Tag Archives: California
Body recovered after commercial fisherman goes overboard near Bodega Bay
Authorities recovered a body Friday afternoon after searching for a commercial crab fisherman reported overboard near the southern end of Bodega Bay. The search was launched after the young skipper’s boat was found adrift, with no one inside, local fishermen said. “The local fishing community helped out with the search plan of it, passing information about last communication with (the missing captain) at 9 p.m. last night,” a Coast Guard spokesperson said. “However, they did not suspect anything wrong until the report of the adrift vessel.” Members of the fishing community said the man was known to fish alone, despite pleas from his friends not to do so, said Dick Ogg, a well-known veteran fisherman. >click to read< 09:04
Overboard California Fisherman Swims Five Hours to Safety
After being thrown overboard, and as he watched his boat drift away from him, a fisherman knew that his only chance of survival was to swim his way out. “I looked up at the sky and I was like ‘Really?!’” he said. “Like really, this is how I’m going to die.” He began to think about his family: his wife their two little girls and their older son and motivated himself to keep swimming. “There was a lot of the drive,” said Thompson. “Just thinking ‘Oh my god, they’re going to grow up without me.” Video, >click to read< 10:05
California Fisherman Survives Harrowing 5-Hour Swim After Falling Overboard
Scott Thompson, a commercial fisherman, took his boat out on the Santa Barbara Channel around 5 p.m. on Jan. 26. Five hours of swimming later, he wound up on an oil platform with no boat. On his way back, he stood up on the side of the boat but rough waters took hold of the vessel. Thompson lost his balance and fell. That left him stranded in the water and watching his boat drift away. He attempted to swim and catch up to it but was unsuccessful. Eventually, around 10 p.m., Thompson found his way to oil Platform Gail. >click to read< 20:16
CDFW Announces a Statewide Fleet Advisory for the Commercial Dungeness Crab Fishery
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is issuing a statewide fleet advisory for the commercial Dungeness crab fishery due to a recent humpback whale entanglement, approximately 5 miles west of Cypress Point near Monterey Bay (Fishing Zone 4). The entanglement was first reported in late January involving heavy line from unknown fishing gear and CDFW is encouraging the commercial fleet and all mariners to be on the lookout for any entangled whale in this area and across California waters. >click to read< 08:40
Critics rip feds’ “half-baked” plan to save California salmon
Fishing groups and water suppliers fought the Biden administration’s proposed drought rules for California’s water system, telling a federal judge Friday the emergency plans won’t stop the demise of endangered salmon. The rules call for new water temperature targets and improved collaboration between federal and state officials on the management of California’s two main water conveyance systems. But the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and other conservation groups cast the “interim operations plan” as a half-baked measure that will lead to a third consecutive year of salmon die-offs. >click to read< 17:36
International Pacific Halibut commission raises most Alaska harvest limits for 2022
An uptick in halibut stocks along much of the Pacific coast means increases in total catch limits in every region of Alaska this year. The International Pacific Halibut Commission decided in its annual meeting last week to increase catch limits in every management region except for 2A, which covers the California, Oregon, and Washington coast, with an overall coastwide increase of nearly 6%. The increase comes after IPHC researchers informed the commission that halibut stocks were showing signs of rebounding from lows in the last five years, in part due to a large age class from 2012 becoming mature. The long-term trends of decline seemed to end in 2013, when the stocks began to climb again. >click to read< 14:37
Judge advances lawsuit over California drift gillnet ban
A federal judge has advanced a lawsuit against a California state law that bans the use of swordfish catching gillnets,,, Two fishermen sued the state two years ago, arguing that because they obtained federal permits to use gillnets, California cannot pass a law that deprives them of those federal rights. The fishermen, Joseph Abad and Austen Brown, asked for a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of the state law, but a federal judge denied that request. >click to read< 10:17
Fishermen voice concerns about Humboldt County offshore wind farm project
While the proposed wind energy area off Humboldt Bay is estimated to have a minimal to low impact on the region’s commercial fishing, some industry members do not fully agree with site assessment and characterization survey findings. During a virtual meeting hosted Tuesday morning by BOEM,,, Pacific Seafood consultant Mike Okoniewski stated during public comment most fishermen in the region he has spoken to about the project have not been reached to participate in the discussion. Eureka-based fisherman Travis Hunter also voiced concerns over potential impacts on the local fishing industry. He stated that the relevant reports do not state how the project will displace the fishing industry. >click to read< 09:04 Online meeting on Wednesday evening from 5 to 8 p.m. Links to the meeting and more information regarding the projects can be found at Humboldt Wind Energy Area | Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (boem.gov)
