Abalone Advisory Group (Fall 2007-Present)

CONCUR is working with the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) staff to support the work of the San Miguel Island Abalone Fishery Advisory Group (AAG). The AAG is a stakeholder group representing the interests of commercial fishing, recreational diving, marine conservation, and fisheries science. Its mission is to recommend a limited range of fully developed management alternatives for managing a potential red abalone fishery at San Miguel Island. The DFG will incorporate these management alternatives into their recommendations to the California Fish and Game Commission when a red abalone fishery at San Miguel Island is considered. In particular, the AAG’s charge is to provide recommendations to the Department of Fish and Game regarding: 1) a “total allowable catch” for San Miguel Island red abalone, 2) alternatives for allocation between recreational and commercial take, 3) alternative regulations to achieve the total allowable catch and allocation, and 4) potential management, enforcement, and monitoring techniques.

In addition to facilitating the AAG process, CONCUR is also working with the DFG to convene and facilitate a “technical panel”, consisting of experts in the area of fisheries management and population modeling, to spearhead the development of a total allowable catch for the fishery.