Posted by on July 07, 2004 at 17:52:47:
Department of Fish and Game
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 04:061 July 6, 2004
Contacts:
Carrie Wilson, (831) 649-7191
Deb Wilson-Vandenberg,(831)-649-2892, DFG Marine Region
DFG Schedules Sheephead Stock Assessment Review Meeting
The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has scheduled an independent peer review meeting of the first California sheephead stock assessment. The meeting is set for July 8-9 at the NOAA Fisheries Laboratory in Santa Cruz.
The peer review will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday July 8, and will last through Friday. The NOAA Fisheries Laboratory, Southwest Fisheries Science Center is located at 110 Shaffer Road in Santa Cruz. Opportunities for public comment will be provided on both days.
California sheephead is an important component of the nearshore live fishery and the recreational fishery in the southern part of the state. A team of scientists including University of California at Santa Cruz researchers and DFG staff conducted the assessment.
Review panel members were selected as recognized authorities in quantitative science, and they are independent from the DFG or the assessment team. The completed stock assessment will improve our understanding of the status of the sheephead stocks that support California’s fisheries.
The results of the review will be used by the DFG to formulate management recommendations for the fishery, under provisions of the California Nearshore Management Plan (NFMP). This is the first nearshore species under sole California jurisdiction to be assessed, and it will be the first assessment review to be conducted in accordance with the NFMP and Marine Life Management Act.