About rockfish and Rockfish Conservation Areas

There are over 35 species of rockfish along the coast of British Columbia (B.C) and some live for over 100 years. Rockfish grow and reproduce slowly, giving birth to live fry after a 1 to 2 month gestation period.

Inshore rockfish live on rocky reefs and do not swim far from home. These fish are often caught with hook and line gear using bait and artificial lures in rocky reef habitats. Rockfish can also be caught accidentally when fishers are angling for other fish and fishing for other species. For example, juvenile rockfish can get caught in trap gear when fishing for prawn and crab. This means that they are susceptible to over-fishing. The use of descending devices to return rockfish back to their appropriate depth is mandatory as rockfish do not survive well after catch and release.

Rockfish protections

Many rockfish species in British Columbia are in decline and of conservation concern. Monitoring and research programs in B.C. indicate that inshore rockfish are at low levels of abundance. We need your help to protect and conserve these species.

Protections like catch restrictions, fishery monitoring, stock assessment programs, and the establishment of 162 Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs) which cover over 4,800 km² of the Canadian Pacific coast are in place to slow down or stop further rockfish population declines associated with recreational and commercial fisheries. Canada's RCAs represent a long-term conservation measure to provide a refuge for rockfish populations to rebuild inside and outside of these protected areas.

Learn what you can and can't do in Rockfish Conservation Areas.

Rockfish Conservation Area review

Beginning in 2018, we introduced an RCA review to First Nations and stakeholders. We started conversations on how the then-current long-term fishery closures have been working from different perspectives.

We are continuing to reviewthe effectiveness of RCAs following new peer-reviewed science advice from the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) and Canada’s adoption of new protection standards to better conserve Canada’s oceans.

Rockfish Conservation Area goals and objectives

The goals and objectives of Rockfish Conservation Areas are:

Goal 1: Inside RCAs, Inshore Rockfish and Lingcod populations and their habitat are protected for the long term.

• Objective 1.1. Increase Inshore Rockfish and Lingcod population densities inside RCAs.
• Objective 1.2. Increase the abundance of Inshore Rockfish in older age classes inside RCAs.
• Objective 1.3. Protect the quality and quantity of Inshore Rockfish and Lingcod habitat inside RCAs, including rocky reefs and biogenic structures.

Goal 2: Inside RCAs, the long-term protection and conservation of inshore rockfish and Lingcod populations and their habitat are not compromised by human activities

• Objective 2.1. Fishing is managed to reduce direct and indirect removal of Inshore Rockfish and Lingcod populations inside RCAs.
• Objective 2.2. Fishing is managed to protect and conserve Inshore Rockfish and Lingcod habitat inside RCAs.
• Objective 2.3. Other human activities are managed to protect and conserve Inshore Rockfish and Lingcod and their habitats within RCAs

Goal 3: RCAs are located in areas representative of the range of Inshore Rockfish and Lingcod habitats in coastal British Columbia

• Objective 3.1. Protect 20% of Inshore Rockfish and Lingcod habitat in the outer coastal waters, and 30% of Inshore Rockfish and Lingcod habitat in the inside (inside of Vancouver Island) waters.
• Objective 3.2. Spatially distribute RCAs across the BC coast and across a diversity of habitats needed by different Inshore Rockfish and Lingcod life stages.
• Objective 3.3. Place RCAs to facilitate connectivity through larval exchange both among RCAs and between RCAs and adjacent unprotected areas.

Goal 4: An RCA Management Plan and RCA Monitoring Plan guided by the principles of adaptive management are established.

• Objective 4.1. Develop and implement a Management Plan and Monitoring Plan that allows for the refinement of management processes and monitoring activities over time.
• Objective 4.2. Develop a Monitoring Plan that allows for developing research collaborations and for broader participation in RCA monitoring.
• Objective 4.3. Develop a communications plan that promotes dialogue between DFO and other groups that allows for the reciprocal exchange of information and ideas to shape the refinement of management processes and monitoring activities over time as needed.

Most requested

• Maps
• Rockfish identification
• Integrated groundfish fisheries
• Publications and reports about rockfish and Rockfish Conservation Areas