Crescent City Profile - California Sea Grant

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Current Situation and OutlookCrescent City Harbor’s fishing community facescritical challenges as it continues to adjust toregulatory, economic and environmental change.Once highly engaged in a diversity of commercialand recreational fisheries, the fishing communityhas become particularly dependent on thecommercial crab fishery, which is vulnerable tofluctuations in resource availability and, to a lesserextent, markets. Salmon troll and groundfish andshrimp trawl activity at the port have been sharplycurtailed. Recreational fisheries, once highlydependent on salmon, now engage perhaps a tenththe number of anglers they did in the 1980s. Othersport fisheries for crab and groundfish continue, buthave not filled the void left by salmon.The reduction in fishing opportunities and activityhave, in turn, reduced shoreside activity andassociated revenues, which have been felt byfishery support businesses and the harbor itself.Moreover, because activity at the port is nowhighly concentrated during the winter crab seasonrather than spread throughout the year, manybusinesses, from fish buyers and processors tomarine supply stores, have had trouble maintaininga consistent labor force and income flow. Thesesame circumstances make it difficult for fishingoperations to retain crew and maintain their vessels.Several businesses have closed or reduced servicesand/or inventory, while others have adaptedby diversifying their operations. With limitedalternative sources of revenue, harbor infrastructureincluding docks and other shoreside facilities, onceconsidered state-of-the-art, have deteriorated.Current issues for the fishing community includethe implementation of marine protected areas(MPAs) through the state’s ongoing MLPA process(in which several community members are activelyengaged), and an individual quota program (IQ) forthe federal groundfish trawl fishery. Both of thesehave the potential to fundamentally change localfisheries and the community. Study participantsexpressed concerns about the MLPA process andits potential outcomes, especially reduced access tomarine resources and increased safety risks. Theynoted that expectations about future MPAs havealready created substantial unease in the community,and have affected choices related to investment innew boats, shoreside facilities and equipment. Inaddition, considerable uncertainty exists regardingthe trawl IQ program, which is “intended to increaseeconomic efficiency within the fishery and reducethe incidental catch of overfished groundfishspecies” (PFMC and NMFS 2010). However,some fishery participants are concerned that limitedinitial quota allocations for nontarget species willsubstantially reduce their fishing activity, withnegative economic impacts on their operations andthe community.Taken together, these circumstances may underminethe viability and well-being of the CrescentCity fishing community and the harbor. Thesituation is exacerbated by its isolation from largerpopulation centers, and limited alternatives for localemployment and community livelihood.At the same time, the Crescent City communityhas a well-established history of adapting tochange that may enable it to meet challenges ina constructive way. Community members havelong worked together to support the harbor and itsfisheries, as occurred with the building of CitizensDock and its reconstruction following the 1964tsunami. Recently, funds have been secured tobegin much-needed dredging of the harbor’smain navigation channel, and additional funds tosupport reconstruction of the inner basin and otherimprovements are pending. These efforts togetherwith the port’s location near rich fishing grounds,its safe and easy access, and the availability of keyservices (e.g., fuel, ice, haul-out, refuge) create thepotential for Crescent City to regain its resilienceand vitality as a fishing port.Crescent City Fishing Community Profile 50
ReferencesAnon. 1976. Crescent Harbor, Key Factor to Del Norte, Would cost $50 if Built Today. Del NorteTriplicate. Crescent City, CA:1.Bertão, D. E. 2006. The Portuguese Shore Whalers of California: 1854-1904. San Jose, CA:Portuguese Heritage Publications of California, Inc.CDFG. 1984. Review of some California fisheries for 1983. CalCOFI Reports 25:7-15.CDFG. 1985. Review of some California fisheries for 1984. CalCOFI Reports 26:9-16.CDFG. 2007. Information Concerning the Pink Shrimp Trawl Fishery off Northern California.California Department of Fish and Game.California Dungeness Crab Task Force. 2010. Report #2: Recommendations from the CaliforniaDungeness Crab Task Force regarding management of the fishery in accordance with SB1690. California Ocean Protection Council: Oakland, CA, 17 p.Crescent City Harbor District. 2008. Minutes of the Regular Session of the Board of HarborCommissioners of the Crescent City Harbor. Crescent City Harbor District: Crescent City,CA.Dewees, C. M. 1976. The farm credit system: A new source of fishery loans. Davis, CA:California Sea Grant Extension Program. 2 p.Durkee, M. C. 2008. Alber, gallery may stay in harbor. The Daily Triplicate. Crescent City, CA,September 5.Eureka Fisheries. 1992. Eureka Fisheries, Inc: Reaping a Harvest from the Sea.Federal Register. 2003. Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; Fishing Capacity Reduction Program;Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery; California, Washington, and Oregon Fisheries for CoastalDungeness Crab and Pink Shrimp. Department of Commerce. 62435-62440, http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/pdf/03-27712.pdf.Feinberg, L. and T. Morgan. 1980. California’s Salmon Resource, Its Biology, Use andManagement. La Jolla, CA: California Sea Grant College Program.Frimodig, A., M. Horeczko, M. Prall, T. Mason, B. Owens and S. Wertz. 2009. Review of theCalifornia Trawl Fishery for Pacific Ocean Shrimp, Pandalus jordani, from 1992 to 2007.Marine Fisheries Review 71 (2): 1-14.Hankin, D., R. Warner, W. Leet, C. Dewees, R. Klingbeil and E. Larson. 2001. Dungeness crab.pp. 107-111 in California’s Living Marine Resources: A Status Report. W. Leet, C. Dewees,R. Klingbeil and E. Larson, Eds. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Fish and Game.Helser, T. E., I. J. Stewart and O. S. Hamel. 2008. Stock Assessment of Pacific Hake (Whiting) inU.S. and Canadian Waters in 2008. Pacific Fishery Management Council, Stock Assessmentand Fishery Evaluation (SAFE). Agenda Item F.3.a. PFMC: Portland, OR, 128 p.Leet, W. S., C. M. Dewees, R. Klingbeil and E. J. Larson, Eds. 2001. California’s Living MarineResources: A Status Report. Sacramento, CA. CDFG.Crescent City Fishing Community Profile 51
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 54 and 55: Table 18. Key factors and their eff
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 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
show all

Crescent City Profile - California Sea Grant

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?