Onboard sampling and the rockfish and lingcod commerical passenger fishing vessel industry in Northern and Central California, January through December 1994

The Central California Marine Sport Fish Project has been collecting angler catch data on board Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessels (CPFVs) fishing for rockfish or lingcod since 1987. The program depends on the voluntary cooperation of CPFV owners and operators. This fourth report in a series presents data collected in 1994, refers to historical data from 1987 to 1993, and documents trends in species composition, angler effort, catch per unit effort (CPUE), and, for selected species, mean length and length frequency. Angler catches on board central and northern California CPFVs were sampled from 14 ports, ranging from Crescent City in the north to Port San Luis (Avila Beach) in the south. Technicians observed a total of 2053 anglers fishing on 237 CPFV trips. These observed anglers caught 24,731 fish of which samplers determined 22,615 were kept. Over 63% of these fish were caught at Monterey or Morro Bay area ports. Only 18 of the 53 species each comprised at least one percent of the catch. The top ten species in order of abundance were blue, yellowtail, rosy, chilipepper, canary, and black rockfishes, lingcod, and widow, starry and greenspotted rockfishes. Blue and yellowtail rockfishes together comprised approximately 44% of the observed catch. Overall, rockfishes represented 32 species or 60% of the 53 identified species. In general, 1994 data showed continued evidence of sustainability of the CPFV rockfish fishery with a few exceptions for some species in each port area sampled. We identified areas of concern for three nearshore species (black, blue, and brown rockfishes), three offshore species (bocaccio, chilipepper, and widow rockfish), and two wide-depth range species (canary and yelloweye rockfishes). Declining trends in CPAH in at least one port area were identified for each of these species except black and blue rockfishes, some of which may be related to natural variability in year class strength or stock movement. Mean length decreased in at least one port area for black, blue, brown, and canary rockfishes and chilipepper, although for black rockfish and chilipepper this was attributed to increased recruitment of juveniles. Positive trends identified included increased CPAH for black rockfish in the San Francisco and Monterey areas, for canary rockfish in the San Francisco area, and for brown rockfish in the Morro Bay area. Total northern and central California CPFV catch estimates, based on logbook data and adjusted by sampling data and compliance rates, indicated that port area-specific decreases have occurred since 1988 for yellowtail rockfish and lingcod (San Francisco), chilipepper (Monterey), and blue rockfish (Monterey and Morro Bay). The competing influences of the nearshore commercial hook-and-line fishery were apparent when comparing relative species composition to that of the CPFV fishery. Declines in CPAH in the CPFV fishery for some shallow water species, such as brown rockfish in the Bodega Bay area, may be related to increased commercial fishing effort. (98pp.

SOCIAL CAPITAL, TRUST, AND THE AGRIBUSINESS OF ECONOMICS

Economists, including agricultural economists, have a long history of recognizing the importance of the behavioral foundations in decision making while ignoring these observable human dimensions in their economic models. The economics of social capital and trust, two important human characteristics influencing decisions, have captured the attention of economists in recent years. Recent empirical work demonstrates that social capital and trust considerations are prevalent and economically significant, especially in business. Trust alters the terms of trade, generates decision flexibility, reduces transaction costs, and creates additional time resources for management.Institutional and Behavioral Economics,