International Pacific Halibut Commission: Technical Report No. 45. A Study of theDynamics of a Small Fishing Ground in British Columbia

摘要

In 1988, The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) conducted a study ofthe dynamics of the commercial halibut fishery on a small fishing ground in the northern portion of Area 2B. The effects of continuous fishing on the abundance of halibut within a small area was examined. In two research trips to the survey grounds, fishing for a combined total of 21 days, 2,652 halibut were tagged and released. Halibut catch varied with time but no trend was observed. In contrast, dogfish catches decreased markedly over time. By the end of 1997 nearly half of the tags were recovered, indicating a high exploitation rate on the grounds. Very little movement out of the study area was seen with nearly 90% of tags recovered on or adjacent to the release area. A subsample of the tagged fish were sexed at release. A near equal number of females and males were released as well as recovered. Legal-sized tagged fish were recovered at a higher rate than sublegal-sized fish, suggesting size selectivity occurred in the recoveries.