California Spiny Lobster 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.

West Coast

Current Classification on the List of Fisheries

Category	II
Estimated Number of Participants	189
Target Species	Spiny lobster
Applicable Take Reduction Plans	None
Observer Coverage	None
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured	Bottlenose dolphin, CA/OR/WA offshore California sea lion, U.S Gray whale, Eastern North Pacific Humpback whale, CA/OR/WA¹ Southern sea otter, CA

^ Number of participants estimates are based on state and federal fisheries permit data. The estimated number of participants is expressed in terms of the number of active participants in the fishery, when possible. If this information is not available, the estimated number of vessels or persons licensed for a particular fishery is provided. If no recent information is available on the number of participants, then the number from the most recent LOF is used. NOAA Fisheries acknowledges that, in some cases, these estimations may be inflating actual effort.

*Observer coverage levels include the latest information reported in the most current final Stock Assessment Report (SAR).

¹Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.

Basis for Current Classification

Category II classification is driven by the takes of the CA/OR/WA stock of humpback whales. The total annual mortality and serious injury, absent human intervention, is greater than 1% and less than 50% of this stocks’ Potential Biological Removal (PBR) level.

Distribution

The spiny lobster fishery occurs in the Southern California Bight, ranging from Point Conception to the U.S.-Mexico border, including areas surrounding the offshore Channel Islands. Spiny lobster fishing is only allowed in districts 18, 19, 20 and 20A.

The fishing season runs from early October to mid-March each year. Fishing effort is highest and closest to shore during the first half of the lobster season from October to December, where fishermen generally set their traps inside of 10 fathoms. As the season progresses, water cools nearshore and winter storms cause lobster to move offshore. The fishermen respond to this movement by setting their traps in deeper water, reaching out as deep as 40 fathoms. Typically, 80% of the season’s total landings are made before the end of January, and some fishermen pull their traps and stop fishing at that time.

Gear Description

California spiny lobster are harvested by means of lobster traps. Most traps are constructed of rectangular mesh not less than 1 ½ inches by 3 ½ inches. Each trap has to have a rigid rectangular escape gap with inside measurements not less than 2 ⅜ inches by 11 ½ inches for undersized individuals to escape. Traps must have 2 ⅜ inches openings the length of the two sides of the trap and not more than 2 ⅜ inches above and parallel to the floor of the trap. Traps must include a destruct device. Lobster traps are generally set individually, and are required to have a buoy attached to each of them in order to identify that specific trap. Additionally, the buoy must contain the commercial fishing license identification number of the permit holder followed by the letter “P”.

Management

The fishery consists of three distinct permits: a transferrable lobster operator permit, a non-transferrable lobster operator permit, and a crewmember permit. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) manages the lobster fishery through a Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) under the California Marine Life Management Act (MLMA). There is a size limit which consists of a standard minimum carapace length of 3 ¼ inches. Fishermen must submit daily lobster logbooks to the CDFW. Fishermen are limited to 300 traps per permit, and are allowed to stack up to two permits on a vessel. If CPUE drops below 0.9, management actions could include reduction of traps.

Historical Information

Original Category (Year added to the LOF)	III (1996)
Original Number of Participants	225
Basis for Original Classification	Limited entanglement stranding record did not point to mortalities of marine mammal stocks.
Past Names	CA spiny lobster, coonstripe shrimp, rock crab, tanner crab pot or trap, until 2010; CA lobster, prawn, shrimp, rock crab, fish pot, 1996 until 2009.
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list)	N/A

Timeline of Changes

2023	Revised the stock name for Southern sea otter to Southern sea otter, CA.
2022	Added California sea lion (U.S.). Estimated number of vessels/persons updated from 186 to 189.
2020	Estimated number of vessels/persons updated from 194 to 186.
2019	Added Southern sea otter.
2018	Added superscript “1” humpback whale (CA/OR/WA)
2017	Reclassified from Category III to Category II based on takes of the CA/OR/WA offshore stock of bottlenose dolphin.
2016	Added bottlenose dolphin (CA/OR/WA offshore) and humpback whale (CA/OR/WA) Updated estimated number of vessels/persons from 198 to 194.