4. Fishing Profile: Commercial and Recreational Fisheries

4.1 Gear Types

Fishermen from Fort Bragg use the following gear types:

• Hook-and-Line
• Trawl
• Traps and Pots
• Dive

4.2 Commercial Fishery

4.2.1 Fleet Description

In 2021, 176 of the state’s 6,650 commercial fishing license holders reported Fort Bragg as their home address, 195 of the state’s approximately 1,674 active commercial fishing vessels landed catch at the port, and 124 of the state’s 3,148 registered commercial fishing vessels were homeported at Fort Bragg. (Note: License counts are based on addresses in Fort Bragg and do not include other communities in the surrounding area. For all state licenses count does not reflect those with out-of-state addresses. For vessels registered with the US Coast Guard owner mailing address was used to determine home port.) The number of fishing license holders in Fort Bragg grew from 253 in 1998 to more than 300 in 2000, then fluctuated but declined to 176 in 2021 (Figure 8). Fort Bragg-based fishers are slightly older on average than California fishers as a whole: the average age of commercial fishing license holders in Califorinia in 2021 was 49, with a median age of 48, whereas in Fort Bragg the average and median age was 51.

Figure 8: Commercial Fishing License Holders in Fort Bragg 1998-2021

For several state- and federally managed fisheries, a fishery-specific permit is required. In some cases such as the state- managed Nearshore Fishery (which covers 19 species, most of them rockfishes), the permit is assigned to the fisherman. In others such as the federally managed groundfish trawl fishery, the permit is assigned to the vessel. Fishing permits in 2018 (Figure 9) that were either linked with vessels homeported in Fort Bragg or to fishers with a Fort Bragg address included: 58 sea urchin permits (including dive and crew), 40 resident Dungeness crab permits (3 non-resident), 14 sablefish permits, 14 longline permits, 9 federal trawl permits, 3 pink shrimp trawl permits, and 77 salmon vessel permits (116 salmon stamps). Salmon stamps are an indicator of the number of fishermen participating in commercial salmon fishery and typically are not limited; salmon vessel permits are restricted and are an indicator of the number of vessels/operations allowed to participate in the fishery.

Figure 9: Commercial fishing permits by type held by fishers and vessels with a Fort Bragg address and statewide, in 2021

CaliforniaFort Bragg

The number of Fort Bragg commercial fishing vessels has fluctuated over time (Figure 10). Between 1990 and 1999 the resident fleet shrank by more than three quarters (293 vessels). This is due to several factors included rapid declines in salmon, sea urchin and groundfish fisheries. The salmon and groundfish fisheries, in particular, prompted Federal fishery disaster declarations in 1995 and 2000 respectively and led to the subsequent vessel buyback program which removed trawl vessels from the fleet. Fort Bragg lost 13 trawlers in the buyback. In 2021, vessels homeported at Fort Bragg averaged 35 ft in length, ranging from 11 to 70.8 ft with a median length of 36 ft (Figure 11).

Figure 10: Commercial fishing vessels homeported at Fort Bragg and average vessel length 1989-2021

Figure 11: Commercial fishing vessels homeported in Fort Bragg by length in 2021

4.2.2 Primary Fisheries and Trends

In terms of commercial landings for 1992-2021 (Figure 12), groundfish and red sea urchin and have been the top (>10%) two fisheries, together accounting for 82% of landings at the port, with Dungeness crab and salmon accounting for an additional 15%. In terms of ex-vessel value for 1992-2021 (Figure 13), groundfish, salmon, Dungeness crab and red sea urchin have been the top four fisheries, together accounting for 97% of landings value at the port (Figure 14).

Figure 12: Top Commercial Fisheries for Fort Bragg for periods: 2021, 2017-2021, 1992-2021

Dungeness crabGroundfishSalmon Pink shrimp Red Sea Urchin Other

Figure 13: Commercial landings (by weight) at Fort Bragg for top fisheries and all else, 1989-2021*

* The dataset for this graph has been redacted to remove data deemed confidential by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW does not publicly release data pertaining to three or fewer fishers, vessels, or businesses. 

