Dungeness Crab Task Force Meeting #15 – November 2-3, 2023 – Santa Rosa
Meeting Agenda
Thursday, November 2, 2023 at 9:00 AM
Friday, November 3, 2023 at 9:00 AM
Justice Joseph Rattigan State Office, Room 410
50 D St, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Meeting Goals
- Identify and address DCTF administrative items, including introducing new Members, confirming the updated Charter, Executive Committee membership, etc.
- Receive updates relevant to the Dungeness crab industry and ensure all Members have access to information that may inform DCTF deliberations during this meeting.
- Discuss high-priority topics, including, but not limited to, marine life entanglements and the Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program (RAMP), Tri-State Dungeness Crab Quality Testing, Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs), and the potential reintroduction of sea otters in the northern management area.
- Identify recommendations to be forwarded via a report to the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and the Fish and Game Commission.
Agenda
Thursday, November 2, 2022, 9:00am – 4:30pm
1. Welcome, introductions, and agenda review.
2. Public comment on non-agenda items.
3. Review and confirm updated Charter.
Administrative Vote: Consideration and possible adoption of updated Charter, including updated Executive Committee Membership.
4. Receive updates and discuss California Dungeness crab fishery topics including, but not limited to, California’s preseason quality and domoic acid testing, 2022-23 season landings, bi-weekly reporting requirements, the Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Program, Senate Bill 500, progress on previous DCTF recommendations, etc.
ACTION: Consideration and possible recommendations related to CDFW updates, which may include, but will not be limited to, requests for information or other management measure recommendations.
5. Revisit Executive Committee discussion to address concerns around allowing Dungeness crab fishing prior to the fall under an Experimental Fishing Permit or as may be allowed through the RAMP program.
ACTION: Consideration and possible recommendation(s) to state regulators to prohibit fishing for Dungeness crab prior to the commercial fishing season opener regardless of gear being used.
6. Presentation and discussion on the status of RAMP, Conservation Plan development, and other entanglement-related updates in the California Dungeness crab fishery. May also include updates and updates on the commercial Dungeness crab fishery’s electronic monitoring program, state’s efforts to implement gear marking to improve identification of the sources of marine life entanglements, Whales Best Practices Guide, fishing options when risk is elevated, gear reduction, etc.
7. Presentation and discussion on the Tri-State Crab Quality testing program including but not limited to, an overview of current protocol and procedures, lessons learned from past seasons, and a discussion of needs for updates to the protocols or best practices.
8. Review agenda topics for Day 2
9. Adjourn
Friday , November 3, 2023 9:00am- 3:00pm
10. Welcome and recap of Day 1.
11. Public comment on non-agenda items.
12. Discussion about the possible reintroduction of sea otters in the northern management area
ACTION: Consideration and possible recommendations related to sea otter reintroduction in California’s northern management area.
13. Revisit discussions from Day 1, including, but not limited to, Tri-State quality testing protocols, line marking, experimental fishing permits, Whales Best Practices Guide, etc.
ACTION: Consideration and possible adoption of recommendations for improvements and modifications to the Tri-State Quality testing protocols and/or testing procedures.
ACTION: Consideration and possible adoption of recommendations related to marine life entanglements and mitigation efforts in California in the Dungeness crab fishery including, but not limited recommendations related to RAMP, Whales Best Practices Guide, management tools to mitigate increased entanglement risk, monitoring, etc.
ACTION: Consideration and possible recommendations regarding line marking including guidance on phasing, timing needed for the fleet to implement it, and funding.
14. Review next steps and confirm topics for future discussion by the DCTF and/or the Executive Committee.
Administrative Vote: Consideration and possible confirmation of priority items for the Executive Committee’s consideration.
15. Adjourn
Agenda items and related action items may be taken out of order at the discretion of the DCTF Administrative Team. Every effort will be made to address all items on the agenda. However, the DCTF may postpone certain discussions or actions due to time limitations or the need to revisit topics with their constituents before moving an item forward.
Public Participation and Comment: Members of the public will be invited to provide comment following each agenda item. Additional information about providing public comment is available online. To request an item to be added to a future meeting agenda, please review the guidelines online.
Questions about the meeting or agenda can be directed to info@dungenesscrabtaskforce.com or 805-845-9852. Any person who has a disability and requires reasonable accommodation to participate in this DCTF meeting should contact Rachelle Fisher (rachelle@strategicearth.com or or 714-330-7976) no later than five days prior to the meeting.
For more information about the DCTF, please visit the DCTF website. A meeting summary will be posted on the DCTF webpage following the meeting. To receive updates about the DCTF’s activities, including when summaries are available, please sign up for the DCTF email list.