Crescent City Profile - California Sea Grant

Recreational Fishery Activity at Crescent CityHarborHistorically, Crescent City harbor supportedextensive ocean recreational fisheries, with aparticular focus on salmon. According to studyparticipants, both coho and Chinook salmonfishing were significant from the 1960s intothe early 1990s. According to a 1991 surveyof ocean salmon sport fishermen in the KMZ,86% (337 of 388 respondents) self-reportedas seasonal visitors, 13% as local residents,and 1% as short-term tourists (Waldvogel1992). Approximately 67% of respondentsstayed at local RV parks, 13% stayed atlocal campgrounds, and 4% stayed at localmotels. Most (68%) used the harbor’s berthingfacilities for their boats, while 17% usedlaunch ramps to launch their boats daily. Thesestudy results suggest the presence of an activerecreational fishery at the harbor with a highproportion of nonresident anglers contributingto local economic activity. Although portspecificdata are limited, these use patternsclearly changed following the sharp reductionin recreational salmon fishing opportunitiessoon after the 1991 survey was completed.Groundfish, especially rockfish and lingcod,is the other major species group targetedby marine anglers at Crescent City. Studyparticipants reported that this fishery issecondary to salmon, but that it still affordsan opportunity to get out on the water andfish. Many local anglers also participate inrecreational fisheries for crab in the winter.Fewer fishermen participate in the recreationalalbacore fishery in the late summer andearly fall, and then only if the resource iswithin about 10 miles of the coast. Althoughspecific estimates of recreational groundfisheffort are not readily available, regulationshave undoubtedly contributed to a declinein groundfish catch and effort over the pastdecade. 28Recreational Fishing EffortRecreational fishery information specificto Crescent City is limited. Port-specificestimates of effort and harvest estimates areavailable from CPFV logbooks but cannotbe fully reported for Crescent City, due toconfidentiality requirements. Salmon effortand harvest estimates for the area are availablefrom CDFG’s Ocean Salmon Project (OSP).Effort and harvest estimates (all species) areavailable from CDFG’s California RecreationalFisheries Survey (CRFS), but only at the‘district’ level. 29 Information about otheraspects of local recreational fishing activityprovided here is based on fieldwork conductedin 2007 and 2008.According to the CRFS, an annual averageof 143,000 angler trips 30 were made in theRedwood District (which comprises Del Norteand Humboldt counties, excluding ShelterCove) during the period 2005–2007. About31% of these trips were from private boats,34% from manmade structures, 32% frombeaches and banks, and 3% from charter boats.The dominance of private relative to charterboats at the district level is also characteristicof the Crescent City recreational fishery.According to the OSP, recreational salmoneffort in the Crescent City area declined from14,000–52,100 angler trips between 1981 and1991 to 3,300–15,400 trips between 1992 and2002. Effort declined further to 1,500–3,200Crescent City Fishing Community Profile 39