Vol 23 Bailey Etal
Vol 23 Bailey Etal
Vol 23 Bailey Etal
resume en relaci6n con la abundancia de las existen- system is composed of (1) an equatorward surface
cias, variaciones en el reclutamiento y la mortalidad. flow-the California Current; (2) a seasonally occur-
Se presenta ademis una shtesis de las pesquerias, su ring poleward surface current identified as the David-
desarrollo y administracibn. son Current north of Pt. Conception, and as the
California Countercurrent in southern California; and
INTRODUCTION (3) a poleward subsurface flow-the California Un-
Commercially and ecologically the Pacific whiting dercurrent. Numerous gyres, including the Southern
(also called Pacific hake), Merluccius productus, is California Eddy, are semipermanent features of the
one of the most important fish species on the west California Current system. The individual currents are
coast of North America. It supports a large commer- briefly discussed below; a more detailed review can be
cial fishery that has been dominated by foreign na- found in Hickey (1979).
tions. In recent years, however, a U.S. fishery has The flow of the California Current is driven by
developed through ventures with foreign nations. Be- winds and is slow, broad, and shallow. Water of the
sides being an important resource to man, whiting is California Current is subarctic in physical and chemi-
an important trophic link in the California Current cal properties at high latitudes, characterized by low
ecosystem. As a large predator, whiting interacts with salinity and temperature. As the water flows south-
other fish and shellfish populations, notably the com- ward, it becomes more intermediate in nature through
mercially important stocks of Pacific herring, Clupea mixing with the high-salinity and high-temperature
harengus pallasi; northern anchovy, Engraulis mor- water of the North Pacific Current and the Central
dux; and shrimp. Whiting is also important as prey in Pacific water mass. Eventually, California Current
the diets of marine mammals itnd large fishes. water becomes semitropical off southern Mexico after
The objective of this synopsis is to synthesize avail- mixing with equatorial water.
able information on the biology and fishery of the The Davidson Current is the surface poleward flow
'Current address: College of Fisheries, University of Washungton, Sea&, WA 98195
north of Pt. Conception that develops in winter. The
[Manuscrip received January 1 1 , 1982.1 Davidson Current appears in October off Vancouver
81
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
Island and develops later farther south. It exists off the spawn in winter off the coasts of southern California
Oregon-Washington coast from October until Feb- and Baja California. In spring and summer, large fish
ruary and off the California coast from November until migrate northwards as far as central Vancouver Island,
January. and juveniles remain off the Californias. The migra-
The California Undercurrent is a northward flow of tion of whiting is outlined in Figure 1 and is described
high-salinity , high-temperature water occurring sea- in detail below.
ward of the continental shelf and below the main pyc-
Spawning
nocline. Wooster and Jones (1970) reported that the
Spawning schools of Pacific whiting have been dif-
undercurrent was found 75 km offshore of Cab0 Col-
ficult to locate. Nelson and Larkins (1970), Tillman
nett, Baja California, and was centered at 200-500-m (1968), Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 1964l, Erich
depth off the Oregon-Washington coast. A poleward
et al. (1980), and StepanenkoZ report spawning
undercurrent develops over the continental shelf in late schools off southern California in midwater at depths
summer and early fall (Hickey 1979).
of 130-500 m and over bottom depths corresponding
LIFE HISTORY to those of the continental slope. (Spawned at these
depths, eggs float upwards to the base of the mixed
Stocks and Distribution layer.) Ermakov (1974) also reports spawning over
Stocks. At least four distinct stocks of Pacific whit- the continental slope. However, Erich et al. (1980)
ing may exist. These include (1) a coastal stock rang- report a spawning school some 400 km seaward in the
ing from Canada to Baja California, (2) a Puget Sound southern part of the Southern California Eddy, and
stock, (3) a Strait of Georgia stock, and (4) a dwarf Stepanenko3 reports a spawning school about 300 km
stock found off Baja California. Two of the stocks, offshore in central California.
