Crescent City Harbor commissioners are expected to discuss a letter to state fish and wildlife officials that points out a disparity between regulations in Brookings and regulations in Crescent City. | Courtesy CDFW

Previously:

• California's Ocean Recreational and In-River Sport Salmon Fishery Closed For Second Consecutive Year

• Crescent City Harbor Commissioners Take Issue With 'Disparity' Between Fishing in Brookings and Fishing in Del Norte County

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Crescent City harbor commissioners on Tuesday will revisit a letter that aims to draw attention to the disparities between fishing in Brookings and fishing in Del Norte County.

Commissioner Rick Shepherd, a long-timer commercial fisherman, brought a draft letter to his colleagues earlier this month. He urged them to send it to California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton Bonham, officials with the Pacific Fishery Management Council “and other relevant parties.”

Harbor commissioners are expected to weigh in on Shepherd's letter a second time on Tuesday. This discussion comes after the California Fish and Game Commission last week closed in-river salmon sport fishing in the Klamath River basin and Central Valley for the second consecutive year.

The commission's action prohibits the take and possession of fall-run chinook salmon in the Klamath and Trinity rivers. The Fish & Game Commission also adopted an emergency closure of the Klamath River spring chinook sport fishery and prohibited the take and possession of salmon in Central Valley rivers as well.

The new regulations are scheduled to take effect by July 1, according to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife press release. The regulations come after the Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended the closure of commercial and recreational salmon fishing off the California coast due to low abundance.

In its proposed letter, the Crescent City Harbor District mentions the recent salmon fishery closures as well as the ling cod and groundfish fisheries. They argue that California’s restrictive fishing regulations stand in stark contrast with those in Brookings.

The proposed letter also states that Oregon fishermen can purchase a daily California fishing license and then land their catch in Brookings. Boats leaving from Brookings can go into California waters, catch their Oregon rockfish and salmon limits if they’re three-miles seaward of the cost and return to Brookings, the letter states.

“Conversely, fishermen operating out of Crescent City do not have this flexibility and are barred from similar reciprocal activities,” the letter states. “This differential treatment raises profound questions about the consistency and fairness of fishery management practices.”

On May 7, Shepherd argued for re-establishing a new boundary that would allow Crescent City fishermen equal access with their Oregon counterparts.

“We’re [20] miles from the border and migratory fish — salmon, ling cod and others — we’re not allowed to fish [for] here,” he said. “And they’ve got a pretty wide open season up there.”

The Crescent City Harbor District will meet at 2 p.m. at the Harbor District Office, 101 Citizens Dock Road in Crescent City. Meeting packets and a Zoom link is available at www.ccharbor.com.

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