Dungeness Crab
Most of you know about the challenges the dungeness crab fishery has faced these last few years. But for those who don't please read my (totally rambling and biased) summary at the bottom of this page.
Commercial crab season finally opened and despite the fact that the crabbers have been forced to fish with only half of their gear, the catch totals have been good thus far. It should also be noted that the price is not exorbitant (yet) and most commercial fishermen are at least reasonably happy (for now).
For sporties. Check the CA DFW regs page and go get a snare (above) in the water or a hoop net in the water! We sell nice snares made by the infamous Champion de la Banana. But I notice that there are very good snares available at Ace Hardware lately. Don't go with the big boxy ones that look kind of like a Borg Cube with big thick loops. Sreamlined with thin loops is the way to go.
Herring
The Fishwife With Her Fave
Well... I don't know what to say. It has been highly disappointing. Not so much because there aren't any herring around but because they haven't spawned anywhere near where I live or work! Yes there was a spawn in Richmond that lasted about 1.5 days. Word has it that they didn't really “carpet spawn” the inshore rocks in Miller-Knox but stayed mostly offshore. Or out by the break water. I don't really get excited until there is a bonafide carpet-bombing of spawn inshore somewhere—and I'm sorry but the 3 hour mini spawn in Sausalito on Dec 27th does not qualify as a decent spawn.
A "Carpet Spawn" at Pier 32 ten years ago
So. In short, I'm looking forward to something happening in February. Has anyone noticed that there hasn't been a South Bay spawn in at least 3 maybe 4 years? What's up with that?
And another thing... you would think that with almost no fishing pressure the last three seasons (zero commercial gill net boats fishing SF Bay herring in 2023-24), there might be a massive number of fish and some deeply awesome spawns happening. But that does not seem to be the case. At least not yet (come on February we're counting on you!) I will likely post more info on herring on instagram if/when anything notable happens follow me @seaforager, and as always check out @lost_anchovy. But with no commercial boats fishing the only way you're going to get Pacific herring will be to catch them yourself.
The words on the fence were prophetic! Remember when there was a commercial fishery for herring? :(
Cali Hali
It really made my week to hear there are a few halibut lunatics scouting around for flatties already. Last February we got our first landings from Dennis and Dave (the Amo's). Hopefully the numbers are good this year too. And we can get some hali in before the end of the month. Hopefully I will be adding a few fish to the catch totals this season too as I am very close to having my kayak registered as a commercial fishing vessel (internal combustion engines be-damned). And what could be more sustainable than a commercially registered paddle powered fishing kayak? I'm actually at DMV writing this and I should know in about 20 min if they're gonna give me CF numbers (which I need in order to get DFW numbers). More on this later.
Night Smelt
I actually paid for this image so if you're wondering why it gets re-used so much, that's why!
The fact that I'm even thinking about doing a night smelt (S. starksi) scouting expedition is evidence of some sort of mental derangement. I mean last year my cumulative total was 50 pounds. To be clear I've had nights where I got 50 pounds in one scoop. But that has not happened in a looooong time now. And every year it just seems to be getting worse. And yet... and yet... I refuse to accept the inevitable and will continue to hold out for a strong nightsmelt (and hopefully surf smelt) season in 2024. And one more thing. It is entirely possible that in my desperation I will drive to the windswept northern beaches near Crescent City and spend a few days smelt jumping at some point this Spring. More on that as the time approacheth.
Still holding out for a night like this!
Surf Perch
Honestly can't even remember the last time I caught a freakin rubber lip! (Drawing by Leighton Kelly)
By the way, have you guys seen these totally bitchin' Sea Forager Surf Perch hoodies and tees we've been selling? I can't understand why every single surf fisherman in California is not wearing one. You've got the barred perch on the front and then pretty much the whole embiotocidae family on the back. All art by Sea Forager ace illustrator Leighton Kelly. I mean what more do you need?