h g e t Sound and the coastal stock, have been iden- The distribution of eggs and small larvae (2-3 mm)
tified as genetically distinct spawning stocks (Utter indicates that whiting spawn from Cape Mendocino to
and Hodgins 1971). southern Baja California. Almost all eggs and larvae
The separate identities of the dwarf and coastal are located over water depths corresponding to depths
stocks are at present controversial. Ahlstrom and of the continental slope, except in the Southern
Counts (1955) examined larvae found off Baja California Eddy, where eggs and larvae are often
California and were not able to distinguish two sepa- found over very deep water and far out to sea (400
rate stocks, thus supporting a concept of one spawning km). Bailey (1981a) postulated that whiting spawn in
stock. However, MacGregor (1971) and Vrooman and the California Undercurrent, which usually occurs
Paloma (1977) discussed several differences in adult over the continetal slope at depths of 200-400 m, but
dwarf whiting found off Baja California compared spreads seaward some 200-400 km in the Southern
with the adult coastal whiting found farther north. California Eddy and some other locations where ed-
Dwarf whiting grow slower from age one onwards, dies occur. Large concentrations of eggs and larvae
mature earlier, and have several different morphomet- are found overlying areas of northward geostrophic
ric and meristic characteristics compared with the flow at 200-m depth (Figure 2).
coastal whiting. Vrooman and Paloma ( 1977) believed Variation may exist in the latitudinal distribution of
that these differences indicate separate stocks. How- spawning. The location of the apparent northern front
ever, the differences may not be genetic, and are not of spawning is correlated to the sea surface tempera-
inconsistent with changes caused by environmental ture (Table 1). Assuming that temperatues at the sea
effects in the different habitats. surface are correlated to those at the depth of spawn-
The remainder of this report deals with the coastal ing, this indicates that in warm years when subtropical
stock, which is the most abundant and commercially water is farther north, spawning occurs at higher
important. latitudes. Alternatively, larvae may be transported by
Distribution. As indicated previously, Pacific a northward flow.
whiting are found within the coastal region of the IBureau of Commercial Fisheries. 1964. Cruise report: exploratory cruise No. 64.
California Current system. Normally whiting are not Unpubl. manuscr. Northwest and Alaska Fish. Cent., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., NOAA,
caught seaward of the continental slope, although 2725 Montlake Blvd. E . , Seattle, WA 98112.
2Stepanenko, M.A. 1978. m e patterns of the abundance of the California anchovy
there are occasional reports of whiting eggs and larvae and Pacific hake, and estimation of their biomass, 1976-1977. Unpubl. manuscr.
(as well as of juveniles and adults) far seaward of the Pacific Scientific Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (TINRO),
Vladivostok, USSR.
slope (Frey 1971). The latitudinal distribution of 3Stepanenko, M.A. 1980. Reproductive condition and assessment of the spawning
whiting varies seasonally. In autumn adult whiting stocks of Pacific hake, California anchovy, horse mackerel, and some other fish
species in the California Current zone in 1979. Unpubl. manuscr. Pacific Scientific
make an annual migration from the summertime Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (TINRO), Vladivostok,
feeding grounds off the Pacific Northwest coast to USSR.
82
BAILEY ET AL.:PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
w JY
PACIFIC WHITING h
51 30N
MIGRATION BEHAVIOR CANADA
I ‘
Cape Flattery \
.-::..
By JulyIAugust WASHINGTON
4 1 30N
moving to outer Destruction Island
continental shelf
Heceta Bank
OREGON
43 30N
- -----_ _
39 30N
CALIFORNIA
WINTER
Migrating offshore over slope
in California current (south)
4
\ 35 30N
31 30N
Ea Spawning
Feeding
83
BADLEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
JANUARY
1950-65 MEAN
CAPE
GEOSTROPHIC FLOW AT 200m DEPTH
ME NDOCINO ( TOPOGRAPHY OF THE 2 0 0 OEClOAR SURFACE,
IN D Y N A M I C M E T E R S , R E L A T I V E TO T H E 500-
O E C I B A R SURFACE 1
40 0''
42
*
\
I
SAN
FRANCISCO
I
I
I
I
I
44
\, .:*
46 Y
\ A42 \
\ \
4? ..t3
\
\ \
- 4s , %. . \
50.
