But those so-called forage fish, which make up a big part of the food base for larger fish such as salmon and tuna, are facing huge demand from fish farms and elsewhere. And ocean advocates are now pushing for greater protection of the sardines, squid, anchovies and herring that make up a huge percentage of the Central Coast catch.

Local groups are lobbying federal and state policymakers to take a harder look at management of forage fish. A state bill by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, being aired today would prevent new fisheries on unfished forage species, require regulators to account for the species' value as prey, and prioritize human consumption over using them as feed or fertilizer, including for the growing aquaculture industry.

For conservationists, the first point may be the most important, representing a break in how fisheries have traditionally been managed. By looking at forage species' value relative to other fish, regulators would be moving toward an ecosystem-based management approach, rather than setting species-by-species fishing limits based on historical catch numbers.

"That's really the paradigm shift we're seeing here," said Geoff Shester, Monterey program director of Oceana. "This is really the first bite at the apple of ecosystem-based management."

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