HMS recreational fisheries description and recent catch and effort

Washington recreational HMS fishery statistics are available from
PSMFC through their Recreational Fisheries Information Network (RecFIN)
website. RecFIN provides estimates based on field sampling of HMS catch
and telephone survey for effort. While RecFIN also contains estimates
for Oregon, ODFW’s Ocean Recreational Boat Survey (ORBS) data are used
here given nuances in recreational fishery sector differentiation.
RecFIN does not contain estimates of HMS catch and effort for
California, and CDFW similarly provides data from its Marine Logbook
System (MLS) and California Recreational Fishing Survey (CRFS)
estimates.

Albacore

Recreational anglers fishing from private vessels and from commercial
passenger fishing vessels (CPFVs) target albacore in all three West
Coast states. Albacore is targeted almost exclusively with rod-and-reel
gear, and success is highly dependent upon the distance from port to the
fish, weather and ocean conditions, and fuel prices.

In recent years albacore typically begin to show up within range of
the recreational fishery in California in late spring, migrating
northward and appearing off Oregon and Washington in mid to late June,
and are available through late September or early October in most
years.

Fishery performance

The following tables show recreational albacore catch, fishing
effort, and catch per unit of effort (tables updated 08/10/2022):

  • Table R1. Recreational albacore catch (number of kept fish) for
    charter and private boats by year and port, 2019-2021.
  • Table R2. Recreational albacore effort (angler days*) for charter
    and private boats by year and port, 2019-2021.
  • Table R3. Recreational albacore catch per unit of effort (number of
    kept fish/angler day*) for charter and private boats by year and port,
    2019-2021.

Note: California and Oregon record catch and effort by angler day.
Washington records catch and effort by angler trip, although the
majority of trips are equal to one day. With very infrequent exceptions,
the duration of Oregon recreational fishing trips by private anglers and
by charter anglers is 24 hours or less, and encompasses one day of
fishing activity.NAs represent data that are not collected/able to be
calculated. Zeros represent no catch.

Table R1

2019
2020
2021
Port Area Charter Private Combined Charter Private Combined Charter Private Combined
North Coast 99 694 793 0 0 0 0 42 42
Westport 19,363 33,994 53,357 8,718 13,265 21,982 3,405 3,115 6,520
Ilwaco 4,722 28,746 33,468 965 4,465 5,431 928 3,242 4,170
Washington Subtotal 24,184 63,434 87,618 9,683 17,730 27,413 4,333 6,399 10,732
Astoria 0 1,929 1,929 0 85 85 0 53 53
Garibaldi 583 11,733 12,316 63 1,111 1,174 59 1,384 1,443
Pacific City 0 2,826 2,826 0 78 78 0 122 122
Depoe Bay 2,629 3,214 5,843 0 478 478 36 1,018 1,054
Newport 1,944 7,984 9,928 11 887 898 56 1,866 1,922
Florence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 186 186
Winchester Bay 0 14,984 14,984 0 15 15 0 4,626 4,626
Coos Bay 359 41,083 41,442 0 465 465 52 7,144 7,196
Bandon 450 2,248 2,698 0 0 0 83 243 326
Gold Beach 0 592 592 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brookings 27 5,751 5,778 0 1,699 1,699 233 3,696 3,929
Oregon Subtotal 5,992 92,344 98,336 74 4,818 4,892 519 20,338 20,857
SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT 493 143 636 57 0 57 10 0 10
CENTRAL DISTRICT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CHANNEL DISTRICT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SOUTH DISTRICT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
REDWOOD DISTRICT 1,656 8,173 9,829 844 5,644 6,488 373 9,269 9,642
WINE DISTRICT 1,424 19,166 20,590 327 6,863 7,190 0 0 0
California Subtotal 3,573 27,482 31,055 1,228 12,507 13,735 383 9,269 9,652
Mex 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 0 20
Mexico Subtotal 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 0 20
Oregon-Washington Total 30,176 155,778 185,954 9,757 22,548 32,305 4,852 26,737 31,589
U.S. Total 33,749 183,260 217,009 10,985 35,055 46,040 5,235 36,006 41,241
Coastwide Total 33,749 183,260 217,009 10,985 35,055 46,040 5,255 36,006 41,261

