Amend Section 180.15 of Title 14, CCR – Commercial Coonstripe Shrimp Fishery
Summary
SCH Number
2025030722
Public Agency
California Fish and Game Commission
(CDFGC)
Document Title
Amend Section 180.15 of Title 14, CCR – Commercial Coonstripe Shrimp Fishery
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
3/18/2025
Document Description
Coonstripe shrimp (Pandalus danae) supports a commercial trap fishery centered in northern California, from Monterey Bay to the California/Oregon border. Coonstripe fishery gear has been implicated in three whale entanglements: one in 2017 near Crescent City, and two in 2024 near San Francisco. With declining opportunities in other fisheries (i.e., salmon, groundfish), there is a growing concern with the potential for more fishermen to turn to coonstripe fishing, increasing gear usage in the fishery and further increasing the risk of marine life entanglement. The fishery operates in areas and at times of the year when there are relatively high densities of whales, including species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. The potential growth of the fishery has the potential to increase entanglement risk. Therefore, the California Fish and Game Com-mission (Commission) has amended Section 180.15, Title 14, California Code of Regulations to address marine life entanglement risk in the coonstripe shrimp fishery.
Contact Information
Name
Melissa Miller-Henson
Agency Name
California Fish and Game Commission
Job Title
Executive Director
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
Del Norte, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Orange, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Ventura
Regions
Statewide
Other Location Info
Ocean waters
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Classes 7 and 8; California Code of Regulations, Title 14, sections 15307 and 15308
Reasons for Exemption
The Class 7 and Class 8 categorical exemptions apply to agency actions to assure the maintenance, restoration, and enhancement of natural resources and the environment, respectively. The Commission approved the emergency regulation by relying on the categorical exemptions described in CEQA Guide-lines Sections 15307 (Action by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of Natural Resources), the Class 7 exemption, and 15308 (Action by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment), the Class 8 exemption.
The Commission took this emergency action pursuant to its duty and authority to protect marine re-sources in state waters. Current regulations for the coonstripe shrimp fishery do not restrict the number of participants or gear deployed, which could lead to significant risk of marine life entanglement. The emergency rulemaking adds regulations to limit growth in the fishery by establishing a north/south dividing line at the Sonoma/Mendocino county border, limiting the number of vertical lines that may be deployed per vessel, limiting the number of traps per string, establishing a maximum depth limit of 30 fathoms for the northern fishery only, and setting a new control date. This regulatory action is intended to limit the growth of the fishery to reduce marine entanglement risk. Therefore, the project is designed to reduce the risk of marine life entanglements caused by coonstripe shrimp trap gear and are exempt under CEQA as the project will ensure the maintenance and enhancement of marine resources and the marine environment.
County Clerks
Del Norte, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Orange, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Ventura
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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