California’s 5 most deadly, devastating tsunamis
Fortunately, it appears that the Bay Area and the rest of California on Saturday escaped the worst kind of damage that can be inflicted by a tsunami. Following the eruption of an undersea volcano near Tonga, surges of water flooded or threatened harbors and low-lying areas in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Berkeley and Marin County. The worst tsunami threat to the West Coast in more than a decade also prompted advisories, evacuations and beach closures up and down the coast. But by Saturday evening, it appeared that the region had dodged the tsunami bullet, with some damage to boats and property reported in Santa Cruz and other communities and no reports of major injuries. But history offers more deadly examples of when massive tsunami waves, generated by earthquakes or volcanoes erupting an ocean away, have barreled into California’s coastal areas,,, >click to read< 09:06
Public hoist can’t be used for commercial fishing – Commercial fish buyers may be on hook for harbor fees
The San Mateo County Harbor District is considering how to regulate sales between visiting fish buyers and commercial sellers within Pillar Point Harbor and will soon be discussing ordinances that will impact how much non-berthed vessels will pay in fees. After discussing the option of requiring visiting fishing vessels to obtain a Commercial Activity Permit before offloading product to a tenant fish buyer, the board directed staff to come back with an amended ordinance so that it would not officially require those visiting boats to pay $250 for the permit. This new ordinance will also determine if wholesale offloads to non-tenant buyers will be prohibited from the floating docks. >click to read< 09:39
How to make the most of Dungeness crab season on the Sonoma Coast
Shawn Patterson, who fishes wild Pacific king salmon during its local season, has established Lisa Lu Fishery LLC and formed a partnership with Adam King. They recently acquired the crab boat F/V Susan E from a Bodega Bay fisherman. Lisa Lu Fishery is selling live crab for $10 a pound directly to consumers and $8 a pound to restaurants. Prices are higher than they often are, but that’s the case with almost everything during the pandemic. He expects to stay in the water until the state closes the season, after the bigger boats have pulled their pots and concluded their season. “We expect to have plenty for direct-to-consumer sales and farmers market sales,” >click to read< with some nice recipes! 09:47
Giant sea bass: scientific research that found them critically endangered stopped at US-Mexico border
Giant sea bass live off the west coast of North America in both Mexican and U.S. waters. I have found that large differences in regulation and research effort between the two countries has led to a significant misunderstanding of giant sea bass population health. In California, commercial fishing for the species began in the late 1880s. Large fish used to be very abundant across the entire range, but the fishery collapsed in the early 1970s. As a response, in 1981 the U.S. banned both commercial and recreational fishing for giant sea bass, and there are many ongoing research and population recovery efforts today. The collapse and subsequent protection and flurry of research in the U.S. stand in stark contrast to Mexico. >click to read< by Arturo Ramírez-Valdez 12:14
Shortened Dungeness crab season reflects industry uncertainty
Commercial crabbers have made quick work of this year’s Dungeness crab harvest, bringing substantially fewer crustaceans ashore with each lift. The haul has been so meager that even those who ply the waters south of Mendocino County,,, Closures and major catch restrictions in Alaskan crab fisheries, where king and snow crab stocks have plummeted, has heightened demand this winter for the Dungeness crab caught off Central and Northern California. “The thing that’s saving us is the price,” said Dick Ogg, “We’re down to two or three crabs per pot,” said Bodega Bay fisherman Tony Anello, one of many getting ready to pack it in. (Then the conversation of ropeless fishing begins,,,) >Click to read< – Campaigners say ropeless technology could spare whales in the Firth of Forth >click to read< 09:28
Fishermen, residents voice concerns about proposed Morro Bay offshore wind farm
An area of ocean 20 miles from the Cambria shoreline and about 35 miles northeast of Morro Bay could become home to nearly 400 square miles of wind turbines,,, Many, like Cheri Hafer, are concerned the area will prohibit commercial fishing. “One of our biggest enemies right now is industrialization of the ocean,” Hafer said. “Not just to fishermen, but to the marine habitat.” Larry Thevik, a dungeness crab fisherman, said many fishermen feel like their concerns aren’t being heard and that the impact it may have on the commercial fishing industry isn’t being thoroughly considered. >click to read< Public critical of environmental analysis for Morro Bay Wind Energy Area – A number of public speakers at an offshore wind energy impact analysis scoping meeting said a full environmental impact statement should be prepared before the federal government leases tracts in an area northwest of Morro Bay. But officials with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said a full EIS can’t be conducted on the effects of wind turbine installation,,, >click to read< 12:12
California poised to impose wave of boat emissions rules in 2022