-a
\ \ \ a
\
\ \
I
I
I
Y I I
r.50 / I
/ I
... '
-
,40
/ /
0
/
. /
f
I..
-
.
,& /e*-
/ A - \
,/.
-
I
/ \
MEAN 200/500 db
JANUARY
Figure 2. Large catches of Pacific whiting eggs and larvae (all size classes) in January surveys, 1950-79, plotted on a chart showing geostropic flow at 200-m depth
(from Wyllie 1967).
84
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
TABLE 1 180-
The Northward Extent of 2-3-mm Standard Length Whiting u)
z
Larvae' during January Surveys, Compared to the Average 160-
January 50-Meter Temperature in the Los Angeles Bight U
I-
u)
Temperature Distance cI 140-
Year "C Rank Line Rank wa
1963 12.0 9 87 8.5 30 120-
1964 13.2 4 76 4
1965 12.4 7 80 6 ?
1966 13.5 3 70 2.5 y 100-
5
1968 12.8 5 70 2.5 a
U
1969 13.6 2 80 6 -I 80.
1972 12.2 8 87 8.5 u.
0
1975 12.6 6 80 6
1978 13.9 1 63 1
*Measured by the northernmost CalCOFI line where larvae occurred in
numbers greater than 100 larvae/lO mz.
Smaller line numbers are farther north. Temperature and northward extent
of larvae are significantly correlated using a Spearman rank correlation
statistic (P<.Ol).
b
Larvae of all size classes occur in significant num- FEE IWRCH RPRIL
I
M Y .&
bers in the water from December to May (Stauffer and MONTH
Smith 1977), but some 80% of eggs and small larvae Figure 3. The average monthly number of small whiting larvae per occupied
are found in two months, January and February (Fig- station in the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigationssurvey
region, lines €0-120, Over the years 1963-79. Small larvae are 2-3 mmSL.
ure 3), which indicates a sharp peak in spawning.
Most Soviet reports also indicate that January and Early Life History
February are the primary spawning months, but some- Egg stage. Ahlstrom and Counts (1955) described
times heavy spawning is reported in March. Spawning the eggs of Pacific whiting. They are smooth spheres,
is generally completed by late March; in several con- have a single oil droplet, and are 1.14-1.26 mm in
secutive years Ermakov (1974) observed schools of diameter (after accounting for 7% shrinkage caused by
postspawning whiting off northern California by early preservation in Formalin). Egg hatching is tempera-
March. ture dependent (Bailey, in press; Zweifel and Lasker
Pacific whiting females mature and spawn at 3 to 4 1976). Whiting eggs may be expected to hatch in
years of age and at lengths of 34-40 cm (Best 1963; 100-120 hr at temperatures found at their habitat depth
MacGregor 1966, 1971; Ermakov 1974). MacGregor on the spawning grounds, where temperatures range
(1971) found some males maturing at 28 cm. Spawn- from 11" to 14°C.
ing whiting do not appear to migrate vertically, and In a laboratory setting, predators capable of eating
bilayered schools have been observed on sonar traces. whiting eggs are numerous and include, among others,
(R. McNeely, Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center, medusae, ctenophores, and amphipods (Bailey and
Seattle, WA 98112, pers. comm.; J. Mason, Pacific Yen, in press). Whiting eggs may be somewhat re-
Biological Station, Nanaimo, B.C., pers. comm.). sistant to tactile and small invertebrate predators be-
Several modes of eggs appear in whiting ovaries cause they are motionless and have a very hard cuticle.
