[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 77 (Thursday, April 23, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 18516-18542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9354]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Parts 223 and 224

[Docket No. 080229341-9330-02]
RIN 0648-XF89


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Proposed 
Endangered, Threatened, and Not Warranted Status for Distinct 
Population Segments of Rockfish in Puget Sound

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Proposed rule; 12-month petition finding; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the NMFS, have completed Endangered Species Act (ESA) 
status reviews for five species of rockfish (Sebastes spp.) occurring 
in Puget Sound, Washington, in response to a petition submitted by Mr. 
Sam Wright of Olympia, Washington, to list these species in Puget Sound 
as threatened or endangered species. We reviewed best available 
scientific and commercial information on the status of these five 
stocks and considered whether they are in danger of extinction 
throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges, or are likely 
to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a 
significant portion of their ranges. For bocaccio (S. paucispinis), we 
have determined that the members of this species in the Georgia Basin 
are a distinct population segment (DPS) and are endangered throughout 
all of their range. We propose to list this bocaccio DPS as endangered. 
We have determined that yelloweye rockfish (S. ruberrimus) and canary 
rockfish (S. pinniger) in the Georgia Basin are DPSs and are likely to 
become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all of their 
range. We propose to list the Georgia Basin DPSs of yelloweye and 
canary rockfish as threatened. We determined that populations of 
greenstriped rockfish (S. elongatus) and redstripe rockfish (S. 
proriger) occurring in Puget Sound Proper are DPSs but are not in 
danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their 
ranges or likely to become so in the foreseeable future. We find that 
listing the greenstriped rockfish Puget Sound Proper DPS and the 
redstripe rockfish Puget Sound Proper DPS is not warranted at this 
time.
    Any protective regulations determined to be necessary and

[[Page 18517]]

advisable for the conservation of threatened yelloweye and canary 
rockfish under ESA section 4(d) would be proposed in a subsequent 
Federal Register notice. We solicit information to inform these listing 
determinations and the development of proposed protective regulations 
and designation of critical habitat in the event these species are 
listed.

DATES: Comments on this proposal must be received by June 22, 2009. A 
public hearing will be held promptly if any person so requests by June 
8, 2009. Notice of the location and time of any such hearing will be 
published in the Federal Register not less than 15 days before the 
hearing is held.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Submit written comments to Chief, Protected 
Resources Division, Northwest Region, National Marine Fisheries 
Service, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232.
    INSTRUCTIONS: All comments received are a part of the public record 
and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without 
change. All Personal Identifying Information (for example, name, 
address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly 
accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information. We will accept anonymous 
comments (enter N/A in the required fields, if you wish to remain 
anonymous). Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in 
Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only. The 
rockfish petition, draft status report, and other reference materials 
regarding this determination can be obtained via the Internet at: 
http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/ or by submitting a request to the Assistant 
Regional Administrator, Protected Resources Division, Northwest Region, 
NMFS, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Eric Murray, NMFS, Northwest Region 
(503) 231-2378; or Dwayne Meadows, NMFS, Office of Protected Resources 
(301) 713-1401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On April 9, 2007, we received a petition from Mr. Sam Wright of 
Olympia, Washington, to list stocks of bocaccio, canary rockfish, 
yelloweye rockfish, greenstriped rockfish, and redstripe rockfish in 
Puget Sound as endangered or threatened species under the ESA and to 
designate critical habitat. We declined to initiate a review of the 
species' status under the ESA, finding that the petition failed to 
present substantial scientific or commercial information to suggest 
that the petitioned actions may be warranted (72 FR 56986; October 5, 
2007). On October 29, 2007, we received a letter from Sam Wright 
presenting information that was not included in the April 2007 
petition, and requesting that we reconsider our October 5, 2007, 
decision not to initiate a review of the species' status. We considered 
the supplemental information provided in the letter and the information 
submitted previously in the April 2007 petition as a new petition to 
list these species and to designate critical habitat. The supplemental 
information included additional details on the life histories of 
bocaccio and greenstriped rockfish supporting the case that individuals 
of these species occurring in Puget Sound may be unique. There was also 
additional information on recreational harvest indicating significant 
declines of rockfish abundance. On March 17, 2008, we provided notice 
of our determination that the petition presented substantial scientific 
information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted and 
requested information to assist with a status review to determine if 
these five species of rockfish in Puget Sound warranted listing under 
the ESA (73 FR 14195). Copies of the April and October 2007 petitions 
and our October 2007 and March 2008 petition findings are available 
from NMFS (see ADDRESSES, above).

ESA Statutory, Regulatory, and Policy Provisions

    The ESA defines species to include subspecies or a DPS of any 
vertebrate species which interbreeds when mature (16 U.S.C. 1532(16); 
50 CFR 424.02 (k)). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NMFS have 
adopted a joint policy describing what constitutes a DPS of a taxonomic 
species (61 FR 4722; February 7, 1996). The joint DPS policy identifies 
two criteria for making DPS determinations: (1) The population must be 
discrete in relation to the remainder of the taxon (species or 
subspecies) to which it belongs; and (2) the population must be 
significant to the remainder of the taxon to which it belongs.
    A population segment of a vertebrate species may be considered 
discrete if it satisfies either one of the following conditions: (1) 
``It is markedly separated from other populations of the same taxon as 
a consequence of physical, physiological, ecological, or behavioral 
factors. Quantitative measures of genetic or morphological 
discontinuity may provide evidence of this separation; or 
(2) ``it is delimited by international governmental boundaries within 
which differences in control of exploitation, management of habitat, 
conservation status, or regulatory mechanisms exist that are 
significant in light of section 4(a)(1)(D)'' of the ESA.
    If a population segment is found to be discrete under one or both 
of the above conditions, its biological and ecological significance to 
the taxon to which it belongs is evaluated. This consideration may 
include, but is not limited to: (1) ``persistence of the discrete 
population segment in an ecological setting unusual or unique for the 
taxon; (2) evidence that the loss of the discrete population segment 
would result in a significant gap in the range of a taxon; (3) evidence 
that the discrete population segment represents the only surviving 
natural occurrence of a taxon that may be more abundant elsewhere as an 
introduced population outside its historic range; and (4) evidence that 
the discrete population segment differs markedly from other populations 
of the species in its genetic characteristics.''
    The ESA defines an endangered species as one that is in danger of 
extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, and a 
threatened species as one that is likely to become an endangered 
species in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant 
portion of its range (16 U.S.C. 1532 (6) and (20)). The statute 
requires us to determine whether any species is endangered or 
threatened because of any of the following factors: the present or 
threatened destruction of its habitat, overexploitation, disease or 
predation, the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms, or any 
other natural or manmade factors (16 U.S.C. 1533). We are to make this 
determination based solely on the best available scientific information 
after conducting a review of the status of the species and taking into 
account any efforts being made by states or foreign governments to 
protect the species. The steps we follow in implementing this statutory 
scheme are to review the status of the species, analyze the threats 
facing the species, assess whether certain protective efforts mitigate 
these threats, and then make our best determination about the species' 
future persistence.

Status Review

    To assist in the status review, we formed a Biological Review Team 
(BRT) comprised of Federal scientists from our Northwest and Southwest 
Fisheries Science Centers. We also requested

[[Page 18518]]

technical information and comments from State and Tribal co-managers in 
Washington, as well as from scientists and individuals having research 
or management expertise pertaining to rockfishes in the Pacific 
Northwest. We asked the BRT to review the best available scientific and 
commercial information, including the technical information and 
comments from co-managers, scientists and others, first to determine 
whether the five species of rockfish warrant delineation into one or 
more DPSs, using the criteria in the joint DPS policy. We then asked 
the BRT to assess the level of extinction risk facing any DPSs they 
identified, describing their confidence that the species is at high 
risk, moderate risk, or not at risk of extinction. We described a 
species with high risk as one that is at or near a level of abundance, 
productivity, and/or spatial structure that places its persistence in 
question. We described a species at moderate risk as one that exhibits 
a trajectory indicating that it is more likely than not to be at a high 
level of extinction risk in the foreseeable future, with the 
appropriate time horizon depending on the nature of the threats facing 
the species. In evaluating the extinction risk, we asked the BRT to 
describe the threats facing the species, according to the statutory 
factors listed under section 4(a)(1) of the ESA.
    The BRT used structured decision making to guide its consideration 
of the questions presented. To allow for expressions of the level of 
uncertainty, the BRT adopted a ``likelihood point'' method. Each BRT 
member distributed 10 ``likelihood points'' among DPS scenarios and 
risk categories. This approach has been widely used by NMFS BRTs in 
previous DPS determinations (e.g., Pacific Salmon, Southern Resident 
Killer Whale). The BRT presented its findings in a draft status review 
report (hereafter ``draft status report'') for the five species of 
rockfish (Drake et al., 2008). Information from the draft status report 
and findings of the BRT inform our proposed determinations.

Distribution and Life-History Traits of Rockfishes

    Rockfishes are a diverse group of marine fishes (about 102 species 
worldwide and at least 72 species in the northeastern Pacific (Kendall, 
1991)) and as a group are among the most common of bottom and mid-water 
dwelling fish on the Pacific coast of North America (Love et al., 
2002). Adult rockfish can be the most abundant fish in various coastal 
benthic habitats, such as kelp forests, rocky reefs, and rocky outcrops 
in submarine canyons at depths greater than 300 m (980 feet) 
(Yoklavich, 1998). The life history of rockfishes is different than 
that of most other bony fishes. Whereas most bony fishes fertilize 
their eggs externally, fertilization and embryo development in 
rockfishes is internal, and female rockfish give birth to live larval 
young. Larvae are found in surface waters and may be distributed over a 
wide area extending several hundred miles offshore (Love et al., 2002). 
Larvae and small juvenile rockfish may remain in open waters for 
several months. The dispersal potential for larvae varies by species 
depending on the length of time larvae remain in the pelagic 
environment (i.e., ''pelagic larval duration'') and the fecundity of 
females (i.e., the more larval propagules a species produces, the 
greater the potential that some larvae will be transported long 
distances). Dispersal potential may also be influenced by the behavior 
of pre-settlement fish. For example, diel, tidal, or vertical migration 
can affect dispersal.
     Larval rockfish feed on diatoms, dinoflagellates, tintinnids, and 
cladocerans, and juveniles consume copepods and euphausiids of all life 
stages (Sumida and Moster, 1984). Survival and subsequent recruitment 
of young rockfishes exhibit considerable interannual variability 
(Ralston and Howard, 1995). Juveniles and subadults may be more common 
than adults in shallow water and are associated with rocky reefs, kelp 
canopies, and artificial structures such as piers and oil platforms 
(Love et al., 2002). Adults generally move into deeper water as they 
increase in size and age (Garrison and Miller, 1982; Love, 1996), and 
many species exhibit strong site fidelity to rocky bottoms and outcrops 
(Yoklavich et al., 2000).
    Adults eat bottom and mid-water dwelling invertebrates and small 
fishes, including other species of rockfish associated with kelp beds, 
rocky reefs, pinnacles, and sharp drop-offs (Love, 1996; Sumida and 
Moser, 1984). Many species of rockfishes are slow-growing, long-lived 
(50 140 years; Archibald et al., 1981), and late maturing (6 12 yrs; 
Wyllie-Echeverria, 1987).

Environmental History and Features of Puget Sound

    Puget Sound is a fjord-like estuary located in northwest Washington 
State and covers an area of about 2,330 km\2\ (900 sq miles), including 
4,000 km (2500 miles) of shoreline. Puget Sound is part of a larger 
inland system, the Georgia Basin, situated between southern Vancouver 
Island and the mainland coasts of Washington State and British 
Columbia. This extensive system is a series of interconnected basins 
separated by shallow sills. Puget Sound can be subdivided into five 
major basins: (1) North Puget Sound, (2) Main Basin, (3) Whidbey Basin, 
(4) South Puget Sound, and (5) Hood Canal. In this Notice, we use the 
term ``Puget Sound'' or ``greater Puget Sound'' to refer to these five 
basins. Each of the basins differs in features such as temperature 
regimes, water residence and circulation, biological conditions, depth 
profiles and contours, processes, species, and habitats (Drake et al., 
2008). We use the term ``Puget Sound Proper'' in this Notice to refer 
to all of these basins except North Puget Sound (Figure 1).

[[Page 18519]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP23AP09.000

    In the Puget Sound system, net seaward outflow in the upper portion 
of the water column is driven by winter rainfall and summer snowmelt, 
and net landward inflow of high salinity ocean water occurs in the 
deeper portion of the water column (Masson, 2002; Thomson, 1994). 
Shallow sills within Puget Sound substantially reduce the flushing rate 
of freshwater, sediments, nutrients, contaminants, and many organisms. 
Concentrations of nutrients (i.e., nitrates and phosphates) are 
consistently high throughout most of the greater Puget Sound, largely 
due to the flux of oceanic water into the basin (Harrison et al., 1994) 
and input of nutrients from freshwater runoff (Embrey and Inkpen, 
1998).
    Coastal areas within Puget Sound generally are characterized by 
high levels of rainfall and river discharge in the winter, while inland 
mountains are characterized by heavy snowfall in the winter and high 
snowmelt in late spring and early summer. Puget Sound's shorelines 
range from rocky sea cliffs to coastal bluffs and river deltas. Most of 
Puget Sound's shorelines are coastal bluffs, which are composed of 
erodable gravel, sand, and clay deposited by glaciers over 15,000 years 
ago (Downing, 1983; Shipman, 2004). Extensive development of coastal 
bluffs along the Sound has led to the widespread use of engineered 
structures designed to protect upland properties, railroads, and roads. 
These modifications have increased rapidly since the 1970s, with 
demonstrated negative impacts on the health of the ecosystem (Thom et 
al., 1994).
    Characteristics of the physical habitat such as depth, substrate, 
wave exposure, salinity, and gradient largely determine the plants and 
animals that can use particular areas of Puget Sound and the entire 
Georgia Basin. Eight major nearshore habitats have been characterized 
and quantified: rocky reefs, kelp beds, mixed sediment intertidal 
beaches, saltmarsh, tide flats, subtidal soft sediments, eelgrass beds, 
and open water/pelagic habitats (Dethier, 1990; Levings and Thom, 1994; 
NMFS, 2007). The shallow nearshore areas of Puget Sound contain 
eelgrass and seaweed habitats that support many marine fish and 
invertebrate populations at some time during their life cycle. Kelp 
beds and eelgrass meadows cover the largest area; floating kelps are 
found primarily over hard substrate along the Strait of Juan de Fuca 
and San Juan Islands, whereas eelgrass beds are estimated to cover 200 
km\2\ (77 mi\2\) throughout Puget Sound, with the exception of South 
Sound (Nearshore Habitat Program, 2001; Mumford, 2007). Other major 
habitats include subaerial and intertidal wetlands (176 km\2\)(68 
mi\2\), and mudflats and sandflats (246 km\2\)(95 mi\2\). In pelagic 
areas, the euphotic zone (zone that receives enough light for 
photosynthesis) extends to about 20 m (66 feet) depth in the relatively 
clear regions of North Puget Sound, and to 10 m (33 feet) depth in the 
more turbid waters of the South Sound basin. Most of the bottom of 
Puget Sound is comprised of soft sediments, ranging from coarse sands 
to fine silts and clays. Rocky reefs, composed of bedrock or a

[[Page 18520]]

mixture of boulder and cobble substrates, are often characterized by 
strong currents and tidal action and support benthic suspension feeders 
and multiple species of fish, including several species of rockfish 
(Sebastes spp.). Approximately 95 percent of the rocky reef habitat in 
greater Puget Sound is located in North Puget Sound (Palsson et al., 
2008).
    The human population in the greater Puget Sound region has 
increased rapidly over the last 2 decades. In 2005, the area housed 
approximately 4.4 million people, a 25 percent increase from 1991. 
According to the State Office of Management, the population is expected 
to grow to 4.7 to 6.1 million residents by 2025 (OFM, 2005).
    Freshwater, marine, nearshore, and upland habitats throughout the 
greater Puget Sound region have been affected by a variety of human 
activities, including agriculture, heavy industry, timber harvest, and 
the development of sea ports and residential property (Sound Science, 
2007).

Environmental History and Features of the Strait of Georgia

    The Strait of Georgia is that portion of the Georgia Basin that 
lies in Canada (Figure 1). The coastal drainage of the Strait of 
Georgia is bounded to the west and south by the Olympic and Vancouver 
Island mountains and to the north and east by the Cascade and Coast 
mountains. At sea level, the Strait has a mild maritime climate and is 
dryer than other parts of the coast because of the rain shadow effect 
of the Olympic and Vancouver Island mountains.
    The Strait of Georgia has a mean depth of 156 m (420 m maximum) and 
is bounded by narrow passages (Johnstone Strait and Cordero Channel to 
the north and Haro and Rosario straits to the south) and shallow 
submerged sills (minimum depth of 68 m (223 feet) to the north and 90 m 
(295 feet) to the south). The Strait of Georgia covers an area of 
approximately 6,800 km\2\ (2625 sq miles)(Thomson, 1994), is 
approximately 220 km (137 miles) long, and varies from 18.5 to 55 km 
(12 to 34 miles) in width (Tully and Dodimead, 1957; Waldichuck, 1957). 
Both southern and northern approaches to the Strait of Georgia are 
through a maze of islands and channels, the San Juan and Gulf islands 
to the south and a series of islands to the north that extend for 240 
km (149 miles) to Queen Charlotte Strait (Tully and Dodimead, 1957). 
Both northern channels (Johnstone Strait and Cordero Channel) are from 
1.5 to 3 km (0.9 to 1.9 miles) wide and are effectively two-way tidal 
falls, in which currents of 22-28 km/hr (12-15 knots) occur at peak 
flood (Tully and Dodimead, 1957).
    Freshwater inflows are dominated by the Fraser River, which 
accounts for roughly 80 percent of the freshwater entering the Strait 
of Georgia. Fraser River run-off and that of other large rivers on the 
mainland side of the Strait are driven by snow and glacier melt, and 
their peak discharge period is generally in June and July. Discharges 
from rivers that drain into the Strait of Georgia off Vancouver Island 
(such as the Chemainus, Cowichan, Campbell, and Puntledge rivers) peak 
during periods of intense precipitation, generally in November 
(Waldichuck, 1957).
    Circulation in the Strait of Georgia occurs in a general counter-
clockwise direction (Waldichuck, 1957). Tides, winds, and freshwater 
run-off are the primary forces for mixing, water exchange, and 
circulation. Tidal flow enters the Strait of Georgia predominantly from 
the south, creating vigorous mixing in the narrow, shallow straits and 
passes of the Strait of Georgia. The upper, brackish water layer in the 
Strait of Georgia is influenced by large freshwater run-off, and 
salinity in this layer varies from 5 to 25 practical salinity units 
(psu). Deep, high-salinity (33.5 to 34 psu), oceanic water enters the 
Strait of Georgia from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The surface 
outflowing and deep inflowing water layers mix in the vicinity of the 
sills, creating the deep bottom layer in the Strait of Georgia. The 
basic circulation pattern in the southern Strait of Georgia is a 
southerly outflow of low-salinity surface water through the Rosario and 
Haro Straits (Crean et al., 1988), with the northerly inflow of high 
salinity oceanic water from the Strait of Juan de Fuca at the lowest 
depths.
    Marine habitat present in the Strait of Georgia includes two of the 
same types present in Puget Sound (kelp beds and eel grass beds) and 
five new habitat types. Total area of each habitat type is: estuarine 
marshes (3.82 km\2\ (1.47 mi\2\)), sandflats (90.4 km\2\ (34.9 mi\2\)), 
mudflats (155.1 km\2\ (59.9 mi\2\), rock-gravel 93.4 km\2\ (36.1 
mi\2\)), kelp beds (313.8 km\2\ (121.2 mi\2\), eel grass beds (659 
km\2\ (254 mi\2\)), and intertidal algae (93.4 km\2\ (36.1 mi\2\)) 
(Levings and Thom, 1994).
    Although much of the land draining into the Strait of Georgia is 
sparsely populated, the densely populated cities of Vancouver and 
Victoria are located here. Environment Canada (2005) reports that the 
population of the Georgia Basin has doubled between 1970 and 2005. As 
in Puget Sound, human development of the area has caused ecosystem 
stress, including degraded water quality and loss of marsh and eel 
grass habitat (Transboundary Georgia Basin-Puget Sound Environmental 
Indicators Working Group, 2002). Filling, diking, water quality 
changes, and watershed modification have led to decreases in the amount 
of all habitat types (Levings and Thom, 1994).

