Albacore troll

Albacore tuna are caught by California commercial fishermen mainly using hook and line (polls) or by trolling (add pics). This species is managed as part of a complex in the Highly Migratory Species FMP. In general, tuna have a wide geographic distribution, undertaking migrations of significant but variable distances across oceans for feeding or reproduction. They are pelagic species, which means they mostly live in the open ocean, although they may spend part of their life cycle in nearshore waters. Only a small fraction of the total harvest is taken within U.S. waters.

Salmon troll

Chinook and coho salmon are the main species caught by fishermen in central and northern California waters, usually by trolling. Salmon are born in fresh water streams, making their way out to the sea as fry, spending 2-5 years in the ocean, then returning to their natal streams to spawn. Due to distinct genetic differences caused by variation in natal streams, salmon are further identified for the season and the rivers in which they spawn (i.e. Klamath River fall Chinook). This makes for quite complicated fishery management, especially when a depleted stock shares ocean habitat with healthy species desired by fishermen. This ‘constraining stock’ principle influences salmon regulations. For example, in 2006 the Klamath River stock was very low; subsequently the entire fishery was closed to protect this stock. In 2008 and 2009, the entire California salmon fishery was closed to protect the Sacramento River fall Chinook, historically the largest and most hearty stock on the West Coast below the Columbia river. The cause of these declines is attributed to human actions, beginning with logging and gold mining operations in the 1850s that silted rivers and destroyed salmon habitat. However, salmon are affected by a wide variety of factors, including ocean and climatic conditions, dams, habitat loss, urbanization, agricultural and logging practices, water diversion, and predators (including humans). In the last few decades, ‘water wars’ have ensued between Central Valley farmers and those who supported the Endangered Species Act under which many vulnerable salmon (and other) species are protected. 

For more information on salmon management and fishery allocation, visit:

Dungeness Crab pot

On of the most valuable fisheries off the West Coast, the Dungeness crab fishery ranges from Monterey Bay north into Oregon and Washington. The largest catches in California are usually in the northern part of the state around Eureka and Crescent City. Each state manages the fishery, with interstate cooperation on regulations. The CDFG has traditionally used a “three S” (sex, size, season) strategy, which includes male-only harvest, a minimum size limit, and a limited season to manage the fishery. The northern crab season usually runs from December 1 through July 15 (with an early season opener off San Francisco starting November 15), but its start has been delayed in some years because of price disputes. In addition, the opening of the crab season may be delayed to insure that males have completed molting. A special committee, the Dungeness Crab Task Force, was convened in 2009 to review and evaluate management of the fishery due to concerns of overcapacity. See:

Coastal White Seabass drift gillnet fishery

This species has been targeted for both sport and commercial purposes for over 100 years. Commercially, white seabass are caught with set and drift gillnets. There is also a small hook and line fishery out of Monterey Bay when warmer waters bring the fish further north. Concerns regarding declines in landings, as well as conflict between recreational and commercial fishermen over the resource resulted in development of the White Seabass Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The plan was adopted by the Fish and Game Commission in 1996, but was not implemented at that time. The CDFG later revised the plan in accordance with the Marine Life Management Act and submitted it to the Commission, which adopted it on April 4, 2002. Fishery regulations include a minimum size limit (28 inches), a spawning period closure (usually March 15 to June 15), prohibition of gillnets in waters 0-3 miles from mainland (and 1 mile from the Channel Islands), and minimum mesh size for the nets.

CA Fish & Game: White Seabass

Groundfish fishery

The term groundfish describes over 90 species of fish that live near or on the sea floor, and are covered by the PFMC’s Groundfish FMP. The majority of these are rockfish (64 species), such as widow, yellowtail, blues and blacks, bocaccio, yelloweye and thornyheads. The plan covers 12 flatfish (soles, flounder, and sanddab), six species of roundfish (lingcod, cabezon, sablefish), six species of sharks and skates, and a few others. Since there is such diversity of groundfish and habitats in which they live (shallow to deep, rocky to muddy), there are many types of gear used to catch them. For example, nearshore fishermen may use hook and line, stick poles, pots or jigs, while large vessels that can go into deep water use trawl or longline gear. There are four sectors of the fishery: limited entry1, open access, recreational, and tribal.

Groundfish are managed using harvest guidelines, quotas, trip and landing limits, area restrictions (such as the RCA), seasonal closures, and gear restrictions (such as minimum mesh size for nets). The number of vessels fishing for groundfish has been purposely reduced in recent years. In a significant move, the trawl sector is currently being rationalized – that is, it is shifting from an overall quota to an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) system. This means that each fishery participant owns a share of the catch. While this program is intended to reduce harvest capacity in the fishery, encourage safety and efficiency, and lower bycatch (the incidental harvest of non-target species) in the fishery, it is quite controversial among some groundfish fishermen All sectors of the groundfish fishery are currently constrained by the need to rebuild groundfish species that have been declared overfished (widow rockfish, canary rockfish, yelloweye rockfish, darkblotched rockfish, bocaccio, Pacific ocean perch, and cowcod). Rebuilding plans have been developed to help these species recover, but a part of this effort means that fish in healthy abundance can not be caught if they reside among the more protected stocks. Because of the low available harvest of species managed under rebuilding plans, the overall groundfish harvest has been significantly reduced compared to past decades. Overall, where, by whom, when, and how groundfish are caught has been constrained by precautionary regulations. In the area that is represented by the 6,000 square miles of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 65% of that area is closed to trawling to protect essential habitats.