Table R2

2019
2020
2021
Port Area Charter Private Combined Charter Private Combined Charter Private Combined
North Coast 15 239 255 0 0 0 0 49 49
Westport 1,611 6469 8080 757 3735 4492 613 1944 2557
Ilwaco 983 5121 6103 571 1743 2314 630 1310 1940
Washington Subtotal 2,609 11829 14438 1,328 5478 6806 1,243 3303 4546
Astoria 0 415 415 0 63 63 0 61 61
Garibaldi 140 2044 2184 47 797 844 38 762 800
Pacific City 0 475 475 0 94 94 0 43 43
Depoe Bay 631 724 1355 0 264 264 33 260 293
Newport 574 1797 2371 23 521 544 10 536 546
Florence 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 34
Winchester Bay 0 2002 2002 0 31 31 0 1117 1117
Coos Bay 68 5088 5156 0 317 317 31 1730 1761
Bandon 46 339 385 0 0 0 32 98 130
Gold Beach 0 96 96 0 0 0 0 0 0
Brookings 10 862 872 0 409 409 38 984 1022
Oregon Subtotal 1,469 13842 15311 70 2496 2566 182 5625 5807
SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT 105 NA NA 24 NA NA 8 NA NA
CENTRAL DISTRICT 0 NA NA 0 NA NA 0 NA NA
CHANNEL DISTRICT 0 NA NA 4 NA NA 0 NA NA
SOUTH DISTRICT 0 NA NA 0 NA NA 0 NA NA
REDWOOD DISTRICT 396 NA NA 203 NA NA 47 NA NA
WINE DISTRICT 217 NA NA 101 NA NA 0 NA NA
California Subtotal 718 NA NA 332 NA NA 55 NA NA
Mex 0 NA NA 0 NA NA 31 NA NA
Mexico Subtotal 0 NA NA 0 NA NA 31 NA NA
Oregon-Washington Total 4,078 25671 29749 1,398 7974 9372 1,425 8928 10353
U.S. Total 4,796 NA NA 1,730 NA NA 1,480 NA NA
Coastwide Total 4,796 NA NA 1,730 NA NA 1,511 NA NA

Table R3

2019
2020
2021
Port Area Charter Private Combined Charter Private Combined Charter Private Combined
North Coast 6.5 2.9 3.1 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.8 0.8
Westport 12.0 5.3 6.6 11.5 3.6 4.9 5.6 1.6 2.5
Ilwaco 4.8 5.6 5.5 1.7 2.6 2.3 1.5 2.5 2.1
Washington Subtotal 23.3 13.8 15.2 13.2 6.2 7.2 7.1 4.9 5.4
Astoria 0.0 4.6 4.6 0.0 1.3 1.3 0.0 0.9 0.9
Garibaldi 4.2 5.7 5.6 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.8 1.8
Pacific City 0.0 5.9 5.9 0.0 0.8 0.8 0.0 2.8 2.8
Depoe Bay 4.2 4.4 4.3 0.0 1.8 1.8 1.1 3.9 3.6
Newport 3.4 4.4 4.2 0.5 1.7 1.7 5.6 3.5 3.5
Florence 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 5.5 5.5
Winchester Bay 0.0 7.5 7.5 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.0 4.1 4.1
Coos Bay 5.3 8.1 8 0.0 1.5 1.5 1.7 4.1 4.1
Bandon 9.8 6.6 7 0.0 0 0 2.6 2.5 2.5
Gold Beach 0.0 6.2 6.2 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0
Brookings 2.7 6.7 6.6 0.0 4.2 4.2 6.1 3.8 3.8
Oregon Subtotal 29.6 60.1 59.9 1.8 13.2 13.2 18.7 32.9 32.6
SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT 105.0 NA NA 24.0 NA NA 8.0 NA NA
CENTRAL DISTRICT 0.0 NA NA 0.0 NA NA 0.0 NA NA
CHANNEL DISTRICT 0.0 NA NA 4.0 NA NA 0.0 NA NA
SOUTH DISTRICT 0.0 NA NA 0.0 NA NA 0.0 NA NA
REDWOOD DISTRICT 396.0 NA NA 203.0 NA NA 47.0 NA NA
WINE DISTRICT 217.0 NA NA 101.0 NA NA 0.0 NA NA
California Subtotal 718.0 NA NA 332.0 NA NA 55.0 NA NA
Mex 0.0 NA NA 0.0 NA NA 31.0 NA NA
Mexico Subtotal 0.0 NA NA 0.0 NA NA 31.0 NA NA
Oregon-Washington Total 52.9 73.9 75.1 15.0 19.4 20.4 25.8 37.8 38
U.S. Total 4,796.0 NA NA 1,730.0 NA NA 1,480.0 NA NA
Coastwide Total 4,796.0 NA NA 1,730.0 NA NA 1,511.0 NA NA

Other HMS (Southern California)

Recreational anglers in California take the entire suite of
management unit species (MUS) included within the HMS FMP using
rod-and-reel gear almost exclusively; in addition, a nominal amount of
fish, primarily tunas and dorado, are taken by free divers using spear
guns. In Oregon and Washington anglers only occasionally take HMS
species other than albacore, such as blue sharks, and more recently
Pacific bluefin tuna.

CPFVs also make trips from Southern California ports (primarily San
Diego) into Mexican waters. Yellowfin, bluefin, and skipjack tunas as
well as dorado are the most commonly caught HMS species.

Private vessel data for California are collected by the California
Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS) program while the state’s mandatory
logbook program provides an estimate of fishing activity for CPFVs. The
fact that a much higher overall percentage of highly migratory MUS
catches are represented in logbook data than in CRFS samples is why
logbooks are preferred over CRFS in determining the catch of these
species by anglers fishing from CPFVs. Logbooks also have the advantage
of supplying catch information on MUS taken in Mexico. However, CRFS
data are the best available for making catch estimates of anglers
fishing from private boats. Statistics for the CPFV fishery are also
available from the federal charter logbook program. In Oregon statistics
for recreational fisheries, including private, CPFV, and tournament
fisheries, are available from the ODFW Ocean Recreational Boat Survey
Program. Beginning in 2005, a mandatory charter boat tuna logbook
program was implemented in Washington to provide additional information
on location and effort in the charter albacore fishery.