So it's finally picking up! After a solid year of blanks the perch bite seems to have returned. That is, on the few days when the shore break has been small enough to cast a Carolina rig into the trough. As the swells, rain and wind die down expect to catch more perch. As I've said (ad infinitum) I'm not the biggest fan of cooked surf perch. But for ceviche they're great. This year I will offer two weeks of free seafood subscription to the person who can cook me a meal of surfperch meat that doesn't suck!
New Tour Dates: Half Moon Bay Mega Low Tide tours: April 12 and May 11th 8am. Get your tickets before it sells out!
Sea Forager Seafood: As always, if you're looking for delicious, sustainable seafood that supports small boat seafood and happy eaters, join us. Our North bay pickup locations are now weekly(!) and we're always adding new spots, so check to find the best pickup location near you (or home delivery in S.F.)
And that should do it for late winter 2024. Until Spring, see you at, on, or in the water!
Kirk-out
*A Biased Rambling and Repetitive Perspective On The Crab Fishery From Your Friendly Neighborhood Fish Nerd.
Back in 2019 the Center For Biological Diversity, responding to reports of humpback whales being entangled in crab ropes, sued the Department Of Fish and Wildlife for not having provided a legal bycatch quota for whales accidentally killed in the crab fishery. Thus causing the DFW to close the crab season in November and December when the highest concentrations of whales are found in the Gulf Of The Farallones.
I think it's fair to say that the reason no quota had been established was that whale entanglements seemed to be so rare. Interestingly, the trans-Pacific container ship industry gets an allotment of whales they are allowed to smash into as they bring billions of dollars worth of “essential” crap to our shores. I'm not sure of the number (how many they get to kill). But it exists. (A cursory Google search did not produce any data that seemed worthy of repeating and I do not have time to dive deeper). But hey Americans need to have their wide screen TVs and cellphones and sneakers and yada yada yada. And god forbid we should have the audacity to shut that “essential” shit down over a few (dozen? Hundred? Thousand?) whales. Way easier to go after a few crusty salts desperately clinging to the last commercially viable fishery in California.
{Sea Forager editorial insert: I am writing this from the DMV where I am trying—thus far unsuccessfully—to get my kayak registered as a commercial fishing vessel. (Laugh if you want!) And so please excuse my tone here. I just waited two hours in line to be told that I can't get CF numbers on a kayak (before I can get DFW tags the thing needs a fricking CF number). BUT I raised a stink and now I'm waiting for a supervisor! I will not be denied!}
So why do container ships get to kill dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of whales per year while the entire crab fishery in California gets shut down over one to five entanglements? It's a good question. Perhaps it's just a coincidence? Or perhaps the answer is that the shipping industry has billions of dollars to work with. And has no problem at all lawyering-up. In other words they are a hard target. A bunch of crabby crab fishermen who by their nature are independent and hard to unify, and who do not have billions of dollars to pay for lawyers and a financially strapped government agency charged with protecting our resources are easy targets. And also much more visible in the local arena than massive mysteriously owned trans-oceanic shipping conglomerates with ties to totalitarian regimes that we seem to like doing business with.
And perhaps, maybe just perhaps, it looks really good to your core constituency when your organization can shut down an entire (local, artisinal) industry. Nevermind that the population of whales has increased drastically in the last 50 years or that the only real way for a fisherman in California to make a decent living is through crabbing.
Anyhoo, as much as I love whales, I'm not an objective source of info on this issue. But before you take the bait being offered by the CBD (usually I have such happy associations with these three letters) it might be useful to know the fishmonger side of the issue (that's admittedly mine). But yes whales (and occasionally beautiful leatherback turtles) get caught in crab ropes—no argument from me on that. But how many gigantic cargo ships and cruise ships are traveling across the Pacific Ocean right now? And what's the draught of those ships? 50 feet? 60 feet? (that means the hull goes down 60 feet below the surface). Container ships travel at close to 30 knots. So how in the hell is a whale supposed to get out of the way of these fucking things? And how many whales get struck in the middle of the ocean (out of sight out of mind) and are never even reported? No data on that. And zero optics. So... I guess it's no big deal.
A-hem. It looks like I'm getting my DMV tags. Woot!
Kirk-out
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