal of this symposium is to convene scientists, fishery managers, and industry to discuss rockfish biology, taxonomy, assessment techniques, and management strategies to promote sustainability and conservation on both sides of the North Pacific. It is also a prime opportunity to address future research needs.

Link to list of presentations in this symposium on Tuesday
Link to list of presentations in this symposium on Wednesday
Link to list of presentations in this symposium on Thursday

Sponsors:

Alaska Sea Grant College Program

Wakefield Endowment

University of Alaska Foundation