A Profile of the Hook and Line Fishery for California Halibut in Monterey Bay, California - Oceana USA

Report | April, 2012

A Profile of the Hook and Line Fishery for California Halibut in Monterey Bay, California

 

In 2011, Oceana partnered with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and local fishermen on a collaborative research project to help characterize a poorly understood small scale fishery for California halibut using troll-based hook and line techniques. Other methods used in California to catch halibut include set gillnets and bottom trawls, both of which have concerning levels of bycatch and/or damage to seafloor habitats.  

The goal of this study was to examine the levels of bycatch in the hook and line fishery and determine whether it is an economically viable fishery that could be promoted as an alternative means to catch California halibut with less ecological impact than trawls or gillnets.