FishWatch

Harvesting English Sole

English sole supports an important commercial fishery off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and northern and central California. A small amount is harvested in the Gulf of Alaska. Fishermen primarily use bottom trawls to harvest English sole.

Management

Who’s in charge? NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific (West Coast) and North Pacific (Alaska) Fishery Management Councils
Current management:
West Coast: Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (English sole are often caught in “multispecies complexes” – several different groundfish species caught together at the same time – and managed along with 90 other species that also live on or near the bottom.)

• All vessels fishing in the groundfish fishery off Washington, Oregon, and California must have a federal limited entry permit. With a finite number of permits available (about 400), this program controls the capacity of the groundfish fishing fleet by limiting the overall number of fishing vessels, the number of vessels using each of the three specified gear types (trawl, trap/pot, longline), and vessel length.
• As of January 2011, the West Coast groundfish trawl fishery is now managed under a trawl rationalization catch share program. Under this new program, managers establish annual catch limits based on the health of each fish stock. They then allocate a share of this catch limit to individual fishermen or groups of fishermen. These fishermen can decide how and when to catch their share – preferably when weather, markets, and business conditions are most favorable, allowing the fishery the flexibility to be more environmentally responsible, safer, more efficient, and more valuable. Observers monitor 100 percent of the fishing trips, which helps reduce bycatch and provides better data for future stock assessments.
• Various gear restrictions and closed areas affect both West Coast groundfish fisheries and fisheries that may take groundfish incidentally. These regulations are in place to reduce bycatch of overfished groundfish species and protect groundfish habitat.

Gulf of Alaska:There is a small U.S. fishery for English sole in the Gulf of Alaska which is managed as part of the “shallow water flatfish group” under the Gulf of Alaska Groundfish Fishery Management Plan.

• Managers set a conservative annual catch limit for the fishery, which has allowed for sustainable harvests during the past decade.
• A “license limitation program” limits the number, size, and specific operation of vessels in groundfish fisheries. This helps prevent the “race for fish,” where fishermen would compete against one another to catch as many fish before the catch limit was reached and the fishery closed, leading to unsafe fishing practices, market instability, and high levels of bycatch.

Annual Harvest

Overall landings off the West Coast have declined since the mid-1970s and are currently near historical lows due to market factors and management restrictions for other groundfish species.

Economy

Most English sole sold in U.S. markets comes from the domestic fishery. A small amount is imported from Canada. English sole make up a substantial portion of annual revenues from the West Coast trawl fishery.