HMS recreational fisheries description and recent catch and effort

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.

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.

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.

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

Total catch (retained plus discarded) by species.