Crowd Sourcing Essential Fishery Information for California halibut

The goal of this project is to collect Essential Fishery Information from sport-caught California halibut (Paralichthys californicus). This data will contribute to improved sex-specific growth curves for the species and will aid in estimating sex-specific gear selectivity. The team will work directly with recreational fishermen and will charter a commercial passenger fishing vessel to gather additional data. Using a newly-developed, non-lethal method for determining the gender of a landed halibut, collaborators will also measure and weigh sub-legal fish. Legal-sized fish will also be measured and their otoliths (bone-like ear structures) will be collected to estimate their ages. Building on this work, the team plans to develop a citizen-science program using a web-based reporting platform for Santa Monica Bay and eventually throughout the species’ range in California.