SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Fish and Game Commission announced the adoption of emergency regulations for the commercial coonstripe shrimp fishery.
In addition, the CFGC also announced the approval of an experimental fishing permit (EFP) to test longlining gear in the Dungeness crab fishery, among other action affecting California’s natural resources during their February 12 and 13 meetings in Sacramento.
Officials say that the emergency regulations were adopted for the commercial coonstripe shrimp (Pandalus danae) fishery in order to reduce the risk of whale entanglement in the fishing gear.
The new regulations are as follows:
- Establish a management boundary at the Sonoma-Mendocino County border
- Establish a maximum depth limit of 30 fathoms for the northern fishery
- Establish a limit on the number of traps per ground line
- Establish a limit on vertical lines per vessel
- Establish a new control date of February 13, 2025
The CFGC says that the control date may be used to determine future participation in the fishery. According to officials, 14 vessels participated in the fishery of 2024, reporting a catch of almost 150,000 pounds of shrimp.
The approval of an EFP application to test longlining gear in the California Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) fishery. Officials say that this EFP would take place in spring and utilize a modified configuration of multiple traps connected by a groundline that is retrieved by a grapple.
This will eliminated the vertical lines that pose a risk of whale entanglement without the use of pop-up gear. The EFP allows for up to 40 participating vessels while limiting the number of traps per vessel, traps per groundline, and setting a seven-day trap service interval.
The California Fish and Game Commission says that they also approved a major amendment request to expand an experimental fishing permit testing pop-up fishing systems in the California Dungeness crab fishery.
According to the CFGC, the maximum number of vessels that can be authorized to participate in the EFP was expanded from 10 vessels to 40 vessels, with increased in the allowed number of traps per trawl and total per-trip traps, depending on a vessel permit’s trap tier. In addition, the trap service interval was increased from four days to seven days.
Commissioners with the CFGC also approved a request from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for a six month extension to deliver the status review report on the petition to list the white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).
Finally, after receiving a presentation on the development of the draft Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan, the commissioners discussed the draft plan that will be back to the CFGC at their meeting in April for further discussion before potential approval of the plan in June, as called for in the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act.