Life History, Biology, and Status of the Petitioned Species

    The life history, biology, and status of the petitioned species, 
summarized below, are described in detail in the draft status report 
(Drake et al., 2008) and Palsson et al. (2008).
Bocaccio
    Bocaccio range from Punta Blanca, Baja California, to the Gulf of 
Alaska off Krozoff and Kodiak Islands, Alaska (Chen, 1971; Miller and 
Lea, 1972). Within this range, they are most common from Oregon to 
northern Baja California (Love et al., 2002). Bocaccio are elongate, 
laterally compressed fish with very large mouths (Love et al., 2002). 
Their appearance often varies among individuals, with several common 
color variations. They are most frequently found between 50 and 250 m 
(160 and 820 feet) depth, but may be found as deep as 475 m (1,560 
feet) (Orr et al., 2000).
    Copulation and fertilization occur in the fall, generally between 
August and November. Bocaccio larvae have relatively high dispersal 
potential, with a pelagic larval duration of approximately 155 days 
(Shanks and Eckert, 2005) and fecundity ranging from 20,000 to over 2 
million eggs, considerably more than many other rockfish species (Love 
et al., 2002). Larvae and pelagic juveniles tend to be found close to 
the surface, occasionally associated with drifting kelp mats. Most 
bocaccio remain pelagic for 3.5 months prior to settling to shallow 
areas, although some may remain pelagic as long as 5.5 months. Several 
weeks after settlement, fish move to deeper waters in the range of 18 
30 m (60 100 feet) where they are found on rocky reefs (Carr, 1983; 
Feder, 1974; Johnson, 2006; Love, 2008). Adults inhabit waters from 12 
478 m (40 1570 feet) depth but are most common at depths of 50-250 m 
(Feder, 1974; Love, 2002). While generally associated with hard 
substrata, adults do wander into mud flats. Bocaccio are also typically 
found well off the bottom (as much as 30 m (98 feet)) (Love et al., 
2002). Approximately 50 percent of adults mature in 4 to 6 years (MBC, 
1987).
    Large adult bocaccio have more movement potential than smaller, 
more

[[Page 18521]]

sedentary species of rockfishes, but their occurrence in the Georgia 
Basin seems to be limited to certain areas. Bocaccio made up 8 9 
percent of the Puget Sound recreational catch in the late-1970s 
(Palsson et al., 2008), with the majority of fish caught in the areas 
around Point Defiance and the Tacoma Narrows in the South basin. 
Bocaccio have always been rare in the North Puget Sound surveys of the 
recreational shery (Drake et al., 2008). In the Strait of Georgia, 
bocaccio have been documented in some inlets, but records are sparse, 
isolated, and often based on anecdotal reports (COSEWIC, 2002). 
Although the relationship between bocaccio habitat preference and 
distribution in the Georgia Basin is not fully understood, the 
available information indicates that they are frequently found in areas 
lacking hard substrate. This may be due to their pelagic behavior 
(willingness to occupy areas higher in the water column) or 
availability of prey items.
    Adults are difficult to age, but are suspected to live as long as 
54 years (Drake et al., 2008). Bocaccio have low productivity because 
successful recruitment requires rare climatic and oceanic conditions. 
Tolimeri and Levin (2005) estimate that these conditions occur only 
about 15 percent of the time.
    Bocaccio larvae are planktivores that feed on larval krill, 
diatoms, and dinoflagellates. Pelagic juveniles are opportunistic 
feeders, taking fish larvae, copepods, krill, and other prey. Larger 
juveniles and adults are primarily piscivores, eating other rockfishes, 
hake, sablefish, anchovies, lanternfishes, and squid. Chinook salmon, 
terns, and harbor seals are known predators of smaller bocaccio (Love 
et al. 2002). The main predators of adult bocaccio are marine mammals 
(COSEWIC, 2002).
Yelloweye Rockfish
    Yelloweye rockfish range from northern Baja California to the 
Aleutian Islands, Alaska, but are most common from central California 
northward to the Gulf of Alaska (Clemens and Wilby, 1961; Eschmeyer et 
al., 1983; Hart, 1973; Love, 1996). They are among the largest of the 
rockfishes, up to 11 kg (25 pounds), and easily recognizable by their 
bright yellow eyes and red-orange color (Love et al., 2002). Yelloweye 
rockfish occur in waters 25 to 475 m (80 to 1,560 feet) deep (Orr et 
al., 2000), but are most commonly found between 91 to 180 m (300 to 590 
feet) depth (Love et al., 2002). Yelloweye rockfish are among the 
longest lived of rockfishes, living up to at least 118 years (Love, 
1996; Love et al., 2002; O'Connell and Funk, 1987). Yelloweye rockfish 
juveniles settle primarily in shallow, high relief zones, crevices, and 
sponge gardens (Love et al., 1991; Richards et al., 1985). As they grow 
and move to deeper waters, adults continue to associate with rocky, 
high relief areas (Carlson and Straty, 1981; Love et al., 1991; 
O'Connell and Carlisle, 1993; Richards et al., 1985). Yelloweye 
rockfish can be found infrequently in aggregations, but are generally 
solitary, demersal residents with small home ranges (Coombs 1979; 
DeMott, 1983; Love et al., 2002).
    Yelloweye rockfish are less frequently observed in South Puget 
Sound than North Puget Sound (Miller and Borton, 1980), likely due to 
the larger amount of rocky habitat in North Puget Sound. Yelloweye 
rockfish are distributed throughout the Strait of Georgia in northern 
Georgia Basin including areas around the Canadian Gulf Islands and the 
numerous inlets along the British Columbia coast (Yamanaka et al., 
2006). Their distribution in these areas most frequently coincides with 
high relief, complex rocky habitats (Yamanaka et al. 2006).
    Approximately 50 percent of adults are mature by 41 cm (16 inches) 
total length (about 6 years) (Love, 1996). Yelloweye rockfish store 
sperm for several months until fertilization occurs, commonly between 
the months of September and April, though fertilized individuals may be 
found in most months of the year, depending on where they are observed 
(Wyllie- Echeverria, 1987). Fertilization periods tend to get later as 
one moves from south to north in their range (DeLacy et al., 1964; 
Hitz, 1962; Lea et al., 1999; O'Connell 1987; Westrheim, 1975). 
Estimates of pelagic larval duration are not available for yelloweye 
rockfish, though we expect that it would be similar to or lower than 
that for bocaccio or canary rockfish (116 155 days; Varanasi, 2007). 
Fecundity ranges from 1.2 to 2.7 million eggs, considerably more than 
many other rockfish species (Love et al., 2002). In Puget Sound, 
yelloweye rockfish are believed to fertilize eggs during the winter to 
summer months, giving birth early spring to late summer (Washington et 
al., 1978). Although yelloweye rockfish are generally thought to spawn 
once a year (MacGregor, 1970), a study in Puget Sound offered evidence 
of at least two spawning periods per year (Washington et al., 1978).
    Yelloweye rockfish are opportunistic feeders, targeting different 
food sources during different phases of their life history, with the 
early life stages having typical rockfish diets as described for 
bocaccio above. Because adult yelloweye attain such large sizes, they 
are able to handle much larger prey, including smaller yelloweye, and 
are preyed upon less frequently (Rosenthal et al., 1982). Typical prey 
of adult yelloweye rockfishes include sand lance, gadids, flatfishes, 
shrimps, crabs, and gastropods (Love et al., 2002; Yamanaka et al., 
2006). Predators of yelloweye rockfish include salmon and orcas (Ford 
et al., 1998; Love et al., 2002).
Canary Rockfish
    Canary rockfish range between Punta Colnett, Baja California, and 
the Western Gulf of Alaska (Boehlert, 1980; Mecklenburg et al., 2002). 
Within this range, canary rockfish are most common off the coast of 
central Oregon (Richardson and Laroche, 1979). Adults are primarily 
orange with a pale grey or white background (Love et al., 2002). Canary 
rockfish primarily inhabit waters 50 to 250 m (160 to 820 feet) deep 
(Orr et al., 2000), but may be found up to 425 m (1,400 feet) depth 
(Boehlert, 1980). They can live to be 84 years old (Drake et al., 
2008). Canary rockfish were once considered fairly common in the 
greater Puget Sound area (Holmberg, 1967).
    Female canary rockfish produce between 260,000 and 1.9 million eggs 
per year with larger females producing more eggs. Along the Pacific 
Coast, the relationship between egg production and female size does not 
seem to vary with geography (Gunderson, 1980; Love, 2002). Canary 
rockfish larvae have relatively high dispersal potential, with a 
pelagic larval duration of approximately 116 days (Shanks and Eckert, 
2005). Fertilization occurs as early as September off central 
California (Lea, 1999) but peaks in December (Phillips, 1960; Wyllie-
Echeverria, 1987), and parturition (birth) occurs between January and 
April and peaks in April (Phillips, 1960). Off the Oregon and 
Washington coasts, parturition occurs between September and March, with 
peaks in December and January (Barss, 1989; Wyllie Echeverria, 1987). 
In British Columbia, parturition occurs slightly later with the peak in 
February (Hart, 1973; Westrheim, 1975). Canary rockfish spawn once per 
year (Guillemot, 1985).
    Female canary rockfish grow larger and more quickly than do males 
(Lenarz, 1991; STAT, 1999), and growth does not vary with latitude 
(Boehlert, 1980). A 58-cm (23-inch) long female is approximately 20 
years of age; a male of the same age is about 53 cm (21 inches). Fish 
tend to move to deeper water as they grow larger (Vetter, 1997). While 
canary rockfish appear to be generally sedentary (Miller, 1973), 
tagging studies have shown that some individuals move up to 700 km (435 
miles) over several

[[Page 18522]]

years (Lea, 1999; Love, 2002). Canary rockfish larvae are planktivores, 
feeding primarily on nauplii (crustacean larvae), other invertebrate 
eggs, and copepods (Moser, 1991; Love, 2002). Juveniles are 
zooplanktivores, feeding on crustaceans such as harpacticoids (an order 
of copepods), barnacle cyprids (final larval stage), and euphasiid eggs 
and larvae. Predators of juvenile canary rockfish include other fishes, 
especially rockfishes, lingcod, cabezon and salmon, as well as birds 
and porpoises (Ainley, 1981; Love, 1991; Miller, 1973; Morejohn, 1978; 
Roberts, 1979). Adult canary rockfish are planktivores/carnivores, 
consuming euphasiids and other crustaceans and small fishes (Cailliet, 
2000; Love, 2002). Predators of adult canary rockfish include yelloweye 
rockfish, lingcod, salmon, sharks, dolphins, seals (Antonelis Jr., 
1980; Merkel, 1957; Morejohn, 1978; Rosenthal, 1982), and possibly 
river otters (Stevens, 1983).
    Miller and Borton (1980) describe canary rockfish as being 
associated with the various rocky and coarse habitats that occur 
throughout the basins of Puget Sound. The Committee on the Status of 
Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) (2007) reports that canary 
rockfish are broadly distributed throughout the Strait of Georgia.
Greenstriped Rockfish
    Greenstriped rockfish range from Cedros Island, Baja California, to 
Green Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Within this range, greenstriped 
rockfish are common between British Columbia and Punta Colnett in 
northern Baja California (Eschmeyer et al., 1983; Hart, 1973; Love et 
al., 2002). They are slim fish, with a distinctive color, and are 
unlikely to be mistaken for other rockfishes (Love et al., 2002). 
Greenstriped rockfish is a deep-water species that can inhabit waters 
from 52 to 828 m (170 to 2,715 feet) in depth, but is most common 
between 100 and 250 m (330 and 820 feet) depth (Orr et al., 2000). They 
are solitary fish, most often found resting on the bottom (Love et al., 
2002). Male greenstriped rockfish can live to approximately 37 years of 
age, and females to approximately 28 years of age (Love et al., 1990).
    Greenstriped rockfish females store sperm for several months until 
fertilization occurs, commonly between the months of February and May 
in areas north of California (O'Connell and Carlisle, 1993). Fertilized 
individuals are found earlier in more southerly areas (Lea et al., 
1999). Greenstriped rockfish are generally believed to spawn once a 
year (Shaw and Gunderson, 2006), but some evidence of multiple 
spawnings has been reported (Love et al., 1990). Larvae are extruded at 
about 5 mm (0.2 inch) length (Matarese et al., 1989) and remain pelagic 
for up to 2 months (Moser and Boehlert, 1991); settling at around 30 mm 
(1.2 inches) length (Johnson et al., 1997). Individual greenstriped 
rockfish of both sexes start to mature at 150 mm (6 inches) length and 
5 years of age, with 50 percent maturity occurring at 230 mm (9 inches) 
and 7-10 years (Shaw and Gunderson, 2006; Wyllie Echeverria, 1987). 
Females produce 11,000 to 300,000 eggs annually.
    Greenstriped rockfish are active and opportunistic feeders, 
targeting different food sources during different phases of their life 
history. Larvae are diurnal, with nauplii, eggs, and copepods 
representing important food sources (Moser and Boehlert, 1991; Sumida 
et al., 1985). Greenstriped rockfish adults are generally considered to 
be residential and may feed nocturnally, consuming bigger crustaceans, 
fishes, and cephalopods during those times (Allen, 1982). Juveniles are 
preyed upon by birds, nearshore fishes, salmon, and porpoises (Ainley 
et al., 1993; Love et al., 1991; Morejohn et al., 1978). Adults have 
been recovered in the stomachs of sharks, porpoises, salmon, seals, and 
possibly river otters (Antonelis Jr. and Fiscus, 1980; Merkel, 1957; 
Morejohn et al., 1978).
    Greenstriped rockfish are distributed throughout Puget Sound, often 
associated with sand and coarse substrate (Miller and Borton, 1980; 
Palsson et al., 2008). Palsson et al. (2008) report that greenstriped 
rockfish are occasionally caught in the western Strait of Juan de Fuca. 
Greenstriped rockfish are occasionally reported from North Puget Sound, 
but the low occurrence of reports may be due to the difficulty in 
surveying the rocky habitats of this area by conventional trawl 
sampling. COSEWIC has not undertaken a greenstriped rockfish status 
review in Canada.
Redstripe Rockfish
    Redstripe rockfish occur from southern Baja California to the 
Bering Sea, Alaska (Hart, 1973; Love et al., 2002). They are a 
streamlined fish with a red, pink, or tan color (Love et al., 2002). 
Redstripe rockfish have been reported between 12 and 425 m (39 and 
1,400 feet) in depth, but 95 percent occur between 150 and 275 m (490 
and 900 feet) (Love et al., 2002).
    Redstripe rockfish may reach 55 years of age (Munk, 2001). They are 
most commonly found on a variety of substrates, from hard, high-relief 
reefs to sand-cobble interfaces. Juveniles settle to the bottom of 
sand-cobble substrates (Moser and Boehlert, 1991) and move as adults 
onto deeper rocky reefs and low-relief rubble bottoms. Redstripe 
rockfish can be found alone or in aggregations, usually near the sea-
floor bottom (Love et al., 2002b).
    Estimates of pelagic larval duration and fecundity with which to 
infer dispersal potential are not available for redstripe rockfish, 
though we expect that larval duration would be similar to or slightly 
lower than that for bocaccio or canary rockfish (116 155 days; 
Varanasi, 2007). Approximately 50 percent of adults mature at 28 to 29 
cm (11 to 11.5 inches) total length (Garrison and Miller, 1982). 
Redstripe rockfish females store sperm for several months until 
fertilization. Fertilization occurs between the months of April and May 
in areas north of California (O'Connell, 1987; Shaw, 1999; Wyllie-
Echeverria, 1987). Larvae are extruded after a typical gestation period 
of a couple of months, peaking in July for British Columbia (Westrheim, 
1975) and in June for Oregon (Shaw, 1999; Wyllie-Echeverria, 1987). 
Redstripe rockfish spawn once per year (Shaw, 1999). Larvae are 
extruded at about 5.4 mm length (0.2 inches) (Matarese et al., 1989) 
and remain pelagic for up to 2 months (Moser and Boehlert, 1991). 
Recorded size at first maturity for redstripe rockfish is 210 to 220 mm 
(8.2 to 8.6 inches) length (Shaw, 1999). Size at 50 percent maturity 
was recorded in the 1970s to be 280 and 290 mm (11.0 and 11.4 inches) 
(Westrheim, 1975) for males and females, respectively, differing from 
samples collected in the 1990s (243 and 262 mm (9.5 and 10.0 inches)) 
for males and females (about 7 years old), respectively (Shaw, 1999). 
It is not known whether this represents changes in size at maturity 
over time or differential representation of individuals that 
geographically mature at larger sizes.
    Redstripe rockfish are active and opportunistic feeders, and show 
feeding habits similar to the greenstriped rockfish. Larvae are 
diurnal, with nauplii, eggs, and copepods representing important food 
sources (Moser and Boehlert, 1991; Sumida et al., 1985). Juveniles are 
diurnal zooplanktivores and feed mainly on calanoid copepods and 
barnacle cyprids (Allen, 1982; Gaines and Roughgarden, 1987; Love et 
al., 1991). Adults may also feed nocturnally, consuming bigger 
crustaceans, fishes, and cephalopods (Allen, 1982). Juvenile redstripe 
rockfish are preyed upon by birds, nearshore fishes, salmon, and 
porpoises (Ainley et al., 1993; Love et al., 1991; Morejohn et al. 
1978). Redstripe

[[Page 18523]]

rockfish adults have been recovered in the stomachs of sharks, 
porpoises, salmon, seals, and possibly river otters (Antonelis Jr. and 
Fiscus, 1980; Merkel, 1957; Morejohn et al., 1978).
    Redstripe rockfish are associated with a wide range of rocky and 
coarse habitats in a broad range of depths throughout most basins of 
Puget Sound (Palsson et al., 2008). Palsson et al. (2008) report that 
redstripe rockfish are commonly caught during trawl surveys in the 
central Strait of Juan de Fuca, channels of the San Juan Archipelago, 
in the central Strait of Georgia, and in Admiralty Inlet. COSEWIC has 
not undertaken a redstripe rockfish status review in Canada.

