In her weekly newsletter, Lily Belli relays the findings of a new report on the fishing industry around Monterey Bay, reports on a banner tuna bought by Santa Cruz’s H&H Fresh Fish Co., previews a downtown seasonal happening Saturday and plenty more.
fishing industry
Posted inFood & Drink
Monterey Bay’s fishing industry is changing: Here’s what Santa Cruz fishers are catching now
A new report from the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust finds that the number of commercial fishing vessels based in Monterey Bay has fallen more than 70% since the 1980s, while changing environmental conditions have reshaped what and how fishers catch.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Many California fishers are nearing retirement. Can the industry save its graying fleet?
California’s fishing fleet is graying and shrinking. An apprenticeship aimed at reviving it showed the obstacles to sustaining locally caught fish.
Posted inLatest News
California turns to AI as whale deaths spike
Whales have often gone unnoticed by mariners, but an artificial intelligence-powered detection network launched this week is designed to track them day and night. The effort comes amid an alarming rise in gray whale deaths in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Endangered salmon returned to California’s far north — then the money dried up
Gov. Gavin Newsom promised to help a Native tribe restore sacred salmon to their ancestral river. Now, California is ending the funding. The fish made it back to their ancestral waters for the first time in 80 years — so why is the state walking away now?
Posted inFood & Drink
After years of closure, California salmon fishing set to reopen this spring — with tight limits
After several years of closures due to low populations, California will reopen limited commercial and recreational salmon fishing this spring as stocks rebound. Local fishers welcome the return but say the short, highly restricted season might not be enough to revive the struggling fleet.
Posted inLatest News
Salmon survival: Betting on the right fish
By studying salmon bones, scientists have uncovered that for thousands of years, Chinook salmon returned to California rivers at a range of ages. Today, habitat loss, overharvesting and conventional hatcheries have narrowed the age diversity of returning fish, a critical factor in efforts to save the species in Santa Cruz County and beyond. They are working with tribal partners to restore that diversity, protecting wild stocks and the rhythms that keep rivers alive.
Posted inLatest News
Whale entanglements in fishing gear surge off West Coast during marine heat waves
New research finds that rising ocean temperatures are shrinking cool-water feeding grounds, pushing humpbacks into gear-heavy waters near shore. Scientists say an ocean forecasting tool could help fisheries reduce the risk.
Posted inLatest News
Holding the line: What’s happening with salmon in Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County’s salmon population faces a variety of threats, but scientists and habitat restoration groups point to the fish’s resilience, bolstered by decades of monitoring and an expanding web of restoration efforts.
Posted inFood & Drink
State OKs pop-up gear for spring Dungeness crab season
California Fish and Wildlife has approved ropeless pop-up gear for spring Dungeness crab fishing, allowing licensed fishers statewide to apply to use the whale-safe technology from April 1 through July 15.