RESULTS

Introduction

Marine resources world wide are showing sign of decline and Rockfish (Sepastes spp.) fisheries have no difference. Since the 1980s rockfish has been decreasing in number steadily. It once was an importanat commercial and recreational fishery with its distribution from southern California, Baja, north to Alaska. Now the fishery has declined to the point that some have to travel as far as 100 miles offshore to harvest rockfish species. The decline is dramatic and a testament to overfishing and careless management.

This project aims at coming up with a suitable area in Puget Sound, Washington State to designate into protected area for recovery of stocks. It uses a variety of physical and biological criterias to analyze for those areas with highiest possibility of success.