4. Fishing Profile: Commercial and Recreational Fisheries

4.1 Gear Types

Fishermen from Monterey primarily use the following gear types:

• Traps and Pots
• Trawl
• Longline
• Purse Seine

4.2 Commercial Fishery

4.2.1 Fleet Description

In 2021, 72 of the state’s 6,650 commercial fishing license holders reported Monterey as their home address, 103 of the state’s approximately 1,674 active commercial fishing vessels landed catch at the port, and 112 of the state’s 3,214 registered commercial fishing vessels were homeported at Monterey. (Note: License counts are based on addresses in Monterey and do not include other communities in the larger Monterey Bay 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 city was used to determine home port.) The number of fishing license holders in Monterey grew from 161 in 1998 to 213 in 1999, then fluctuated some but declined to 72 in 2021 (Figure 7). Monterey-based fishers are 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 Monterey the average age was 56 and the median age was 58.

Figure 7: Commercial Fishing License Holders in Monterey 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 2021 (Figure 8) that were either linked with vessels homeported in Monterey or to fishers with a Monterey address included: 17 market squid permits (including vessel, lightboat and brail), 14 resident Dungeness crab permits, 4 spot prawn trap permits, 8 federal trawl permits and 54 salmon vessel permits (54 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 8: Commercial fishing permits by type held by fishers and vessels with a Monterey address and statewide, in 2021

CaliforniaMonterey

The number of Monterey commercial fishing vessels has fluctuated over time (Figure 9). Between 1998 and 2000 the resident fleet shrank by more than a half (110 vessels), largely a result of declines in the groundfish fishery, which prompted the 2000 Federal fishery disaster declaration, and led to the subsequent vessel buyback program which removed trawl vessels from the fleet, though Monterey did not lose any vessels from its homeport fleet. From 2009 to 2012, the fleet grew by 50% from 90 to 135 vessels, due to the varying increases in landings and value in the market squid, coastal pelagic, and spot prawn fisheries. VVessels homeported at Monterey in 2021 averaged 37 ft in length, ranging from 16.6 ft to 260.4 ft, with a median length of 30.5 ft (Figure 10).

Figure 9: Commercial fishing vessels homeported at Monterey and average vessel length 1989-2021

Figure 10: Commercial fishing vessels homeported in Monterey by length in 2021

4.2.2 Primary Fisheries and Trends

In terms of commercial landings for the period 1992-2021 (Figure 11), market squid and coastal pelagic species (primarily Pacific sardine and northern anchovy) have been the top two fisheries, together accounting for 93% of landings (Figure 12). For the period 1992-2021, market squid has been the top fishery making up 64% of the ex-vessel value at the port (Figure 13). The groundfish and spot prawn fisheries also accounted for a notable proportion (11% and 9% respectively) of ex-vessel value over that same period, ranking second and third on this measure (Figure 13).

Figure 11: Top Commercial Fisheries for Monterey for periods: 2021, 2017-2021, 1992-2021

Market squidGroundfish Coastal pelagic species Other

Figure 12: Commercial landings (by weight) at Monterey 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 13: Ex-vessel value of commercial landings at Monterey 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. 

However, annual groundfish landings dropped substantially through the 2000s after the 2000 groundfish disaster (Figure 14). As Figures 15 and 16 show, the distribution of catch among groundfish species groups (e.g. nearshore rockfish, shelf and slope rockfish, roundfish, such as sablefish, etc.) shifted with implementation of the Nearshore Fishery Management Plan and the establishment of the Federal Rockfish Conservation Area (Table 2) (Source).

Figure 14: Monterey commercial groundfish fishery landings and ex-vessel value, 1989-2021

Figure 15: Ex-vessel value of commercial landings of groundfish species groups at Monterey, 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 16: Weight of commercial landings of groundfish species groups at Monterey, 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. 

