Crabbers line up against ropeless bill
A coalition of crab industry associations across California has issued a letter opposing a state Assembly bill mandating all fishing fleets switch to ropeless fishing gear by 2025.
The coalition of the state’s major fishing industry groups sent the letter opposing Assembly Bill 534, or the Whale Entanglement Prevention Act, this week to its author Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) and the Assembly’s Water and Parks Committee members who will vote on the legislation.
The Crescent City-based California Coast Crab Association sent the letter, also signed by Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association President Harrison Ibach.
AB 534 was written and introduced to the State Assembly by
Bonta on Feb. 10 and is supported by the environmental organizations Center for Biological Diversity and Social Compassion in Legislation.
The bill seeks to prevent marine wildlife, mostly endangered whales and sea turtles, from becoming entangled in fishing lines and becoming injured or dying from being unable to swim in search of food to the surface for air.
With alternatives to rope lines being developed, Bonta stated the bill is just giving fishermen a due date to change their equipment.
“As we move into the future, we can have both productive crabbing operations and oceans that are safe for whales and sea turtles,” Bonta said in the statement anouncing the bill.
According to the letter, AB 534 is expected to deliver a blow to the ailing crab fishing industry, currently suffering from one of the worst seasons on record.
“We are experiencing the worst crab season that most anyone has ever seen,” Ibach said in the letter. “We don’t have any final numbers on the final landings, but it is considerably the lowest season we have experienced. The financial impact from the lack of crab volume is unprecedented.”
The letter against the legislation makes arguments on several fronts. Most notably, it points out the bill is more restrictive than current conservation laws, requiring the state to circumvent regulations in the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act by mandating ropeless fishing gear when humpback whale entanglements are allegedly rare.
According to CCCA President Ben Platt, there have not been any reported entanglements of any kind this season. There was a confirmed interaction last season of the Central California coast in which a whale became entangled but was able to be freed.
The letter also points out the proposed ropeless gear is untried in real-world conditions, lacks support in the industry and can be prohibitively expensive to roll out.
“The prototype gear types that are being pushed on us by outside interests range in cost from $750 a piece up to $2,500 a piece,” CCCA president Ben Platt said.
Craig Goucher, a Trinidad-based crab fisherman, said he operates 500 traps. He said replacing each one with one of the proposed floating traps is unviable for his operation and many others.
“The cost will put people out of business,” he said.