| dc.description |
Concern over the incidental catch of non-targeted species in commercial and
recreational fisheries has greatly increased. Public attention, negative publicity,
controversies between differing fisheries and gear groups and the reauthorization of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act have led to an increased
awareness of the issue. The Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) is a valuable fish in several commercial and recreational fisheries of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. There is growing concern over the incidental catch of halibut in fisheries targeting other species. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in cooperation with the Oregon Trawl
Commission, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the International Pacific Halibut
Commission and the commercial fishing industry have prepared a video on avoiding
halibut bycatch and reducing the discard mortality of incidentally caught halibut.
Approximately 575 copies of this video were distributed to commercial shrimp and
groundfish permit holders in Oregon and Washington. ODFW would like to evaluate the
video and its distribution to try to determine if it was an effective tool in reducing halibut bycatch and mortality. A survey of commercial fishermen was conducted to establish the effectiveness of the distribution of the video, to determine whether the video was an effective communication tool, whether viewing the video is likely to reduce halibut discard mortality and to gather suggestions on ways of improving communication between ODFW and fishermen. |
|