4. Fishing Profile: Commercial and Recreational Fisheries

4.1 Gear Types

Fishermen from Eureka primarily use the following gear types:

• Line Gear
• Trawl
• Trap and Pot Gear

4.2 Commercial Fishery

4.2.1 Fleet Description

In 2021, 117 of the state’s 6,650 commercial fishing license holders reported Eureka as their home address, 98 of the state’s approximately 1,674 active commercial fishing vessels landed catch at the port, and 110 of the state’s 3,148 registered commercial fishing vessels were homeported at Eureka (Note: License counts are based on addresses in Eureka and do not include other communities in the larger Eureka area. For all state licenses count does not reflect those with out-of-state addresses. For vessels registered with the US Coast Guard, owner mailing address city was used to determine home port. ). The number of fishing license holders in Eureka grew from 202 in 1998 to 242 in 1999, then fluctuated some but declined to 117 in 2021 (Figure 8). Eureka-based fishers are slightly younger on average than California fishers as a whole: the average age of commercial fishing license holders in Califorinia in 2021 was 49, with a median age of 48, whereas in Eureka the average age was 48 and median age 46.

Figure 8: Commercial Fishing License Holders in Eureka 1998-2021

For several state- and federally managed fisheries, a fishery-specific permit is required. In some cases such as the state-managed Nearshore Fishery (which covers 19 species, most of them rockfishes), the permit is assigned to the fisherman. In others such as the state-managed northern pink shrimp fishery or the federally-managed groundfish trawl fishery, the permit is assigned to the vessel. Fishing permits in 2021 (Figure 9) that were either linked with vessels homeported in Eureka or to fishers with a Eureka address included: 59 resident Dungeness crab permits (5 non-resident), 6 anchovy take permits, 5 pink shrimp trawl permits, 6 federal trawl permits, 5 longline permits and 56 salmon stamps among others. Salmon stamps are an indicator of the number of fishermen participating in commercial salmon fishery and typically are not limited; salmon vessel permits are restricted and are an indicator of the number of vessels/operations allowed to participate in the fishery.

Figure 9: Commercial fishing permits by type held by fishers and vessels with a Eureka address and statewide, in 2021

CaliforniaEureka

The number of commercial fishing vessels homeported at Eureka has fluctuated over time (Figure 10). Between 1998 and 2000 the resident fleet shrank by about half (80 vessels), largely a result of declines in the groundfish fishery, which prompted the 2000 Federal fishery disaster declaration, and led to the subsequent vessel buyback program which removed trawl vessels from the fleet, including 13 from the Eureka-based fleet. In 2021, vessels homeported at Eureka averaged 38 ft in length, ranging from 14.7 to 74.3 ft with a median length of 38 ft (Figure 11).

Figure10: Commercial fishing vessels homeported at Eureka and average vessel length 1989-2021

Figure 11: Commercial fishing vessels homeported in Eureka by length in 2021

4.2.2 Primary Fisheries and Trends

In terms of commercial landings and ex-vessel value for the period 1992-2021 (Figure 12), groundfish and Dungeness crab were the top two fisheries, together accounting for 81% of landings and at 87% of ex-vessel value the port (Figure 13 and Figure 14).

Figure 12: Top Commercial Fisheries for Eureka for periods: 2021, 2017-2021, 1992-2021

Dungeness crabGroundfishOther

Figure 13: Commercial landings (by weight) at Eureka for top fisheries and all else, 1989-2021*

* The dataset for this graph has been redacted to remove data deemed confidential by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW does not publicly release data pertaining to three or fewer fishers, vessels, or businesses. 

Figure 14: Ex-vessel value of commercial landings at Eureka for top fisheries and all else, 1989-2021*

* The dataset for this graph has been redacted to remove data deemed confidential by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW does not publicly release data pertaining to three or fewer fishers, vessels, or businesses. 

Groundfish landings and value fluctuated for the period of 1989-2021 with a peak in landings in 2004 and a peak in value in 2006 (Figure 15). The distribution of catch among groundfish species groups (e.g. nearshore rockfish, shelf and slope rockfish, and sablefish) shifted with regulations (Figures 16 and 17) such as those related to California’s Nearshore Fishery Management Plan and restrictions on taking of shelf and slope species with the establishment of the Federal Rockfish Conservation Area (Table 2). Overall, sablefish, and other roundfish, landings increased while shelf and slope rockfish landings decreased.

Figure 15: Eureka commercial groundfish fishery landings and ex-vessel value, 1989-2021

Figure 16: Weight of commercial landings of groundfish species groups at Eureka, 1989-2021*

* The dataset for this graph has been redacted to remove data deemed confidential by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW does not publicly release data pertaining to three or fewer fishers, vessels, or businesses. 

Figure 17: Ex-vessel value of commercial landings of groundfish species groups at Eureka, 1989-2021*

* The dataset for this graph has been redacted to remove data deemed confidential by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW does not publicly release data pertaining to three or fewer fishers, vessels, or businesses. 

