Home | Morro Bay

1. Port-at-a-Glance

A port on California’s central coast, Morro Bay gets its name from the iconic landmark Morro Rock that sits at the mouth of the bay. Morro Bay has been an important area for the Chumash and Salinan peoples for thousands of years. Morro Bay was colonized in the wave of Spanish missions in 1772. The American town of Morro Bay was founded in 1870 based on a trade economy in agricultural goods. In the early 20th century, fishing became a mainstay in the community. It has remained one of Morro Bay’s most important sectors both economically and culturally, although the fisheries on which it has been most dependent have shifted over time.

In the early 20th century, fishing became a mainstay in the community. It has remained one of Morro Bay’s most important sectors both economically and culturally, although the fisheries on which it has been most dependent have shifted over time. Currently, important fisheries for the port include: Dungeness crab, groundfish, salmon and pink shrimp. Although salmon remains a significant species for local fishers, landings have decreased since the mid-1990s as a result of declining fish returns and more restrictive management measures. The pink shrimp and groundfish fisheries became more active in the 1960s and 1970s as trawl technologies improved. Pink shrimp remains one of the port’s primary fisheries, though environmental and economic factors contributed to a steep decline in the fishery from 2005-2015 and reduced shrimp landings at the port. Groundfish was once an important year-round fishery for the port, however, the West Coast-wide fishery was declared a federal fishery disaster in 2000 following a sharp decline in landings of these species and overcapitalization in the fishery (Source).

Following the federal trawl buyback program, in 2006 environmental nonprofit The Nature Conservancy led a second buyback of trawl vessels and permits. After a catch share program was implemented in 2011, the community, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, established California’s first community quota fund in 2014 to ensure that trawl quota remained in the region. From 2002 to 2021, the number of fish business licenses active in Morro Bay has decreased by about one-third. The number of commercial fishing licenses associated with the port has decreased from 161 in 1998 to 71 in 2021. Currently, groundfish is the port’s primary fishery by both weight and ex-vessel value. In 2021, landings at Morro Bay accounted for less than 1% of California’s total landings and 1% of total value.