"A major landmark contribution to fisheries science and fish ecology. Rockfish populations are in a severe decline throughout the Northeastern Pacific, and the need for a deep understanding of their biology, ecology, and management has never been more critical. This book addresses all aspects of our current knowledge of this diverse and interesting group of groundfish species, and it is written clearly and with humor. An outstanding work!"--Larry G. Allen, California State University, Northridge "Quite simply the best account ever of the fascinating, diverse, and valuable rockfishes. If you are interested in the marine fishes of the Pacific Coast, you need this book."--Peter B. Moyle, author of Inland Fishes of California

"Using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and towed camera system (TCS), deep-sea corals, sponges, and seafloor habitats were visually surveyed for the first time in areas of longtime trawl fishing off northern California. During an 11-day cruise aboard the R/V Point Sur 8-18 September 2014, researchers completed 6 dives with the AUV and 9 deployments of the TCS, and spent over 42 hours underwater at depths of 586-1169 meters from the Oregon- California border to the Mendocino Ridge (...) This report provides a summary of the methods and results from these underwater surveys of DSC&S off northern California. This was a collaborative effort among investigators from NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Northwest Fisheries Science Center [NWFSC], Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center [PIFSC], and Alaska Fisheries Science Center [AFSC]) and several universities including California State University (Humboldt State University and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories), University of California Santa Cruz, and Oregon State University"--Page 1. [doi:10.7289/V5/TM-SWFSC-556 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-SWFSC-556)]

We used an existing model in our initial examination of the effects of marine harvest refugia, i.e. protected areas where fishing is prohibited, on the bocaccio rockfish (Sebastes paucispinis) population off central and northern California. We incorporated size-specific life history information into the model, including growth, survival, and fecundity, and examined the long-term fisheries consequences of refugia. The key assumptions of the model were that larvae dispersed widely from their areas of origin and adults remained inthe areas where they settled. Using the model based on these assumptions, we predict moderate-to-great potential for enhancement of bocaccio catch if refugia are established, depending on the magnitude of fishing mortality outside the proteced area. From this model, we also suggest that refugia could decrease variability in annual catches. In the future, we will expand this study to include rockfish species with different life history characteristics and to examine in greater detail the effects of adult movements on the model output.