Tag Archives: California
Coast Guard Coast Guard medevacs fisherman 23 miles off the coast of San Francisco
The Coast Guard medically evacuated a 63-year-old male off the fishing vessel F/V New Huck Finn approximately 23 miles southwest of Point Reyes, Friday. (Video, click the image) Crewmembers from the fishing vessel F/V New Huck Finn contacted Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders around 10:15 a.m., reporting a crew member was in need of medical assistance due to symptoms relating to a cardiac event. Video, >click to read/watch< 21:23
California’s Dungeness crab season delayed yet again, this time until Dec. 30
California Fish and Wildlife officials on Wednesday evening announced another postponement in the commercial Dungeness crab season for the entire state coast — the third delay this season. There are two geographically based reasons behind the decision: From the Sonoma/Mendocino County line south to the Mexican border, a risk assessment undertaken Wednesday determined there is still a high concentration of migrating whales that could get tangled in fishing gear. It’s the fourth consecutive year of delays to protect the humpbacks. On the far north coast, whales have moved south from Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties, but state officials said testing of crabs caught in these waters showed low meat quality, hence the continued ban there. >click to read< 08:56
Latest round of Dungeness crab testing to conclude Tuesday
The second round of domoic acid and meat-quality testing for Dungeness crabs in Oregon, Washington and California is scheduled to conclude Tuesday as the commercial crabbing industry waits for an opening date. The results, which Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials say are likely to be published by Wednesday, will determine if the coast’s commercial Dungeness crab season will open, or if the industry can expect more delays. >click to read< 09:58
Fisherman Seriously Injured as Boat Runs Aground in Santa Barbara
A fisherman who suffered a serious head laceration was taken to the hospital Wednesday evening after his lobster fishing boat ran aground below the Mesa in Santa Barbara, according to the Santa Barbara City Fire Department. Only one person was aboard the 25- to 30-foot Martha Jane, which ended up on the shoreline below Mesa Lane. A witness, who asked not to be identified, said he found the boat on the sand being battered by the surf, with the prop still running. >click to read< —>updated story< 14:56
North Coast Fisherman Fear for the Future of Commercial Fisheries as Offshore Wind Efforts Advance
As plans to bring offshore wind to the North Coast move steadily ahead, commercial fishermen are urging federal and state regulatory agencies to pump the brakes. “I want to make one thing clear: Fishermen are not opposing [renewable] projects up here, we’re opposing the loss of thousands of miles of fishing grounds,” If the offshore wind development moves forward as planned, many local fishermen, particularly the trawl and ground fishing fleets, would lose access to grounds they’ve fished for decades. >click to read< 11:29
Here’s why the West Coast Dungeness crab season has been delayed
Oregon’s most valuable commercial fishery, Dungeness crab, will have its season delayed from its traditional Dec. 1 start date because of low meat yields. Testing shows the crabs in some ocean areas off the West Coast don’t have enough meat in them to satisfy the commercial market. In some areas, testing also showed elevated levels of the naturally occurring toxin domoic acid, which can make the crabs unsafe to eat. ODFW conducts tests out of six major crabbing ports in partnership with the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission and the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Oregon, California and Washington coordinate on commercial season opening dates, and the other states will also be delaying their crab season until at least Dec. 16. >click to read< 12:10
SF fishermen say Bay Area crab season may never again start before Thanksgiving
It’s going to be harder to find local crab this Thanksgiving, and possibly for many Thanksgivings to come. For the fourth year in a row, the start of San Francisco’s Dungeness crab season has been delayed, and local fishermen say a later crab season may now have shifted for good. “I think it is the new normal,” Max Boland, the vice president of sales at Safecoast Seafoods, a wholesale fishing company on Fisherman’s Wharf, John Barnett, a commercial crab fisherman and the president of the San Francisco Boat Owners Association, agrees. Video, >click to read<16:39
Dungeness Crab Fishery Delay to Protect Whales from Entanglement and Due to Low Crab Quality
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is continuing the temporary recreational crab trap restriction in Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 due to presence of humpback whales and the potential for entanglement from trap gear. The commercial Dungeness crab fishery in Fishing Zones 3-6 will also remain delayed due to presence of high numbers of humpback whales and the potential for entanglement with lines and traps in this fishery. CDFW anticipates the next risk assessment will take place on or before Dec. 7, 2022, at which time CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham will re-evaluate the temporary recreational crab trap restriction and commercial fishery delay in Fishing Zones 3-6. >click to read< 07:42
Oregon: Ocean commercial Dungeness crab season delayed
