The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) was recently charged the state’s Fish and Game Commission’s Marine Resources Committee with prioritizing recommendations for improving data collection and minimizing bycatch in the state’s set-gillnet fishery, which most anglers consider one of world’s most indiscriminate forms of commercial harvest.
Now, at least one conservation organization wants to side-step the regulatory process by turning to a legislative solution in the form of California Assembly Bill 2220. Oceana in partnership with the Resource Renewal Institute (RRI) has co-sponsored the bill, which was brought to the floor by Assembly member Steve Bennett (D-Ventura).
“The diversity of ocean life off California rivals any other place around the globe, but the state’s set gillnet fishery is threatening the very ocean animals that support a healthy ocean ecosystem, drive tourism, support robust fisheries, and are valued by Californians,” said Dr. Geoff Shester, Oceana’s California campaign director and senior scientist.
“Californians have already said they don’t want these nets off our shores, having voted to ban them more than 30 years ago. We commend Assembly member Bennett for championing AB 2220 to protect ocean biodiversity which will have major benefits for the oceans and Californians.”
Lending impetus to AB 2220 is a report by Oceana and Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN) that indicates a 64 percent discard rate, with a 54 percent mortality rate, in California set-gillnet fishery. The DFW data varies from the Oceana/TIRN study, but rather than rely on the Department’s recommendations, Oceana and RRI are pursuing legislation containing their own recommendations, which include:
AB 2220 is expected to reach its first committee hearing with the Assembly’s Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee in late March or early April 2024, according to Oceana. Check back here at saltwatersportsman.com for updates on AB 2220 as developments occur.
California set gillnets were originally banned in Northern California waters back in 1915. In 1990, after Southern Californian sport fishermen noticed major declines in fish populations over the previous decade, anglers, conservation organizations, and elected officials worked together to pass Proposition 132, which prohibited the use of set gillnets within state waters off Southern California (within 3 nautical miles of the coast). However, set gillnets are still being used in federal waters, offshore banks, and in certain areas around Southern California’s Channel Islands.
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