Abalone Advisory Group (AAG) Releases Report: “Management Options for a Potential Red Abalone Fishery on San Miguel Island”

A novel collaborative process designed and led by CONCUR to develop a range of management options for a potential red abalone fishery reached a major milestone on February 16, 2010, when the Marine Resources Committee (MRC) of the California Fish and Game Commission met to discuss the newly-released report.

The report – entitled “Management Options for a Potential Red Abalone Fishery on San Miguel Island” (January 29, 2010) and co-authored by Department of Fish and Game (DFG) staff, Abalone Advisory Group (AAG) members and CONCUR – describes a suite of management options including considerations of a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for a potential abalone fishery. The report also details the AAG’s collaborative joint fact-finding process and the population modeling effort used in the process. The report is the culmination of four years of work by the AAG.

From 2007 until February 2010, CONCUR served as lead facilitator for the AAG, a stakeholder group convened by the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) to represent the interests of commercial fishing, recreational diving, marine conservation, and fisheries science. The elements of the AAG’s charge were to provide recommendations regarding: 1) a “total allowable catch”, 2) alternatives for allocation between recreational and commercial take, 3) alternative regulations, and 4) potential management, enforcement, and monitoring techniques.

At its February meeting, the MRC recommended additional modeling to explore San Miguel Island abalone stock projections over a longer time frame. It further directed DFG staff to provide cost estimates and a more refined analysis of each management option. The MRC also recommended a recess of the AAG until supplemental modeling and cost estimates have been completed. These MRC recommendations will be presented to the full Commission for consideration at its March 3, 2010 meeting.

CONCUR’s multiple roles in the project included facilitation, process design, strategic planning, oversight of technical experts and technical writing. CONCUR also partnered with DFG to design the Terms of Reference for a Technical Panel process and a companion Review Committee effort. CONCUR Associate Rebecca Tuden was among the presenters to the MRC.

A PDF copy of the main AAG report is available here (PDF link). The report with all of its appendices is available here.