Oregon commercial fleets will be allowed to keep and sell yelloweye rockfish next year for the first time since 2002, when the species was declared overfished and the commercial fishery was closed. State fishery managers approved the reopening this week after a recent assessment found the yelloweye rockfish population has rebuilt to a level that supports a limited harvest.
The 2027 allowable landing is small compared with catch limits for other groundfish species and is tied to a two-year harvest window covering 2027 and 2028.
The reopening fits inside the federal groundfish management framework for the West Coast. The 2027-2028 groundfish harvest specifications and management measures were carried forward under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan, with the federal rule for the current season effective 0001 hours Pacific Daylight Time May 16, 2026, and continuing until the 2027 management measures take effect on the same day next year.
Yelloweye rockfish is one of the slowest-growing species off Oregon’s shores, with a maximum reported age of up to 150 years. A separate distinct population segment in Puget Sound and the Georgia Basin has been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since April 2010, and that status is unchanged by Oregon’s decision.
Details on Oregon’s 2027 commercial groundfish measures and the federal 2027-2028 harvest specifications are posted on the state and federal fishery pages.