DPS Consideration

    As described above, under the DPS policy a population segment is 
considered a DPS if it is both discrete from other populations within 
its taxon and significant to its taxon. The population segment may be 
considered discrete if it is markedly separated from other populations 
of the same taxon as a consequence of physical, physiological, 
ecological, or behavioral factors. Quantitative measures of genetic 
differences may provide powerful direct evidence of this separation, 
because the presence of distinct genetic traits indicates that a 
population segment may be reproductively isolated. In addition to 
genetic information, various aspects of a population segment's biology, 
life history, and habitat may provide evidence of discreteness. For 
example, populations of a sedentary species may have limited 
reproductive exchange with other populations, and populations occupying 
habitat that is physically isolating may have little reproductive 
exchange with other isolated populations. This reproductive isolation 
over time may result in discreteness. For example, Yamanaka et al. 
(2006) concluded that for yelloweye rockfish, there are at least two 
distinct populations with limited genetic exchange occupying coastal 
North American waters between southeast Alaska and Oregon. The authors 
identified one population occupying the entire Pacific Coast and an 
inland population occupying the Strait of Georgia and possibly other 
inland marine waters including the Queen Charlotte Strait and Puget 
Sound.
    There is limited direct genetic information comparing coastal 
populations of the petitioned rockfish species to populations within 
the Georgia Basin. In addition to that limited information, where 
available, we considered several lines of evidence to inform the 
consideration of discreteness of population segments within the Georgia 
Basin. These included genetic information from coastal populations of 
the petitioned species and the degree to which such information 
indicates stock structure among coastal populations; genetic 
information comparing Georgia Basin and coastal populations of other 
west coast rockfish species with life histories similar to the 
petitioned species; life-history traits of the petitioned species that 
could lead to reproductive isolation, and thus discreteness, of Georgia 
Basin populations (such as live-bearing of young, internal 
fertilization, short-pelagic larval stages, and fidelity to habitat); 
and characteristics of the species' habitat that could lead to physical 
isolation and thus discreteness of Georgia Basin populations (such as 
discontinuity of rocky habitats, bathymetric barriers, and current 
patterns and physical barriers that limit exchange of coastal and 
inland waters). The discussion below describes evidence of discreteness 
that may be relevant to any of the five rockfish species. The later 
discussion of individual species describes the considerations relevant 
to the discreteness of each individual species.
    As described above under the DPS policy, in addition to being 
discrete, a population segment must also be significant to qualify as a 
DPS. The discussion of the policy above describes four characteristics 
that may make a discrete population segment significant. In the case of 
the petitioned rockfish species, the most relevant of these 
characteristics is the persistence of the discrete population segment 
in a unique ecological setting. The discussion below describes evidence 
of significance that may be relevant to any of the five rockfish 
species. The later discussion of individual species describes any 
additional considerations relevant to the significance of each 
individual species.
DPS Considerations Relevant to Discreteness of All Petitioned Species
    Because there is little direct genetic information on the 
discreteness of most of the petitioned species in Puget Sound or the 
Georgia Basin, we considered genetic information on other rockfish 
species in Puget Sound and Georgia Basin with life histories similar to 
the petitioned species. In particular, NMFS' 2001 status review of 
copper, quillback, and brown rockfish (Stout et al., 2001) concluded 
that there were DPSs of these rockfish in Puget Sound Proper based on 
genetic information. For copper rockfish, allozyme and DNA data from 
Seeb (1998) showed no particular genetic divergence for Puget Sound 
Proper specimens, but microsatellite data from Wimberger (in prep.) and 
Buonaccorsi et al. (2002) showed large differences between populations 
from within Puget Sound Proper and populations found outside Puget 
Sound Proper. Wimberger sampled copper rockfish from California, 
British Columbia, the San Juan Islands, the Canadian Gulf Islands, 
Admiralty Inlet, Central Puget Sound, and Hood Canal (the latter three 
populations are found within Puget Sound Proper). Wimberger found 
significant divergence between both Central Puget Sound and Admiralty 
Inlet populations, and all populations found outside of Puget Sound 
Proper. Equal divergence was found among Puget Sound Proper populations 
compared with San Juan, Gulf Island, and coastal populations as well.
    Buonaccorsi et al. (2002) used a different set of microsatellite 
loci to compare populations of copper rockfish from Puget Sound Proper, 
Canadian Gulf Islands, Queen Charlotte Islands, and coastal California. 
They also found highly significant divergence among all sampling sites, 
indicating a clear divergence between populations within Puget Sound 
Proper and the Canadian Gulf Islands (in the Strait of Georgia). 
Buonaccorsi et al. (2002) also identified unique alleles in Puget Sound 
Proper, further evidence for isolation of Puget Sound Proper 
populations from other neighboring regions.
    In addition to genetic information, Stout et al. (2001) pointed out 
that copper rockfish are live-bearing and have internal fertilization, 
a short pelagic larval stage, and high habitat fidelity. Copper 
rockfish are also considered to be non-migratory (Buonaccorsi et al., 
2002). All of these traits, combined with the physical isolation of 
Puget Sound Proper, could lead to reproductive isolation of copper 
rockfish in Puget Sound Proper.
    For quillback rockfish, Seeb (1998) sampled four sites within Puget 
Sound Proper, one in the San Juan Islands (in the North Basin of Puget 
Sound), and coastal sites from California, Washington, and Alaska. Like 
copper rockfish, quillback rockfish are sedentary and show high 
fidelity to their home sites (Love et al., 2002). Both allozyme and 
RFLP analyses indicated large differences in allele frequencies between 
Puget Sound Proper and the San Juan Islands. When the Puget Sound 
Proper samples were removed from the analysis, however, no significant 
divergence was found among the remaining populations (suggesting 
reproductive exchange among populations in California, Washington,

[[Page 18524]]

Alaska, and the San Juan Islands, but reproductive isolation of the 
Puget Sound proper population). Wimberger (in prep.) found significant 
differences in microsatellite allele frequencies between Puget Sound 
Proper and the San Juan Islands. The San Juan Island population was 
more similar to Sitka, Alaska, than it was to Puget Sound Proper.
    Brown rockfish have a distribution that is very different from 
copper and quillback rockfishes, as they are found in Puget Sound 
Proper but only rarely occur in North Puget Sound, Georgia Basin, or 
the Washington and Oregon coastline (Stout et al., 2001). Genetic data 
support a divergence between Puget Sound Proper and California 
populations (Seeb, 1998). Buonaccorsi et al. (2002) sampled three sites 
within Puget Sound Proper, and compared them to coastal populations 
ranging from California to Mexico. They found significant divergence 
among the populations, and even between two of the Puget Sound Proper 
populations. Tagging studies indicate that juveniles and subadults may 
have relatively small home ranges (Love et al., 2002). Puget Sound 
Proper populations exhibited extremely low genetic divergence compared 
to coastal samples, which suggested to the authors a potential founder 
effect combined with reproductive isolation, and/or a low effective 
population size.
    In addition to genetic information for copper, quillback, and brown 
rockfish, there is genetic information available regarding some of the 
petitioned species that can help inform consideration of DPS structure 
of the other petitioned species. For the petitioned species, there is 
genetic information for yelloweye rockfish (Yamanaka et al., 2006 and 
R. Withler (unpublished data as cited in Drake et al., 2008)) 
indicating genetic differences between fish from inland marine waters 
(Queen Charlotte Strait and Georgia Basin) and the outer coast.
    In addition to genetic information that is available for some 
rockfish species in the Georgia Basin, there are physical features of 
the Georgia Basin that affect all rockfish species in similar ways, 
potentially contributing to reproductive isolation and thus 
discreteness. The waters of the Georgia Basin are isolated from coastal 
waters by land masses (the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island); 
underwater sills limit the movement of water, sediment, and bottom-
dwelling species such as rockfish; and internal currents limit the 
exchange of water between the Basin and coastal areas. These geographic 
features tend to contain the dispersal of larval fish and the migration 
of adult fish within the Basin, and even within smaller areas within 
the Basin, such as Puget Sound Proper.
    When the available genetic information was considered in concert 
with the ecological features of Puget Sound and the Georgia Basin and 
the life histories of the petitioned rockfishes, the BRT drew two 
general conclusions. First, the petitioned rockfishes in the inland 
marine waters (Puget Sound and the greater Georgia Basin) are likely to 
be reproductively isolated and genetically distinct from rockfish from 
the rest of the Pacific Coast. Second, and consistent with the findings 
of Stout et al. (2001), the more sedentary rockfishes are likely to be 
further reproductively isolated within Puget Sound Proper (the area 
that was the focus of the original listing petition). The more mobile 
rockfish are likely to be reproductively isolated within the Georgia 
Basin, but are not likely to be reproductively isolated within Puget 
Sound Proper.
DPS Considerations Relevant to Significance of All Petitioned Species
    As described above in more detail, all five of the petitioned 
rockfish species occupy marine waters from California to Alaska, 
including coastal waters and the inland waters of the Georgia Basin. 
Throughout this range, the Georgia Basin is unique, for several 
reasons. The waters of the Georgia Basin are less saline than coastal 
waters because of the quantity of fresh water flowing into the Basin, 
particularly from the Fraser River. The greater amount of fresh water 
also results in stratification of water by salinity in the Georgia 
Basin to a greater extent than in coastal waters. Land masses and 
shallow sills limit the movement of deep-dwelling fish among subbasins 
within the Georgia Basin, as well as the movement of sediments and 
nutrients to a much greater extent than in coastal waters. In addition, 
the inland waters of the Georgia Basin are protected by the land 
features of the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island, and by numerous 
islands within the Basin, which interrupts waves and currents and 
results in a less energetic environment than the coast. These features 
make the ecological setting of the Georgia Basin region substantially 
different than other regions in the range of these rockfish species.
    While the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca and North Puget Sound 
are relatively wide bodies of water with numerous islands, Puget Sound 
Proper is composed of narrow basins separated by shallow sills. The 
geographic and bathymetric features that constrain rockfish movement in 
the Georgia Basin are even more pronounced in Puget Sound Proper. The 
presence of rocky habitat is very limited in Puget Sound Proper, with 
most bottom substrates comprised of soft sediments, ranging from coarse 
sands to fine silts and clay. Rockfish in Puget Sound Proper are either 
limited to the small amount of rocky habitat or, like bocaccio, 
greenstriped rockfish, and redstripe rockfish, make use of habitat with 
softer bottom substrates.

DPS Conclusions by Species

Bocaccio
    In 2002, our Southwest Fisheries Science Center conducted a status 
review for bocaccio (MacCall and He, 2002), focusing on a Southern DPS 
occupying the coastal area from the Oregon/California border to 
approximately 322 km (200 miles) south of the Mexico/U.S. border. The 
status review concluded that at least two DPSs of bocaccio were present 
off the coast of the Western United States and Mexico, the Southern DPS 
and at least one additional DPS (the Northern) to the north. The 
authors (MacCall and He, 2002) did not consider whether inland stocks 
of bocaccio in the northern portion of this species range might be 
separate DPSs or what their extinction risk might be, because only the 
southern DPS was the subject of an ESA petition at that time. That 
review resulted in a determination that listing of the southern DPS of 
bocaccio was not warranted.
    No published studies have compared genetic characteristics of 
bocaccio from Puget Sound and outer coastal areas, but there have been 
several studies of genetic variation in bocaccio along the outer coast. 
Wishard et al. (1980) examined allozyme variation in nine coastal 
sampling locations ranging from Baja California to southern Oregon, 
with sample sizes ranging from 12 to over 100 individuals per locality. 
They found two highly polymorphic loci and three others with low levels 
of variation. They found overlapping confidence intervals for allele 
frequencies across sampling locations and no evidence for population 
differentiation. More recently, Matala et al. (2004) examined genetic 
variation in bocaccio at seven microsatellite loci in samples from 
eight locations from Baja California to British Columbia, including 
both sides of Point Conception. Samples were adults, except in the 
Santa Barbara channel where age-0 fish were taken. The results indicate 
that coastal bocaccio are not a single breeding population. A large-
scale pattern of isolation by distance was not observed in the data. 
However,

[[Page 18525]]

using a series of comparisons of smaller, geographically contiguous 
subsets of samples, the authors found some evidence that geographically 
proximate samples tended to be more similar genetically. The authors 
suggested that these results might best be explained by the interacting 
effects of oceanographic patterns and the species' life history, both 
of which result in some exchange between populations in close 
proximity, but limit exchange over larger distances.
    Some aspects of bocaccio life history indicate that populations in 
the Georgia Basin might not be discrete from coastal populations, in 
particular the ability of adult bocaccio to move over long distances 
and the modest levels of differentiation among coastal populations 
described above. For this reason, and because of the lack of direct 
genetic information comparing inland and coastal populations, the BRT 
considered it possible that Georgia Basin populations are not discrete 
from coastal populations, that their presence in the Georgia Basin 
might be the result of a rare recruitment/migration event from coastal 
stocks. If that were the case, bocaccio age structure in the Basin 
would be dominated by a single year class. However, available size 
frequency data provide evidence that there are multiple year classes 
spread out over the available time series (MacCall, 2008). In addition, 
coastal bocaccio are dominated by a strong 1999 year class, but 
bocaccio in the Georgia Basin are not, providing further evidence 
against a hypothesis of a single population with frequent reproductive 
exchange.
    The BRT concluded that the best available scientific information 
instead suggests that bocaccio populations in the Georgia Basin are 
discrete from coastal populations. Information supporting this 
conclusion includes the presence of multiple year classes within the 
Georgia Basin (indicating that bocaccio in the Basin are an 
independently reproducing entity and not the result of a rare 
recruitment/migration event from coastal stocks); the lack of a strong 
1999 year class in the Georgia Basin, compared to coastal populations 
which do have a strong 1999 year class (suggesting separate recruitment 
regimes acting on Georgia Basin populations compared to coastal 
populations and also suggesting demographic independence); and the 
presence of large sexually mature individuals (suggesting the capacity 
for independent reproduction).
    Inferences from the genetic evidence for discreteness of copper, 
quillback, brown, and yelloweye rockfish in the Georgia Basin also 
supports a conclusion that bocaccio in the Georgia Basin are discrete 
from coastal populations. Similarities in life histories between 
bocaccio and the four species for which we do have genetic information 
include: live-bearing of young, pelagic larval and juvenile stages, and 
eventual settlement to benthic habitats as fish reach adulthood. All of 
these species also consume similar prey items and spend at least some 
time in association with coarse substrates.
    For the above reasons, the BRT concluded that the weight of the 
evidence supports the existence of a discrete population segment of 
bocaccio in the Georgia Basin more than it supports the existence of a 
single coastal/Georgia Basin population.
    The BRT concluded there was no available information to support a 
conclusion that population segments of bocaccio within the Georgia 
Basin are discrete from one another. The factors supporting a 
conclusion that there are not discrete population segments of bocaccio 
within the Georgia Basin include the apparent similarity in age 
structure across the Basin, the fact that mature reproductive age 
adults have been found throughout the Basin, the fact that suitable 
habitat is spread throughout the Basin in a pattern that would allow 
movement of adults within the Basin, and the fact that bocaccio adults 
are able to move over relatively long distances (i.e., relative to 
other rockfish species). Because of this species potential for movement 
and wide habitat availability throughout Georgia Basin, the BRT did not 
feel that the evidence of within Georgia Basin genetic differences for 
copper, quillback, and brown rockfishes discussed above was relevant to 
bocaccio.
    Under the DPS policy, having concluded that there is likely a 
discrete population segment of Georgia Basin bocaccio we must next 
consider whether the discrete population segment is significant to the 
species to which it belongs. As described above, the Georgia Basin is a 
unique ecological setting for all west coast rockfish. In addition, 
unlike coastal bocaccio, which are most frequently found in association 
with rocks and boulder fields, bocaccio in the Georgia Basin have been 
frequently found in areas with sand and mud substrate. We therefore 
conclude that the discrete population segment of boccacio in the 
Georgia Basin is also significant and thus a DPS (Figure 1).
    In its previous status review, described above, NMFS identified two 
DPSs of coastal bocaccio (MacCall and He, 2002). The Georgia Basin 
bocaccio DPS identified in this draft status review would represent a 
third bocaccio DPS, distinct from both the southern and northern 
coastal DPSs identified in the previous review.
Yelloweye Rockfish
    No published studies have compared genetic characteristics of 
yelloweye rockfish from Puget Sound and outer coastal areas. A Canadian 
study (Yamanaka et al., 2006) using nine microsatellite loci in 
yelloweye rockfish collected from Oregon to southeast Alaska found 
small allele frequency differences among all the coastal samples; 
however, three samples from the inside waters of the Strait of Georgia 
and Queen Charlotte Strait had significantly reduced levels of genetic 
variability and formed a distinctive genetic cluster. The authors 
suggested that these results imply restricted gene flow between inland 
and coastal populations and a lower effective size for populations 
within the Strait of Georgia. Subsequently, samples taken in 2005 2007 
from waters between Vancouver Island and Mainland British Columbia have 
been screened at the same nine polymorphic microsatellite loci (R. 
Withler, personal communication, July 2008). Preliminary analysis of 
these new samples shows that these patterns remain consistent: all the 
samples from inland waters form a coherent genetic cluster, and inside-
outside comparisons typically yield much higher values of genetic 
differentiation than do comparisons of two coastal samples or two 
inland samples. In the north, there appears to be a fairly sharp 
transition between inland and coastal forms in the vicinity of the 
Gordon Channel. Whether a similar pattern occurs in the south is not 
known, as no samples from Puget Sound have been analyzed and only a 
single fish was collected from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. 
Nevertheless, these results suggest that yelloweye rockfish from the 
rest of the Georgia Basin are also likely to be genetically 
differentiated from the coastal population.
    Several other lines of evidence support a conclusion that yelloweye 
rockfish in the Georgia Basin are discrete from coastal populations of 
yelloweye rockfish. Two aspects of the life history of yelloweye 
rockfish discussed earlier favor genetic and potentially demographic 
isolation from coastal populations. First, as both adults and 
juveniles, yelloweye rockfish are tightly associated with rocky 
substrata (or invertebrate prey associated with hard substrate). Such 
substrata are infrequent and patchy in distribution in North Puget 
Sound and the Georgia Strait, and are very rare in Puget Sound

[[Page 18526]]

