UC San Diego Library – Scripps Digital Collection

This Fish Bulletin, "The California Halibut, Paralichthys californicus, Resource and Fisheries," is the result of a 3-year process which began with an idea to hold a workshop to update management strategies. It soon became apparent that a diverse and relatively large group of academic, private, and government (state, federal, and local) scientists independently were either already conducting research or interested in developing, from historical databases, a better understanding of some aspects of the biology of, or fisheries for, California halibut. Because of the breadth of research and the level of interest, the California Department of Fish and Game developed the concept of holding a symposium to help fisheries managers better understand the status of current research, to identify areas where additional research is needed, and to publish this information in one peer-reviewed document. At this point, a committee of volunteers was formed and we began a timely team effort to plan and develop the symposium. To optimize the results of the symposium, a general call for papers was made inviting anyone involved with California halibut research to participate. Based upon the response, symposium sessions were established for: 1) Habitat, Distribution, and Early Life History; 2) Adult Life History; 3) Commercial Fisheries; 4) Recreational Fisheries; and 5) Management, Population Dynamics, and Fisheries Interactions. The symposium was held May 23–24, 1989 in San Pedro, California. It was sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Game, National Marine Fisheries Service, American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists, and the Cabrillo Marine Museum, whose staff also hosted the symposium. The symposium attracted approximately 150 people and included 25 papers authored or co-authored by scientists representing a diverse group of private and public organizations, which included: California State University, Northridge; Centro de Investigación Cientifica y Educación Superior de Ensenada (CISESE); Coastal Research Center, San Rafael; ERC-Environmental and Energy Services Company, Pacific Gas and Electric Diablo Canyon Laboratory; MBC Applied Environmental Sciences, Costa Mesa; MEC Analytical Sciences, Carlsbad; Minerals Management Service; Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla; University of California, Davis—School of Fisheries; University of California, Santa Barbara—Marine Science Institute; and the VANTUNA Research Group, Occidental College. The symposium was concluded with a panel discussion designed to gain perspectives from representatives of academia, the commercial and recreational fishing industries, and fisheries management on, "Where we should go with research and management as it relates to the California halibut."

After the symposium, we began the somewhat arduous task of extracting final draft papers from a group of contributors, many of whom had made a commitment above and beyond their regular workday requirements, and submitting these drafts for peer review. We thank the authors for their diligence and acknowledge the reviewers for their professional reviews and, most gratefully, timely responses.