(MacGregor 1966; Ermakov et al.4). MacGregor Fish predation may also be heavy: Ermakov and Khar-
suggests that only one mode develops, because of the chenkd report finding the stomachs of threadfin bass,
poor condition of the females, but he did not examine Anthias gordensis, full of whiting eggs off Baja
the ovaries histologically, Foucher and Beamish California. Northern anchovy could also be feeding on
(1977) reported that only one mode of eggs develops whiting eggs, for they consume considerable numbers
in the Strait of Georgia whiting stock. Ovaries average of their own eggs (Hunter and Kimbrell 1980) and are
about 8% of the body weight of spawning females. believed to feed at depths where whiting eggs occur
Ripe ovaries contain 80-600 advanced-mode eggs per (Holliday and Larsen 1979).
gram of ovary wet weight (MacGregor 1966). An Larval stage. Ahlstrom and Counts (1955) de-
equation relating total fecundity to length of the fe- scribed the larvae of Pacific whiting. They are distin-
male is E = 0.00142*L3 (MacGregor 1966). guished by a pigment band around the tail, pigment
4Emakov, Y,,V. Snytko, L. Kodolov, I. Serobaba, L. Borets, and N. Fadeev. (Date
5Ermakov, Y., and A.M. Kharchenko. 1976. Biological characteristics of Pacific
unknown). Biological characteristics and the condition of stocks of Pacific hake,
hake and the estimation of its abundance in 1975. Unpubl. manuscr. Pacific Scientific
rockfish, blackcod, and pollock in 1972. Unpubl. manuscr. Pacific Scientific Re-
Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (TlNRO), Vladivostok,
search Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (TINRO), Vladivostok,
USSR.
USSR.
85
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
TABLE 3
Average Trawl Catches (Pound per Hour) of Pacific Whiting by Month and Year
86
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
Figure 4. Stages of Pacific whiting larvae (from Ahlstrom and Counts 1955).
87
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
Month
Vancouver-Columbia Area by Month, 1973-76
88
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFl Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
TABLE 5
Dark (1975)
Male 56.29 0.39 0.20
Female 61.23 0.30 0.01
Male, female combined 60.85 0.30 0.03
Francis (1982)
cl Male, female combined 55.40 0.26 - 1.61
cl
89
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFl Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
TABLE 7
The Percent Occurrence of Food Types in the Diet of Pacific Whiting Determined by Soviet Scientists.
Washington-Oregon California
Month Month
Food type 5 6 9 10 3 4 6 5 11
Euphausiids 81.6 99.6 40.2 1.2 83.3 83.1 99.8 84.0 93.5
Shrimp 4.9 0.4 1.3 17.3 - - - - 15.2
Squid - - - 1.3 - - - - -
Fish 14.3 -
12.4 37.7 5.6 0.9 1.4 1.4 10.9
*Ermakov, Y., and A.M. Kharchenko. 1976. Biological characteristics of Pacific hake and the estimation of its abundance in 1975. Unpubl. manuscr. Pacific
Scientific Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (TINRO), Vladivostok, USSR.
TABLE 8
The Percent by Weight of Food Types in the Diet of Pacific
Whiting Determined by Polish Scientists* in Summer 1979
Region
Food type Eureka Columbia Vancouver
Euphausiids 94.2 94.0 85.6
Juv. rockfish 1 .o 1.6 -
Pacific hemng - - 5.9
Juv. Pacific herring - - 6.6
Osmerids - 0.4 -
Pacific whiting 0.5 - -
Sablefish - 2.0 0.1
Flatfish - 0.4 -
L
30
I
40
,
50 GO
I 1
70
1
80
1
90 100 I10
I
120 Squid 0.7 - -
Age l y r i Shrimp - 1.6 -
Figure 8. The annual growth in weight of Pacific whiting (from Dark 1975, solid Other fish 3.2 - 1.7
lines) compared to seasonal estimates of growth by age dass (from Francis, Other 0.4 - 0.1
unpubl. manuscr., dotted lines).
