Commercial Fishing

CDFW collects data by sampling the commercial fisheries catch to obtain information such as catch-at-age,size-at-age, and maturity of sardine. We work with the National Marine Fisheries Service to produce spawning biomass and total biomass estimates using data from ongoing annual acoustic-trawl surveys. Survey biomass estimates and catch data are used to compute stock biomass. All the data are used in a stock assessment model that predicts next year's abundance through statistical forecasting. For detailed information on this process, please see the Stock Assessment and Fisheries Evaluation report on the Pacific Fishery Management Council's web page.

Only with a valid CPFV license and only during the commercial season in the area you are fishing. No other recreational take of Dungeness crab is allowed from a commercially permitted vessel. In Districts 6 and 7 Dungeness crab vessels with a CPFV license may fish under the provisions of their CPFV license until the close of the recreational season.

You are prohibited from setting trap gear for 30 days prior to the pre-soak of the area you are fishing. After the authorized pre-soak time you may set gear. You may retrieve gear upon the season opening.

No, not during the Dungeness crab season. All crab traps aboard a Dungeness crab permitted vessel must be individually tagged with a Department-issued buoy tag. You may only possess up to six derelict traps during the Dungeness crab season provided that any crab from the retrieved Dungeness crab trap(s) are returned to ocean waters immediately and that any derelict traps retrieved are transported to shore during the same fishing trip that retrieval took place. Derelict traps are traps that have been damaged, abandoned or otherwise found at sea while conducting normal fishing operations aboard your vessel.

You may contract for another "unpermitted" vessel to deploy your traps under the authority of §8280.7 of the Fish and Game Code.