The ocean commercial Dungeness crab season opener is delayed until at least Dec. 16 for the entire Oregon coast. Pre-season testing shows crabs are too low in meat yield in some areas. Elevated domoic acid also was detected in some crab viscera (guts). Targeted to open Dec. 1, Oregon’s ocean commercial Dungeness crab season can be delayed so consumers get a high-quality product and crabs are not wasted. The next round of crab meat yield and biotoxin testing will occur in the coming weeks. Results help determine if the season opens Dec. 16 or is further delayed or split into areas with different opening dates. >click to read< 11:41
US regulators to vote on removal of four dams on lower Klamath River
The largest dam demolition and river restoration plan in the world could be close to reality Thursday as U.S. regulators vote on a plan to remove four aging hydro-electric structures, reopening hundreds of miles of California river habitat to imperiled salmon. The vote by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the lower Klamath River dams is the last major regulatory hurdle and the biggest milestone facing a $500 million demolition proposal championed by Native American tribes and environmentalists for years. But plans to remove the dams have been controversial. “The whole question is, will this add to the increased production of salmon? It has everything to do with what’s going on in the ocean (and) we think this will turn out to be a futile effort,” >click to read< 11:10
Dungeness crab die-off underway along US West Coast
An important species of crab found primarily along the West Coast is fighting off a combination of stressors that experts at the North Atlantic and Atmospheric Administration say has fishermen finding piles of dead shellfish, and the impacts are affecting the economy. Dungeness crabs are typically found along water beds, and their harvest can be worth a quarter-billion dollars annually. NOAA Fisheries believes the combination of a lack of oxygen, harmful algal blooms, water temperatures and ocean acidification are playing a role in the animal’s disappearance. >click to read< 16:12
Prosecutors say Half Moon Bay crab fisherman set traps in MPA
A commercial crab fisherman is facing charges for unlawfully setting crab traps in a Marina Protected Area off the coast of Half Moon Bay, prosecutors said. The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office filed charges Monday against George Jue, who operates a fishing vessel, F/V Take Time. The District Attorney’s complaint alleges that on January 8, California Department of Fish and Wildlife wardens saw five buoys located inside the Western boundary line of Montara State Marine Reserve. >click to read< 10:27
Huffman Announces Over $8 Million Headed to North Coast for Port Infrastructure
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) shared the news that The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration awarded $8,016,566.00 in funds to two projects off the North Coast of California through the department’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PDIP). The awards will provide funds for port maintenance and improvements in Eureka and Crescent City. Rep. Huffman helped secure these funds for his district through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the FY2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act. >click to read< 18:04
California officials delay the start of 2022 Dungeness season
The season was scheduled to start Nov. 15 in the waters from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line south to the Mexican border. The order came down Friday evening from Charlton H. Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Based on recent surveys, large aggregations of humpback whales continue to forage in California coastal waters and allowing the use of crab traps would increase the risk of an entanglement,” Bonham said in announcing the decision. >click to read< 11:34
Whale injuries from drift gillnets off California spark lawsuit against U.S.
Environmentalists on Thursday sued the agency overseeing U.S. fisheries, claiming it had failed to protect endangered humpback whales from entanglement in drift gillnets used in commercial fishing off California. The lawsuit accuses the National Marine Fisheries Service of violating the Endangered Species Act by allowing drift gillnets without safeguards and failing to take into account the harm posed to whales already at risk of extinction. >click to read<, – The Center for Biological Diversity sued NOAA Fisheries today to force it to protect endangered Pacific humpback whales from entanglements in California drift gillnets. In the past two fishing seasons an estimated 12 Pacific humpbacks were caught in the California drift gillnet fishery, according to federal reports. >click to read< 10:35
‘A healthy ocean means a healthy fleet’: salmon, crab, kelp, and climate the focus of annual fisheries forum
Dispatches on the state of California’s fisheries this year have brought “a mix of some glimmers of better news, while still struggling with difficult issues,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Chuck Bonham summarized at the 49th Annual Zeke Grader Fisheries Forum on Wednesday afternoon. The forum was moderated by State Senator Mike McGuire as part of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture. In addition to a detailed report from Bonham, the afternoon featured panels on drought and salmon, the dungeness crab season, the state of California’s kelp forests, and aquaculture — as well as a brief public comment period. >click to read< 19:16
Commercial fishermen form Point Loma Commercial Fishing Alliance