*Jackowski, E. 1980. Biological characteristics of Pacific whiting from
Polish surveys of the west coast of the U.S.A. and Canada in 1979.
also found that to accurately represent the seasonal Unpubl. manuscr., presented at :he U.S.-Poland bilateral meetings, 1980.
dynamics of growth a separate weight-length equation
was needed for each age. Figure 8 gives a comparison in frequency of occurrence in the diet in autumn com-
of the weight-age relationships arrived at by Dark pared to summer (Table 7). Shrimp and fish some-
(1975) for 1964-69 and Francis (1982) for 1976-80. times occur frequently. Jackowskiy found that in
Feeding. The feeding behavior of Pacific whiting summer off Vancouver Island, Pacific herring were
has been studied by several investigators, but a com- important in the diet of whiting (Table 8); and in
prehensive seasonal and geographic examination of northern California waters where adult and juvenile
feeding is lacking. distributions overlap, cannibalism is often observed
Adult whiting probably do not feed on the spawning (T. Dark, pers. comm.).
grounds (Tillman 1968) but begin to feed “raven- Livingston (“The Feeding Biology of Pacific
ously” during the postspawning migration north (Er- Whiting, in review) found that Pacific herring were
”
makov 1974). In summer, whiting are observed to an important component in the diet of whiting off
feed at night towards the surface (Alton and Nelson Oregon-Washington in 1980, composing almost 70%
1970); however, if patches of prey are abundant near of the diet (by weight) of whiting greater than 55 cm,
bottom, whiting may remain there at night to feed and 50% of the diet of whiting less than 55 cm. Alton
(Ermakov 1974). and Nelson (1970) found that in the spring and sum-
There are apparent geographic, seasonal, annual, mer of 1965 and 1966, euphausiids, mostly
and size-specific differences in feeding behavior. The Thysanoessa spinifera, composed 57% of the biomass
most frequently occurring prey items in the summer of whiting stomach contents. Fish, mostly deepsea
diet are euphausiids and Pacific sand lance, Ammo- smelts or Osmeridae spp., composed another 34% of
dytes hexapterus, off Vancouver Island (Outram and stomach contents.
Haegele 1972) and euphausiids and shrimps from Gotshall’s ( 1969a) study demonstrated considerable
California to Washington (Alton and Nelson 1970; seasonality in the diet of whiting off northern Califor-
Gotshall 1969a). Ermakov and Kharchenko8 found nia. Crustaceans, which are the major food in spring
that off Washington and Oregon euphausiids decrease
’Jackowski, E. 1980. Biological characteristics of Pacific whiting from Polish sur-
veys of the west coast of the U.S.A. and Canada in 1979. Unpubl. manuscr., pre- ’
8See footnote 5 on page 8 5 . sented at the U.S.-Poland bilateral meetings. 1980.
90
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
40 ,
t M l S C INVERTEBRATES
I
r0
t-
‘01
1964
v)
80 \ 1965
- a
CRAB
40
5 0 1966
Y -
FISH
/A-
#I’
I
cn
IO- 20- 30- 40- 50- 6 0 - 70-
19 29 39 49 59 69 89
801
EUPHAUSIIDS LENGTH
a 4G
Figure 11. The number of ocean shrimp per stomach of Pacific whiting off
- ~
1
Vancouver Island (data from Gotshall 1969b).
>
0
.40
8
3
01 0
w
cc
U 113
.20
r
c
0
42-51 52-61 62-71
LENGTH (CM)
Figure 10. Frequency of occurrence of prey types in different Pacific whiting Figure 12. Shrimp catches off the Oregon-Washington coast and catches Of
size classes off Vancouver Island (data from Outram and Haegele 1972). Pacific whiting.