Figure 14: Ex-vessel value of commercial landings at Fort Bragg for top fisheries and all else, 1989-2021*

* The dataset for this graph has been redacted to remove data deemed confidential by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW does not publicly release data pertaining to three or fewer fishers, vessels, or businesses. 

The groundfish fishery alone accounted for 42% of ex-vessel value. However, annual groundfish landings dropped substantially through the 2000s after the 2000 groundfish disaster (Figure 15). As Figures 16 and 17 show, the distribution of catch among groundfish species groups (e.g. nearshore rockfish, shelf and slope rockfish, roundfish such as lingcod and sablefish, flatfish such as flounder and sole, etc.) shifted with implementation of the Nearshore Fishery Management Plan and the establishment of the Federal Rockfish Conservation Area (Table 2).

Figure 15: Fort Bragg commercial groundfish fishery landings and ex-vessel value, 1989-2021

Figure 16: Ex-vessel value of commercial landings of groundfish species groups at Fort Bragg, 1989-2021*

* The dataset for this graph has been redacted to remove data deemed confidential by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW does not publicly release data pertaining to three or fewer fishers, vessels, or businesses. 

Figure 17: Weight of commercial landings of groundfish species groups at Fort Bragg, 1989-2021*

* The dataset for this graph has been redacted to remove data deemed confidential by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW does not publicly release data pertaining to three or fewer fishers, vessels, or businesses. 

Salmon landings and ex-vessel value have declined overall since the 1970s and 1980s due to declining salmon returns and habitat issues. However, salmon remains one of the most important fisheries for fishers at Fort Bragg and along much of the coast and the fishery saw brief surges in landings and value in 2003 and 2013 (Figure 18). (Note: Poe, M., Norman, K. and Drakopulos, L., 2018, August. Facing Change: Using Rapid Ethnographic Assessment to Identify Resilience Strategies in West Coast Fishing Communities. In 148th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. AFS.) Salmon’s importance is reflected in the number of permits (associated with vessels) and stamps (associated with fishing licenses) held in Fort Bragg in 2021.

Figure 18: Fort Bragg commercial salmon fishery landings and ex-vessel value, 1989-2021

In 1989, red sea urchin accounted for 54% of the port’s landings, then progressively declined through the 1990s before peaking slightly in 2000 at around 9,000 pounds. Landings and value dropped significantly from 2004-2006, but briefly rebounded in the 2010s (Figure 19). The decline in the fishery was the result of overexploitation and El Niño events which impacted as well as the collapse of the Japanese market which shifted the fishery to primarily domestic buyers but also lowered the value.

Figure 19: Fort Bragg commercial red sea urchin fishery landings and ex-vessel value, 1989-2021*

* The dataset for this graph has been redacted to remove data deemed confidential by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW does not publicly release data pertaining to three or fewer fishers, vessels, or businesses. 

Pink shrimp accounted for 13% of total landings at the port for the period of 1992-2021 (Figure 14), however, these occurred between 1989-2002. Pink shrimp landings dropped through the late-1990s and 2000s due to a series of significant regulatory changes including the implementation of limited entry and bycatch reduction programs in the fishery in 2001 (Table 2). Although pink shrimp landings had already declined in Fort Bragg by this time, in 2016, the Oregon commercial fishery for pink shrimp obtained Marine Stewardship Council certification. As a result, fishers are paid more when landing their catch in Oregon, further reducing the incentive to land shrimp at Fort Bragg.

More recently, from 2017-2021 groundfish and Dungeness crab were Fort Bragg’s top fisheries in terms of landings, whereas Dungeness crab, groundfish, and salmon were the port’s top fisheries in terms of ex-vessel value (Figure 12). Dungeness crab landings dropped in 2015 (Figure 20) due to delayed openings caused by domoic acid. In 2020 and 2021 landings dropped somewhat when season openings were delayed to prevent gear entanglements with migrating whales (see also section 5 of this report “Current Issues Affecting the Port’s Fisheries”). Among the other commercial fisheries with landings at Fort Bragg is hagfish, a relatively new fishery (Figure 13).