Proper. Second, yelloweye rockfish show very limited movement as 
adults. These two aspects of their life history, combined with the 
retentive patterns of circulation of the Georgia Basin, support a 
conclusion that yelloweye rockfish in the Georgia Basin are discrete 
from coastal populations of yelloweye rockfish.
    Inferences from the genetic evidence for discreteness of copper, 
quillback, and brown rockfish in the Georgia Basin also support a 
conclusion that yelloweye rockfish in the Georgia Basin are discrete 
from coastal populations. Similarities in life histories between 
yelloweye and the three species for which we do have genetic 
information include: live-bearing of young, pelagic larval and juvenile 
stages, and eventual settlement to benthic habitats as fish reach 
adulthood. All of these species also consume similar prey items and 
spend at least some time in association with coarse substrates.
    For the above reasons, the BRT concluded that the weight of the 
evidence supports the existence of a discrete population segment of 
yelloweye in the Georgia Basin more than it supports the existence of a 
single coastal/Georgia Basin population.
    The BRT concluded there was no available information to support a 
conclusion that population segments of yelloweye within the Georgia 
Basin are discrete from one another. The BRT also concluded that it was 
unlikely that the small amount of rocky habitat within in Puget Sound 
Proper would be able to support a self sustaining population of 
yelloweye rockfish. Since the majority of yelloweye habitat occurs in 
North Puget Sound and in the Strait of Georgia , the BRT did not feel 
that the evidence of within Georgia Basin genetic differences for 
copper, quillback, and brown rockfishes discussed above was relevant to 
yelloweye rockfish.
    Under the DPS policy, having concluded that there is likely a 
discrete population segment of Georgia Basin yelloweye, we must next 
consider whether the discrete population segment is significant to the 
species to which it belongs. As described above, the Georgia Basin is a 
unique ecological setting for all west coast rockfish, satisfying the 
significance criterion of the DPS policy and supporting a conclusion 
that the discrete population segment of yelloweye in the Georgia Basin 
is also significant and thus a DPS.
    Although the BRT did not examine additional DPS delineations among 
coastal populations of yelloweye rockfish, the BRT findings support a 
conclusion that the coastal populations constitute at least one 
additional DPS. As the BRT concluded, coastal populations are discrete 
from Georgia Basin populations. Because coastal populations occupy the 
majority of the species' range (as described above under Life History, 
Biology, and Status of the Petitioned Species), they would also 
certainly meet the DPS requirement of being significant to the taxon. 
Therefore, we conclude that coastal populations constitute at least one 
additional yelloweye rockfish DPS.
Canary Rockfish
    No published studies have compared genetic characteristics of 
canary rockfish from Puget Sound and outer coastal areas. The allozyme 
study mentioned above (Wishard et al., 1980), which examined large 
samples from 8 eight coastal locations in northern California, Oregon, 
and Washington, found low levels of heterozygosity in this species and 
some evidence for stock structure. In particular, samples taken south 
of Cape Blanco (southern Oregon) lack an allele that occurs at low 
frequency in populations to the north.
    The BRT concluded that the best available scientific information 
suggests that canary rockfish populations in the Georgia Basin are 
discrete from coastal populations. Canary rockfish populations were 
historically most abundant in South Puget Sound, which is the basin in 
Puget Sound furthest from coastal waters, and is separated from coastal 
waters by three sills, which can present barriers to migration. 
Inferences from the genetic evidence for discreteness of copper, 
quillback, brown, and yelloweye rockfish in the Georgia Basin also 
support a conclusion that canary rockfish in the Georgia Basin are 
discrete from coastal populations. Similarities in life histories 
between canary rockfish and the four species for which we do have 
genetic information include: live-bearing of young, pelagic larval and 
juvenile stages, and eventual settlement to benthic habitats as fish 
reach adulthood. All of these species also consume similar prey items 
and spend at least some time in association with coarse substrates.
    For the above reasons, the BRT concluded that the weight of the 
evidence supports the existence of a discrete population segment of 
canary rockfish in the Georgia Basin more than it supports the 
existence of a single coastal/Georgia Basin population.
    The BRT concluded there was no available information to support a 
conclusion that population segments of canary rockfish within the 
Georgia Basin are discrete from one another. Because of this species 
potential for movement, the BRT did not feel that the evidence of 
within Georgia Basin genetic differences for copper, quillback, and 
brown rockfishes discussed above was relevant to canary rockfish.
    Under the DPS policy, having concluded that there is likely a 
discrete population segment of Georgia Basin canary rockfish we must 
next consider whether it is significant to the species to which it 
belongs. As described above, the Georgia Basin is a unique ecological 
setting for all west coast rockfish, satisfying the significance 
criterion of the DPS policy and supporting a conclusion that the 
discrete population segment of canary rockfish in the Georgia Basin is 
also significant and thus a DPS.
    Although the BRT did not examine additional DPS delineations among 
coastal populations of canary rockfish, the BRT findings support a 
conclusion that the coastal populations constitute at least one 
additional DPS. As the BRT concluded, coastal populations are discrete 
from Georgia Basin populations. Because coastal populations occupy the 
majority of the species' range (as described above under Life History, 
Biology, and Status of the Petitioned Species), they would also 
certainly meet the DPS requirement of being significant to the taxon. 
Therefore, we conclude that coastal populations constitute at least one 
additional canary rockfish DPS.
Redstripe Rockfish
    No published studies have examined population genetic structure of 
redstripe rockfish in the Northeast Pacific. The BRT concluded that the 
best available scientific information supported a conclusion that the 
redstripe rockfish population segment in Puget Sound Proper is discrete 
from other redstripe rockfish populations in the rest of Georgia Basin 
and in coastal waters. Compared to other rockfish species, redstripe 
rockfish tend to occur in the mud/sand habitat that characterizes much 
of Puget Sound Proper. Due to the relatively deep habitat occupied by 
adult redstripe rockfish, the shallow sills of Puget Sound Proper would 
present an obstacle to northward migration of this species. Inferences 
from the genetic evidence for discreteness of copper, quillback, and 
brown rockfish in the Georgia Basin also support a conclusion that 
redstripe rockfish in Puget Sound Proper are discrete from other 
populations in the Georgia Basin. Similarities in life histories 
between redstripe rockfish and those three species, for which we do 
have genetic information include: live-bearing of young, pelagic larval 
and

[[Page 18527]]

juvenile stages, and eventual settlement to benthic habitats as fish 
reach adulthood. All of these species also consume similar prey items 
and spend at least some time in association with coarse substrates.
    Under the DPS policy, having concluded that there is likely a 
discrete population segment of Puget Sound Proper redstripe rockfish we 
must next consider whether the discrete population segment is 
significant to the species to which it belongs. As described above, 
Puget Sound Proper is a unique ecological setting for all west coast 
rockfish. In addition, the BRT noted that historical records indicated 
a long-standing presence of this species in Puget Sound Proper, lending 
further support to the conclusion that the Puget Sound Proper 
population segment is significant to the redstripe rockfish species. We 
therefore conclude that restripe rockfish in Puget Sound Proper satisfy 
the significance criterion of the DPS policy and should thus be 
considered a DPS (Figure 1).
    Although the BRT did not examine additional DPS delineations among 
coastal populations of redstripe rockfish, the BRT findings support a 
conclusion that the coastal populations constitute at least one 
additional DPS. As the BRT concluded, coastal populations are discrete 
from Georgia Basin populations. Because coastal populations occupy the 
majority of the species' range (as described above under Life History, 
Biology, and Status of the Petitioned Species), they would also 
certainly meet the DPS requirement of being significant to the taxon. 
Therefore, we conclude that coastal populations constitute at least one 
additional redstripe rockfish DPS.
Greenstriped Rockfish
    Very little genetic information is available for greenstriped 
rockfish. A preliminary study of mitochondrial DNA control region 
sequences (J. Hess, unpublished data) compared data from coastal 
samples (British Columbia, Washington, and California) and samples 
collected from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Preliminary results are 
consistent with those for coastal populations of other rockfish 
species: most haplotypes shared by more than one individual were found 
in all populations sampled, and the only significant pair wise 
comparison was Washington coast vs. California. However, sample sizes 
were low (12-40 individuals), so power to detect differences was also 
low. Furthermore, because no samples were available from Puget Sound 
Proper, this preliminary study provided no information about the 
relationship between greenstriped rockfish in Puget Sound and the 
Pacific coast.
    Like redstripe rockfish, greenstriped rockfish tend to occur in the 
mud/sand habitat that characterizes much of Puget Sound Proper. Also 
similar to redstripe rockfish, the BRT felt that the shallow sills of 
Puget Sound Proper might present a migration obstacle to greenstriped 
rockfish. Some available information supports this conclusion, while 
other information suggests the sills might not present a migration 
obstacle to this species. Other information supporting a Puget Sound 
Proper DPS includes the fact that this species does not appear to occur 
in a large area north of Admiralty Inlet and south of the San Juan 
Islands, suggesting a distribution gap between the Puget Sound Proper 
area and the rest of the Georgia Basin and the coast. The BRT also 
found no compelling information to suggest that populations of 
greenstriped rockfish in Puget Sound Proper would be any less discrete 
from other Georgia Basin populations than was the case for the 
previously reviewed species (Stout et al., 2001). The only information 
that was contrary to a Puget Sound Proper DPS was the possibility that 
the large intra-annual variation in the apparent abundance of the 
species in Puget Sound Proper could reflect periodic immigration from 
other areas. Ultimately, the BRT largely relied on the information from 
the other rockfish species, particularly the previous status review of 
copper, quillback, and brown rockfish (Stout et al., 2001), to conclude 
there is likely a Puget Sound Proper DPS of greenstriped rockfish. 
Similarities in life histories between greenstriped rockfish and those 
three species, for which we do have genetic information include: live-
bearing of young, pelagic larval and juvenile stages, and eventual 
settlement to benthic habitats as fish reach adulthood. All of these 
species also consume similar prey items and spend at least some time in 
association with coarse substrates. Thus for greenstriped rockfish, 
Puget Sound Proper is discrete from other greenstriped rockfish 
populations in the rest of Georgia Basin and in coastal waters.
    Consistent with the earlier conclusions of Stout et al. (2001), 
Puget Sound Proper is an ecologically unique environment that differs 
from other parts of Georgia Basin, thus satisfying the significance 
criterion of the DPS policy and should thus be considered a DPS.
    Although the BRT did not examine additional DPS delineations among 
coastal populations of greenstriped rockfish, the BRT findings support 
a conclusion that the coastal populations constitute at least one 
additional DPS. As the BRT concluded, coastal populations are discrete 
from Georgia Basin populations. Because coastal populations occupy the 
majority of the species' range (as described above under Life History, 
Biology, and Status of the Petitioned Species), they would also 
certainly meet the DPS requirement of being significant to the taxon. 
Therefore, we conclude that coastal populations constitute at least one 
additional greenstriped rockfish DPS.

Western Boundary of the Georgia Basin DPS

    The BRT noted that the Strait of Juan de Fuca is a transition zone 
between the oceanic waters of the California Current and inland waters 
of Georgia Basin. There was general agreement among BRT members that 
there is unlikely to be a sharp boundary that separates populations 
residing in these two systems (Drake et al., 2008). The BRT considered 
two possible western boundaries, the mouth of the Sekiu River and the 
Victoria Sill. The Sekiu River is used as the western boundary in the 
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) assessment of 
rockfishes (Palsson et al., 2008). The BRT considered the Sekiu River a 
precautionary boundary in that it is very unlikely that any 
biologically relevant divisions would occur west of that point. The 
Victoria Sill bisects the Strait of Juan de Fuca and runs from east of 
Port Angeles north to Victoria. This sill is a significant 
oceanographic feature in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The deep oceanic 
water in the Juan de Fuca Strait extends up to a depth of about 100 m 
(328 feet) at the Pacific end of the strait, and its thickness 
diminishes along the strait to just a few meters at the Victoria Sill 
(Masson, 2002). Patterns of circulation created by the sill create 
discontinuities in temperature, salinity (Masson and Cummins, 2000), 
nitrogen (Mackas and Harrison, 1997), primary production (Foreman et 
al., 2008), and water column organic carbon (Johannessen et al., 2008). 
The Victoria Sill also appears to have the potential to restrict larval 
dispersal (Engie and Klinger, 2007; Paul Chittaro, NWFSC, unpublished 
data). Using the FEMAT voting procedure described previously, BRT 
members distributed their votes among the two western boundary options. 
Victoria Sill received 72 percent of the votes. Thus, the BRT concluded 
that the Victoria Sill likely represents the western boundary in this 
DPS scenario. We concur.

[[Page 18528]]

Extinction Risk Assessment

    The ESA (Section 3) defines ``endangered species'' as ``any species 
which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant 
portion of its range.'' ``Threatened species'' is defined as ``any 
species which is likely to become an endangered species within the 
foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its 
range.'' We consider a variety of factors in evaluating the level of 
risk faced by a DPS, including: (1) absolute numbers of fish and their 
spatial and temporal distributions, (2) current abundance and carrying 
capacity of the habitat in relation to historical abundance and 
carrying capacity, (3) trends in abundance, based on indices such as 
catch statistics, catch per unit effort (CPUE), and spawner-recruit 
ratios, (4) climate variability, and (5) size distribution of adult 
fish. Additional risk factors, such as disease prevalence or evolution 
in life-history traits, also may be considered in the evaluation of 
risk to a population. The discussion that follows describes each of 
these considerations, which we then incorporate in the risk discussion 
below for each species, as relevant.

Absolute Numbers

    The absolute number of individuals in a population is important in 
assessing two aspects of extinction risk. First, small populations may 
not be sustainable in the face of environmental fluctuations and small-
population stochasticity, even if the population currently is stable or 
increasing (Gilpin and Soule, 1986; Thompson, 1991). Second, present 
abundance in a declining population is an indicator of the time 
expected until the population reaches critically low numbers (Caughley 
and Sinclair, 1994). In addition to absolute numbers, the spatial and 
temporal distributions of adult population sizes are important in 
assessing risk to a DPS.
    Assessments of marine fish populations have focused on determining 
abundance and trends from models fit to catch, survey, and biological 
data. Catch records, fishery and survey catch per unit effort (CPUE), 
and biomass estimates from research cruises constitute most of the data 
available to estimate population abundance. The estimated numbers of 
reproductive adults is the most important measure of abundance in 
assessing the status of a population. Data on other life-history stages 
can be used as a supplemental indicator of abundance. In the case of 
the five petitioned species, very little information is available on 
their absolute abundance in the Georgia Basin and Puget Sound. Though 
the BRT did estimate the size of the five petitioned rockfish species 
using estimates of total rockfish abundance presented in Palsson et al. 
(2008), the BRT focused largely on trends in various abundance indices.

Historical Abundance and Carrying Capacity

    An understanding of historical abundance and carrying capacity can 
provide insights into a population's sustainability under current 
conditions. For example, estimates of historical abundance provide the 
basis for establishing long-term abundance trends and also provide a 
benchmark for an abundance that was presumably sustainable. A 
comparison of past and present habitat capacity can also indicate long-
term population trends from habitat loss, as well as potential habitat 
fragmentation, which can affect population viability. For a species 
that is at low abundance or has experienced declines in abundance, a 
comparison of current abundance to current carrying capacity may 
provide insight into the causes for decline and the potential for 
recovery.

Trends in Abundance

    Short- and long-term trends in abundance serve as primary 
indicators of risk in natural populations. Trends may be calculated 
with a variety of quantitative data, including catch, CPUE, and survey 
data. Trend analyses for the five species considered in this status 
review are limited by the lack of long time series of abundances in 
greater Puget Sound for these species. In addition, although abundance 
time series are available for other, more common, Puget Sound rockfish 
species, these time series are characterized by a lack of regular 
sampling, by use of different survey methods for each species, and, for 
harvest data, by the effect of frequently revised harvest regulations. 
The BRT took several approaches to utilize the best available data in 
order to estimate the abundance trends, and these are discussed in 
greater detail below.

Climate Variability

    Coupled changes in atmospheric and ocean conditions have occurred 
on several different time scales and have influenced the geographical 
distributions, and hence local abundances, of marine fishes. On time 
scales of hundreds of millennia, periodic cooling produced several 
glaciations in the Pleistocene Epoch (Imbrie et al., 1984; Bond et al., 
1993). The central part of greater Puget Sound was covered with ice 
about 1 km (0.6 miles) thick during the last glacial maximum about 
14,000 years ago (Thorson, 1980). Since the end of this major period of 
cooling, several population oscillations of pelagic fishes, such as 
anchovies and sardines, have been noted on the West Coast of North 
America (Baumgartner et al., 1992). These oscillations, with periods of 
about 100 years, have presumably occurred in response to climatic 
variability. On decadal time scales, climatic variability in the North 
Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans has influenced the abundances and 
distributions of widespread species, including several species of 
Pacific salmon (Francis et al., 1998, Mantua et al., 1997) in the North 
Pacific, and Atlantic herring (Alheit and Hagen, 1997) and Atlantic cod 
(Swain, 1999) in the North Atlantic. Recent declines in marine fish 
populations in greater Puget Sound may reflect recent climatic shifts. 
However, we do not know whether these climatic shifts represent long-
term changes or short-term fluctuations that may reverse in the near 
future. Although recent climatic conditions appear to be within the 
range of historical conditions, the risks associated with climatic 
changes may be exacerbated by human activities (Lawson, 1993).

Size Distributions

    Fisheries often target larger, older, more mature fish, resulting 
in a population with fewer such individuals than an unfished population 
would have. Older females generally produce more larvae, and their 
larvae survive at higher rates, than those of younger females. Thus 
their removal can decrease the productivity of the overall population, 
particularly for slow-growing, long-lived species such as rockfish.
    The BRT reported that size-frequency distributions for bocaccio in 
the 1970s included a wide range of sizes, with recreationally caught 
individuals from 25 to 85 cm (10 to 33 inches) in length. This broad 
size distribution suggests a spread of ages, with some successful 
recruitment over multiple years. A similar range of sizes is also 
evident in data from the 1980s. These patterns are more likely to 
result from a self-sustaining population within the Georgia Basin 
rather than sporadic immigration or recruitment from coastal 
populations. The temporal trend in size distributions for bocaccio also 
suggests size truncation of the population, with larger fish becoming 
less common over time until the 1990s. By the decade of the 2000s, no 
bocaccio data were

[[Page 18529]]

available, so the BRT was not able to determine if the size truncation 
continued in this decade.
    The BRT reported that canary rockfish exhibited a broad spread of 
sizes in the 1970s. However, by the 2000s, there were far fewer size 
classes represented and no fish greater than 55 cm (22 inches) were 
recorded in the recreational data. Although some of this truncation may 
be a function of the overall lower number of sampled fish, the data in 
general suggest few older fish remain in the population.
    For yelloweye rockfish, the BRT reported that recreationally caught 
fish in the 1970s spanned a broad range of sizes. By the decade of the 
2000s, there was some evidence of fewer older fish in the population. 
However, overall numbers of fish in the database were also much lower, 
making it difficult to determine if size truncation occurred.
    For greenstriped and redstripe rockfish, the BRT noted that these 
species have a small maximum size. Although common in the recreational 
catch data for the 1970s and 1980s, greenstriped rockfish are 
represented by few individuals in catch data from the 1990s and 2000s. 
Size distributions do not suggest any size truncation over this time 
period. Low numbers reported in the catch may be a function of 
decreasing bag limits over time, and the likelihood of discarding of 
this less desired species by recreational fishermen. Large numbers of 
redstripe were retained by fishermen in the 1980s, but very few were 
available in the database for the 1990s and 2000s. There was no 
evidence of size truncation in this species over time, but too few fish 
were measured in the later decades to provide a meaningful analysis.

 Risk Assessment Methods

    In assessing risk, NMFS BRTs consider the best scientific 
information available, which often includes both qualitative and 
quantitative information. In previous NMFS status reviews, BRTs have 
used a ``risk matrix'' method to organize and summarize the 
professional judgment of a panel of professional scientists regarding 
the degree of risk facing a species based on the available information. 
This approach is described in detail by Wainright and Kope (1999) and 
has been used for over 10 years in Pacific salmonid status reviews 
(e.g., Good et al., 2005; Hard et al., 2007), as well as in reviews of 
Pacific hake, walleye pollock, Pacific cod (Gustafson et al., 2000), 
Puget Sound rockfishes (Stout et al., 2001b), Pacific herring (Stout et 
al. 2001a; Gustafson et al., 2006), and black abalone (Butler et al., 
2008). In this risk matrix approach, the collective condition of 
individual populations is summarized at the DPS level according to four 
demographic risk criteria: abundance, growth rate/productivity, spatial 
structure/connectivity, and diversity. These viability criteria, 
outlined in McElhany et al. (2000), reflect concepts that are well 
founded in conservation biology and are generally applicable to a wide 
variety of species. These criteria describe demographic risks that 
individually and collectively provide strong indicators of extinction 
risk. The summary of demographic risks and other pertinent information 
obtained by this approach is then considered by the BRT in determining 
the species' overall level of extinction risk.
    After reviewing all relevant biological information for the 
species, each BRT member assigns a risk score to each of the four 
demographic criteria. The scoring for the risk criteria correspond to 
the following values: 1-very low risk, 2-low risk, 3-moderate risk, 4-
high risk, 5-very high risk. The scores were tallied (means, modes, and 
range of scores), reviewed, and the range of perspectives discussed by 
the BRT before making its overall risk determination. Although this 
process helps to integrate and summarize a large amount of diverse 
information, the risk matrix scores do not always translate directly 
into a determination of overall extinction risk. Other factors must be 
considered. For example, a DPS with a single extant sub-population 
might be at a high level of extinction risk because of high risk to 
spatial structure/connectivity, even if it exhibited low risk for the 
other demographic criteria. Another species might be at risk of 
extinction because of moderate risks to several demographic criteria.
    After completing the risk matrix approach for each DPS, the BRT 
evaluated their overall extinction risk. The BRT was asked to use three 
categories of risk to describe the species' status ``high risk'' of 
extinction; ``moderate risk'' of extinction; or ``not at risk'' of 
extinction. To allow individuals to express uncertainty in determining 
the overall level of extinction risk facing the species, the BRT 
adopted the ``likelihood point'' method referred to previously.

