Puget Sound rockfish conservation plan

To ensure healthy stocks of rockfish populations in Puget Sound, WDFW has developed a draft Puget Sound Rockfish Conservation Plan, which is the preferred alternative among several presented in a draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The goal of the draft conservation plan is to restore and protect our natural heritage of Puget Sound rockfish populations. Increases in the abundance, distribution, diversity and productivity of rockfish will help restore the Puget Sound ecosystem, provide opportunities to view rockfish in the marine environment and, when, appropriate, provide sustainable fishing opportunities. The draft plan also offers a framework for state rockfish managers to follow in developing regulations, establishing priorities, and providing guidelines for the development of additional plans with tribal co-managers. One notable change in the new draft involves increasing the geographic scope of the conservation plan, said Burley. The original draft plan did not include marine waters stretching from the Sekiu River west to Cape Flattery in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The revised plan includes that portion, as well as the remainder of the Strait, the San Juan Islands and Puget Sound.