Crescent City Profile - California Sea Grant

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Table 18. Key factors and their effects as identified by Crescent City fishing community members andaugmented by other sources.Factor/EventEffect on Fisheries and CommunityEnvironmental1964 Tsunami Massive destruction and loss of 11 livesFishery activity temporarily suspendedCommunity action to obtain funding for rebuildingVastly improved fishing infrastructure1982–1983 El Niño Decreased abundance of shrimpEffort shifts to groundfish and crab2006 Tsunami Substantial damage to aging slips and other infrastructureAcquisition of external funding to rebuildRegulatory1976 MSA and incentive programs Increased fishing and receiving capacityIncreased catch of many speciesExpanded and enhanced harbor infrastructureIncreased social and economic activityEnhanced sense of opportunity and well-beingLimited entry programsSalmon (1982)Groundfish (1994)Shrimp trawl (1994)Whiting trawl (1994)Crab (1995)Nearshore (2002)Salmon management (Commercial:1982–present, Ocean recreational:1991–present)KMZ and statewide limits/closuresCoho limits/prohibitionsReallocation among sectorsGroundfish managementQuotas, cumulative trip limits(1994–present)Groundfish disaster (2000)Federal trawl buyback (2003)Rockfish conservation areas (2002–present)Shrimp trawl managementBycatch reduction devices (2002)Closure of northern state trawlgrounds (2008)Marine Life Protection Act process(late 2009–present)EconomicIncreased costsInsurance/Workman’s CompFuel prices (summer 2008)Market ChallengesMarket shiftsStagnant/declining pricesMacroeconomic conditionsRecent downturnPre-implementation spikes in participationDecreased participation in some fisheries (e.g., salmon)Effort shifts among fisheriesFor those qualifying: transferable asset, increased securityFor those not qualifying: loss of flexibility, real and/or and perceived economiclossEffort shift to other areas and/or fisheriesExit from fisheryDecreased fishing and offloadingReduced use of fishery-support businessesReduced revenue and employmentEconomic and psychological stressLoss of communityChange of identityDecreased fishing and offloadingEffort shifts among species groups, areas and fisheries (esp. crab)Reduced receiving and local processingReduced use of fishery-support businessesReduced revenue and employmentIncreased costs to harbor (abandoned vessels)Change of identityIncreased catch efficiency/reduced wasteEffort shifts among species groups, areas and fisheriesConcern and mistrustIncreased uncertainty about access to resourceReluctance to invest in fishing, receiving and other support businessesReduced use of goods and servicesIncreased uncertaintyDecreased quality of lifeConcerns about viability, futureEffort shiftsIncreased uncertaintyReduced use of goods and servicesReduced revenue and employmentCrescent City Fishing Community Profile 42
fishing, receiving and processing capacity,but also the businesses that supportedthem. However, this era of expansion gaveway to contraction as growing concernsover the health of many commercially andrecreationally important species promptedincreasingly stringent regulation in severalfisheries.Changing Fisheries, Changing CommunityThe ocean salmon fishery was the first of manyto be restricted amid growing concern aboutthe health of fish stocks, in this case KlamathRiver fall Chinook. With the implementationof limited entry for the troll fishery, reductionsin season length especially in the KMZ, theincreased harvest allocation to the Tribes(Pierce 1998), and recent statewide closuresof the fishery, commercial salmon fishing atCrescent City has gone from a central featureof the port to almost nonexistent today.The situation in the recreational fishery issimilar. As of the late 1970s when harborenhancements were completed, recreationalsalmon fishing involved some 500 boats inseasonal slips and as many as 100 more onmoorings in the harbor’s outer basin. Therecreational fleet included out-of-towners aswell as locals. Retirees, school teachers andothers would trailer their salmon boats to theharbor and stay for weeks or the entire summerto fish. Some even bought commercial licensesto be able to land more fish and offset theirexpenses. Many stayed at local RV parks atthe harbor or elsewhere in town. A distinctiveculture associated with this fishery grewover time, as participants returned year afteryear and built strong social networks in thecommunity.After the implementation of limited entryin 1982, which made commercial fishinguntenable for many part time fishermen,activity dropped. Subsequent sharp reductionsin the length of the KMZ commercial salmonseason led to economic and social losses(PFMC 1985). Some fishing communitymembers remarked that for Crescent City thesalmon disaster occurred not in 2006 or 2008as noted in statewide news, but rather in 1985when the KMZ was first closed for the season.In response to the changes of the early 1980s,those who remained in the fishery shiftedtheir effort south or north of the KMZ, wherethe salmon fishing season remained openconsiderably longer. Others shifted their effortto other fisheries such as groundfish, shrimp orcrab. Many others left fishing altogether. Thisloss of fishing activity led to reduced demandfor goods and services and reduced revenuesfor fishery-support businesses including gearsupply stores, fuel and ice providers, RV parksand motels that housed visiting fishermenand their families, and others. In addition, itsignaled a change in community relationshipsand identity that had been largely shaped bythe bustling summer salmon season.A major change occurred in the recreationalfishery in 1992, when the season in theCalifornia KMZ was cut from more thanfour months to 14 days. According to studyparticipants, the 14-day season was a disasterfor fishery participants and the community. Atthat time, an estimated 400–600 sport fishingboats participated in the local summer salmonfishery, many of them coming from out oftown and staying for a month or more to fishdaily. According to one participant who thenran a local fishery-support business (whichsoon closed for lack of business), the numberof summer recreational fishery participantsdropped by about 50% in response to theclosure. From 1993 to 2007, the season rangedfrom 1.5 to 4 months, a notable improvementover 1992 but much shorter than the 4- to9-month seasons that prevailed prior to 1992.While Crescent City is subject to similarregulations as other KMZ ports such asCrescent City Fishing Community Profile 43
Page 3 and 4: California’s North Coast Fishing
Page 8 and 9: along much of the North Coast, resu
Page 10 and 11: Recreational Fishing ActivityRecrea
Page 12 and 13: AcknowledgmentsWe gratefully acknow
Page 14 and 15: other factors highlighted by study
Page 16 and 17: The Expansion of Commercial andRecr
Page 18 and 19: As of the late 1970s, recreational
Page 20 and 21: cut further for both limited entry
Page 22 and 23: The Crescent City Fishing Community
Page 24 and 25: Table 3. Seasonality of selected co
Page 26 and 27: Table 5. Seasonality of major recre
Page 28 and 29: shrimp trawlers and groundfish traw
Page 30 and 31: Pounds (millions)Ex-vessel value (2
Page 32 and 33: 1,2001,000800TotalGroundfish trawlS
Page 34 and 35: Pounds and ex-vessel value (million
Page 40 and 41: The number of boats participating i
Page 44 and 45: Table 13. Long-term and recent annu
Page 46 and 47: 1996 through 1998, and included bot
Page 48 and 49: Table 15. Major three- and four-way
Page 50 and 51: City boats and an increase in reven
Page 52 and 53: trips during the period 2003-2007.
Page 56 and 57: Eureka and Trinidad, the decline in
Page 58 and 59: from 1987 until 1994, when the bloc
Page 60 and 61: The Harbor DistrictAs fishing activ
Page 62 and 63: Current Situation and OutlookCresce
Page 64 and 65: Leidersdorf, C. 1975. Development o
Page 66 and 67: Woodbury, D. 1999. Reduction of gro
Page 68 and 69: 16Although the trawl fishery for wh

Crescent City Profile - California Sea Grant

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