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These data delineate Commercial Trawl Groundfish Rockfish Conservation Areas (RCA) off the West Coast of the United States for 2019. RCAs are large area closures intended to reduce the catch of a stock or stock complex by restricting fishing activity at specific depths. The boundaries for RCAs are defined by straight lines connecting a series of latitude and longitude coordinates that approximate depth contours. These sets of coordinates, or lines, are not gear or fishery specific, but can be used in combination to define an area. NMFS then implements fishing restrictions for a specific gear and/or fishery within each defined area. Keep in mind that RCAs are fairly dynamic and may change as often as 5 times per year. See https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/sustainable-fisheries/west-coast-groundfish-closed-areas for the latest information. |