Point Loma commercial fishing businesses and tenants at Driscoll’s Wharf launched a new Point Loma Commercial Fishing Alliance at an Oct. 13 press conference at the wharf, which included wine and lobster rolls. The group formed as an effort to draw attention to the significant role commercial fishing plays as the “front door” to San Diego’s fishing industry. The alliance seeks to advocate and represent commercial fishing activities along the Point Loma working waterfront, known as America’s Cup Harbor and Shelter Island. “As most of you know, we’re trying to save Driscoll’s Wharf,” said Tom Driscoll. “I want to keep this going. But more importantly, for commercial fishermen in this area, this facility is really needed for them. So, the commercial fishing alliance was formed.” >click to read< 08:35
Central Coast Fishing Industry and Castle Wind LLC Announce Formation of New Mutual Benefits Corporation
The Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization, the Port San Luis Commercial Fisherman’s Association, and Castle Wind LLC (C, a joint venture between Trident Winds Inc. and TotalEnergies Renewables USA, are pleased to announce the formation of the Morro Bay Lease Areas Mutual Benefits Corporation. The purpose of the Morro Bay MBC is to facilitate communication, coordination, and cooperation between the California Central Coast commercial fishing industry and offshore wind project developers, as well as to provide financial resources in furtherance of California Coastal Act policies. Morro Bay MBC creates a pathway for the industry to demonstrate to the fishermen and fishing communities, to BOEM, and to the California Coastal Commission, the commitment of project developers to responsible offshore wind development that protects and supports a sustainable commercial fishing industry. >click to read< 10:30
California Offshore Wind Projects Face Hurdles as Pressure Groups, Industry Interests Weigh In
As the Biden administration plans for the country’s first West Coast offshore wind turbines, interests ranging from commercial fishing fleets to powerful environmental groups are complicating the road ahead for the California projects. Some fishermen are worried about losing access to swaths of rich fishing grounds, where they would have to stop towing nets that could get caught on underwater cables. Lori Steele, executive director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association, said offshore wind power projects threaten an industry that also must deal with depleted fish stocks and soaring coastal real-estate prices. “We’re struggling to make sure that people understand that, just because you can’t see it, that doesn’t mean it’s not having an impact,” she said. There is early discussion about creating fishing compensation funds, similar to ones created by East Coast projects for financial losses, “but the industry doesn’t want to be bought out,” she said. >click to read< 08:08
Ship strike probably killed whale off California coast
A humpback whale that washed ashore in the San Francisco Bay Area over the weekend probably was killed by a collision with a ship, researchers said. A necropsy determined that the female adult whale had “injuries consistent with a ship strike,” including extensive bruising to the chest area along with a fractured vertebra, and her skull was dislocated from her spinal column, according to a statement from The Marine Mammal Center. Except for those injuries, the whale was in excellent condition, with ample fat and blubber reserves, the center said. >click to read< 08:46
FERC Staff Recommend Removal of Lower Klamath Dams in Final Environmental Document
After nearly two decades of painstaking negotiations and political turbulence, the largest river restoration project in American history is set to begin early next year. This morning, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) staff released the long-awaited Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for license surrender, decommissioning and removal of four dams – Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, J.C. Boyle and Iron Gate – on the Lower Klamath River, a move that would restore over 400 miles of critical salmon spawning habitat in the Klamath Basin. The 1,242-page document contains FERC staff’s evaluation of the environmental, cultural and economic impacts associated with dam removal. In short, staff agree that dam removal is the best path forward. >click to read< 10:08
Energy companies reach $13 million deal to resolve criminal charges over OC oil spill
The company that operates an underwater oil pipeline that ruptured last year, spilling 25,000 gallons of crude into the ocean off Huntington Beach — forcing a closure of beaches and fisheries — has agreed to pay nearly $13 million to resolve a federal criminal indictment over the spill, prosecutors announced Friday. As part of the agreement, Amplify Energy Corp. and two of its subsidiaries will plead guilty to violating the federal Clean Water Act, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. >click to read< 19:40
Fishermen, Con Groups Appeal Nordic Aquafarms’ Environmental Report Certification
Two weeks after the Humboldt County Planning Commission certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for Nordic Aquafarms’ planned land-based fish factory on the Samoa Peninsula, the decision is being appealed to the Board of Supervisors. On Thursday, leaders of three local nonprofits, the Redwood Region Audubon Society Chapter, the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association and 350 Humboldt, submitted a letter to the supervisors and to John Ford, the county’s director of planning and building, initiating the appeal. The letter alleges that the environmental report, which was prepared for the county by local engineering firm GHD, violates the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by understating several of the project’s impacts, including its greenhouse gas emissions, its energy use and the threats it poses to commercial fisheries and coastal and bay ecosystems. >click to read< 11:44
