Spatial and Temporal Fishing Patterns at the Outer Banks of the Southern California Bight

Abstract

We analyzed recreational and commercial catch records from 1980 to 2009 for the fishing blocks associated with the 5 southern offshore banks of the Southern California Bight (Cortes Bank, Tanner Bank, Northeast Bank, Cherry Ridge, and Garrett Ridge). Recreational fishers and divers targeted pelagic taxa (e.g., tunas and Yellowtail) but instead landed more benthic taxa (e.g., rockfishes, Ocean Whitefish, and California Sheephead). For the commercial fisheries, pelagics (Bluefin Tuna, Albacore, Skipjack, Yellowfin Tuna, Pacific Bonito, and Swordfish) were the most important taxa and represented a significant proportion (8%–27%) of the landings of these fishes in the bight. These fishes were caught primarily at Cortes and Tanner Banks, which together only represent 3.7% of the fishing grounds in the region. In addition, this proportion of catch of these critical species has been significantly increasing at the outer banks during this period. Based on their geography and physical oceanography, we propose that these offshore banks comprise a unique habitat for pelagic resources in the Southern California Bight.