When the status of cowcod and other commercially important
rockfishes (genus Sebastes) populations in southern California
was estimated to be less than or equal to 25% by the Pacific
Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) , great concern arose in
regards to the potential impact of the recreational fishery on
these populations. This concern led to the designation of a
Cowcod Conservation Area (CCA; Figure 1) that closed off a large
part of the Southern California Bight (SCB) to rockfish angling.
The CCA was implemented in hopes to protect cowcod and their
habitat so that the remaining fish have a chance to reproduce
and rebuild the overall Figure 1. Map of the collaborative
acoustic and ROV survey sites. The green lines represent areas
surveyed with acoustics. ROV surveys were also conducted in each
of these area. The two Cowcod Conservation Areas (CCA) are
indicated by the dashed line. Information on rockfish
populations within the SCB is limited due to the lack of studies
aimed at tracking population densities