91
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
TABLE 9
Distribution of Pacific Whiting Biomass by INPFC Area from Three Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center Surveys
Monterey
and
Year Source Vancouver Columbia Eureka Conception Total
Metric tons
1975* Midwater 3,791 165,941 25,596 42,020 237,348
Percentage 2 70 11 18
Bonom 667 189,630 7,222 10,107 207,626
Percentage - 91 3 5
Total 4,458 355,571 32,818 52,127 444,974
Percentage 1 80 7 12
1977 Midwater 343,821 316,440 360,944 108,087 1,129,292
Percentage 30 28 32 10
Bottom 6,560 32,917 9,501 20,662 69,640
Percentage 9 47 14 26
Total 350,381 349,357 370,445 128,749 1,198,932
Percentage 29 29 31 11
1980 Midwater 322,335 260,476 182,783 578,841 1,344,435
Percentage 24 19 14 43
Bottom 16,678 16,938 13,579 127,647 174,832
Percentage 10 10 8 73
Total 339,013 277,404 196,362 706,488 1,519,267
Percentage 22 18 13 47
*1975 areas do not correspond to 1977 and 1980 survey areas
Competitors. Competitors with Pacific whiting for lected from California sea lion scats at the Farallon
food resources are numerous. Among competitive Islands for 4 yrs, 1974-78, and describe the seasonal I
fishes are other Gadidae; flatfish, Pleuronectidae; and annual dynamics of sea lion feeding on Pacific
soles, Bothidae; smelts, Osmeridae; Cottidae; Pacific whiting. Sea lions fed most heavily on whiting,
herring; albacore, Thunnus alalunga; Hexagram- primarily juveniles, in spring and summer and may
midae; lingcod, Ophiodon elongatus; Myctophidae; consume about 185 thousand tons each year.
rockfish, Scorpaenidae; sablefish, Anoplopoma fim-
bria; and Salmonidae. Numerous marine mammals POPULATION DYNAMICS
may also be competitors, including the rough-toothed
Size of Stocks
dolphin, Steno bredanensis; gray whale, Eschrichtius
The abundance of the Pacific whiting stock has been
robustus; minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata;
assessed from trawl-hydroacoustic surveys. In 1980
Bryde's whale, B . edeni; sei whale, B . borealis; fin
the abundance of whiting from central California to
whale, B. physa1us;blue whale, B . musculus; hump-
southern Vancouver Island over the continental shelf
back whale, Megaptera novaeangliae; and right
was estimated by scientists of the Northwest and
whale, Balaena glacialis (Fiscus 1979).
Alaska Fisheries Center to be 1.52 million metric tons
Predators. Predators of Pacific whiting reported in
the literature include the great white shark, Carcharo- (MT). Most of this biomass was composed of
juveniles off the coast of central California. From
don carcharias; soupfin shark, Galeorhinus zyop-
similar surveys in 1975 and 1977, the stock biomass
terus; Pacific electric ray, Tetranarce californica;
was estimated at 0.44 million and 1.20 million MT
bonito, Sarda chiliensis; albacore; bluefin tuna, Thun-
(Table 9). Based on earlier surveys by the U . S .
nus thynnus; rockfish; sablefish; lingcod; dogfish,
Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, Alverson (cited in
Squalus acanthias; and arrowtooth flounder,
Atheresthes stomias (Best 1963; Nelson and Larkins
Tillman 1968) calculated about 0.68 million MT of
whiting. Estimates of whiting abundance based on
1970; Pinkas et al. 1971). Marine mammals that feed
hydroacoustic methods (Kramer and Smith 1970; Dark
on whiting include the California sea lion, Zalophus
et al. 1980), however, have limitations. Critical prob-
californianus; northern elephant seal, Mirounga an-
lems include (1) the difficulty in calibrating target
gustirostris; Pacific whiteside dolphin, Lagenorhyn-
chus obliquidens; killer whale, Oreinus orca; Dall strength, (2) the failure to identify species by acoustic
porpoise, Phocoenoides dalli; sperm whale, Physeter signals, and (3) the detection of whiting near the
macrocephalus; northern sea lion, Eumetopias bottom (Thorne'O). Regardless of these problems,
jubatus; and northern fur seal, Callorhinus ursinus
"'Thome, R.E. Assessment of population abundance by echo integration. SCOR,
(Fiscus 1979). Working Group No. 52. Symposium on assessment of micronekton, April 27-30,
Bailey and Ainley (1982) analyzed otoliths col- 1980.
