SAVE
BOCACCIO ROCKFISH
THE
Bocaccio Rockfish Are in Danger
National populations have been in continuous decline for 60 years and were declared overfished in 1999
(Environment, 2017) (Pacific, 2017)
“Bocaccio Rockfish in Intertidal Habitat” (Snook,2010)
Bocaccio Rockfish Populations are Decreasing and YOU Can Help Them!
All up and down the Pacific coast of the United States, rockfish populations are barely hanging on to survival. A big reason for this is the biotic potential of the rockfish. Biotic potential is the maximum rate at which the population of a given species can increase when there are no limits on its rate of growth. Bocaccio live long lives, grow slowly and have large gaps between reproduction years. However, they only have the chance to reproduce if they don’t get caught and killed. Bocaccio rockfish populations are increasingly becoming smaller and smaller and are in great danger due to overfishing. During the commercial fishing process, unwanted fish (like bocaccio) are caught when the goal is to catch another species (“Overfishing,” 2015). If you don’t buy and contribute to mercantile, or commercially caught, fish then we will start to restore the population.
Historical Population
Historical Population
Historical Range of Bocaccio Rockfish (Swan,2009)
The Bocaccio Rockfish were previously found in a large range from Stepovak Bay, Alaska all the way down to central Baja California, and were most abundant from Oregon to northern Baja California.
(NOAA, 2017)
Current Population
Current Range of Bocaccio Rockfish (Swan,2009)
Over time, due to habitat destruction, overfishing, and other human threats, the Bocaccio's range has become much more specific to the Northern Pacific Coast and the Puget Sound Area, being most abuntant of the Washington Coast.
(NOAA, 2017)