Catch-and-release Charters

In the summer of 2015, we chartered seven CPFVs (party boats) along the central California coast and invited volunteer anglers to try out five different types of descending devices.  We collected data the efficiency of these devices to return fish back to depth, underwater video, data on barotrauma, and asked anglers to weigh-in on which devices they would most likely use.  Click on each location for trip videos and to find out what our volunteer anglers are saying about using descending devices!

Charters

Fort Bragg

Bodega Bay

Emeryville

Berkeley

Half Moon Bay

Monterey

Morro Bay

Results

Our results on testing the different types of descending devices were presented by research assistant, Morgan Arrington, at the 2016 Western Groundfish Conference in Newport, Oregon. Check out our poster describing which devices were easiest to use, which ones anglers preferred and which rockfish species were caught and suffered the most from barotrauma. Click on the poster for a pdf.