Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 10

• Previous page
• Table of contents
• Next page

Existing Protection or Other Status

International

Beginning in 1928 until collapse, California primarily regulated their fishery by season limits. Some regulations consisted of net and mesh size limits. Considerable controversy revolved about the quantities of sardines which were reduced to oil and meal versus the amount canned for human consumption (Ahlstrom and Radovich 1970; Culley 1971). A permit system was introduced to limit the quantities reduced but this system was circumvented, such as through reduction ships operating outside the three-mile territorial limit. Quotas were suggested, beginning in about 1931, but met limited success (Radovich 1982). In 1967, the California Legislature imposed a moratorium on landings of Pacific sardines for any purpose, including bait. It was recommended that fishing be suspended until the stocks rebuilt to at least 20 000 tons. In 1986, the state lifted its 18-year moratorium on sardine harvest based on evidence that the spawning biomass exceeded 20,000 tons. An annual directed quota of 1,000 tons was established from 1986-1990, increasing to 12,000 tons in 1991 and to 20,500 tons in 1992. Subsequently, quotas have increased as the stock continues to grow at a rapid rate. The US quota is restricted to a maximum 15% harvest rate as long as the biomass exceeds 150,000 tonnes. The harvest rate is constrained between 5-15% based on a three-year running mean water temperature that reflects recent stock productivity.

National

In British Columbia there was no restriction on the quantities of sardines that could be used for reduction. The fishery was seasonal and variable, and minor regulations were imposed from time to time on size and mesh of purse seine gear and season of fishing (Ahlstrom and Radovich 1970). The recent re-appearance of sardines in Canadian waters has resulted in renewed interest in harvest, primarily as food and bait. An experimental fishery has been in operation since 1997, with seven licensees participating. The experimental nature of the fishery has restricted the harvest to 1600 tons in 2001, with substantial interest in expanding the fishery in the future. The quota proposed for the fishery in British Columbia in 2002 is based on the current United States harvest rate of 15% and the coastwide biomass estimated to be in Canadian waters. The result would be a harvest of approximately 1-2% of the total Pacific population (assuming 10% of the population migrates into Canada and the harvest rate is 15%; see Schweigert and McFarlane, 2001). The Canadian assessment and quota is based on the US sardine assessment which samples and surveys the major spawning areas off California. Canada currently and historically provided catch and sampling data from British Columbia as part of a coastwide sardine database.

The current status of the Pacific sardine in British Columbia is listed by COSEWIC as vulnerable or a species of special concern, based on a previous review prior to population recovery (Schweigert 1988).