For decades, the deep waters off the California coast told a story of depletion. By the late 1990s, the “groundfish” fishery—a diverse group of over 90 species including rockfish, sole, and sablefish—was in a state of collapse. Today, that narrative has shifted into what experts call the “comeback of the century,” with nearly all managed stocks successfully rebuilt following some of the most stringent fishing bans in American history.
The Crisis and the Ban
The crisis peaked in 2000, when the U.S. Secretary of Commerce declared the West Coast groundfish trawl fishery a federal failure. Decades of intensive bottom trawling—a method where heavy nets are dragged across the seafloor—had not only decimated populations of slow-growing species like cowcod and bocaccio but also severely damaged the delicate rocky reefs and coral beds they called home.
In response, regulators implemented a near-total ban on trawling in critical areas, establishing vast Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCAs) and Cowcod Conservation Areas (CCAs) that eventually spanned thousands of square miles.
A Rapid Recovery
While initial scientific projections estimated that some species might take nearly a century to recover (until 2090 in the case of cowcod), the results have been far more rapid.
94% of U.S. stocks are now considered to be at sustainable levels as of the 2024 NOAA State of the Stocks report.
Cowcod and Canary Rockfish, once symbols of the collapse, were officially declared rebuilt in 2019 and 2015 respectively, decades ahead of schedule.
9 of 10 primary groundfish stocks that were once overfished are now fully recovered.
Reopening the Ocean
As of January 1, 2024, large portions of the ocean previously closed to protect groundfish have been reopened to commercial and recreational fishing.
Approximately 7,000 square miles of conservation areas off California and Oregon are now accessible again.
In Southern California, the Cowcod Conservation Areas were largely repealed and replaced with much smaller, more surgical “Groundfish Exclusion Areas” to protect specific coral and sponge habitats while allowing fishing to resume elsewhere.
The Final Frontier: Yelloweye Rockfish
Despite the widespread success, the recovery is not yet 100% complete. Yelloweye rockfish remains the only native California gamefish still classified as overfished under a federal rebuilding plan, though it is currently on track to reach healthy levels by 2029. Additionally, species like the Quillback rockfish have faced recent regulatory flux, though new 2025 data suggests their populations are also healthier than previously estimated, allowing some restrictions to be relaxed.
This recovery is a rare environmental success story, credited to a historic collaboration between once-adversarial groups: fishermen, environmentalists, and federal managers. Today, the Marine Stewardship Council certifies many of these stocks as sustainable, ensuring that California’s “Blue Economy” can thrive once again.
