Market Squid Fishery Management Plan (MSFMP)

The Market Squid Fishery Management Plan (MSFMP) was drafted over the course of five years between 1998 and 2003, with input from two advisory groups appointed by the Department (the original Squid Fishery Advisory Committee and a Squid Research Scientific Committee). It was reviewed through an extensive California Fish and Game Commission (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 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 Department 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)(opens in new tab)
Large file size: 3.6 MB

MSFMP Review – Squid Fishery Advisory Committee

Background

In 2023, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, with support from the Resource Legacy Fund and Ocean Protection Council initiated a review process for the market squid fishery and MSFMP. The Department convened a Squid Fishery Advisory Committee (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, Enhanced Status Report (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 Fish and Game Commission. Summaries of each meeting key outcomes are available:

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