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Strategy to Reintroduce Sea Otters is Flawed
The USFWS study fails to estimate costs to taxpayers; impacts to key local fisheries such as Dungeness crab and sea urchin; neglects to fully examine the impacts to local port and harbor activities and fishing communities and fails to directly clarify to impacted Tribal Nations that no ceremonial and subsistence uses – or control of otter populations negatively impacting other important Tribal resources – are permitted under current Federal law. For Oregon and California coastal communities dependent on Dungeness crab, sea urchin, and other shellfish, reintroducing sea otters in an area where they have been absent for more than 100 years will spell big trouble. Yet, a recent report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) concludes it is “feasible” to reintroduce them to Southern Oregon and Northern California. >click to read, with links< 08:19
TUNAVILLE – Point Loma’s proud Portuguese past, and present
The Point Loma boundaries of Lowell to Talbot streets, and as high up the peninsula as Willow Street, by the 1930s, had earned the moniker “Tunaville.” Here has been home to an immigrant Portuguese populace settled as far back as 1885, and by the 1940s had become a bustling tuna fishermen’s haven. Early Portuguese fishing settlements grew along the base of Kellogg and McCall streets in La Playa and Roseville. Interestingly, the natural tidelands at the time meandered as far inland as today’s Scott Street. “In remarkably short order, each fisherman owned his own dory. photos, >click to read< 14:58
Long Beach man replicates family history with winning model boat
Over the past eight years, Bob Daley painstakingly built a fishing boat replica from scratch. Although it was on a much smaller scale this go around, it wasn’t the first time Bob constructed the vessel, affectionately dubbed the Mary Anne II. During the 1950s, Bob and his two brothers worked as fishermen to put themselves through college. Unable to afford a boat large enough to sustain their business, they built their own and named it the Mary Anne II after their youngest sister. From April 1950 to May 1951, the Daley family’s driveway in Long Beach served as a makeshift shipyard. Bob 
and his brothers worked on the Mary Anne II nearly every day as their mother watched from the kitchen window, wringing her hands. “She was kind of a worrier, always wondering what was going to go wrong,” Bob said. But she always brought the boys sandwiches for lunch. And Mary Anne, the boat’s namesake, tagged along with lemonade and fresh cookies. Photos, >click to read< 09:42
Massive Fish Kill in the Klamath River After Flash Floods Inundate its Waters with Debris
Shocking photographs from Siskiyou County near Happy Camp show thousands of dead fish in the Klamath River after flash floods sent a deluge of debris into the fragile river ecosystem. The Klamath River Watershed runs through the burn zone of the McKinney Fire, the 60,000-acre wildfire that has destroyed over 80 homes and caused at least four deaths. S. Craig Tucker, Ph. D, a spokesman for the Karuk tribe, told us that on the nights of August 3 and 4 during rain, there was a “massive debris slide out of areas impacted by the McKinney Fire” that flowed into the main stem of the Klamath after flash flooding at or near Humbug Creek and McKinney Creeks. Photos, >click to read< 11:24
Don’t Cage Our Oceans: Fish farming may threaten rare Gulf whale
The site approved for the Velella Epsilon fish farm in federal waters west of Venice is one of just three potential aquaculture opportunity areas under consideration off Florida’s Gulf coast. There are six others — three in the central Gulf south of Louisiana and Mississippi and three east of Texas — as well as 10 in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. It’s part of a collusive effort between fish farming companies and the federal government to divide up national waters for profit, James Mitchell, legislative director of Don’t Cage Our Oceans, said. >click to read< 13:49
F/V Miss Katie Briefly Threatened to Sink to the Bottom of the Woodley Island Marina
While Woodley Island harbor staff were out doing their regular “dock walk” this morning, a daily check-up to make sure everything is as it should be, according to Harbor District CEO Larry Oetker, their practiced eyes noticed something up on F Dock. Or something down, rather. The Miss Katie, a commercial fishing vessel, was sinking. An oil sheen could be seen on the water, so the staff rushed to retrieve and place portable booms to contain and soak up the pollutant. Then they got on the horn and started calling people,,, >click to continue reading< 18:42
Santa Barbara oil spill $230M class action settlement
Plains All American Pipeline agreed to pay $230 million to resolve claims its negligence caused a 2015 oil spill near Santa Barbara, California. The settlement benefits two classes: the Fisher Class and the Property Class: Under the terms of the settlement, class members in both classes are eligible for cash payments. Payments to Fisher Class members will be determined based on their landing records obtained from the CDFW. Each class member will be eligible for a share of the settlement fund proportional to the number of fish landed or purchased. Payments to the Property Class members will be determined based on the severity of oiling experienced by each coastal property, >click to read< 10:47
