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Sanctuary Rocky
Intertidal Open
Ocean & Endangered
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Squid Fishery The California market squid, Loligo opalescens, plays a critical role in the Monterey Bay ecosystem. These animals are of ecological interest for their dual role as both predator of krill and other species and prey of fishes and marine mammals. They are terminal spawners, living twelve to eighteen months (although recent research suggests a life span as short as nine months) before moving inshore to the sandy bottom to spawn and then die. They are vulnerable to changes in environmental conditions, especially water temperature. With the onset of warmer ocean temperatures, squid abundance drops dramatically, but seems to rebound eighteen months later.
The commercial fishery for squid, initiated by Chinese seiners in Monterey Bay in the 1860s, grew modestly through the twentieth century to an average annual catch of 10,000 tons by 1980. The fishery is part of the annual round of the local wetfish fleet, which uses purse seine gear to catch sardine, mackerel, and anchovy as well. A Southern California squid fishery emerged in the 1960s and since the early 1980s has far outstripped Monterey's landings. The fishery has recently undergone important changes in technology used, fishing strategies, markets, and regulations. In the late 1980s thirty-year prohibitions on the use of attracting lights and purse seines off Monterey were lifted, leading to the broad adoption of these techniques. Today, fishermen use purse seine nets to catch aggregations of squid, attracted to the surface at night by boats equipped with powerful lights. Following the 1992-93 El Niño, international markets for squid expanded. Local landings, which occur from late spring through summer, remained fairly steady, but many Monterey squid fishermen expanded their operations in the winter Southern California fishery around the Channel Islands and along the coast. Meanwhile, as one of the West Coast's last open access fisheries, squid attracted fishermen facing declines in other fisheries from Alaska to Southern California. By 1996 squid ranked first in tons and value landed in California. Although the fishery's growth has been concentrated in Southern California, questions have been raised about the fishery's overall ecological and socio-economic sustainability. Prior regulation had been piecemeal (and limited to Monterey Bay), with limits on the use of lights, the prohibition of purse seines, and weekend closures. As the fishery grew, Monterey Bay fishermen led the call for limited entry. SB 364 (Sher), passed in 1997, established a $2,500 permit for market squid vessels and light boats and a three-year moratorium on entry into the fishery; called for a three-year study of the fishery; and provided for the creation of a Squid Fishery Advisory Committee and a Squid Research Scientific Committee to advise the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) on research and interim and long-term management measures for the fishery. Interim measures include logbooks, extension of the weekend closure to Southern California, and shielding requirements and wattage limits for squid-attracting lights. In April 2001 CDFG will present a report on the fishery, with recommendations for a conservation and management plan, to the Legislature. Just as SB 364 passed, the 1997-98 El Niño set in. Local
landings dropped from more than 9,000 tons in 1997 to seventeen
tons in 1998. And while the Southern California squid fishery
rebounded strongly in 1999, the Monterey fishery has recovered
more slowly. Only 300 tons were landed in area ports in 1999,
and 2000 landings remained depressed. Indeed, the 1997-98 El Niño
provided a powerful reminder of the close connections among the
squid, the environment, and the human communities that depend
on them for their livelihood. Caroline Pomeroy
In 1998 the Marine Life Management Act
(MLMA), also known as the Keeley Bill or AB1241, was passed by
the California legislature and signed into law. In 1999 the state
provided $5.2 million to fund this legislation. California is
now prepared to make some
In September 2000 some interim regulations became effective that protect nearshore fish populations until the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) can complete the process of developing a nearshore fishery management plan. Among these interim regulations are a fishery control date (a cut-off date for new entrants into a fishery) set at December 31, 1999 and a moratorium on new permits. In December the CFGC adopted further interim regulations to, among other things: set optimum yields for major species; reduce the harvest guidelines to a 50 percent ten-year average; allocate reductions to recreational versus commercial catches along a twenty-year average; raise size restrictions for certain species; and set up a system of in-season monitoring and correction. The CFGC is considering a further proposal to limit commercial fishing for some species to rod-and-reel or handline. Parallel to the process of developing interim management measures, the CDFG has been meeting with fishermen and other interested individuals and organizations around California to ensure industry participation in the development of the Nearshore Fishery Management Plan. CDFG expects to have a draft plan available to the public by July 1, 2001. If all goes smoothly, that plan can be adopted by the CFGC about six months later. Finally, because all rockfishes (Sebastes spp.) are covered under the Pacific Fishery Management Council's (PFMC) Groundfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP), it is necessary that the State of California coordinate closely with the PFMC and the National Marine Fisheries Service to ensure conformity with federal regulations. For example, last summer the rockfish limits were cut dramatically under the PFMC's groundfish plan. This had a significant ripple effect through the nearshore fisheries that the state manages, including the commercial live fish and sportfish fisheries. Also adopted were some temporary seasonal and regional closures on rockfishes. Interest-ingly enough, data indicate that these rockfish landing limitations may have had the effect of shifting the nearshore fishery to non-rockfish species. While the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's regulations
do not control commercial and recreational fisheries, it develops
policy positions on such issues and gives advice to the state
and federal agencies involved in fisheries regulation. As such,
the Sanctuary intends to continue following the issue as it develops.
Previously, it has asked the Research Activities Panel (RAP) to
help the staff follow this issue. The RAP, particularly Dr. Gregor
Cailliet of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, has been doing so
and keeping the staff apprised. Aaron King |
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For comments or question please refer to the Webmaster Last modified on: Jan 15, 2000 |
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