Oregon coastal juvenile rockfish study

Document contains pagination errors."Several species of rockfish inhabit the nearshore ocean off Oregon and contribute significantly to the recreational fishery with black rockfish (Sebastes melanops) being most important. Nearshore rockfish populations are coming under increased fishing pressure with relatively little assessment due to the difficulty and expense of such an undertaking. The need to monitor these populations over time is essential for proper management. A pilot project was undertaken to deteimine the feasibility of developing such a recruitment index. The long-term goal was to collect juvenile rockfish numbers for a minimum of five years to establish a time series and use this information to predict stock strength. Nearshore rocky intertidal sites which corresponded to the estuarine sites were also sampled in order to determine whether estuarine abundances accurately reflected rockfish numbers in the nearshore ocean." (From Introduction