Abundance Trends Data Reviewed by the BRT

    The main data available on Puget Sound rock sh trends are from 
surveys of recreational anglers conducted by WDFW. These data are 
collected from punch cards sent in by licensed anglers and from 
dockside surveys. WDFW extrapolates the rock sh per angler data up to 
total catch using an estimate of number of trips derived from the 
salmon recreational shery. The data are reported both for the targeted 
catch (targeting bottom sh) and the incidental catch (targeting 
salmon). For the trend analyses conducted by the BRT, only the data 
from the shery targeting bottomfish were used because the bottomfish 
information was recorded in an inconsistent fashion in the salmon catch 
report (Drake et al., 2008). The BRT utilized data covering the time 
period from 1965-2007.
    The recreational data have numerous limitations. In particular, 
during 1994 to 2003, the total catch was still estimated using salmon 
shery data, yet restrictions on the salmon shery resulted in limited 
information. In addition, the bag limit on rock sh was lowered from 15 
sh in 1983 to 1 rock sh per trip in both the north Puget Sound and 
Puget Sound Proper in 2000. Reductions in bag limits both directly 
reduce the sh per trip by capping the maximum and may lead to changes 
in angler targeting leading to reductions in the number of rock sh 
taken per trip. To correct for the effects of bag limits and changes in 
angler targeting, the trend analyses conducted by the BRT treated each 
bag limit period as a separate dataset and a scaling parameter to 
adjust the mean for each period was estimated.
    Data from commercial fisheries were also examined by the BRT. 
Commercial data with effort information is available from records on 
the bottom trawl shery operating until 1988. Effort data (hours 
trawled) are available from 1955. Due to some concerns in the sheries 
literature about CPUE data from commercial sheries not correlating with 
actual population abundances, these data were not used for the trend 
analyses.
    Data from the WDFW trawl survey (a shery independent survey) were 
included in the trend analysis conducted by the BRT. The survey is 
described in detail by Palsson et al. (2008). These trawl surveys cover 
1987 to 2000, are depth stratified, and done in twelve regions. The 
rocky habitat used by bocaccio, canary rockfish and yelloweye rockfish 
is not effectively sampled by trawl gear, while the unconsolidated 
habitat used by redstripe rockfish and greenstriped rockfish can be 
trawled effectively. As a result, the BRT used the WDFW trawl survey 
data primarily with respect to the latter two species.
    Another data source included in the BRT analysis is sightings of 
rock sh by recreational SCUBA divers throughout the Puget Sound as part 
of a program by

[[Page 18530]]

the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF, 2008), which trains 
recreational divers to identify and record sh species during 
recreational dives. The data are reported in relative abundance 
categories: single = single sh, few = 2-10 sh, many = 11-100 sh, and 
abundant = 100+ sh. The REEF database was used to determine presence/
absence per dive (at any abundance) and also to determine minimum and 
maximum rock sh abundance by using the upper and lower ends of the 
categories to convert the categorical levels to numerical levels.
    In addition to the data sources described above, the BRT reviewed 
numerous historical documents, short-term research projects, and 
graduate theses from regional universities. In general, historical 
reports confirm that the five petitioned species have consistently been 
part of the Puget Sound fish fauna. For example, Kincaid (1919) noted 
that the family Scorpaenidae (which includes rockfishes) constituted 
``one of the most important and valuable groups of fishes found on the 
Pacific Coast.'' He produced an annotated list of Puget Sound fishes 
that documented 13 species of rockfish that were known to inhabit Puget 
Sound, including two of the petitioned species reported with different 
common nanmes: the ``orange rockfish'' (S. pinniger) that was 
``abundant in deep water'', and the ``red rockfish or red snapper'' (S. 
ruberrimus), the largest of this group, ``common in deep water'' and 
``brought to market in considerable quantities.'' Smith (1936) provided 
one of the first scientific reports on Puget Sound commercial fisheries 
focused on the fleet of otter trawlers which targeted flatfish landed 
for market in Seattle. The fishery occurred primarily over relatively 
soft-bottom areas. Seven rockfish species were indicated as being taken 
by this fishery, including three of the petitioned species ``orange 
rockfish'' (S. pinniger), ``red snapper'' (S. ruberrimus), and ``olive-
banded rock cod'' (S. elongatus). Haw and Buckley's (1971) text on 
saltwater fishing in Washington marine waters, including Puget Sound, 
was designed to popularize recreational sport (hook and line) fishing 
in the region to the general public. Fishing locations and habitat 
preferences were indicated for three species of rockfish: canary, 
yelloweye, and bocaccio. Canary rockfish were found at depths over 150 
feet (46 m) and were not restricted to rocky bottom areas. This species 
occurred in certain locations as far south as Point Defiance and was 
taken in large numbers at Tacoma Narrows, but was considered more 
abundant in the San Juan Islands, North Puget Sound, and Strait of Juan 
de Fuca. Rockfish were found at depths over 150 feet (46 m) on rocky 
bottoms, and primarily occurred in north Puget Sound, the Strait, and 
the outer coast. Finally, bocaccio were frequently caught in the Tacoma 
Narrows.
    Two documents (Delacy et al., 1972; Miller and Borton, 1980) 
compiled all available data on Puget Sound fish species distributions 
and relative number of occurrences since 1971 and 1973, respectively, 
from the literature (including some records noted above), fish 
collections, unpublished log records, and other sources. Twenty-seven 
representatives of the family Scorpaenidae are listed in these 
documents, including all five species considered in this status review 
(total records indicated in parentheses): greenstriped rockfish (54): 
most records occur in Hood Canal, although they were also collected 
near Seattle, primarily associated with otter trawls; bocaccio (110): 
most records occur from the 1970's in Tacoma Narrows and Appletree Cove 
(near Kingston) associated with sport catch; canary rockfish (114): 
most records occur from the 1960s to 1970s in Tacoma Narrows, Hood 
Canal, San Juan Islands, Bellingham, and Appletree Cove associated with 
sport catch; redstripe rockfish (26): most records are from Hood Canal 
sport catch, although a few were also taken in Central Sound/Seattle; 
yelloweye rockfish (113): most records occur from the early 1970's in 
the San Juan Islands (Sucia Island) and Bellingham Bay associated with 
the sport catch.

Summary of Previous Risk Analyses

    The WDFW conducted an extensive review of the current status of all 
Puget Sound rockfishes (Palsson et al., 2008). The authors examined 
historic patterns of abundance, results of WDFW surveys, and ecosystem 
stressors to produce a qualitative risk assessment. Palsson et al. 
(2008) note a precipitous decline in several species of rockfish, 
including bocaccio, yelloweye rockfish, and canary rockfish. They 
concluded that fishery removals (including bycatch from other 
fisheries) are highly likely to limit recovery of depleted rockfish 
populations in Puget Sound. In addition, they concluded that habitat 
disruption, derelict fishing gear, low dissolved oxygen, chemical 
toxicants, and predation are moderate threats to Puget Sound rockfish 
populations.
    WDFW evaluated the status of rockfishes in Puget Sound using 
information on fishery landings trends, surveys, and species 
composition trends (Musick et al., 2000). Their evaluation was based on 
the American Fisheries Society's Criteria for Marine Fish Stocks 
(Musick et al., 2000). This method uses biological information and life 
history parameters such as population growth rates, age at maturity, 
fecundity, maximum age, etc. These parameters in concert with 
information regarding population trends are used to classify 
populations as depleted, vulnerable, precautionary or healthy. WDFW 
interpreted ``depleted'' to mean that there is a high risk of 
extinction in the immediate future, while ``vulnerable'' was considered 
to be likely to be endangered or threatened in the near future. 
``Precautionary'' was interpreted to mean that populations were reduced 
in abundance, but that population size was stable or increasing. After 
applying the criteria, WDFW concluded that yelloweye rockfish were 
depleted in both North and South Puget Sound. Canary rockfish were also 
considered depleted in North and South Puget Sound. Greenstriped 
rockfish and redstripe rockfish were both considered to be healthy. 
Bocaccio were considered to have a precautionary status. The 
precautionary status of bocaccio was the result of a lack of 
information for bocaccio, as well as their increased rarity in South 
Puget Sound.
    An evaluation on the status of yelloweye rockfish was prepared for 
the Canadian Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada 
(COSEWIC). COSEWIC concluded that there are two designatable units of 
yelloweye rockfish in Canada: an ``inside'' designatable unit that 
encompasses the Strait of Georgia, Johnstone Strait and Queen Charlotte 
Strait, and an ``outside'' designatable unit that extends from 
southeast Alaska to northern Oregon. The two designatable units are 
distinguished on the basis of genetic information indicating restricted 
gene flow, and age at maturity. For the inside designatable unit, 
submersible surveys in 1984 and 2003 showed statistically 
nonsignificant declines in mean, median and maximum sightings per 
transect. Commercial handline and longline CPUEs declined 59 percent 
and 49 percent respectively from 1986 to 2004. Age and length 
information indicates that the proportion of old individuals declined 
from the 1980s into the early 1990s. Overall, the COSEWIC report 
concluded that yelloweye rockfish abundance has declined more than 30 
percent in a third of a yelloweye generation. COSEWIC also conducted 
status reviews for canary rockfish and

[[Page 18531]]

bocaccio; however, these reports focused on coastal populations. In 
both cases, populations were determined to be threatened.
    Coastal populations of yelloweye rockfish, canary rockfish and 
bocaccio are considered ``overfished'' by the U.S. Pacific Fisheries 
Management Council.

Current Abundance

    Because of a lack of systematic sampling targeting rare rockfishes, 
absolute estimates of population size of the petitioned species cannot 
be generated with any accuracy. However, a rough estimate of the order 
of magnitude of population size can be determined from information 
assembled by WDFW. Palsson et al. (2008) extrapolated results from a 
video survey to estimate the population size of the common rockfish 
species (copper rockfish, quillback rockfish, black rockfish and brown 
rockfish) in Puget Sound Proper as about 40,683 and in North Puget 
Sound as 838, 944. The BRT applied the percent frequency of the 
petitioned species in the recreational catch to these numbers to 
conclude that the population sizes of boccacio, yelloweye rockfish, and 
canary rockfish are quite small, probably less than 10,000 in Georgia 
Basin and less than 1,000 in Puget Sound Proper. The absolute abundance 
of greenstriped and redstripe rockfish are unknown, but these species 
appear highly abundant in certain areas (Drake et al., 2008).

Abundance Trends

    The BRT did not generate quantitative estimates of trend in 
abundance for the ve species in the current petition because the low 
sampling of the catches in many years, particularly the early years, 
provides insufficient yearly estimates. Because of the nature of the 
available data, the BRT used the overall trend in all rockfishes 
(heavily influenced by common species such as copper, brown, and 
quillback rockfishes) to make inferences about the magnitude of trend 
in the petitioned species. They did this by looking for changes in the 
frequency of the petitioned species relative to the common species. The 
BRT examined this evidence for changes in the frequency of the 
petitioned species in the recreational catch, WDFW trawl surveys, and 
REEF dive surveys. If the petitioned species are not declining as fast 
as the ``total rock sh'' time series, then their frequency should be 
increasing relative to other more common species. On the other hand, 
they should become less frequent if they are declining more quickly.
    The three most common species during 1965-2007 in the North Puget 
Sound (black rockfish, copper rockfish and quillback rockfish) and 
Puget Sound Proper (brown rockfish, copper rockfish, and quillback 
rockfish) increased in proportion of the total from 1980 through 1990, 
and currently comprise approximately 90 percent of the recreational 
catch. Four of the ve petitioned species (boccacio, canary rockfish, 
greenstriped rockfish, and yelloweye rockfish) became progressively 
less frequent in the recreational catch during the same time period.
    Estimates of the declining trend in the total population of 
rockfish in Puget Sound were approximately 3 percent per year, although 
this figure varied depending on what assumptions were included in the 
model estimating the trend (see Drake et al., 2008 for details). This 
rate of annual decline corresponds to an average decline of about 70 
percent over the 1965-2007 time period the BRT examined. Since the 
relative frequency of the petitioned species declined, the BRT 
concluded that the decline of the petitioned species must have been 
greater than the 70 percent observed in the total rockfish population.

Extinction Risk Assessment Conclusions

Bocaccio
    The BRT concluded that the bocaccio Georgia Basin DPS is at ``high 
risk'' of extinction throughout all of its range. Bocaccio appear to 
have declined in frequency in Puget Sound Proper, relative to other 
species, from the 1970s to the present. From 1975-1979, bocaccio were 
reported as an average of 4.63 percent of the total rockfish catch. 
From 1980-1989, they were 0.24 percent of the rock sh identified, and 
from 1996 to 2007, bocaccio have not been observed out of the 2238 rock 
sh identified in the dockside surveys of the recreational catches. In a 
sample this large, the probability of observing at least 1 bocaccio 
would be 99.5 percent assuming it was at the same frequency (0.24 
percent) as in the 1980s. The BRT concluded that there is strong 
support in the data for a decline in the frequency of bocaccio relative 
to other species in Puget Sound Proper. The BRT noted that other data 
sources (SCUBA surveys) indicate that although rare, bocaccio rock sh 
were present in Puget Sound Proper as recently as 2001. Relying on the 
estimate of Palsson et al. (2008) of 40,683 rockfish in Puget Sound 
Proper, a 0.24 percent frequency rate would mean there were about 100 
individual bocaccio in Puget Sound Proper in the 1980's. In North Puget 
Sound, bocaccio have always been rare in the surveys of the 
recreational shery. In the Strait of Georgia, bocaccio have been 
documented in some inlets, but records are sparse, isolated, and often 
based on anecdotal reports (COSEWIC, 2002).
    A majority of the BRT concluded that the downward population size 
trend was, by itself, sufficient to indicate that the Georgia Basin DPS 
of bocaccio had a high risk of extinction. The BRT was also concerned 
that bocaccio as a species have a very low intrinsic rate of population 
growth, even in the absence of harvest or other threats that may limit 
productivity, and the size distribution of bocaccio in Puget Sound 
appeared to be trending toward smaller, less productive sizes (see 
above). Bocaccio are also characterized by highly variable recruitment 
that may be largely driven by environmental conditions which may occur 
only infrequently (Tolimieri and Levin, 2005). Even in the absence of 
continued exploitation, the BRT therefore concluded that Georgia Basin 
bocaccio were at risk due to their low abundance and low intrinsic 
population growth rate.
    Threats to this DPS include areas of low dissolved oxygen within 
their range, the potential for continued losses as bycatch in 
recreational and commercial harvest, and the reduction of kelp habitat 
necessary for juvenile recruitment. The BRT's conclusions regarding the 
overall risk to the Georgia Basin bocaccio DPS were weighted to ``high 
risk'' (66 percent) with substantially less support for ``moderate 
risk'' (32 percent) and almost no support for ``not at risk'' (2 
percent).
    Although there have been no confirmed observations of bocaccio in 
Georgia Basin for approximately 7 years, the BRT concluded that there 
was no compelling reason to believe that the DPS has been extirpated. 
In particular, although it has disappeared from the recreational catch, 
the recreational fishery does not provide a complete sampling of 
Georgia Basin. Given the lack of an intensive effort to completely 
enumerate bocaccio, and the long life-span of the species, the BRT 
concluded that it is likely that the DPS still exists at a very low 
abundance and would be observed with a sufficiently intensive 
observation program.
Yelloweye Rockfish
    The BRT concluded that the yelloweye rockfish Georgia Basin DPS is 
at ``moderate risk'' of extinction throughout all of its range. The 
frequency of yelloweye rock sh in Puget Sound Proper does not show a 
consistent trend, with percent

[[Page 18532]]

frequencies less than 1 in the 1960s and 1980s and about 3 percent in 
the 1970s and 1990s. Relying on the estimate of Palsson et al. (2008) 
of 40,683 rockfish in Puget Sound Proper, a 3 percent frequency rate 
would mean there are about 1,200 individual canary rockfish in Puget 
Sound Proper. In North Puget Sound, however, the frequency of yelloweye 
rock sh decreased from a high of greater than 3 percent in the 1970s to 
a frequency of 0.65 percent in the most recent samples. Based on this 
decline in frequency in North Puget Sound, combined with the overall 
decline in rockfish abundance in Puget Sound, the BRT concluded that 
the current trend in abundance contributes significantly to the 
extinction risk of the DPS. Like bocaccio and canary rockfish, the BRT 
also noted that the low intrinsic productivity combined with continuing 
threats from bycatch in commercial and recreational harvest, loss of 
near shore habitat, chemical contamination, and areas of low dissolved 
oxygen, increase the extinction risk of this species. The BRT further 
noted the downward trends in the size of yelloweye rockfish in Puget 
Sound (see above). The BRT's conclusions regarding the overall risk to 
the Georgia Basin canary rockfish DPS were heavily weighted toward 
``moderate risk'' (59 percent), with minority support for ``high risk'' 
(23 percent) and ``not at risk'' (18 percent).
Canary Rockfish
    The BRT concluded that the canary rockfish Georgia Basin DPS is at 
``moderate risk'' of extinction throughout all of its range. There 
appears to be a steep decline in the abundance of canary rockfish in 
the Georgia Basin, reflected in the species becoming less frequent in 
the recreational rockfish catch data since 1965. In Puget Sound Proper, 
canary rockfish occurred at frequencies above 2 percent of the total 
rockfish catch in the 1960s and 1970s, but by the late 1990s had 
declined to about 0.76 percent. Relying on the estimate of Palsson et 
al. (2008) of 40,683 rockfish in Puget Sound Proper, a 0.76-percent 
frequency rate would mean there are about 300 individual canary 
rockfish in Puget Sound Proper. In North Puget Sound, the frequency of 
canary rockfish exceeded 6 percent in the 1960s and declined to 0.56 
percent in the 1990s. Based on this decline in frequency, combined with 
the overall decline in rockfish abundance in Puget Sound, the BRT 
concluded that the current trend in abundance contributes significantly 
to the extinction risk of the DPS.
    The BRT also noted that the species' low intrinsic productivity 
combined with continuing threats from bycatch in commercial and 
recreational harvest, loss of near shore habitat, chemical 
contamination, and areas of low dissolved oxygen, increase the 
extinction risk of this species. The BRT further noted the downward 
trends in the size of the canary rockfish in Puget Sound (see above). 
The BRT noted that this species is more mobile than many other rockfish 
species, which may help preserve genetic diversity by increasing 
connectivity among breeding populations. However, the BRT noted the 
lack of specific information on canary rockfish population structure 
within the Georgia Basin, and that there does not appear to be a 
stronghold for canary rockfish anywhere within the range of the DPS. 
The BRT's conclusions regarding the overall risk to the Georgia Basin 
canary rockfish DPS were heavily weighted toward ``moderate risk'' (56 
percent), with minority support for ``high risk'' (24 percent) and 
``not at risk'' (20 percent).
Greenstriped Rockfish
    The BRT concluded that the greenstriped rockfish Puget Sound Proper 
DPS is ``not at risk'' of extinction throughout all of its range. 
Greenstriped rock sh do not occur in the recreational catch data from 
North Puget Sound and occur very infrequently in the Puget Sound Proper 
recreational catch data, presumably due to the low value attached to 
this species. Bag limits were imposed in 1983 and the bag limit was 
further reduced in 1994 and 2000. Since greenstriped rock sh are 
smaller than other species, the bag limit may lead to discarding and 
thus under-representation of greenstriped rockfish in the recreational 
catch. Greenstriped rock sh appear in a low frequency in the WDFW 
sheries independent trawl survey, but they were caught in the most 
recent years of the WDFW trawl survey in Puget Sound Proper (in both 
2002 and 2005). Thus, although greenstriped rock sh have not been 
reported from the recreational catch from 1999-2007, they are still 
present in Puget Sound Proper. The BRT noted the lack of information on 
the abundance trends of greenstriped rockfish, but noted that Puget 
Sound Proper has large areas of the unconsolidated habitats that are 
used by this species, and that this species has somewhat higher 
intrinsic productivity than other rockfish species. The BRT noted that 
this species is not preferred by recreational anglers, and may 
therefore be less susceptible to overharvest. Because this species is 
also more of a habitat generalist than many other rockfish, the BRT 
concluded it was not at risk from habitat loss or reduced diversity. 
Size distributions do not suggest any size truncation since the 1970s. 
The BRT did note that areas of low dissolved oxygen are a potential 
risk factor. The BRT conclusions regarding the overall risk the DPS 
were weighted toward ``not at risk'' (59 percent), with ``moderate 
risk'' receiving minority support (32 percent) and ``high risk'' 
receiving very little support (9 percent).
Redstripe Rockfish
    The BRT concluded that the redstripe rockfish Puget Sound Proper 
DPS is ``not at risk'' of extinction throughout all of its range. 
Redstripe rockfish do not occur in the catch data from North Puget 
Sound. In Puget Sound Proper, however, redstripe rock sh appeared 
frequently in the recreational catch (between 1-14 percent) from 1980 
to 1985. Previous to that, from 1965 to 1979, redstripe rockfish 
appeared much less frequently (less than 1 percent). After 1985, the 
frequency of redstripe rockfish declined in the recreational data, and 
since 1996 it does not appear in the catch data. A bag limit was 
imposed in 1983 and the bag limit was further reduced in 1994 and 2000. 
Since redstripe rockfish are smaller than other species, bag limits may 
lead to discarding and thus under-representation of redstripe rockfish 
in the recreational catch. In the 1980s and 1990s, redstripe rockfish 
appeared at a low frequency (less than 1.5 percent) in the WDFW trawl 
survey. The frequency increased dramatically in 2002 and 2005, with 
redstripe rockfish making up 39 and 48 percent of the individuals 
caught. The BRT concluded that these high estimates may be statistical 
outliers, however, and are not necessarily indicative of an actual 
increase in abundance in recent years. However, the biomass of 
redstripe rockfish in the Puget Sound trawls was significantly higher 
in 2008 than in 1995, indicating a potential increase in abundance. The 
BRT also noted that the presence of redstripe rockfish in the WDFW 
trawl survey indicates that redstripe rockfish are present in Puget 
Sound but are no longer being recorded in the dockside surveys of the 
recreational catch, for undetermined reasons. Overall, the BRT noted 
that the total abundance and trends in abundance for this species were 
not well known, but concluded that the available data indicated that 
the species was at least locally abundant within Puget Sound.
    The BRT also noted that this species has a shorter generation time 
and higher intrinsic rate of productivity than many other rockfish 
species. The BRT noted

[[Page 18533]]

that this species is not preferred by recreational anglers, and may 
therefore be less susceptible to overharvest. Because this species is 
also more of a habitat generalist than many other rockfish, the BRT 
concluded it was not at risk from habitat loss or reduced diversity. 
The BRT did note that areas of low dissolved oxygen and chemical 
contamination are potential risk factors for this species. There was no 
evidence of size truncation in this species over time, but too few fish 
were measured in the later decades to provide a meaningful analysis. 
The BRT conclusions regarding the overall risk to the DPS were weighted 
toward ``not at risk'' (58 percent), with ``moderate risk'' receiving 
minority support (32 percent), and ``high risk'' receiving little 
support (10 percent).

