Management of Commercial Invertebrate Fisheries

General | Abalone | California Spiny Lobster | Crab | Sea Urchin | Shrimp

Note: Links with an asterisk (*) lead to pages outside the CDFW Marine Region website.

The CDFW is primarily responsible for management of fishery resources within state waters. The CDFW formulates general state programs and policies concerning management and conservation of fish and invertebrate resources and establishes seasons, methods and limits for harvest. In California, this is done in concert with the governor-appointed California Fish and Game Commission and in cooperation with the State legislature for those species not managed exclusively by the Commission.

The following links lead to California commercial fishery management information for marine invertebrates:

General

• California Commercial Landings
  Commercial landings numbers since 2000, including invertebrate landings

Abalone

• Abalone Recovery and Management Plan
  CDFW's Abalone Recovery and Management Plan, mandated by Fish and Game Code Section 5522
  • San Miguel Island Red Abalone Fishery Consideration Process
• California's Living Marine Resources - A Status Report: Abalone (2001)
  An in-depth status report on the five major species of abalone found in California's ocean waters, with historic landings data
• Marine Protected Areas in Central California and Potential Benefits to Selected Species: Abalone (2002)
  An overview of abalone status of the population, home range/migratory patterns, current regulations, and how central California MPAs may affect the species
• Status of the Fisheries Report: Abalones (2003)
• Magazine and Newsletter Articles
  • Surveying for Abalone: Fish and Game Divers Survey the Ocean Floor for the Diminishing Species
    Outdoor California, May/June 2009, Feature article about the Invertebrate Management Team's abalone dive surveys
  • Abapalooza: The 2006 San Miguel Island Abalone Survey
    Marine Management News, May 2007
  • Withering Syndrome and the Recovery of Southern California Abalones
    Marine Management News, December 2004

California Spiny Lobster

• Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan (in progress)
• Marine Protected Areas in Central California and Potential Benefits to Selected Species: Spiny Lobster (2002)
  An overview of California spiny lobster status of the population, home range/ migratory patterns, current regulations, and how central California MPAs may affect the species
• Status of the Fisheries Report: California Spiny Lobster (2003)
  Details the history, biology, and fishery for the California spiny lobster
• California's Living Marine Resources - A Status Report: California Spiny Lobster (2001)
  An in depth status report on the California spiny lobster, with historic landings data
• Spiny Lobster Stock Assessment

Crab

• California Dungeness Crab Catch by Season, 1915-2012
• California's Living Marine Resources - A Status Report (2001)
  Details the history, biology and fishery for the following species
  • Dungeness crab
  • Rock crab
  • Sand crab
  • Sheep crab
• Commercial Dungeness Crab News*
  Links to pre- and in-season crab testing results and other information
• Dungeness Crab Task Force*
  website of the Dungeness Crab Task Force, a group established and administered by the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC), and whose direction is to review and evaluate Dungeness crab fishery management
• Dungeness Crab Trap Limit Program
• Northern California Commercial Dungeness Crab Season Delay Notification (December 10, 2012)
• Status of the Fisheries Report (2003)
  Overview of the fisheries through 2002 with historical references for the following species
  • Dungeness crab
  • Sheep crab
• Magazine and Newsletter Articles
  • Commercial Dungeness Crab Opener Delayed Twice
    Marine Management News, March 2006
  • Birth of a Fishery: A grooved Tanner crab fishery emerges off northern California
    Marine Management News, April 2005

Sea Urchin

• California Sea Urchin Fishery
  Sea urchin landings, reports, and more
• California's Living Marine Resources - A Status Report (2001)
  Details the history, biology and fishery for the following species
  • Purple Sea Urchin
  • Red Sea Urchin
• Status of the Fisheries Report (2003)
  Overview of the fisheries through 2002 with historical references
  • Purple Sea Urchin
  • Red Sea Urchin

Shrimp

• Information Concerning the Pink Shrimp Trawl Fishery off Northern California (2007)
  Report to the California Fish and Game Commission
• Informational Report: Bycatch Reduction Devices Used in the Pink Shrimp Trawl Fishery (2008)
  Report to the California Fish and Game Commission
• Status of the Fisheries Report: Coonstripe Shrimp (2008)