Figure 20: Fort Bragg commercial Dungeness crab fishery landings and ex-vessel value, 1989-2021

4.3 Recreational Fishery

Of the state’s 622 licensed Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessels (CPFV)––for-hire recreational fishing boats––in 2021, 17 (3%) are homeported in Fort Bragg, accounting for 2% of statewide trips. Based on CPFV trip logs and landings data, the primary recreational fisheries are Dungeness crab and nearshore groundfish; rockfish species, lingcod and salmon are the most targeted species. These numbers do not reflect recreational fishing conducted on private vessels or shoreside. Nearshore groundfish catches accounted for 80% of all for-hire landings at the port in 2021, followed by Dungeness crab (20%) (Figure 21). Although Fort Bragg was historically an important port for salmon sport (and commercial) fishing, increasingly stringent federal fishery management measures to address declining coastal salmon stocks beginning in the late 1980s led to a significant drop in fishing activity, with profound implications for the port and the larger community. Dungeness crab became an important target species in the early 2010s. Similar to the commercial fishery, the recreational Dungeness crab fishery experienced a delay in the 2015 season opening.

Figure 21: CPFV landings by species at Fort Bragg, 1989-2021

In 2021, the 17 CPFVs homeported at Fort Bragg reported a total of 573 trips. Based on the CPFV logbook data for 1989-2021, the number of reported CPFV trips has varied considerably over time, peaking in 2004 (1,121 trips) then declining by almost 75% in 2008-2010, following salmon closures and reductions in groundfish take. CPFV trips have hovered around 400-700 trips annually since 2011. Averaged over the period 1989-2021, groundfish accounted for 76%, Dungeness crab accounted for 17% and salmon accounted for 6% of CPFV landings (Figure 21). Landings climbed from approximately 13,000 fish in 1994 to around 72,000 in 2006 then dropped to under 20,000 in 2008. Landings increased slowly since that time peaking at more than 81,000 in 2021 (Figure 22).

Figure 22: CPFV landings at Fort Bragg, 1989-2021

4.4 Fishery Management

California’s commercial and recreational fisheries are variously governed by a mix of state and federal entities with distinct and overlapping management authorities depending on the species and sector. State management authority lies with the Legislature, the Fish and Game Commission and the Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Federal authority lies primarily with the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Other state and federal entities also play a role in the governance of some fisheries.

Information about management of this port’s primary fisheries:

• Dungeness Crab
• Groundfish
• Hagfish
• Red Sea Urchin
• Salmon

For Fort Bragg’s primary fisheries Table 3 summarizes relevant management authorities and measures and Figure 23 summarizes seasonality as of 2018-19.

Table 3: Management Authorities and Measures for Fort Bragg’s Primary Fisheries

	Management Authority		Management Measures
Fishery	State	Federal	Limited Entry	Catch/Bag Limits	Time/Area Closures	Species Size/Sex Rules	Gear Restrictions
Dungeness Crab Pot	✓		✓		✓	✓	✓
Groundfish Hook-and-Line, Trap, Trawl	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Hagfish	✓						✓
Red Sea Urchin	✓		✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Salmon roll	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Note: Management authority and /or measures for a given fishery may vary depending on species, region fished, and/or gear type.

Note: There are a variety of Catch/Bag Limit tools which vary by fishery and sector. Commercial: individual transferable quotas, individual (i.e., daily or periodic e.g., bimonthly, area-based) within-season catch limits, fishery-wide (annual or intra-seasonal) quotas, in most cases based on a TAC. Recreational: bag/daily catch limits, in some cases based on a TAC.

Figure 23: : Seasonality of Selected North Coast California Fisheries, 2018-19 (adapted from Culver & Pomeroy)

4.5 Fishing Organizations