California’s Nearshore Fishery Management Plan (NFMP), mandated by the Marine Life Management Act in 1998, provides the basis for managing California's nearshore finfish fisheries. Nineteen finfish species are included in the NFMP; sixteen of them overlap with the Groundfish FMP, so DFG works closely with the Council to be consistent on regulations.

CA Dept of Fish & Game: Groundfish Central

Interesting groundfish project related to Central coast:

Nature Conservancy: Central Coast Groundfish Project

Pink Shrimp trawl

This species is harvested with bottom-trawl gear from California up into Canada. They are sold as cocktail or salad shrimp and played an important financial role in many coastal port communities since the early 1970s. Areas of effort have been concentrated off the North Coast (near Crescent City), but pink shrimp are also fished north of San Francisco, off Morro Bay, and Point Conception. The fishery is largely driven by market conditions, and is managed jointly by CDFG and PFMC since groundfish are often caught as bycatch.

Review of the California Trawl Fishery for Pacific Ocean Shrimp

Spot Prawn trap

Spot prawns range from Alaska to San Diego, California, at depths from 150 to 1,600 feet. Areas of higher abundance in California waters occur off of the Farallon Islands, Monterey, the Channel Islands and most offshore banks. Thus, the spot prawn trap fleet operates from just north of Monterey Bay to southern California. Less than ten vessels typically fish north of Point Arguello, and regional landings are significantly less than those of the southern California.

Ridgeback Prawn trap

Ridgeback shrimp occur from Monterey, California to Cedros Island, Baja California at depths from 100 feet to 525 feet. The California fishery began in 1966 and is centered in the Santa Barbara Channel and off Santa Monica Bay. The fishery is a low volume, high value fishery with product sold live or fresh as it does not freeze well.

Seafood Network Information Center:Recomendations for Handling Ridgeback Shrimp

Coastal pelagic purse seine

This is a group of pelagic schooling fish (northern anchovy, market squid, Pacific sardine, Pacific mackerel, and jack mackerel) caught for consumption, aquaculture, and bait. Pacific sardine and Pacific mackerel are actively managed in that landings and markets are substantial enough to warrant an annual assessment of stock status and management. Sardines, for example, are managed through a science-based estimate of their population, with that estimate then being reduced by 150,000 metric tons to assure that ecosystem needs for this forage species are met. Then a harvest amount of only 10% of the remaining biomass estimate is set. The three other species are either managed at the state-level or are landed in low numbers and so are monitored less often.


Market squid are often fished at night with the use of powerful lights, which attract the squid to the surface. They are either pumped directly from the sea into the hold of the boat, or caught with an encircling net. Because there is more difficulty in estimating their overall population, squid are managed to account for that uncertainty. There is an annual quota, a limit on the number of boats, as well as a weekend closure to all fishing to assure spawning opportunities. If you live or visit Monterey Bay in the late summer, you may see these boats operating at night.


Coastal pelagic species are harvested directly and as bycatch in other fisheries. Generally, they are targeted with “round-haul” gear including purse seines, drum seines, lampara nets, and dip nets. These species are also taken incidentally with midwater trawls, pelagic trawls, gillnets, trammel nets, trolls, pots, hook-and-line, and jigs.


Sea Urchin Dive

The red sea urchin fishery began in southern California in the 1970s as a way to reduce a species whose population appeared to be destroying valuable kelp beds (its food source). Divers use SCUBA or air lines to swim along the bottom, collecting the urchin in baskets. The product was shipped to lucrative Japanese markets, causing the fishery to expand rapidly. As the resource became depleted off southern California, pioneering fishermen discovered vast amounts of urchin off Fort Bragg and the fishery boomed there for a time as well. Realizing there would be little resources left at the rate they were being fished, the industry worked with CDFG to come up with a management plan. They placed a moratorium on the fishery in 1987, and have since created limited entry, seasonal closures and a minimum size.



Drift Gillnet

High Seas -Sharks/Swordfish

The drift gillnet fishery grew in the 1970s off southern California, targeting common thresher, shortfin mako and swordfish. Drift gillnet gear is anchored to a vessel, and drifts along with the current for a number of hours (i.e. ‘soak time’). The fishery is heavily regulated by individual states (California and Oregon), as well as the federal government (through the PFMC’s HMS FMP). The fishery is limited entry; there is a limited number of permits and fishermen are required to submit logbooks detailing their catch and activities. Since the early 1980s, fishing seasons have become shorter, and certain fishing areas closed in response to concerns over incidental catch (bycatch) of migratory sea turtles and marine mammals. Currently, the fishery operates in open waters (75 miles or more off the coast) mostly between San Diego and Cape Mendocino. Swordfish is the primary target.