A Good Catch : Fishermen Took In a Near-Record Haul in 1990 Despite New Restrictions

Despite increasing government restrictions on fishing methods and size limits, Ventura County’s commercial fishermen landed a near-record harvest in 1990.

In a preliminary report released Friday, the California Department of Fish and Game put the value of fish landed at Channel Islands, Port Hueneme and Ventura harbors last year at $11.7 million, with sea urchins, squid, mackerel and rockfish the leading commercial catches.

The value of the 39.5-million-pound catch dipped somewhat from a record $12.5 million in 1989. But it was far better than the period of 1983 through 1987, when the total catch averaged $5.9 million.

And despite severe rainstorms in March that kept many boats in port, local fishing industry leaders said the 1991 catch might exceed all previous years.

“We could have a real good season here,” said Brian Jenison, vice president of the 70-member Ventura County Commercial Fishermen’s Assn. “When we get all that natural runoff from the rains, it stirs up a lot of nutrients along the coast and attracts fish.”

Commercial fishing is a small segment of the county’s overall economy. By comparison, the county’s leading industry--agriculture--produced a record $877-million harvest in 1990, according to the county agricultural commissioner’s annual crop report, released last week.

But more than 200 fishing boats, almost all owner-operated, make their home port in Ventura County’s three harbors, and the industry employs more than 500 people during peak periods.

Fishermen in recent years have come under increased regulation aimed at restoring depleted fish species. Some fishermen complain that they have to keep as many as three logbooks documenting their activities to satisfy Fish and Game wardens.

The state has restricted permits for certain species, including abalone and sea urchins, to newcomers in recent years. To get a permit for the commercial harvest of abalone, prospective fishermen must buy two permits from fishermen getting out of the business and trade them in for a single permit from the state.

The state also has restricted urchin diving--much of which is done around the Channel Islands--to three weeks a month, May through September. During the open weeks, divers are restricted to four days, Monday through Thursday.

Last year, state game wardens also began enforcing stricter size limits on the harvesting of the sea urchin, a spiny creature primarily exported to Asian countries as a delicacy. Divers can take no more than 30 urchins between 1 1/2 and 3 inches--their peak reproductive size. The law previously allowed the undersized urchins to make up 5% of their daily catch.

About 10% of the boats based in Ventura County are run by gill-netters, who have until 1994 to find another method of fishing or quit the industry. State voters approved a referendum last November calling for the phasing out of gill nets, which sometimes kill marine mammals such as sea lions and dolphins.

“Our industry has been doing a tremendous re-evaluation of ourselves and the ecological environment we’re part of,” Jenison said. “We’re trying to refine the equipment each year so that we catch what we target.

“We’re harvesters and hunters, but the public is under the impression that the American commercial fisherman is a thief, a rapist and a murderer,” Jenison said. “We’re cleaning up our act.”

Though sea urchin is the county’s most valuable catch, squid is the largest catch by weight. It is usually caught in waters off Ventura County between October and February. Mackerel, generally caught in the summer months, is the second largest catch by weight.

Other important catches include several species of rockfish, Pacific sardine, swordfish, California spiny lobster, spotted prawn, rock and spider crab and California halibut.