Summary of Factors Affecting the Five DPSs of Rockfish

    As described above, section 4(a)(1) of the ESA and NMFS 
implementing regulations (50 CFR 424) state that we must determine 
whether a species is endangered or threatened because of any one or a 
combination of the following factors: (1) the present or threatened 
destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range; (2) 
overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or 
educational purposes; (3) disease or predation; (4) inadequacy of 
existing regulatory mechanisms; or (5) other natural or man-made 
factors affecting its continued existence. The primary factors 
responsible for the decline of these five DPSs of rockfishes are 
overutilization for commercial and recreational purposes, water quality 
problems including low dissolved oxygen, and inadequacy of existing 
regulatory mechanisms. The factors for decline are so similar for the 
petitioned DPSs of rockfish that they are addressed collectively in the 
following section. This section briefly summarizes findings regarding 
threats to the five DPSs of rockfishes. More details can be found in 
the draft status report (Drake et al., 2008) and Palsson et al. (2008).

The Present or Threatened Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment of 
its Habitat or Range

    The BRT identified habitat destruction as a threat to petitioned 
rockfish. In particular, loss of rocky habitat, loss of eelgrass and 
kelp, introduction of non-native species that modify habitat, and 
degradation of water quality were identified as specific threats to 
rockfish habitat in the Georgia Basin.
    Adults of bocaccio, canary rockfish, and yelloweye rockfish are 
typically associated with rocky habitats. Palsson et al. (2008) report 
that such habitat is extremely limited in Puget Sound, with only 10 
km\2\ (3.8 sq miles) of such habitat in Puget Sound Proper, and 207 
km\2\ (80 sq miles) in North Puget Sound. Rocky habitat is more common 
in the Strait of Georgia and Strait of Juan de Fuca. Palsson et al. 
(2008) note that this habitat is threatened by, or has been impacted 
by, construction of bridges, sewer lines and other structures, 
deployment of cables and pipelines, and burying from dredge spoils and 
natural subtidal slope failures.
     Eelgrass, kelp, and other submerged vegetation provide important 
rockfish habitat, particularly for juveniles. In 2006, there were about 
20,234 hectares (78 sq miles) of eelgrass in Puget Sound, with about a 
third of this in Padilla and Samish bays. Monitoring of eelgrass began 
in 2000, and although coverage declined until 2004, since that time it 
has remained unchanged throughout Puget Sound. Localized declines have 
occurred, with local losses in Hood Canal ranging from 1 to 22 percent 
per year ( Puget Sound Action Team, 2007). Kelp cover is highly 
variable and has shown long-term declines in some regions, while kelp 
beds have increased in areas where artificial substrate provides 
additional kelp habitat (Palsson et al., 2008).
    Non-indigenous species are an emerging threat to biotic habitat in 
Puget Sound. Sargassum muiticum is an introduced brown alga that is now 
common throughout much of the Sound. The degree to which Sargassum 
influences native macroalgae, eelgrass, or rockfish themselves is not 
presently understood. Several species of non-indigenous tunicates have 
been identified in Puget Sound. For example, Ciona savignyi was 
initially seen in one location in 2004, but within 2 years spread to 86 
percent of sites surveyed in Hood Canal ( Puget Sound Action Team, 
2007). The exact impact of invasive tunicates on rockfish or their 
habitats is unknown, but results in other regions (e.g., Levin et al., 
2002) suggest the potential for introduced invertebrates to have 
widespread impacts on rocky-reef fish populations.
    Over the last century, human activities have introduced a variety 
of toxins into Puget Sound and the Georgia Basin at levels that may 
affect rockfish populations or the prey that support them. Several 
urban embayments in the Sound have high levels of heavy metals and 
organic compounds (Palsson et al., 2008). About 32 percent of the 
sediments in Puget Sound are considered to be moderately or highly 
contaminated (Puget Sound Action Team, 2007). Organisms that live in or 
eat these sediments are consumed, thus transferring contaminants up the 
food web to higher level predators like rockfishes, and to a wider 
geographic area.
    Not surprisingly, contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls 
(PCBs), chlorinated pesticides (e.g., DDT), and polybrominated diphenyl 
ethers (PBDEs) appear in rockfish collected in urban areas (Palsson et 
al., 2008). However, while the highest levels of contamination occur in 
urban areas, toxins can be found in the tissues of animals in all 
regions of the sound (Team, 2007). Indeed, rockfish collected in rural 
areas of the San Juan Islands revealed high levels of mercury and 
hydrocarbons (West et al., 2002).
    Although risks from contaminants can affect all life history stages 
of rockfish, few studies have investigated the effects of toxins on 
rockfish ecology or physiology. Contaminants may influence growth rates 
of rockfish. For example, Palsson et al. (2008) describe a case in 
which male rockfish have lower growth rates than females an unusual 
pattern for rockfish since males typically grow faster than females. 
The explanation may be that male rockfish tend to accumulate PCBs while 
female's body burden does not increase with time since they reduce 
their toxin level when they release eggs. Thus, the observed difference 
in growth rate may result from the higher contaminant concentration in 
males versus females.
    Rockfish may also experience reproductive dysfunction as a result 
of contaminant exposure. Although no studies have shown an effect on 
rockfish, other fish in Puget Sound that have been studied do show a 
substantial impact. For instance, in English sole, reproductive 
function is reduced in animals from contaminated areas, and this 
effectively decreases the productivity of the species (Landahl et al., 
1997).
    The full effect of contaminants on rockfish in the Georgia Basin 
remains unknown, but there is clearly a potential for impact. 
Unfortunately, good physical rockfish habitat is located in areas that 
are now subject to high levels of contaminants. This is evidenced by 
the fact that rockfish were historically captured in great numbers in 
these areas (compare Palsson et al., 2008 and Puget Sound Action Team, 
2007). Palsson et al. (2008) suggest that these areas, often in urban 
embayments, have become de facto no-take zones because people avoid 
fishing there. Now, many of the areas where rockfish are not subjected 
to

[[Page 18534]]

fishing pressure are contaminated, potentially creating a barrier to 
recovery.
    In addition to chemical contamination, water quality in Puget Sound 
is also influenced by sewage, animal waste, and nutrient inputs. The 
Washington Department of Ecology has been monitoring water quality in 
Puget Sound for several decades. Monitoring includes fecal coliform, 
nitrogen, ammonium, and dissolved oxygen. In 2005, of the 39 sites 
sampled, 8 were classified as highest concern, and 10 were classified 
as high concern. Low levels of dissolved oxygen have been an increasing 
concern. Hood Canal has seen persistent and increasing areas of low 
dissolved oxygen since the mid 1990s. Typically, rockfish move out of 
areas with dissolved oxygen less than 2 mg/l; however, when low 
dissolved oxygen waters were quickly upwelled to the surface in 2003, 
about 26 percent of the rockfish population was killed (Palsson et al., 
2008). In addition to Hood Canal, Palsson et al. (2008) report that 
periods of low dissolved oxygen are becoming more widespread in waters 
south of Tacoma Narrows.

Overutilization for Commercial, Recreational, Scientific or Educational 
Purposes

    The BRT and WDFW (Palsson et al. 2008) identify overutilization for 
commercial and recreational purposes as the most severe threat to 
petitioned rockfish in the Georgia Basin. Because individual species of 
rockfish were historically not indentified in fisheries statistics, it 
is impossible to estimate rates of fishing mortality and thus 
impossible to conduct a detailed quantitative analysis of the effects 
of fishing on rockfish populations. Nonetheless, there is little doubt 
that overfishing played a major role in the declines of rockfish in 
Puget Sound (Drake et al., 2008; Palsson et al., 2008). Moreover, the 
life histories of the petitioned species (especially bocaccio, canary 
rockfish, and yelloweye rockfish) make them highly susceptible to 
overfishing and, once populations are at a low level, recovery can 
require decades (Levin et al., 2006; Love et al., 2002; Parker et al., 
2000). In particular, rockfish grow slowly, have a long life span and 
low natural mortality rates, mature late in life, often have sporadic 
reproductive success from year to year, may display high fidelity to 
specific habitats and locations, and require a diverse genetic and age 
structure to maintain healthy populations (Love et al., 2002).
    Estimates of rockfish harvest in Puget Sound are available for the 
last 87 years (Palsson et al., 2008). Commercial harvest was very low 
prior to World War II, rose during the War, and then averaged 125,000 
pounds (56,700 kg) between 1945 and 1970. In the 1970s, harvest 
increased dramatically, peaking in 1980 at 880,000 pounds (399,200 kg). 
Catches remained high until the early 1990s and then declined 
dramatically (Palsson et al., 2008). From 1921-1970 a total of 
3,812,000 pounds (1,729,000 kg) of rockfish were landed in Puget Sound, 
while nearly this same level of harvest (3,968,000 pounds; 1,800,000 
kg) was achieved in only 7 years (from 1977-1983). The average annual 
harvest from 1977-1990 was nearly four times pre-1970 levels.
    Although an estimate of fishing mortality is not available, some 
available evidence suggests that the fishing mortality experienced by 
the petitioned species would have been very high. Palsson et al. (2008) 
provide a rough estimate of the total rockfish biomass in Puget Sound 
during the 1999-2004 time period of 3,205,521 pounds (1,454,000 kg) 
less than the total harvest from 1977-1983. Although the BRT considered 
the estimate provided by Palsson et al. (2008) as only a coarse 
estimate of biomass, it is clear that fishing removed a substantial 
fraction of the rockfish biomass during the 1977-1990 time frame. For 
comparison, exploitation rates for canary rockfish during the 1980s and 
1990s along the U. S. Pacific Coast ranged from 5-19 percent (Stewart, 
2007), bocaccio ranged from 5-31 percent (MacCall, 2008), and yelloweye 
rockfish ranged from less than 5 percent to about 17 percent (Wallace, 
2007). In each of these cases, these high exploitation rates were 
followed by dramatic declines in population size (Sewart, 2007; 
Wallace, 2007; MacCall, 2008). Given the life history of rockfish and 
the level of harvest in Puget Sound, the BRT concurred with WDFW 
(Palsson et al., 2008) and identified overutilization for commercial 
and recreational purposes as the most severe threat to petitioned 
rockfish in the Georgia Basin.
    Fishery removals can affect both the absolute abundance of rockfish 
as well as the relative abundance of larger fish. Palsson et al. (2008) 
examined studies comparing rockfish populations in marine reserves in 
Puget Sound to populations outside reserves, and related this 
information to long-term trends in rockfish catch data, to draw 
conclusions about the effects of fishing on Puget Sound rockfish. They 
noted that rockfish in marine reserves in Puget Sound generally are at 
higher densities than rockfish outside reserves. They considered this 
information in the context of steep declines in the catch of rockfish 
after the early 1980s to conclude that the current low abundance of 
rockfish in Puget Sound is likely the result of overfishing. They 
further noted that rockfish in marine reserves in Puget Sound are 
larger than rockfish outside the reserves. Coupled with information 
that the size of rockfish in Puget Sound has declined in recent 
decades, they concluded that fishing has also likely altered the age 
structure of rockfish populations by removing larger older individuals.
    Age truncation (the removal of older fish) can occur at even 
moderate levels of fishing for rockfish (Berkeley et al., 2004b). Age 
truncation has been widely demonstrated for Sebastes populations all 
along the west coast (Mason, 1998; Harvey et al., 2006), even for 
species not currently categorized as overfished by the Pacific Fishery 
Management Council. It can have ``catastrophic'' effects for long-lived 
species such as rockfish (Longhurst, 2002). For Puget Sound rockfish, 
it is likely that the age truncation effects of past overfishing are 
long-lasting and may constitute an ongoing threat, particularly because 
older, larger, older females are likely to be more fecund.
    In addition, fishing can have dramatic impacts on the size or age 
structure of the population, with effects that can influence ongoing 
productivity. Notably, declines in size and age of females can 
significantly impact reproductive success. Below, we outline the 
evidence for maternal effects on reproductive success and discuss the 
possibility that such effects occur in the petitioned species.
    Because most rockfish females release larvae on only one day each 
year (with a few exceptions in southern populations), the timing of 
parturition can be crucial in terms of matching favorable oceanographic 
conditions for larvae. Larger or older females release larvae earlier 
in the season compared to smaller or younger females in black, blue, 
yellowtail, kelp, and darkblotched rockfish (Sogard et al., 2008; 
Nichol and Pikitch, 1994). Maternal effects on larval quality have been 
documented for black, blue, gopher, and yellowtail rockfish (Berkeley 
et al., 2004; Sogard et al., 2008). The mechanism for maternal effects 
on larval quality across species is the size of the oil globule 
provided to larvae at parturition, which provides the developing larva 
with energy insurance against the risks of starvation (Berkeley et al., 
2004; Fisher et al., 2007), and in black rockfish enhances early growth 
rates (Berkeley et al., 2004). An additional maternal effect in black 
rockfish indicates that older females are

[[Page 18535]]

more successful in producing progeny that recruit from primary oocyte 
to fully developed larva (Bobko and Berkeley, 2004).
    In a broad span of species, there is evidence that age or size 
truncation is associated with increased variability in recruitment 
(e.g., Icelandic cod (Marteinsdottir and Thorarinsson, 1998), striped 
bass (Secor, 2000), Baltic cod (Wieland et al., 2000), and a broad 
suite of California Current species (Hsieh et al., 2006)). For long-
lived species, reproduction over a span of many years is considered a 
bet-hedging strategy that has a buffering effect at the population 
level, increasing the likelihood of some successful reproduction over a 
period of variable environmental conditions (Longhurst, 2002). When 
reproductive effort is limited to younger ages, this buffering capacity 
is lost and populations more closely follow short-term fluctuations in 
the environment (Hsieh, 2006).
    In summary, it is likely that past overfishing has reduced the 
abundance of the petitioned DPSs, leading to the current low abundance 
levels that place their future viability at risk. In addition, it is 
likely that past overfishing has reduced the proportion of large 
females in the petitioned DPSs, harming the productivity of the 
populations and affecting their ability to recover from current low 
levels of abundance. Ongoing fisheries also create risks for the 
petitioned DPSs, and are discussed below under The Inadequacy of 
Existing Regulatory Mechanisms.

Disease or Predation

    The BRT identified predation as a threat to the five DPSs of 
rockfishes. Rockfish are important prey items of lingcod (Beaudreau and 
Essington, 2007). Populations of lingcod have been low in Puget Sound, 
but are increasing in recent years (Palsson et al., 2008). Ruckelshaus 
et al. (in press) examined the potential effect of predation by lingcod 
on rockfish recovery. Their models indicate that even very small 
increases in predation mortality within marine protected areas (i.e., 
1.2 percent) are sufficient to negate the benefit of zero fishing 
pressure that occurs within the protected areas.
    Predation by pinnipeds may be locally significant. Four pinniped 
species are found in the waters of the State of Washington: harbor 
seals, California sea lions, Steller sea lions, and northern elephant 
seals. Harbor seal populations have increased from in the 100s during 
the 1970s to more than 10,000 at present (Jeffries et al., 2003). The 
harbor seal is the only pinniped species that breeds in Washington 
waters, and is the only pinniped with known haul-out sites in the San 
Juan Islands (Jeffries et al., 2000). Harbor seals are considered a 
threat to local fisheries in many areas (Bjorge et al., 2002; Olesiuk 
et al., 1990), and in Washington, Oregon, and California, consumption 
of rockfishes by California sea lions and harbor seals is estimated to 
be almost half of what is harvested in commercial fisheries (NMFS 
1997). In Puget Sound, harbor seals are considered opportunistic 
feeders that consume seasonally and locally abundant prey (London et 
al., 2001; Olesiuk et al., 1990).
    About 2,000 Steller sea lions occur seasonally in Washington 
waters, with dozens found in Puget Sound, particularly in the San Juan 
Islands (Palsson et al., 2008). About 8 percent of the Steller sea lion 
diet is rockfish (Lance and Jeffries, 2007). Though not abundant, their 
large size and aggregated distribution suggest that their local impact 
on rockfish could be significant.
    Fifteen species of marine birds breed along the Washington coast; 
seven of these have historically been found breeding in the San Juan 
Islands/Puget Sound area (Speich and Wahl, 1989). The predominant 
breeding marine birds in the San Juan Islands are pigeon guillemots, 
double-crested cormorants, pelagic cormorants, and members of the 
western gull/glaucous-winged gull complex (Speich and Wahl, 1989). The 
first three species are locally abundant. Although these avian 
predators can consume juvenile rockfish, whether they have a 
significant impact on rockfish populations is unknown.
    Rockfish are susceptible to diseases and parasites (Love et al., 
2002), but disease and parasite impacts on the petitioned species are 
not known. Palsson et al. (2008) suggest that stress associated with 
poor water quality may exacerbate the incidence and severity of 
naturally occurring diseases to the point of directly or indirectly 
decreasing survivorship of the petitioned species.

The Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms

Sport and Commercial Fishing Regulations
    Significant efforts to protect rockfish in Puget Sound from 
overharvest began in 1982 when the Washington Department of Fisheries 
(now the WDFW) published the Puget Sound Groundfish Management Plan. 
This plan identified rockfish as an important commercial and 
recreational resource in the Sound and established acceptable 
biological catch levels to control harvest (Palsson et al., 2008). The 
acceptable biological catch levels were based on recent average catches 
and initially set at 304,360 kg (671,000 total pounds) of rockfish for 
Puget Sound. This plan emphasized recreational fisheries for rockfish 
while limiting the degree of commercial fishing. During the 1980s, WDFW 
continued to collect information on rockfish harvest with an emphasis 
on increasing the amount of information available on rockfish bycatch 
in non-targeted fisheries (e.g., salmon fishery). In 1983, rockfish 
recreational harvest limits were reduced from 15 fish to 10 fish in 
North Puget Sound and to 5 fish in South Puget Sound. The 1982 
Groundfish Management Plan was updated in 1986 and extended the 
preference for recreational fisheries over commercial fishing for 
rockfish to the San Juan Islands and the Strait of Juan de Fuca 
(Palsson et al., 2008). During this same time, WDFW received a Federal 
grant to monitor recreational catches of rockfish and collect 
biological data on rockfish populations in the Sound. Information was 
collected, and new management scenarios for rockfish were developed but 
never implemented.
    In 1991, WDFW adopted a significant change in strategy for rockfish 
management in Puget Sound. The strategy, called ``passive management,'' 
ended all monitoring of commercial fisheries for groundfish and 
collection of biological data (Palsson et al., 2008). The switch in 
strategy was at least partially due to the closing by the State 
legislature of commercial fishing in Puget Sound south of Foulweather 
Bluff. The termination of monitoring created a data gap in rockfish 
biological data for the 1990s. In 1994, the recreational daily bag 
limit for rockfish was reduced to 5 fish in North Puget Sound and 3 
fish in South Puget Sound. In addition, WDFW adopted regulations to 
close remaining trawl fisheries in Admiralty Inlet.
    In 1996, the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Commission 
established a new policy for Puget Sound Groundfish management. The 
policy stated that the commission would manage Puget Sound groundfish, 
especially Pacific cod, in a conservative manner in order to minimize 
the risk of overharvest and to ensure the long-term health of the 
resource. During the next two years, WDFW developed a groundfish 
management plan (Palsson et al., 1998) that identified specific goals 
and objectives to achieve the commission's precautionary approach 
(Palsson et al., 2008). The plan also called for the development of 
species-specific (including many rockfishes) conservation and use 
plans. To date,

[[Page 18536]]

plans for the various species of rockfishes have not been developed. In 
2000, WDFW established a one rockfish daily bag limit for all of Puget 
Sound, and in 2002 and 2003, prohibited the retention of canary and 
yelloweye rockfishes. In 2004, WDFW promulgated additional protective 
regulations limiting harvest of rockfish to the open salmon and lingcod 
seasons, prohibiting spearfishing for rockfish east of Sekiu, and only 
allowing the retention of the first rockfish captured. Monitoring of 
recreational fisheries has also increased, with estimates of total 
rockfish catches by boat-based anglers now available.
    Bycatch and subsequent discarding of rockfish is currently thought 
to be quite high in the recreational fishery (Palsson et al., 2008). 
WDFW reported bycatch rates of greater than 20 percent (20 percent of 
rockfish caught are released) prior to the 1980s, but in recent years 
bycatch rates are in excess of 50 percent. The recent increase is 
ostensibly the outcome of the reduction in the allowable daily catch of 
rockfish (Palsson et al., 2008). Palsson et al. (2008) reports that for 
every rockfish landed in Puget Sound, 1.5 are released.
    WDFW records (as summarized in Palsson et al., 2008) show that 
between 2004 and 2007, an average of 23 kg/yr (50 pounds) of canary 
rockfish were harvested and 160 kg/yr (353 pounds) were released in 
North Puget Sound, while an average of 82 kg/yr (181 pounds) were 
harvested and 151 kg/yr (333 pounds) were released in South Puget 
Sound. An average of 6 kg/yr (13 pounds) of yelloweye rockfish were 
harvest and 189 kg/yr (417 pounds) were released in North Puget Sound 
while no yelloweye rockfish were harvest and an average of 14 kg/yr (30 
pounds) were released in South Puget Sound. These data show that 
despite the ban on retention of canary and yelloweye rockfish, a small 
number of fish were harvested in years following the ban. Although the 
reported harvest levels may appear low, canary and yelloweye rockfish 
are currently at low abundance and removal of individuals, particularly 
large females, may limit recovery. Although no data is presented for 
bocaccio, this species is present at such low abundance that removal of 
any individuals would be detrimental to recovery. As discussed earlier, 
most released rockfish will also die.
    The current fishery regulations may inadequately protect bocaccio, 
canary, and yelloweye rockfish. Fishers targeting other species of 
rockfish or other types of popular fishes such as salmon and lingcod 
are likely to hook the occasional bocaccio, canary, or yelloweye 
rockfish. This is because all of the aforementioned fishes' 
distributions overlap within the Georgia Basin. They also consume 
similar or identical prey items, making them vulnerable to fishing 
lures or baits imitating these prey items. The continued decline in 
these three petitioned species is further evidence that the current 
fishery regulations are inadequate.
    Almost no greenstriped or redstripe rockfish were reported as 
harvested or released from North or South Puget Sound during the period 
from 2004 to 2007. These fishes are not popular among recreational 
fishers and inhabit water deeper than is typically fished with 
currently available recreational fishing gear. Although it is likely 
the occasional greenstriped and redstripe rockfish are discarded during 
recreational fisheries and not reported, current recreational fishery 
regulations appear adequate to protect these species.
    During each year from 2004 to 2007, a large number of rockfish 
harvested or released were recorded as unidentified. Although the 
canary, yelloweye, greenstriped, and redstripe rockfish are among the 
more easily identified rockfishes, it is likely that some additional 
harvested or released fish from these species are recorded in the 
unidentified category. The same situation likely exists for bocaccio, 
and some fish may be harvested or released without being recorded. 
Information about shore-based catches, and bycatch of rockfish in 
salmon fisheries, is still not available and these may be significant 
sources of mortality for the petitioned species. Rockfish discard 
levels vary among fisheries targeting different species about 60 
percent in the bottomfish fishery, 76 percent in the salmon fishery, 
and nearly 50 percent in other fisheries (Palsson et al. 2008). 
Commerical catch data do not include information on bycatch, and there 
is a lack of an effective program to make direct observations of 
bycatch aboard fishing vessels operating in Puget Sound. Given the very 
high mortality rate of discarded rockfish (Parker et al., 2006), and 
the low resiliency of rockfish populations to exploitation, the BRT 
concluded that current levels of bycatch are an important threat to the 
petitioned species.
Tribal Fishing
    Several species of rockfish have been historically harvested by 
Native Americans. Since 1991, rockfishes harvested by tribal fishers 
have represented less than 2 percent of total Puget Sound rockfish 
harvest (Palsson et al., 2008). Information from the Northwest Indian 
Fisheries Commission indicates that total reported rockfish catches by 
member tribes from 2000 to 2005 range between 10.9 and 368 kg (24 and 
811 pounds). Tribal regulations in Puget Sound vary by tribe from a ban 
on commercial harvest of rockfish to a 15-fish bag limit for personal 
use. The currently low rockfish abundance in this area has 
significantly decreased the interest in harvest of rockfish by tribal 
fishers (William Beattie, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, 
personal communication).

Other Natural or Manmade Factors Affecting Its Continued Existence

    Rockfishes are known to compete interspecifically for resources 
(Larson, 1980). Harvey et al., (2006) documented the decline of 
bocaccio in the California Current, and used bioenergetic models to 
suggest that recovery of coastal populations of bocaccio may be 
inhibited by other more common rockfishes. In Puget Sound, more 
abundant species such as copper rockfish and quillback rockfish may 
interact with juvenile bocaccio, canary rockfish, or yelloweye rockfish 
and limit the ability of these petitioned species to recover from 
perturbations. However, evidence documenting competition in Puget Sound 
is generally lacking and most species abundances are declining, which 
implies that competition is currently less significant.
    Chinook and coho salmon consume larval and juvenile rockfish, and 
they also compete for prey with small size classes of rockfish 
(Buckley, 1997). Thus, large releases of hatchery salmon have the 
potential to influence the population dynamics of the petitioned 
species. Total hatchery releases in Puget Sound have mirrored those in 
the California Current region (Naish et al., 2007), with about 2 
million fish released in the early 1970s, reaching a peak of over 8 
million in the early 1990s. Current annual releases are around 4 
million (Palsson et al., 2008). Although releases of hatchery salmon 
have the potential to affect the petitioned rockfishes, considerable 
uncertainty remains about how detrimental the effect may be.
    Rockfish are unintentionally captured as part of fishing activities 
targeting other species (e.g., the lingcod fishery and the setnet 
fishery for spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), particularly in South 
Puget Sound (Drake et al., 2008)). Although fishers may return rockfish 
to the water, the mortality rate of these fish is extremely high 
(Parker et al., 2006). Although there are some methods available that 
could lower the mortality rates of discarded rockfish (summarized

[[Page 18537]]

by Palsson et al., 2008), application of these methods in the Puget 
Sound fishery would be difficult (Palsson et al., 2008). WDFW considers 
bycatch of rockfish to be a ``high impact stressor'' on rockfish 
populations (Palsson et al., 2008).
    Palsson et al. (2008) report that more than 3,600 pieces of 
abandoned fishing gear (especially gillnets) have been located in Puget 
Sound. About 35 percent of this derelict gear has been removed. 
Derelict nets continue fishing and are known to kill rockfish (Palsson 
et al., 2008). While the total impact of this abandoned gear has not 
been fully evaluated, WDFW has concluded that derelict gear is likely 
to moderately affect local populations of rockfish (Palsson et al., 
2008).
    Patterns of circulation and productivity in Puget Sound are 
fundamentally influenced by climate conditions. Changes in the timing 
of freshwater input affect stratification and mixing in the Sound, 
while changes in wind pattern influence the amount of biologically 
important upwelled water that enters the Strait of Juan de Fuca from 
the coast (Snover et al., 2005). Direct studies on the effect of 
climate variability on rockfish are rare, but all the studies performed 
to date suggest that climate plays an extremely important role in 
population dynamics. The negative effect of the warm water conditions 
associated with El Niño appear to be common across rockfishes 
(Moser et al., 2000). Field and Ralston (2005) noted that recruitment 
of all species of rockfish appeared to be correlated at large scales 
and hypothesized that such synchrony was the result of large-scale 
climate forcing. Exactly how climate influences the petitioned species 
in Puget Sound is unknown; however, given the general importance of 
climate to Puget Sound and to rockfish, it is likely that climate 
influences the dynamics of the petitioned species. Any future changes 
in climate patterns could affect the ability of rockfishes in Puget 
Sound to recover.

Efforts Being Made to Protect Rockfish in Puget Sound and the Georgia 
Basin

    Section 4(b)(1)(A) of the ESA requires the Secretary of Commerce to 
take into account efforts being made to protect a species that has been 
petitioned for listing. Accordingly, we will assess conservation 
measures being taken to protect these five rockfish DPSs to determine 
whether they ameliorate the species' extinction risks (50 CFR 
424.11(f)). In judging the efficacy of conservation efforts that have 
not yet been implemented, or have been implemented but have not yet 
demonstrated their effectiveness, we consider the following: the 
substantive, protective, and conservation elements of such efforts; the 
degree of certainty that such efforts will reliably be implemented; the 
degree of certainty that such efforts will be effective in furthering 
the conservation of the species (68 FR 15100; March 28, 2003); and the 
presence of monitoring provisions that track the effectiveness of 
recovery efforts, and that inform iterative refinements to management 
as information is accrued.

Habitat Protection

    In the Puget Sound ecosystem, several Federal laws protect marine 
habitat as well as the watersheds that flow into the Sound. Federal 
programs carried out under the Clean Water Act (CWA) help ensure that 
water quality is maintained or improved and that discharge of fill 
material into rivers and streams is regulated. Several sections of this 
law, such as section 404 (discharge of fill into wetlands), section 402 
(discharge of pollutants into water bodies), and section 404(d) 
(designation of water quality limited streams and rivers), regulate 
activities that might degrade waters flowing into Puget Sound. In 
addition, the Puget Sound region contains hundreds of CWA 303(d) 
designated waters, where high levels of pollutants, such as 
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), have already been documented. 
Although programs carried out under the CWA are well funded and 
enforcement of this law occurs, it is generally accepted that Puget 
Sound has ongoing water quality problems, particularly due to storm 
water runoff, that are not currently adequately mitigated by this law. 
This is evidenced by recent low oxygen events in Puget Sound that 
killed large numbers of rockfish (Drake et al., 2008).
    The Coastal Zone Management Act and Coastal Zone Act 
Reauthorization Amendments of 1990 encourage states and tribes to 
preserve, protect, develop, and where possible, restore or enhance 
valuable natural coastal resources such as wetlands, floodplains, 
estuaries, beaches, dunes, barrier islands, and coral reefs, as well as 
the fish and wildlife using those habitats. Despite these provisions, 
the status of rockfishes and other species continues to decline.
    In Puget Sound and elsewhere along the west coast, governments and 
non-governmental organizations are working to restore depressed salmon 
stocks. Rockfish in Puget Sound benefit from these efforts indirectly, 
primarily through improved water quality in streams that flow into 
Puget Sound. As part of these efforts, the State of Washington 
established the Puget Sound Partnership in 2007, a new agency 
consisting of an executive director, an ecosystem coordination board, 
and a Puget Sound science panel. The Partnership was created to oversee 
the restoration of the environmental health of Puget Sound by 2020, and 
was directed to create a long-term plan called the 2020 Action Agenda 
released in December 2008. The Partnership met this deadline, but does 
not presently have a track record to support a conclusion that the 
control or reduction of pollutants into Puget Sound is reasonably 
foreseeable. Therefore, it is not possible to draw conclusions about 
Partnership efforts and how they may reduce pollution and contamination 
or other threats to rockfish populations.
    There are also local efforts underway to identify and protect 
important habitats in Puget Sound. In 2004, the San Juan County Board 
of Commissioners designated the entire marine waters of the county as a 
Marine Stewardship Area. Under the Marine Stewardship Area designation, 
the county is working with other government agencies and using public 
input from Indian Tribes, county residents, non-resident landowners, 
visitors, and others with an interest in the county's marine ecosystems 
to closely examine adopted goals, develop specific objectives, and 
determine what additional protections are necessary to achieve those 
objectives. The results of this work will be the designation of 
specific locations within the marine stewardship area where different 
levels of voluntary or regulatory protection could be established in a 
coordinated effort by marine site managers in the County waters to meet 
the goals. It is unclear what impact these actions may have.
    In Canada, the Georgia Basin Action Plan is a multi-partnered 
initiative describing its mission as working to improve sustainability 
in the Georgia Basin. This group conducts physical and biological 
monitoring throughout the basin and funds collaborative restoration and 
enhancement projects. This group's progress reports indicate that most 
projects that would benefit rockfishes focus on improving water 
quality. These projects are expected to benefit rockfishes by reducing 
the level of contaminants, but given the current water quality problems 
throughout the basin, it is likely to take many years to make 
significant progress.
    After 2000, WDFW began to expand the role of marine reserves in 
rockfish management (Palsson et al., 2008). Fourteen of these marine 
reserves in

[[Page 18538]]

Puget Sound are occupied by rockfish (Palsson et al., 2008). Reserves 
include conservation areas where all non-tribal harvest of rockfish is 
prohibited, and marine preserve areas where bottom fish and shellfish 
harvest is prohibited, but salmon fishing is allowed during open 
seasons. Analysis by WDFW indicates that marine reserves may help 
restore abundance of rockfish species, but it is unclear how rockfish 
assemblages and their predators and prey are affected by the 
establishment of these reserves (Palsson et al., 2008).
    Fisheries and Oceans Canada has developed an extensive network of 
rockfish conservation areas off the coast of British Columbia 
(Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 2007). Many of these conservation areas 
fall within the range of the bocaccio, yelloweye rockfish, and canary 
rockfish Georgia Basin DPSs. None of them are located within the range 
of the greenstriped and redstripe rockfish Puget Sound Proper DPSs. 
Within the Canadian conservation areas, recreational fishing is limited 
to harvesting invertebrates by hand picking or SCUBA, harvesting crab 
by trap, harvesting shrimp and prawn by trap, and capturing smelt by 
gillnet. These restrictions reduce rockfish mortality by eliminating 
directed harvest of rockfish and restricting fishing methods that may 
have significant rockfish bycatch. For commercial fisheries, 
invertebrates can be taken by hand picking or SCUBA; crabs by trap; 
prawns by trap; scallops by trawl; salmon by seine or gillnet; herring 
by gillnet, seine, and spawn-on-kelp; sardine by gillnet, seine, and 
trap; smelt by gillnet; euphausiid (krill) by mid-water trawl; opal 
squid by seine; and groundfish by mid-water trawl. For commercial 
groundfish fishing, methods that may result in rockfish bycatch are 
still permissible. Thus, these actions may still harm rockfish 
populations, and populations continue to decline.