92
BAILEY ET AL.:PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
93
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
+ Mortality
20 - Estimates of annual instantaneous natural mortality
i
t + rates range widely. These estimates, as well as several
estimates for fishing and total mortality rates are pre-
sented in Table 10. A cohort analysis performed by
Francis (1982) on the 1973-80 catch-by-age data gives
estimates of age-specific fishery mortality (catcha-
bility) as well as recruitment of the exploited stock at
age 3.
important in cold years when development is slow
through the stages most vulnerable to predation. TABLE 10
Oceanographic conditions appear to play a major Estimates of Annual Instantaneous Mortality Rates
role in the recruitment of Pacific whiting (Bailey 198 1 of Pacific Whiting
a,b). The offshore distance of larvae is apparently Investigators Males Females Both Sexes
positively correlated to indices of wind-driven Ekman M : natural mortality
transport (Figure 14). Although there is a good deal of Tillman (1968) 0.72 0.62 x=0.67
variability in this relationship, it is statistically sig- Nelson and Larkins (1970) OS6
Efimov (1974)' 0.3.5
nificant and indicates that larvae may be transported PFMC2 0.30-0.60
offshore in years of high npwelling. Since the juvenile Jackowski (1980)3 0.30
nursery is inshore over the continental shelf, advection Ehrich, et al. (1980) 0.56
Low (1978)4 0.50
Francis (in prep.) 0.19-0.86
2.5 Y = 1,449 - 0,020X (R = -0.74;P < 0.001) (variable
age-
specific
x
a 1961 natural
;2.0 mortality)
-
z F: fishing mortality
Efimov ( 1974)' 0.30
co Ehrich, et al. (1980) 0.67
cn
'= Z: total mortality
1.5 Efimov ( 1974)l 0.65
a Ehrich et al. (1980) 1.23
'Efimov Y . N . 1974. The size of stocks and status of fishery of Pacific
hake. Unpubl. manuscr. Pacific Scientific Research Institute of Marine
I A Fisheries and Oceanography (TINRO), Vladivostok, USSR.
*Pacific Fishery Management Council. 1980. Pacific coast groundfish
plan. Draft report. Pacific Fishery Management Council, 526 S.W. Mill
St., Portland, OR 97201,
0.5 L--' 3Jackowski, E. 1980. Biological characteristics of Pacific whiting from
-30 -20 -10 0 30 20 30 Polish surveys of the west coast of the U.S.A. and Canada in 1979.
Unpubl. manuscr., presented at the U.S.-Poland bilateral meetings, 1980.
UPWELLING INDEX 4Low, L.L. 1978. Hake natural mortality and yield potential. Unpubl.
Figure 15. Log of the year-class index against the January upwelling index manuscr. Northwest and Alaska Fish. Cent. Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv.
(from Bailey 1981a,b). NOAA, 272.5 Montlake Blvd. E., Seattle, WA 98112.
94
BAILLY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOl-1 Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
Dynamics of the Population 1879 (Jow 1973). This fishery has been rather insig-
Over the past 200 years the Pacific whiting popula- nificant, with catches in the range of 200-500 MT/yr.
tion has experienced some major changes in abun- However, in recent years the domestic fishery has be-
dance (Soutar and Isaacs 1974).Based on an analysis come important: U.S.-foreign joint-venture fishing
of fish scales deposited in sediments, at the turn of the caught 9 thousand MT and 28 thousand MT in 1979
last century the population was almost an order of and 1980, respectively.
magnitude larger than recent abundance levels. These Historical effort statistics for the fishery, excluding
changes in abundance have been correlated to changes Canadian waters, were calculated from weekly aerial
in abundance of the northern anchovy (Soutar and surveillance data from the NMFS Enforcement Divi-
Isaacs 1974) and are inversely correlated to offshore sion (supplied by Bill Dickenson, NMFS, Northwest
Ekman transport (Bailey 1981a,b). Regional Office, Seattle, WA). Effort for two classes
Several mathematical models have been constructed of vessels-large Soviet BMRT stem trawlers and
that simulate changes in the whiting population. These smaller Soviet SRT side trawlers (see “Technical As-
include models by Francis (1982), Francis et al. pects ” below)-were calculated in vessel-days on the
(1982), Bernard (Oregon State University, Newport, fishing grounds. Effort by the SRT trawlers was
OR), Stevens and Goodman (Scripps Institution of greatest in 1966 and declined steadily (Table 12).
