california – Fishermens News

3 Fishery Resource Disasters Declared in California

8Jan

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3 Fishery Resource Disasters Declared in California

U.S. Commerce Department officials have determined that salmon fishery resource disasters occurred in three 2024 California fisheries, making them eligible for disaster assistance from NOAA Fisheries and the Small Business Administration. The decision came in a Dec. 31 announcement by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in response to requests from California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Squaxin Island Tribe fisheries and the 2023 Squaxin Island Tribe Puget Sound fall chum salmon fishery. At the time of the declaration, Raimondo was working with NOAA Fisheries to evaluate each fishery’s qualification for disaster aid, as a fishery resource disaster must meet specific requirements under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. For example, there must be economic...

Expedited Review of Salmon Disaster Plan Requested by California Congressmen

12Jun

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Expedited Review of Salmon Disaster Plan Requested by California Congressmen

Congressional representatives from California say complete closure of the state’s ocean and river salmon fisheries has been devastating for their constituents and that federal agencies should expedite the review and approval of the 2023 California fisheries disaster plan request. U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman and Jimmy Panetta and Sen. Alex Padilla, all Democrats, made their request in a June 4 letter to Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, and NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad. Last year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office requested that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo declare a federal fisheries disaster after the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the state closed the season because of weak Chinook salmon stocks. “Any accele...

California Commercial Fishermen Sue to Halt Wind Farming Ocean Survey

15May

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California Commercial Fishermen Sue to Halt Wind Farming Ocean Survey

California’s San Luis Obispo Superior Court is expected to issue a decision today, May 15, regarding whether to halt approval of permits for ocean site surveys for offshore wind development. Litigation to stop approval of permits for site surveys was filed Feb. 29 by the Morro Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Organization (MBCFO) and Port San Luis Commercial Fishermen’s Association (PSLCFA). Defendants include the California Coastal Commission, the State Lands Commission, three offshore wind development firms and the environmental consulting company CSA Ocean Sciences. The wind development firms are seeking the permits in order to provide power for several million customers in California. CSA Ocean Sciences, based in Stuart, Florida, said May 15 that it had no comment prior to the c...

Calif. Lobsterman Convicted of Abandoning Traps

13Mar

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Calif. Lobsterman Convicted of Abandoning Traps

A California lobster fisherman has been convicted in Santa Barbara Superior Court of a multitude of commercial lobster fishing violations, including abandoning traps, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said March 5. It was the third commercial lobster poaching conviction for Christopher Miller, 67, of Los Alamos, since 2014. According to the CDFW, Miller pled guilty to falsifying commercial fishing records, harvesting lobster out of season, then abandoning at least 156 commercial lobster traps around Santa Cruz Island and the Santa Barbara Harbor. After closure of the 2021-22 commercial lobster season and being ordered to remove his lobster traps by CDFW wildlife officers, Miller failed to retrieve any of his traps, posing a significant and detrimental hazar...

Federal Aid Sought in Wake of 2023 California Salmon Season Closure

14Feb

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Federal Aid Sought in Wake of 2023 California Salmon Season Closure

Three major California fisheries organizations are urging the U.S. Department of Commerce to support more than $30 million in disaster assistance in the wake of closure of the 2023 salmon season in California to protect and preserve the fishery. The organizations are the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA), the Golden Gate Fishermen’s Association (GGFA) and the Northern California Guides and Sportsmen’s Association (NCGASA). The leaders of each noted that while the state of California and California Department of Fish and Wildlife requested a total of $30,784,670 to be shared across commercial, processor, bait and charter industries that the Department of Commerce in late January announced that the state would receive only $20,605,103. The three organi...

California Fishermen File Pollution Lawsuit Against Tire Manufacturers

15Nov

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California Fishermen File Pollution Lawsuit Against Tire Manufacturers

Two California-based fisheries entities are suing U.S. tire manufacturers over allegations that the use of the chemical 6PPD in rubber tires is largely responsible for “urban runoff mortality syndrome,” which kills up to 100% of coho salmon returning to spawn in many urban streams. The environmental law firm Earthjustice is representing the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR) and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) in U.S. District Court in San Francisco against 13 tire manufacturers. Defendants named in the litigation include Bridgestone; Continental Tire; Giti Tire; Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.; Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.; Hankook Tire America Corp.; Kumho Tire USA; Michelin North America; Nokian Tyres; Pirelli Tire North America; Sumitomo R...

California Sea Grant Releases 2024-2027 Strategic Plan

18Jan

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California Sea Grant Releases 2024-2027 Strategic Plan

California Sea Grant, administered through the University of California San Diego, has released its 2024-2027 strategic plan, with a goal of better preparing the state’s coastal communities for extreme weather and coastal hazards, economic disruptions and other threats to communities’ well-being. The report notes the intimate connection between all California residents and the state’s coastal and marine resources, which are located along the 3,425 miles of coastline, meandering along the rugged open coast, around bays and in the ocean. The first healthy coastal ecosystem goal centers on a better understanding of natural and anthropogenic influences on these ecosystems in a changing environment and collaborators that reflect the diversity of those with interest in these ecosystems to id...