Proposed Determinations

    Section 4(b)(1) of the ESA requires that the listing determination 
be based solely on the best scientific and commercial data available, 
after conducting a review of the status of the species and after taking 
into account those efforts, if any, being made by any state or foreign 
nation to protect and conserve the species. We have reviewed the best 
scientific and commercial information available including the petition, 
the reports of the BRT (Drake et al., 2008), co-manager comments, and 
other available published and unpublished information, and we have 
consulted with species experts and other individuals familiar with the 
rockfishes.
    For the reasons stated above, and as summarized below, we conclude: 
(1) bocaccio, canary rockfish, and yelloweye rockfish inhabiting the 
Georgia Basin meet the discreteness and significance criteria for DPSs; 
(2) redstripe and greenstriped rockfish inhabiting Puget Sound Proper 
meet the discreteness and significance criteria for DPSs; (3) Georgia 
Basin bocaccio are in danger of extinction throughout their range; (4) 
Georgia Basin canary rockfish and yelloweye rockfish are likely to 
become endangered throughout their ranges in the foreseeable future; 
and redstripe and greenstriped rockfish in Puget Sound Proper are not 
likely to become endangered throughout all or a significant portion of 
their ranges in the foreseeable future.
    Bocaccio occurring in the Georgia Basin are discrete from other 
members of their species based on the following: (1) Information from 
other rockfish species shows genetic differences between rockfish 
inhabiting coastal waters and inland marine waters of the Pacific 
Northwest; (2) differences in bocaccio age structure between coastal 
and inland stocks support the conclusion that these populations are 
isolated; (3) unlike coastal bocaccio, which are most frequently found 
in association with rocks and boulder fields, bocaccio in the Georgia 
Basin have been frequently found in areas with sand and mud substrate. 
Yelloweye rockfish occurring in the Georgia Basin are discrete from 
other members of their species based on the following: (1) Information 
from yelloweye studies and studies of other rockfish species shows 
genetic differences between rockfish inhabiting coastal waters and 
inland marine waters of the Pacific Northwest; (2) although yelloweye 
rockfish have the potential to move large distances as adults, they 
generally remain sedentary as adults, limiting gene flow between 
coastal and inland populations; (3) lack of suitable habitat for 
yelloweye rockfish in Puget Sound Proper indicates that a larger 
geographic area including the Georgia Basin would be needed to support 
a viable DPS of this species. Canary rockfish occurring in the Georgia 
Basin are discrete from other members of their species based on the 
following: (1) Information from other rockfish species shows genetic 
differences between rockfish inhabiting coastal waters and inland 
marine waters of the Pacific Northwest; (2) canary rockfish were 
historically abundant in South Puget Sound and their movement potential 
as adults would allow some interactions with fish in North Puget Sound, 
but bathymetry and current patterns most likely limit interactions with 
coastal populations. These DPSs meet the significance criteria because 
they occupy the unique ecological setting of the Georgia Basin. The 
current patterns of the inland marine waters, interactions between 
fresh and saltwater, the protection afforded by the land features of 
the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island, and sill-dominated 
bathymetry make the Georgia Basin different from other coastal areas 
occupied by these species and likely lead to unique adaptations in 
these species.
    We conclude that greenstriped and redstripe rockfish occupying 
Puget Sound Proper (inland waters south of Admiralty Inlet) meet the 
discreteness and significance criteria for DPSs. Members of these 
species occurring in this area are discrete from other members of their 
species based on the following: (1) Information from other rockfish 
species shows genetic differences between rockfish inhabiting coastal 
waters and inland marine waters of the Pacific Northwest (e.g., Puget 
Sound, Georgia Basin, etc.) and additional genetic differences between 
some rockfish species occupying Puget Sound Proper and those occupying 
the rest of the Georgia Basin; (2) suitable mud/sand habitat for these 
two species is abundant in Puget Sound Proper but less common in the 
Strait of Juan de Fuca and North Puget Sound; (3) there is a large 
geographic break between greenstriped rockfish populations occupying 
Puget Sound Proper and those occupying the Strait of Juan de Fuca; (4) 
greenstriped and redstripe rockfish tend to occupy deeper habitat (Love 
et al., 2002) than the other petitioned species and they very rarely 
travel over the shallow sills of Puget Sound Proper, likely limiting 
interactions between populations in Puget Sound Proper and the rest of 
the Georgia Basin. These discrete population segments meet the 
significance criteria because they occupy a unique ecological setting. 
The current patterns, interactions between fresh and saltwater, sill-
dominated bathymetry, and abundance of mud/sand habitat make Puget 
Sound Proper different from other areas in the Georgia Basin and 
coastal waters occupied by these species.
    On the basis of the best available scientific and commercial 
information, we have determined that the Georgia Basin DPS of bocaccio 
is currently in danger of extinction throughout all of its range. 
Factors supporting this conclusion include: (1) reduced

[[Page 18539]]

abundance, to the point where it is almost undetectable; (2) infrequent 
recruitment events dependent on rare weather and ocean conditions; (3) 
high susceptibility to overfishing; (4) high mortality rate (resulting 
in further reduction of population productivity and abundance) 
associated with incidental capture in fisheries (due to the inability 
of its swim bladder to accommodate the rapid change in pressure when 
brought to the surface), despite improvements (summarized in the 
previous sections) in current commercial, recreational, and tribal 
fishing regulations; and (5) exposure to continuing water quality 
problems within the range of the Georgia Basin. Therefore, we propose 
to list the Georgia Basin DPS of bocaccio as endangered.
    We have determined that the Georgia Basin DPSs of canary and 
yelloweye rockfish are not presently in danger of extinction, but are 
likely to become so in the foreseeable future throughout all of their 
range. Factors supporting a conclusion that these DPSs are not 
presently in danger of extinction include: (1) These DPS's abundances 
have been greatly reduced from historic levels, but fish are still 
present in significant enough numbers to be caught in recreational 
fisheries and research trawls; (2) large female members of these 
species are highly fecund, and, if allowed to survive and reproduce 
successfully, can produce large numbers of offspring; and (3) WDFW has 
prohibited retention of these species. Factors supporting a conclusion 
that these DPSs are likely to become in danger of extinction in the 
foreseeable future include: (1) These DPS's abundances have greatly 
decreased from historic levels and abundance trends are negative; (2) 
individuals of these species appear to be absent in areas where they 
were formerly abundant (i.e., canary rockfish in South Puget Sound); 
(3) although these species were formerly abundant in the catch, they 
are less frequent now; (4) although current commercial, recreational, 
and tribal fishing regulations have been changed to offer more 
protection to these DPSs, these species are still vulnerable to being 
hooked in salmon and lingcod fisheries in the Georgia Basin and almost 
always die after release, further reducing population productivity and 
abundance; and (5) current protective measures for habitat in the 
Georgia Basin are insufficient to ameliorate the threats to these 
species as evidenced by continuing water quality problems in this area. 
We propose to list the Georgia Basin DPSs of yelloweye and canary 
rockfish as threatened.
    We conclude that the Puget Sound Proper DPSs of greenstriped and 
redstripe rockfishes are not presently in danger of extinction, nor are 
they likely to become so in the foreseeable future throughout all or a 
significant portion of their ranges. Factors supporting this conclusion 
include: (1) Abundances for these DPSs are lower than historical 
levels, but seem to have been constant over recent years; (2) these 
species have patchy but wide distributions, indicating that 
connectivity remains high; (3) redstripe rockfish are very abundant in 
some areas within Puget Sound Proper; (4) these species are generally 
not targeted by recreational fishers; (5) exposure to continuing water 
quality problems within the range of the Georgia Basin; and (6) these 
species are habitat generalists and are not reliant on the rock 
habitats that are rare in Puget Sound Proper. Therefore, we conclude 
that listing the Puget Sound Proper greenstriped and redstripe rockfish 
DPSs as threatened or endangered under the ESA is not warranted at this 
time.

Take Prohibitions and Protective Regulations

    Section 9 of the ESA prohibits certain activities that directly or 
indirectly affect endangered species. These section 9(a) prohibitions 
apply to all individuals, organizations, and agencies subject to U.S. 
jurisdiction. In the case of threatened species, ESA section 4(d) 
requires the Secretary to issue regulations he deems necessary and 
appropriate for the conservation of the species. We have flexibility 
under section 4(d) to tailor protective regulations based on the needs 
of and threats to the species. The section 4(d) protective regulations 
may prohibit, with respect to threatened species, some or all of the 
acts which section 9(a) of the ESA prohibits with respect to endangered 
species. We will evaluate protective regulations pursuant to section 
4(d) for the threatened rockfish DPSs and propose any considered 
necessary and advisable for conservation of these species in a future 
rulemaking. In order to inform our consideration of appropriate 
protective regulations for these DPSs, we seek information from the 
public on the threats to yelloweye and canary rockfish in the Georgia 
Basin and possible measures for their conservation.

Other Protections

    Section 7(a)(2) of the ESA and NMFS/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(FWS) regulations require Federal agencies to confer with us on actions 
likely to jeopardize the continued existence of species proposed for 
listing or result in the destruction or adverse modification of 
proposed critical habitat. If a proposed species is ultimately listed, 
Federal agencies must consult on any action they authorize, fund, or 
carry out if those actions may affect the listed species or its 
critical habitat. Examples of Federal actions that may affect the 
proposed rockfish DPSs include: point and non-point source discharge of 
persistent contaminants, contaminated waste disposal, dredging in 
marine waters, development of water quality standards, fishery 
management practices, and transportation management.

Peer Review

    In December 2004, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued 
a Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review establishing 
minimum peer review standards, a transparent process for public 
disclosure of peer review planning, and opportunities for public 
participation. The OMB Bulletin, implemented under the Information 
Quality Act (Public Law 106-554), is intended to enhance the quality 
and credibility of the Federal Government's scientific information, and 
applies to influential or highly influential scientific information 
disseminated on or after June 16, 2005. To satisfy our requirements 
under the OMB Bulletin, we are obtaining independent peer review of the 
draft status report, which supports this proposal to list three DPSs of 
rockfish in Puget Sound and Georgia Basin as threatened or endangered; 
all peer reviewer comments will be addressed prior to dissemination of 
the final report and publication of the final rule.

Critical Habitat

    Critical habitat is defined in section 3 of the ESA as: ``(i) the 
specific areas within the geographical area occupied by the species, at 
the time it is listed in accordance with the provisions of section 4 of 
this Act, on which are found those physical or biological features (I) 
essential to the conservation of the species and (II) which may require 
special management considerations or protection; and (ii) specific 
areas outside the geographical area occupied by the species at the time 
it is listed in accordance with the provisions of section 4 of this 
Act, upon a determination by the Secretary that such areas are 
essential for the conservation of the species'' (16 U.S.C. 1532(5)(A)). 
``Conservation'' means the use of all methods and procedures needed to 
bring the species to the point at which listing under the ESA is no 
longer necessary (16 U.S.C. 1532(3)).

[[Page 18540]]

Section 4(a)(3)(A) of the ESA requires that, to the maximum extent 
prudent and determinable, critical habitat be designated concurrently 
with the listing of a species (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)(3)(A)(i)). Section 
4(b)(2) requires that designation of critical habitat be based on the 
best scientific data available, after taking into consideration the 
economic, national security, and other relevant impacts of specifying 
any particular area as critical habitat (16 U.S.C. 1533(b)(2)).
    Once critical habitat is designated, section 7 of the ESA requires 
Federal agencies to ensure that they do not fund, authorize, or carry 
out any actions that are likely to destroy or adversely modify that 
habitat. This requirement is in addition to the section 7 requirement 
that Federal agencies ensure that their actions do not jeopardize the 
continued existence of listed species.
    At this time, critical habitat is not determinable for bocaccio, 
canary rockfish, or yelloweye rockfish. We are currently compiling 
information to prepare a critical habitat proposal for bocaccio, canary 
rockfish, and yelloweye rockfish in the Puget Sound and the Georgia 
Basin. Therefore, we seek public input and information to assist in 
gathering and analyzing the best available scientific data to support a 
critical habitat designation. After considering all available 
information, we will initiate rulemaking with the publication of a 
proposed designation of critical habitat in the Federal Register, 
opening a period for public comment and providing the opportunity for 
public hearings.
    Joint NMFS/FWS regulations for listing endangered and threatened 
species and designating critical habitat at 50 CFR 424.12(2)(b) state 
that the agency ``shall consider those physical and biological features 
that are essential to the conservation of a given species and that may 
require special management considerations or protection.'' Pursuant to 
the regulations, such requirements include, but are not limited to the 
following: (1) space for individual and population growth, and for 
normal behavior; (2) food, water, air, light, minerals, or other 
nutritional or physiological requirements; (3) cover or shelter; (4) 
sites for breeding, reproduction, rearing of offspring, germination, or 
seed dispersal; and generally; (5) habitats that are protected from 
disturbance or are representative of the historic geographical and 
ecological distributions of a species. The regulations also state that 
the agency shall focus on the principal biological or physical 
constituent elements within the specific areas considered for 
designation. These constituent elements may include, but are not 
limited to: spawning sites, feeding sites, seasonal wetland or dryland, 
water quality or quantity, geological formation, vegetation type, tide, 
and specific soil types. While we have not yet analyzed the habitat 
needs of these rockfish DPSs, essential features of rockfish habitat 
may include free passage, forage, benthic substrate, and water quality.
    In accordance with the Secretarial Order on American Indian Tribal 
Rights, Federal-Tribal Trust Responsibilities, and the ESA, we will 
coordinate with federally recognized American Indian Tribes on a 
Government-to-Government basis to determine how to make critical 
habitat assessments in areas that may impact Tribal trust resources. In 
accordance with our regulations at 50 CFR 424.13, we will consult as 
appropriate with affected states, interested persons and organizations, 
other affected Federal agencies, and, in cooperation with the Secretary 
of State, with the country or countries in which the species concerned 
are normally found or whose citizens harvest such species from the high 
seas.

Public Comments Solicited

    To ensure that the final action resulting from this proposal will 
be as accurate and effective as possible, we solicit comments and 
suggestions from the public, other governmental agencies, the 
Government of Canada, the scientific community, industry, environmental 
groups, and any other interested parties. Comments are encouraged on 
this proposal (See DATES and ADDRESSES). Specifically, we are 
interested in information regarding: (1) population structure of 
bocaccio, yelloweye rockfish, and canary rockfish; (2) biological or 
other relevant data concerning any threats to the rockfish DPSs we 
propose for listing; (3) the range, distribution, and abundance of 
these rockfish DPSs; (4) current or planned activities within the range 
of the rockfish DPSs we propose for listing and their possible impact 
on these DPSs; and (5) efforts being made to protect rockfish DPSs we 
propose to list.

Critical Habitat

    We also request quantitative evaluations describing the quality and 
extent of marine habitats for the proposed rockfish DPSs as well as 
information on areas that may qualify as critical habitat for the 
proposed DPSs. Specific areas that include the physical and biological 
features essential to the conservation of the DPSs, where such features 
may require special management considerations or protection, should be 
identified. We are requesting information about these areas, 
particularly information indicating whether these unoccupied areas may 
be essential to conservation of these species. Although the range of 
these DPSs extends into Canada, ESA implementing regulations at 50 CFR 
424.12(h) specify that critical habitat shall not be designated within 
foreign countries or in other areas outside of U.S. jurisdiction. 
Therefore, we request information only on potential areas of critical 
habitat within the United States or waters within U.S. jurisdiction.
    Section 4(b)(2) of the ESA requires the Secretary to consider the 
``economic impact, impact on national security, and any other relevant 
impact'' of designating a particular area as critical habitat. Section 
4(b)(2) authorizes, but does not require, the Secretary to exclude from 
a critical habitat designation those particular areas where the 
Secretary finds that the benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of 
designation, unless excluding that area will result in extinction of 
the species. We seek information regarding the conservation benefits of 
designating areas in Puget Sound as critical habitat for the rockfish 
DPSs we propose to list under the ESA. We also seek information on the 
economic benefit of excluding areas from the critical habitat 
designation, and the economic benefits of including an area as part of 
the critical habitat designation. In keeping with the guidance provided 
by the OMB (2000; 2003), we seek information that would allow us to 
monetize these effects to the extent possible, as well as information 
on qualitative impacts to economic values. We also seek information on 
impacts to national security and any other relevant impacts of 
designating critical habitat in these areas.
    Data reviewed may include, but are not limited to: (1) scientific 
or commercial publications, (2) administrative reports, maps or other 
graphic materials, information received from experts, and (3) comments 
from interested parties. Comments and data particularly are sought 
concerning: (1) maps and specific information describing the amount, 
distribution, and use type (e.g., spawning, rearing, or migration) of 
habitat areas for the proposed rockfish DPSs, including information on 
whether such areas are currently occupied; (2) information regarding 
the benefits of designating particular areas as critical habitat; (3) 
information regarding the benefits of excluding particular areas from 
critical habitat designation (4) current or planned activities in the 
areas that might be proposed for designation and

[[Page 18541]]

their possible impacts; (5) any foreseeable economic, national 
security, or other potential impacts resulting from designation, in 
particular, any impacts on small entities; (6) whether specific 
unoccupied areas (e.g., areas where bocaccio, yelloweye rockfish, or 
canary rockfish have been extirpated) may be essential to the 
conservation of these DPSs; and (7) potential peer reviewers for a 
proposed critical habitat designation, including persons with 
biological and economic expertise relevant to the species, region, and 
designation of critical habitat. We seek information regarding critical 
habitat for these three Georgia Basin rockfishes as soon as possible, 
but by no later than June 22, 2009.

Public Hearings

    If requested by the public by June 8, 2009, hearings will be held 
within the range of the proposed Georgia Basin rockfishes. If hearings 
are requested, details regarding location(s), date(s), and time(s) will 
be published in a forthcoming Federal Register notice.

References

    A complete list of all references cited herein is available upon 
request (see ADDRESSES section).

Classification

National Environmental Policy Act

    The 1982 amendments to the ESA, in section 4(b)(1)(A), restrict the 
information that may be considered when assessing species for listing. 
Based on this limitation of criteria for a listing decision and the 
opinion in Pacific Legal Foundation v. Andrus, 675 F. 2d 825 (6th Cir. 
1981), we have concluded that ESA listing actions are not subject to 
the environmental assessment requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (See NOAA Administrative Order 216-6).

Executive Order 12866, Regulatory Flexibility Act, and Paperwork 
Reduction Act

    As noted in the Conference Report on the 1982 amendments to the 
ESA, economic impacts cannot be considered when assessing the status of 
a species. Therefore, the economic analysis requirements of the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act are not applicable to the listing process. 
In addition, this proposed rule is exempt from review under Executive 
Order 12866. This proposed rule does not contain a collection-of-
information requirement for the purposes of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act.

Federalism

    In keeping with the intent of the Administration and Congress to 
provide continuing and meaningful dialogue on issues of mutual State 
and Federal interest, this proposed rule will be given to the relevant 
state agencies in each state in which the species is believed to occur, 
and those states will be invited to comment on this proposal. We have 
conferred with the State of Washington in the course of assessing the 
status of the petitioned populations of rockfishes, and considered, 
among other things, Federal, state and local conservation measures. As 
we proceed, we intend to continue engaging in informal and formal 
contacts with the states, and other affected local or regional 
entities, giving careful consideration to all written and oral comments 
received.

List of Subjects

50 CFR Part 223

    Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, 
Transportation.

50 CFR Part 224

    Endangered and threatened species.

    Dated: April 15, 2009.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
    For the reasons set out in the preamble, 50 CFR parts 223 and 224 
are proposed to be amended as follows:

PART 223--THREATENED MARINE AND ANADROMOUS SPECIES

    1. The authority citation for part 223 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 1543; subpart B, Sec.  223.201-202 
also issued under 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 5503(d) for 
Sec.  223.206(d)(9) et seq.
    2. In Sec.  223.102 paragraph (c) is amended by adding and 
reserving paragraphs (c)(25) through (c)(26) and adding new paragraphs 
(c)(28) and (c)(29) to read as follows:


Sec.  223.102  Enumeration of threatened marine and anadromous species.

    (c) * * *

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Species\1\
------------------------------------------------   Where Listed    Citation(s) for listing determination(s)        Citation(s) for critical habitat
          Common name           Scientific name                                                                             designation(s)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                                                      * * * * * * *
(28)Georgia Basin/Puget Sound         Sebastes   Washington, and        [INSERT FR CITATION & DATE WHEN PUBLISHED   [INSERT FR CITATION & DATE WHEN PUBLISHED
 DPS - Rockfish, Yelloweye          ruberrimus          British                                   AS A FINAL RULE]                            AS A FINAL RULE]
                                                       Columbia
(29)Georgia Basin/Puget Sound         Sebastes   Washington, and        [INSERT FR CITATION & DATE WHEN PUBLISHED   [INSERT FR CITATION & DATE WHEN PUBLISHED
 DPS - Rockfish, Canary               pinniger          British                                   AS A FINAL RULE]                            AS A FINAL RULE]
                                                       Columbia
 
                                                                      * * * * * * *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Species includes taxonomic species, subspecies, distinct population segments 9DPSs) (for a policy statement; see 61 FR4722, February 7, 1996), and
  evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) (for a policy statement; see 56 FR 58612, November 20, 1991).


[[Page 18542]]

PART 224--ENDANGERED MARINE AND ANADROMOUS SPECIES

    3. The authority citation for part 224 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531-1543 and 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.

    4. Amend the table in Sec.  224.101, by adding an entry for 
``Georgia Basin/Puget Sound DPS - Bocaccio'' at the end of the table in 
Sec.  224.101(a) to read as follows:


Sec.  224.101  Enumeration of endangered marine and anadromous species.

* * * * *
    (a) * * *

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Species\1\
------------------------------------------------   Where Listed    Citation(s) for listing determination(s)        Citation(s) for critical habitat
          Common name           Scientific name                                                                             designation(s)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                                                      * * * * * * *
Georgia Basin/Puget Sound DPS-        Sebastes   Washington, and        [INSERT FR CITATION & DATE WHEN PUBLISHED   [INSERT FR CITATION & DATE WHEN PUBLISHED
 Bocaccio                          paucispinis          British                                   AS A FINAL RULE]                            AS A FINAL RULE]
                                                       Columbia
 
                                                                      * * * * * * *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\Species includes taxonomic species, subspecies, distinct population segments 9DPSs) (for a policy statement; see 61 FR4722, February 7, 1996), and
  evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) (for a policy statement; see 56 FR 58612, November 20, 1991).

[FR Doc. E9-9354 Filed 4-22-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S