Oceanography, La Jolla, CA), Tillman (1968), and Effort by the BMRT trawlers was greatest in 1975
Riffenburgh (1969). and 1976.
To obtain a rough estimate of overall catch per unit
THE PACIFIC WHITING FISHERY of effort (CPUE) for the foreign fishery in U.S. wat-
ers, SRT effort was converted to effective BMRT ef-
Historical Catches and Effort
fort by assuming a relative fishing power of
Pacific whiting has been the target of a large foreign
P ~ R T= 0.3 1 from the ratio of average horsepower of
fishery off the west coast of the United States and
SRT vessels to BMRT vessels (1 150 HP).
Canada (Table 11). A Soviet fishery for whiting began
Catchhtandard BMRT day indicates that the highest
in 1966 with a catch of 137 thousand MT. From
rates occured in 1967 and from 1977 to 1980. Since
1973-76 Poland, West Germany, East Germany, and
the latter period coincides conspicuously with passage
Bulgaria joined fishing operations for Pacific whiting.
of the Magnuson Fishery Conservation Management
Reported catches peaked in 1976 at 237 thousand MT.
Act of 1976 (MFCMA) and the onset of intense ob-
The average annual all-nation reported catch from server coverage, these statistics indicate that actual
1966 to 1980 was 162 thousand MT. (These catches
catches were possibly underreported from 1968 to
were compiled from data at the Northwest and Alaska
1976.
Fisheries Center.)
A small domestic fishery for whiting, used in the
manufacture of pet food, has existed since at least TABLE 12
Historcial Effort Statistics for the U.S.S.R.-Poland Foreign
Pacific Whiting Fishery (Solely) in U.S. Waters
TABLE 11 ~ ~ ~~
95
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
-
banks, sharp “curves” in the continental slope, and
levels of spawning stock depends on successful re-
canyons. Especially productive grounds are found
near the Heceta Banks, Yaquina Head, Cape Flattery,
Cape Blanco, and Destruction Island. Most fish are
caught in depths of 100-199 m (Table 13).
Ln 1 50
Management
Prior to implementation of the MFCMA in 1977,
the foreign fishery was managed by bilateral agree-
ment. Since 1977 management has been directed by a
Preliminary Management Plan (PMP)IS for groundfish
prepared by the Department of Commerce. Sub-
sequently, the Pacific Fishery Management Council 0
has prepared a fisheries management plan (FMP) for 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 1 1 2
groundfish, including whiting, which is currently MONTH
‘sPacific Fishery Management Council. 1980. Pacific coast groundfish plan. Draft Figure 16. The average monthly number of foreign vessels fishing Pacific
report. Pacific Fishery Management Council, 526 S.W. Mill St., Portland, OR whiting sighted in aerial surveys, 1967-72 (squares) and the average per-
97201. centage of the catch in 3-m0 periods for the same years.
96
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
cruitment from fewer age classes (Smith 1978); and A 1951-66 Y = 0,23X - 4.80 (R = .63; P < ,01)
(3) changes the distribution of spawning if the popula- 1967-75 Y = 0.1OX - 1.42 (R = ,84; P < ,O1)
tion stratifies by size or age on the spawning ground.
The spawning potential of the whiting population
loa
has had no discernible effect on recruitment from -
c
1960-75 (Bailey 1981a,b), partly because of the m
C
97
BAILEY ET AL.: PACIFIC WHITING LIFE HISTORY AND FISHERY
CalCOFI Rep., Vol. XXIII, 1982
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98