

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.
Category |
II |
Estimated Number of Participants |
23 |
Target Species |
Spot prawn |
Applicable Take Reduction Plans |
N/A |
Observer Coverage |
None |
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured |
Gray whale, Eastern North Pacific; Humpback whale, CA/OR/WA1; Long-beaked common dolphin, 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).
1 Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.
The mean annual mortality and serious injury of humpback whales (CA/OR/WA stock) is greater than 1% and less than 50% of the stock’s Potential Biological Removal (PBR) level.
This fishery operates from Central CA southward to the Mexican border. North of Point Arguello, the season is open from August 1–April 30. South of Point Arguello, the season runs from February 1–October 30.
Strings of 10–50 oblong cylindrical traps are commonly fished at depths between 100 and 150 fathoms with regulation prohibiting traps less than 50 fathoms. Fishing is also concentrated around sub-marine canyons.
This is a limited access fishery managed by the state of CA. A tiered permit system has been implemented allowing a maximum of 150 or 500 traps to be fished at one time depending on the fishing history associated with the permit. A maximum of 300 traps may be located within state waters (inside 3 miles), regardless of permit tier.
Original Category (Year added to the LOF) |
III (1996) |
Original Number of Participants |
603 |
Basis for Original Classification |
This fishery was classified as Category III because, while there were reports to the CA stranding network of gray whale entanglements in lobster pot gear, the entanglements did not appear to result in mortalities. There were no reported entanglements of other stocks. |
Past Names |
CA lobster, prawn, shrimp, rock crab, and fish pot (until 2009) |
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list) |
N/A |
2020 |
|
2016 |
|
2014 |
|
2011 |
|
2009 |
|
Changes on the LOF when the “CA spot prawn pot” fishery was included in the larger “CA lobster, prawn, shrimp, rock crab, and fish pot” fishery |
|
2007 |
|
1999 |
|