Port authorities continue to clean up debris and marine equipment after a storm surge ripped through the Santa Cruz Harbor on Dec. 23, causing an estimated $26 million in damages. Area businesses have suffered financial losses from emergency closures, and as the Dungeness crab season prepares to open, local fishers will have to navigate a harbor mouth compromised with sediment pushed in by the storm.
fishing industry
Posted inBusiness & Technology
Dungeness crab season will open in Central California on Jan. 5
After three postponements, the Dungeness crab fishing season will open throughout Central and Southern California, including Santa Cruz County, on Jan. 5. Santa Cruz fisher Tim Obert predicts that the price for consumers will be high this year, due to a low volume of crabs.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
‘No way, not possible’: California has a plan for new water rules. Will it save salmon from extinction?
Growers and cities support the Newsom administration proposal, saying it strikes a balance for uses of Delta water. But environmentalists say the “healthy rivers” rules would actually harm California’s iconic salmon.
Posted inFood & Drink
Dungeness crab season delayed in California until at least Dec. 31
The Dungeness crab season will remain closed in California through the end of December. Whale entanglements in fishing gear are at a six-year high, and nonprofit group Oceana calls for “stronger measures” to protect wildlife. A few Santa Cruz County markets plan to bring in crab from Oregon or Washington, where the season is open, for the holidays, while others say they’ll wait for the season to open locally.
Posted inFood & Drink
When it comes to seafood, what does ‘local and sustainable’ really mean?
More Santa Cruz County restaurants are focusing on sourcing “sustainable” and “local” seafood, but while the shift toward environmental consciousness is a good thing for the ocean and for diners, these terms are nebulous. Local industry experts and chefs weigh in on how they define sustainable seafood, give suggestions on what to look for on restaurant menus and outline the challenges to using locally caught fish.
Posted inLatest News
A third straight year with no California salmon fishing? Early fish counts suggest it could happen
Low counts of spawning salmon could mean another year without fishing in California. Experts say the outlook still has time to turn around.
Posted inFood & Drink
Crab season delayed while humpback whales migrate
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has pushed the opening of the commercial Dungeness crab season to at least early December, due to an abundance of humpback whales migrating along the Central Coast. This is the sixth consecutive year that the commercial season has been delayed to protect whales from becoming entangled in fishing gear used to harvest crabs.
Posted inLatest News
Anchovy die-off at Santa Cruz Harbor has ‘all hands on deck’
Senior Deputy Harbormaster John Haynes tells Lookout that a surprise influx of a large number of anchovies Friday caused a mass die-off in the Santa Cruz Harbor over the weekend. He estimates more than 11,500 pounds of dead anchovies will have been removed from the harbor by the end of Tuesday.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Laird named to Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed state Sen. John Laird of Santa Cruz to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. The unpaid position requires confirmation by the state Senate.
Posted inFood & Drink
Once endangered, Pacific bluefin tuna rebounds as a sustainable choice in Santa Cruz County
Despite a previous endangered status, Pacific bluefin tuna numbers are bouncing back ahead of schedule due to successful conservation efforts, and the fish are now migrating annually off the coast of Santa Cruz County. Under the blessing – and watchful eye – of scientists, local sustainable seafood markets have begun to offer this prized fish to restaurants and retail customers.