Among the other commercial fisheries with landings at Monterey are salmon, highly migratory species (primarily albacore and swordfish), and Dungeness crab. Although salmon landings and ex-vessel value have been marginal since the 1970s and 1980s due to declining salmon returns and habitat issues, it remains an important fishery for fishers at Monterey and along much of the coast (Note: Poe, M., Norman, K. and Drakopulos, L., 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, (2018).). In Monterey, salmon landings and value dwindled in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with no landings 2008-2009 due to the fishery disaster and closure (Figure 11). Salmon’s importance is reflected in the number of permits (associated with vessels) and stamps (associated with fishing licenses) held in Monterey in 2021, which was the highest proportion of permits there, even though salmon accounts for a small proportion of total landings and ex-vessel value at the port.

Highly migratory species, primarily albacore tuna and swordfish, accounted for less than 2% of the total value of landings at the port from 1992-2021 (Figure 12). However, they accounted for 28% of value in 1989, and more than 10% of value in the early 1990s, perhaps due in part to favorable environmental conditions and sharp reductions in local salmon fishing opportunities during that time (Figure 13). Highly migratory species landings, and albacore in particularly, have declined since the 1990s due to regulatory changes, a shrinking processing sector within the state, and a northward shift of albacore related to changing ocean conditions (Figure 17).

Figure 17: Monterey commercial highly migratory species 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. 

Dungeness crab landings also make up approximately 3% of the total value at the port for the 30 year period of 1992-2021. These numbers are likely shaped by an irregular landing event in 2007 after the Cosco Busan fuel spill in San Francisco Bay. Local crabbers and receivers had agreed to refrain from landing crabs until they could be tested for consumer safety, however, crab boats from out of state were able to land their catch in Monterey as an alternative (Source). The result was that Dungeness crab made up 42% of the port’s value for that year (Figure 13).

More recently, from 2017-2021 market squid and spot prawn were Monterey’s top fisheries in terms of ex-vessel value, whereas market squid and coastal pelagic species were the top fisheries in terms of landings (Figure 11). The market squid fishery had steep declines in landings due to environmental factors in the late 2010s, however, they soon increased to record highs in terms of both landings and value in 2014, ultimately constituting 84% of the value and 76% of landings for the period 2017-2021 (Figure 18) (Source).

Figure 18: Monterey commercial market squid 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. 

The spot prawn fishery only made up 6% of value for the same period, however, it similarly peaked in 2015 (Figure 19). The coastal pelagic fishery was more erratic during the 2010s, however, landings, primarily northern anchovy with some Pacific sardine, peaked in 2014 (Figure 20).

Figure 19: Monterey commercial spot prawn 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. 

Figure 20: Monterey commercial coastal pelagic 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. 

4.3 Recreational Fishery

Of the state’s 622 licensed Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessels (CPFV)––for-hire recreational fishing boats––in 2021, eight (1%) are homeported in Monterey, accounting for 2% of trips statewide. Based on CPFV trip logs and landings data, the primary recreational fisheries are rockfish and sanddab; rockfish species and lingcod are the most targeted species. These numbers do not reflect recreational fishing conducted on private vessels or shoreside. Nearshore groundfish catches accounted for 82% of all for-hire landings at the port in 2021, followed by sanddabs (13%) and Dungeness crab (1%) (Figure 21). Although Monterey 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. Albacore tuna has also long been targeted by some recreational fishers as oceanographic conditions permit, whereas 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 2015-2016 season-opening that dramatically impacted landings that period.

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

In 2021, the eight CPFVs homeported at Monterey reported a total of 738 trips. Based on the CPFV logbook data for 1989-2021, the number of reported CPFV trips has varied over time. Trips have declined overall since 1989, except for a peak in 1997 (1,627). Trips hit an all-time low from 2008-2009 when the salmon fishery was closed statewide. Trips dipped slightly again in 2015-16 when the recreational Dungeness crab fishery opener was delayed due to elevated domoic acid levels. Averaged over the years 1989-2021, groundfish accounted for 78%, sanddab accounted for 9% and salmon accounted for 3% of CPFV landings (Figure 21). Landings remained steady at around 100,000 fish for most of the 2000s and then peaked to almost 250,000 in 2014 before declining by about half by 2021 (Figure 22).

Figure 22: CPFV landings at Monterey, 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.

• Coastal Pelagic Species
• Groundfish
• Market Squid
• Spot Prawn

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

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

4.5 Fishing Organizations