Tag Archives: Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture
California: Can wind energy and fishing industry co-exist on the coast?
A statehouse hearing on offshore wind energy explored “The Future of Fisheries and Offshore Wind Energy in the Golden State” and fishing representatives said the scenario is unknown and they’re concerned. Fishermen are bracing for impacts to their livelihoods, as leases for five areas off the California coast, including two in Humboldt making up about half of $775 million plus in lease sales, have been federally-approved. Unavoidable impacts to fishing are expected so compensation for consequences like loss of fishing grounds will eventually be calculated. But fishing representatives said at this point the scale of the impacts can only be guessed and the leasing process hasn’t been inclusive enough. >click to read< 11:12
‘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
McGuire tackles crabbing, whale entanglement issues at committee hearing
“Domoic acid levels in the Pacific this year have been trending upwards, especially in Northern California,” McGuire said at the start of the hearing, held at Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco. “Humboldt, Del Norte and southern Oregon have appeared as hot spots along the West Coast.” And while the 2015 crabbing season and spike in entanglements was one of the more talked-about issues during the hearing, McGuire added, “We do not expect another statewide closure like we saw in 2015.” This year alone, there have been 27 confirmed whale entanglements. That’s down from the 71 reported in 2016, but it is still more than double the state average.>click to read<10:31
Looking ahead to next years California crab season
Should California’s four-year drought break, causing rivers to run, next year’s crab season could be worse than the 2015-2016 season. The industry has, so far, lost at least $48 million in revenue for crab fishermen statewide, according to information presented at the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture hearing last Thursday, April 28 in Sacramento. Dr. Raphael Kudela and his colleague, Dr. William Sydeman, senior scientist with the Farallones Institute Team, fear if this season is followed by enough rain to end the drought, the rivers will run, bringing rich nutrients to the ocean. The algal bloom will then feed off the nutrients and, according to Kudela, be 400 percent more toxic than it was this year. There is a chance, however, that a La Nina weather pattern could be cool enough to make the algal bloom dissipate. As Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker drags her feet on disaster relief. Read the rest here 13:52
Public safety comes first for crabbers
A panel of agency heads and industry experts gathered in Santa Rosa Thursday to discuss the delayed California crabbing season, how to proceed with opening waters should the algae-produced neurotoxin levels subside in shellfish and what to do if they shouldn’t. “It’s rare these days that you see individuals and industries putting public safety ahead of profit,” said state Sen. Mike McGuire, who hosted the panel discussion as chair of the , along with the vice chair, Assemblymember Jim Wood. Read the article here 08:32