Like users of lawn mowers and gas leaf blowers, working boat captains, excursion operators and fishermen will be asked told to get on board with new engine emissions regulations starting as early as 2022. The California Air Resources Board released its proposed emissions regulations on commercial boats in September. After hosting hundreds of meetings and receiving an opposing petition signed by thousands of sport fishers in California, the air quality agency expects to finalize the first in a montage of stricter guidelines to upgrade the boats by next spring. >click to read< 13:21
Sonoma Coast Dungeness crab arrives in local markets
Dick Ogg seemed to be relieved to be bringing in a haul of Dungeness crab now that the season has started after a delay of more than a month. “It’s OK,” Ogg said when asked about the haul he had on his boat, Karen Jeanne, which was about 2 miles from shore. “I’m not going to say it’s great. But it’s OK.” Ogg noted that the season provides an economic shot-in-the-arm for those tied to fisheries, especially the estimated 30 crabbers docked in Bodega Bay, the processors who transport the crustaceans, and the markets and restaurants that sell the product. photos, >click to read< 08:43
Half Moon Bay fishermen optimistic about Dungeness crab season opening
“I’m a little optimistic. Everyone thinks there is a little more this year than last year, and the weather the next handful of days look really nice,” crab fisherman Scott Edson said. Edson, who will be fishing out of Point Reyes this year with a crew of two on his 36-foot boat, has spent the last few days getting ready for the upcoming crab season the next few months. He has less pressure this season after a great salmon season,,,“I think it’s gonna be better than last year, maybe a little better,” Edson said. Porter McHenry, who fishes out of Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay, agreed. >click to read< 08:50
Finally! Commercial Dungeness Crab Season opens in the Bay Area
“We’ve been delayed here because of the whales being present,” said John Barnett who owns the crabbing boat, The F/V Amigo, docked at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. California Fish and Wildlife pushed the Dungeness crab season back to December 29th to give whales in the area more time to leave the fishing grounds, and now they’re gone. “We’re ready to go fishing,” >video, >click to read< 07:40
Sanctuaries aren’t working
One of the things I am not seeing in the discussion over a new marine sanctuary off our coast is how well are the ones we have working? As written by Lori French, “Unnecessary protection, there are four national marine sanctuaries designated in California since 1980. Also, there are 124 state marine protected areas, reserves and preserves, plus another five rock fish conservation areas. From the point of view of fishermen, all of this coverage is not producing more fish. The promised “spillover affect” hasn’t worked. So what is the answer from government and environmentalists? >click to read< 14:00 By Steve Rebuck
Proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary – Unnecessary protection
Currently there are five National Marine Sanctuaries off the West Coast, four of which are located off the coast of California. California also has 124 Marine Protected Areas with an additional five Groundfish Conservation Areas. Here on the Central Coast, the waters off of Diablo Canyon Power Plant and Vandenberg Space Force Base are restricted and hinder our ability to provide you with fresh seafood sustainably harvested. Another protected area is just not needed off the Central Coast. We must also be cognizant that jobs may be lost as a result of the sanctuary’s designation. >click to read< 15:01 By Lori French
The Fishermen’s Climate Lawsuit Even the Fishermen Don’t Support
A surprising article has cast a spotlight on the discord in the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), a trade group of commercial fishermen and crabbers who filed a climate lawsuit three years ago. PCFFA members have soured on the case since it was filed and are speaking out about the hypocrisy of suing fossil fuel companies for producing the very products they rely on to power their fishing boats and question if litigation is the best way to address climate change. These comments are particularly noteworthy given how this case was launched in 2018. As EID Climate noted at the time, cozy ties between the leadership of the group and attorneys seemed to be the reason for the case. But as we see now, the group itself may not actually have been on board. >click to read< Toxic waters devastated Pacific Coast fisheries. But who’s to blame? – Union leaders say fossil fuel companies must pay for rising ocean temperatures. Not all boat captains are persuaded, >click to read< 10:30
Search Suspended for Commercial Fisherman Missing off Carpinteria Coast
A multi-day search for a man missing from a commercial fishing vessel found off the Carpinteria coast was suspended Friday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The 38-foot trawler F/V John Start was reported operating erratically off Loon Point at about 4 p.m. Wednesday. The Coast Guard responded, and found the boat underway, but no one was aboard,,, An extensive search was launched for the missing fisherman, identified as Vuong Tran, 62, but he had not been located as of Friday afternoon >click to read< 11:06
California Commercial Lobsterman Convicted of Poaching in Marine Protected Area
