STAR Panel Advisors

Blackgill rockfish is a slope species that has been subjected to a targeted fishery since the late 1970s. Although the distribution of blackgill extends to Canadian waters in the north and Mexican waters in the south, the assessment is limited to the Conception and Monterey areas, since the species becomes exceedingly rare north of Cape Mendocino, CA, and data from Mexican waters are unavailable. The assessment models the species as a single stock since there is currently no genetic information to suggest the presence of multiple stocks in the assessed area, and there is some evidence for other rockfish species that multiple stock structuring is more likely for shelf rather than slope species. The Panel operated under the Pacific Fishery Management Council’s (PFMC) Terms o