California Herring Set Gillnet Fishery - MMPA List of Fisheries
U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of interactions that result in incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.
Current Classification on the List of Fisheries
Category | III |
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Estimated Number of Participants | 11 |
Target Species | herring |
Applicable Take Reduction Plans | N/A |
Observer Coverage | None |
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured | None documented |
Basis for Current Classification
Classified as a Category III fishery based on the lack of documented mortality or serious injuries of marine mammals based on the available data.
Distribution
The fishery targets Pacific herring specifically, operating in and around San Francisco Bay, Crescent City Harbor, Humboldt Bay, and Tomales Bay. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) manages this winter fishery running from January 2 until March 15, depending on stock abundance. The traditional product from this fishery, kazunoko, is the roe sac (eggs) removed from the females, which is processed and exported for sale in Japan. There are also local markets for whole herring.
Gear Description
The gear configurations differ in each area where Pacific herring are targeted by gillnets. In San Francisco Bay and Tomales Bay, fishermen use up to two gillnets that are not more than 65 fathoms (390 ft or 118.9 m) long measured at the cork line (float line). The depth of the nets are a maximum of 120 meshes, with mesh size ranging from 2 to 2.5 inches (5.1 to 6.4 cm) maximum. In Crescent City Harbor and Humboldt Bay, fishermen may fish in combination with no more than 150 fathoms (900 ft or 274.3 m) of gillnet. The net depth is also a maximum of 120 meshes deep; however, the mesh size is a minimum of 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) to a maximum of 2.5 inches (6.4 cm). The nets are anchored by 35-pound (15.9 kg) weights on each end and suspended in the water column by attaching buoys on each end. Each buoy is marked with the vessel number.
Management
This is a limited entry fishery, with separate permit caps for each of the four management areas in California. Until recently, San Francisco Bay was managed based on a platoon structure, which separated the fishery into Even and Odd fishing groups based on the permit numbers. Platoons rotated fishing weeks with the first platoon designated by whether the season year is odd or even. New regulations implementing the California Pacific Herring Fishery Management Plan during the 2020-2021 season eliminated the platoon structure. Now, a quota system dictates the maximum catch available to the commercial fishery each season.
Historical Information
Original Category (Year added to the LOF) | III (1996) |
Original Number of Participants | 341 |
Basis for Original Classification | Listed as Category III based on lack of documented mortality or serious injuries of marine mammals from logbook data. |
Past Names |
CA set gillnet (mesh size <3.5 in) fishery (until 2023) CA set and drift gillnet fisheries that use a stretched mesh size of 3.5 in or less (until 2008) |
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list) | None |
Timeline of Changes
2023 |
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2022 |
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2017 |
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2008 |
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