After a series of complaints from legitimate commercial lobster harvesters operating offshore of San Pedro and Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County, CDFW launched an investigation of illegal commercial poaching activity. Using a combination of multiple contacts and inspections at sea and at the dock, home visits, analysis of marine navigation equipment seized during the investigation and various surveillance techniques, wildlife officers concluded that Rustin Craig Wilson, 37, of Lawndale, had been engaged in several commercial fishing behaviors that resulted in potential violations of commercial fishing laws and regulations. Wilson is known to wildlife officers for prior commercial lobster fishing convictions and was in the middle of a 36-month probation for those convictions by a February 13, 2020, court order. >click to read< 09:04
Quality Crab, High Price Make A Productive Opening to Del Norte’s Dungeness Fishery
Del Norte County crab fishermen say its first few days have been better than last year. After working a 2020-21 season with little to show for it, boats are actually bringing Dungeness crab to the Crescent City Harbor on time for the first time in seven years, Crescent Seafood and FV Rogue owner Kurt Hochberg told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Monday.. “It’s a big deal,” he said. “It’s a better season than last year and it’s just in time for the holidays, so it’s going very very well.” >click to read< 20:30
Moss Landing Fisherman arrested in weapons and narcotics bust
Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputies seized 11 guns, cocaine, methamphetamine and $100,000 in cash in a Central Coast bust involving a Moss Landing Fisherman. The Sheriff’s Office alongside the Drug Enforcement Agency had been investigating 47-year-old fisherman Gerald Welte Jr. when he was found at a Seaside motel Friday. Welte was found at the hotel with 39-year-old Latisha Radar of Seaside and 48-year-old Anthony Ramirez of Sylmar. All three were arrested. >click to read< 08:15
California: Dungeness crab season opens on time, but it’s off to slow start
Dan Schmidt has been fishing off Ten Mile Beach for the past six or seven years. The F/V Condor harvested a fraction of what it normally gets for the first pull of the season on the first day of Dungeness crab season Wednesday. With fuel and bait costs, it wasn’t very lucrative, and Schmidt said he’s shifting to black cod and lingcod, which are more cost-effective, unless the season picks up later. “I’ve talked to a lot of other guys that have fished from up here to Shelter Cove and it’s kind of the same scenario,” Schmidt said. “Apparently Crescent City and Eureka have some good volumes of crab, but down here it’s not the same.” >click to read< 16:53
North Coast Fishermen Hopeful for a Good Dungeness Crab Season
For the first time in years, the North Coast Commercial Crab Season will open on December 1st. In 2020, issues with domoic acid levels, migrating whales and price negotiations delayed the start of the season to early January 2021. But the stars have seemingly aligned with whale migration, price negotiations and “pretty much zero traces of domoic acid”, according to Harrison Ibach, the president of the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association,, All good news for local fishermen who are hopeful that the recent lulls of the industry will continue to rebound. “Last year was probably the worst year in many decades,” said Ibach, who is also the Captain of F/V Oceana. >click to read< 09:06
Southern California Fisheries Closure Lifted – Fishing to reopen following oil spill off Huntington Beach coast
At noon Tuesday, Nov. 30, waters along a 45-mile stretch of coastline that were closed to fishing because of last month’s oil spill off Huntington Beach, will welcome anglers again, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Monday, (click to read) saying testing showed consuming seafood from the area poses no risk to the public. Terese Pearson, whose family runs Pearson’s Port in the Newport Back Bay, said Monday evening she was “elated” to hear the news that its fishing business could resume after weeks of going without the income,,, >click to read< 09:21
Another Thanksgiving, another crab season delay
On a foggy morning in early November, Dan Kammerer hauled a crab trap onto a fishing boat,,, Kammerer, a retired fisherman, is playing a small role in aiding California’s crab fishing industry, On that day, he was selecting crabs to be tested for domoic acid. The toxin is not the only unwanted presence: In the past few years, a handful of migrating whales have been tangled in crab traps. Now, the season cannot open until a majority of the whales are gone. “We’ve gone from a seven-month-long crab season to one that is going to be three months, at best,” said Ben Platt, president of the California Coast Crab Association, which advocates for the fishery. If the regulations keep tightening, Platt said, “there’s a good chance that the Dungeness fishing industry won’t survive.” >click to read< 10:55
Commercial crab season delayed again but set to start Dec. 1 north of Sonoma County
It’s a bitter pill for those who own smaller fishing boats and those for whom the trek north would not pay off, however. They’ve already missed the lucrative Thanksgiving market due to the initial delay of the Central Coast’s usual Nov. 15 commercial start. “The little guys are suffering big time,” said veteran Bodega Bay fishermen Tony Anello, who said he knows three young, newer additions to the fleet who “have no way of making it right now.” In the meantime, ‘We’ve got to find a way for this Nov. 15 date to occur, for us to fish with these animals,” said Dick Ogg, vice president of the Bodega Bay Fishermens Marketing Association. >click to read< 07:41