Fishery performance

The following tables present recreational catch in Southern
California waters(tables updated 2022-08-10):

  • Tables R-4 and R-5. Estimated number of highly migratory MUS kept
    and thrown back alive by recreational anglers fishing from California
    private vessels in U.S. EEZ waters (Table R-4) and Mexico waters (Table
    R-5), 2019-2021.
  • Tables R-6 and R-7. Reported number of highly migratory MUS kept and
    thrown back by recreational anglers fishing from California Commercial
    Passenger Fishing Vessels (CPFVs) in U.S. EEZ waters (Table R-6) and
    Mexico waters (Table R-7), 2019-2021.

NAs represent data that are not collected/able to be calculated.
Zeros represent no catch. CONFID represents data excluded for
confidentiality.

Table R-4

2019
2020
2021
No. Fish
No. Fish
No. Fish
Species Kept Released Kept Released Kept Released
Tuna
Tuna, albacore 27,482 104 12,507 26 9,269 194
Tuna, bigeye 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tuna, bluefin 460 0 1,335 74 4,363 361
Tuna, skipjack 395 137 189 96 52 49
Tuna, yellowfin 3,460 160 397 10 373 0
Billfish
Marlin, striped 6 18 0 19 0 0
Swordfish 81 12 43 0 44 0
Sharks
Shark, blue 8 82 46 127 0 281
Shark, shortfin mako 148 142 23 70 10 60
Shark, thresher 180 540 127 319 396 678
Other Fish
Dolphin (fish) 65 0 2,196 545 3,418 351
Total 32,285 1,195 16,863 1,286 17,925 1,974

Table R-5

2019
2020
2021
No. Fish
No. Fish
No. Fish
Species Kept Released Kept Released Kept Released
Tuna
Tuna, albacore 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tuna, bigeye 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tuna, bluefin 731 27 593 21 1,673 11
Tuna, skipjack 1,616 2,274 1,498 1,067 12 16
Tuna, yellowfin 16,939 1,006 3,556 298 670 11
Billfish
Marlin, striped 0 0 0 0 0 0
Swordfish 13 0 0 0 0 0
Sharks
Shark, blue 0 64 0 66 0 22
Shark, shortfin mako 42 40 11 23 11 23
Shark, thresher 0 0 0 41 0 0
Other Fish
Dolphin (fish) 120 11 2,547 769 815 785
Total 19,461 3,422 8,205 2,285 3,181 868

Table R-6

2019
2020
2021
No. Fish
No. Fish
No. Fish
Species Kept Released Kept Released Kept Released
Tuna
Tuna, albacore 3,573 37 1,228 4 383 0
Tuna, bigeye 18 20 0 0 0 0
Tuna, bluefin 4,205 33 24,631 403 28,781 162
Tuna, skipjack 3,101 519 2,920 496 374 182
Tuna, yellowfin 25,428 162 9,249 67 2,883 19
Billfish
Marlin, striped 0 CONFID CONFID CONFID 3 CONFID
Swordfish 17 3 6 0 5 0
Sharks
Shark, blue 44 85 CONFID 42 0 40
Shark, shortfin mako 36 200 37 45 31 81
Shark, thresher 28 15 20 7 9 CONFID
Other Fish
Dolphin (fish) 65 3 9,172 727 6,245 95
Total 36,515 1,076 47,261 1,790 38,714 577

Table R-7

2019
2020
2021
No. Fish
No. Fish
No. Fish
Species Kept Released Kept Released Kept Released
Tuna
Tuna, albacore 19 20 12 0 20 0
Tuna, bigeye 6 0 110 0 12 0
Tuna, bluefin 9,389 44 13,220 44 18,095 42
Tuna, skipjack 3,199 1,034 11,829 2,539 1,444 2,823
Tuna, yellowfin 33,631 2,434 90,815 3,951 34,120 1,849
Billfish
Marlin, striped CONFID 153 6 47 CONFID CONFID
Sharks
Swordfish 0 0 0 0 CONFID 0
Shark, blue 0 0 0 CONFID 0 0
Other Fish
Shark, shortfin mako 4 CONFID 3 CONFID CONFID 3
Total 64,279 7,002 121,040 7,349 60,609 5,454

Data from these tables are summarized in the figures below.

This figure shows estimated catch (retained plus discarded) by fleet,
zone (Mexico or US waters), and species group for the years 2019 to
2021. The Tuna species group accounted for the most catch at 87%. The
CPFV fleet in Mexico waters accounted for 53% of catch followed by the
CPFV fleet in US waters at 25%.

Total recreational catch (retained plus discarded) by sector and zone.

Total recreational catch (retained plus discarded) by sector and zone.

This figure shows catch by species (retained plus discarded) aggregated
by fleet and zone, 2019 – 2021.

Total catch (retained plus discarded) by species.

Total catch (retained plus discarded) by species.