Summary of the 2024 British Columbia sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) trap survey, September 27-November 16, 2024 / by Lisa C. Lacko, Schon M. Hardy, and Kendra R. Holt.: Fs97-6/3751E-PDF

"This report describes the methods and data from the 2024 British Columbia Sablefish trap survey. The coastwide survey included stratified random sampling survey (StRS) sets across five depth-stratified areas, along with experimental escape ring sets. Biological sampling focused on Sablefish, as well as incidentally caught Yelloweye, Shortraker, and Rougheye/Blackspotted Rockfish. Sablefish were selected at random from traps distributed along each gear string to provide even spatial coverage, with a target sample size of 30 fish per set. The 2024 survey included tag-and-release, which was annual from 1991-2022 and biannual thereafter. Fourteen sets tested escape ring configurations, with up to 50 Sablefish sampled from each of three treatments per set. In 2024, a total of 63,917 Sablefish were captured on StRS sets. Out of these fish, 2,887 were selected for biological sampling, while 9,697 were tagged and released. Due to weather conditions, the survey was restricted to 86 of the 91 planned StRS blocks, and all five planned inlet sites were not surveyed. To evaluate long-term trends, survey catch per unit effort (CPUE) and biological data are analyzed in comparison to previous years. The Sablefish StRS biomass index in 2024 increased by 64% from 2023, marking a 40% rise from the previous peak in 2019"--Abstract, page vi.

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