Among the other commercial fisheries with landings at Eureka are salmon, market squid and albacore (Figure 13). Although salmon landings and ex-vessel value have been marginal since the 1970s and 1980s due to highly limited or closed seasons of the adjacent Klamath Management Zone resulting from declining salmon returns and habitat issues, it remains one of the most important fisheries for fishers at Eureka and along much of the coast. Salmon’s importance is reflected in the number of permits (64 associated with vessels) and stamps (56 associated with fishing licenses) held in Eureka in 2021. Albacore tuna accounted for about 3% of the total landings and 4% of ex-vessel value at the port for the period from 1989-2021 opportunities during that time. Albacore landings were particularly strong in 1997 (10% of ex-vessel value), 2000 (9% of value), 2001 (14% of value) and 2002 (15% of value) (Figure 14), perhaps due in part to favorable environmental conditions and sharp reductions in local salmon fishing. Albacore landings have declined due to a shrinking processing sector within the state, and a northward shift of albacore related to changing ocean conditions. Market squid accounted for 12% of ex-vessel value and 34% of landings at the port in 2014.

More recently, from 2017-2021 groundfish and Dungeness crab were Eureka’s top fisheries in terms of landings and ex-vessel value (Figure 12). Dungeness crab landings dropped in 2015 (Figure 18) due to delayed openings caused by elevated domoic acid levels (see also section 5 of this report “Current Issues Affecting the Port’s Fisheries”).

Figure 18: Eureka commercial Dungeness crab fishery landings and ex-vessel value, 1989-2021

Pink shrimp landings dropped through the late 1990s and 2000s (Figure 19) due to a series of significant regulatory changes including the implementation of limited entry and bycatch reduction programs in the fishery in 2001, the groundfish trawl buyback which also retired shrimp permits on the participating vessels and, most recently, a significant reduction in local processing capacity related to regulatory and economic factors (Table 2). In 2016, the Oregon commercial fishery for pink shrimp obtained Marine Stewardship Council certification. As a result, fishers are paid more when landing their catch in Oregon, reducing the incentive to land shrimp in northern California ports such as Eureka.

Figure 19: Eureka commercial pink shrimp fishery landings and ex-vessel value, 1989-2021*

* The dataset for this graph has been redacted to remove data deemed confidential by California Department of Fish and Wildlife. CDFW does not publicly release data pertaining to three or fewer fishers, vessels, or businesses. 

4.3 Recreational Fishery

Of the state’s 622 licensed Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessels (CPFV)––for-hire recreational fishing boats––in 2021, 13 (2%) were homeported at Eureka and accounted for 1% of statewide trips. Based on CPFV trip logs and landings data, the primary recreational fisheries were Dungeness crab and nearshore groundfish; rockfish species and lingcod are the most commonly targeted, after ‘other’ (i.e. unspecified). These numbers do not reflect recreational fishing conducted on private vessels or from the shore. Nearshore groundfish catches accounted for 45% of all for-hire landings at the port in 2021, followed by Dungeness crab (43%) Figure 20). Although Eureka historically was an important port for salmon sport (as well as commercial) fishing, increasingly stringent federal fishery management measures to address declining coastal salmon stocks beginning in the mid 1980s led to a significant drop in fishing activity, with profound implications for the port and the larger community. Dungeness crab became an important target species in the early 2010s. Similar to the commercial fishery, the recreational Dungeness crab fishery experienced a delay in the 2015 season opening, with dramatically impacted landings that year.

In 2022, the seven Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessels (CPFVs) homeported at Eureka reported a total of 412 trips. Based on the CPFV logbook data for 1989-2018, the number of reported CPFV trips has varied considerably over time, peaking in 1989 then dropping considerably from 1996-2005. Since 2003, the number of trips has gradually increased each year except for 2008 (when the salmon fishery was closed statewide), and 2015-16 when the recreational Dungeness crab fishery opener was delayed due to elevated domoic acid levels. Averaged over the period 1989-2021, groundfish accounted for 50%, Dungeness crab accounted for 27%, and salmon accounted for 13% of CPFV landings (Figure 20). Landings steadily increased most of the 2000s, although they dropped to almost zero in 2001-2002 (Figure 21). Landings increased to around 13,000 fish in 2014, 2018 and 2020, with somewhat fewer fish caught in 2016 and 2021.

Figure 21: CPFV landings at Eureka, 1989-2021

4.4 Fishery Management

California’s commercial and recreational fisheries are variously governed by a mix of state and federal entities with distinct and overlapping management authorities depending on the species and sector. State management authority lies with the Legislature, the Fish and Game Commission and the Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Federal authority lies primarily with the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Other state and federal entities also play a role in the governance of some fisheries.

Information about management of this port's primary fisheries:

• Dungeness Crab
• Pink Shrimp
• Salmon
• Groundfish

For Eureka's primary fisheries Table 3 summarizes relevant management authorities and measures and Figure 23 summarizes seasonality as of 2018-19.

Figure 22: Seasonality of Selected North Coast California Fisheries, 2018-19 (adapted from Culver & Pomeroy)

4.5 Fishing Organizations