Market Squid Fishery Management Plan (MSFMP)

Draft Amended Market Squid Fishery Management Plan

Download the Draft Amended Market Squid Fishery Management Plan (PDF)

The California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) will consider a proposed amendment to the Market Squid Fishery Management Plan (MSFMP) beginning at their April 2025 meeting. This amendment makes the following proposed changes (noted in bold) to the original fishery management plan adopted in 2004:

• Section 1 presents background on the California market squid biology and fishery, and provides information on management measures, research, and future costs associated with management needs, in five chapters:
  • Chapter 1 – Introduction contains the historic basis for developing a MSFMP, a description of stakeholder involvement, and the process followed for amending the MSFMP. Content was revised and updated as follows:
    • Provided rationale for MSFMP review and amendment
    • Added Marine Life Management Act Master Plan, Enhanced Status Report (ESR), and MSFMP review information
  • Chapter 2 – Background contains a description of the species (biological features), the fishery, and socio-economic factors. Content was revised with information from the Market Squid Enhanced Status Report and updates to fishery and scientific information:
    • Updated information and figures regarding biological and ecological information of the species, historical activity and performance of the fishery, and social and economic information related to the fishery
  • Chapter 3 – Management Measures contains a description of the various measures applied to ensure fishery sustainability. Content was revised and updated to reflect Squid Fishery Advisory Committee (SFAC) recommendations and the proposed management measures:
    • Updated and added information related to egg escapement
    • Provided rationale for extended weekend closures and new gear provisions (rib lines)
    • Described ongoing California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) monitoring programs, incidental catch, gear restrictions, and best practices for lighting
    • Removed historic experimental market squid vessel permits and added information on proposed Experimental Fishing Permits
  • Chapter 4 – Research includes descriptions of ongoing and potential future research to support management. Content was revised with information from the Enhanced Status Report and recommendations developed during the SFAC process:
    • Updated and added information regarding past and ongoing monitoring, including the transition to electronic logs
    • Updated information regarding current knowledge of essential fishery information
    • Added information regarding ongoing research needs, projects, and empirical dynamic modeling
  • Chapter 5 – Future Management Needs and Management Costs was updated to reflect estimated funding projections:
    • Added information regarding current information gaps, future management needs and potential changes
    • Updated estimated annual management costs

• Section 2 – Environmental Document
  Section 2 includes the original environmental analysis with a review of alternatives and options. Section 2 is not included in Amendment 1 and will remain unchanged as part of the original MSFMP.
• Section 3 – Regulations
  Section 3 included the original regulatory text found in California Code of Regulations, Title 14. Section 3 will not be included in Amendment 1, as the text is redundant with Regulations.
• Section 4 – Response to Comments
  The original response to comments will remain in the original MSFMP. A new Section 2 in Amendment 1 will include new public comment regarding Amendment 1.

Best Practices Fishing Guide - Market Squid

This best practices guide (PDF) provides information on precautionary conservation measures for market squid vessels fishing near the shoreline and sensitive bird nesting regions.

Original 2004 Market Squid Fishery Management Plan

The original MSFMP was drafted over the course of five years between 1998 and 2003, with input from two advisory groups appointed by CDFW (the original SFAC and a Squid Research Scientific Committee). It was reviewed through an extensive Commission process and adopted in December 2004, with the final version officially published in March 2005. The MSFMP was developed under the provisions set forth by California’s Marine Life Management Act (MLMA), which established state policies, goals, and objectives to govern the conservation, sustainable use, and restoration of California’s living marine resources, including the market squid resource.

The MSFMP establishes a management program for California’s market squid resource and procedures by which the State will manage the market squid fishery. The goals of the MSFMP are to manage the market squid resource to ensure long term resource conservation and sustainability, reduce the potential for overfishing, and institute a framework for management that will be responsive to environmental and socioeconomic changes. The tools implemented to accomplish these goals include:

• Fishery control rules, including:
  • A seasonal catch limitation to prevent the fishery from over-expanding
  • Weekend closures, which provide for periods of uninterrupted spawning
  • Gear regulations regarding light shields and wattage used to attract squid, and
  • Monitoring programs designed to evaluate the impact of the fishery on the resource.
• A restricted access program, including provisions for initial entry into the fleet, types of permits, permit fees, and permit transferability that produces a moderately productive and specialized fleet.
• A seabird closure restricting the use of attracting lights for commercial purposes in any waters of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

The MSFMP is presented in four sections:

• Section 1 presents background on the California market squid fishery. It also provides a range of alternatives for management of California's market squid fishery and CDFW's Proposed Project.
• Section 2 includes the environmental analysis (see California Code of Regulations Title 14, Sections 15250-15253), including a review of alternatives and options, some of which were recommended by constituents in the review of the preliminary draft MSFMP.
• Section 3 includes regulations that would implement the MSFMP Project's management strategy.
• Section 4 includes public comments and CDFW responses to both the Preliminary Draft Market Squid Fishery Management Plan (released May 2002) and the Draft Market Squid Fishery Management Plan (released July 2003).

Entire Market Squid Fishery Management Plan (PDF)
Large file size: 3.6 MB

MSFMP Review – Squid Fishery Advisory Committee

Background

In 2023 CDFW, with support from the Resource Legacy Fund and Ocean Protection Council, initiated a review process for the market squid fishery and MSFMP. CDFW convened a SFAC charged with reviewing the fishery and advising CDFW on potential changes to California market squid fishery management. The goals of this process were to:

• Review changes in fishery dynamics
• Respond to past stakeholder input and management change proposals
• Consider potential new management measures as guided by the MSFMP, ESR, and MLMA Master Plan
• Evaluate harvest control measures in the context of climate change by using monitoring data in a simulated analytical approach and new fishery modeling techniques
• Explore opportunities for small-scale fisheries and the ability for coastal communities and local economies to adapt to climate change
• Modernize data collection and fishery monitoring efforts, including the use of electronic reporting

Members

The SFAC consisted of a broad group of stakeholders, including representatives from the fishing industry, non-governmental organizations, government scientists, and the public:

Squid Fishery Advisory Committee Roster, 2023-2024

* These members did not complete the Advisory Committee meeting process

Meetings

The SFAC process included a series of in-person and remote meetings leading up to a final recommendation to the Commission. Summaries of each meeting's key outcomes and a final report are available: Squid Fishery Advisory Committee Review of California Market Squid Fishery Management and Proposed Recommendations (PDF)
Final report with recommendations and summaries of each meeting's key outcomes

• Meeting 1 – February 2023, Virtual (PDF)
• Meeting 2 – April 2023, Santa Cruz (PDF)
• Meeting 3 – May 2023, Virtual (PDF)
• Meeting 4 – July 2023, Virtual (PDF)
• Meeting 5 – August 2023, Seal Beach (PDF)
• Meeting 6 – October 2023, Virtual (PDF)
• Meeting 7 – November 2023, Virtual (PDF)
• Meeting 8 – January 2024, Oakland (PDF)
• Meeting 9 – March 2024, Santa Barbara (PDF)
• Meeting 10 – May 2024, Long Beach (PDF)