Thank you for your interest in the California Department of
Fish and Wildlife’s Lost or Abandoned Commercial Dungeness
Crab Trap Gear Retrieval Program. My name is Morgan
Ivens-Duran, and I’m an Environmental Scientist with the
Marine Region’s Whale Safe Fisheries project.
In this short video, I will provide a brief overview of the
Trap Gear Retrieval Program, why qualified entities should
consider applying for a permit (and who is eligible to apply),
when and how to apply for a permit, key responsibilities
once a permit is issued, and where to go for additional
information.
The Trap Gear Retrieval Program allows CDFW to authorize
retrieval of lost or abandoned commercial Dungeness crab trap
gear after the close of the season.
Permitted entities, who we refer to as Retrieval Permittees,
oversee on-the-water retrieval efforts by up to 10 individuals
and vessels specified on the permit.
Those vessels can either conduct dedicated trips looking for lost
or abandoned gear, or opportunistically recover gear
while they are out on the water participating in other
fisheries.
Once the gear is retrieved, the Retrieval Permitee contacts the
original owner of the gear and offers to return it in exchange
for reasonable compensation.
Ideally, the Retrieval Permittee and the original owner come to a
satisfactory arrangement.
If not, then after a final notification via certified mail,
the Retrieval Permittee can keep the gear and request
reimbursement from CDFW.
One thing I want to make sure to mention is that this program was
established in regulation as Section 132.7, Title 14,
California Code of Regulations.
There is another section in Title 14, Section 132.2, which
addresses other types of lost or abandoned commercial Dungeness
crab gear retrieval efforts. Recovering gear under that
section does not require a permit from CDFW, although there
are other constraints on those activities. More information
about recovering gear under Section 132.2 is available in an
FAQ posted on CDFW's
Whale Safe Fisheries website or by contacting CDFW.
We will be focusing on the program in Section 132.7 during
this presentation.
So why should you consider participating in the Trap Gear
Retrieval Program?
Recovering lost or abandoned gear is an active step industry
can take to reduce marine life entanglement risk without
impacting effort in the commercial Dungeness crab
fishery.
It also reduces navigational hazards for recreational boaters
and participants in other commercial fisheries such as
salmon.
And by participating in this program, you are entitled to
compensation for the recovered gear, either from the original
owner or from CDFW.
If you're interested in participating, your next
question might be who can apply for a Retrieval Permit?
Permit applications are limited to qualified entities, which are
defined as: charitable organizations; sport or
commercial fishing associations with a written charter or
governing board;
a local agency under Government Code Section 5001 (that is, a
city or county) or a district under Harbors and Navigation
Code Section 6002 or 6200 (that is, harbors and ports). The
reason CDFW has defined qualified entities in this way
is that there are several administrative requirements
associated with the program, some of which we'll go over
later in this video.
CDFW wants to ensure that Retrieval Permittees have
sufficient administrative capacity to follow through on
those obligations.
There are two potential start dates for gear recovery in your
area. The scheduled start date is 15 days after the scheduled
close of the commercial Dungeness crab season. This
means gear recovery can start on July 15th south of the
Sonoma/Mendocino county line and July 30th north of the
Sonoma/Mendocino County line. However, the CDFW Director can
authorize an earlier start when implementing a management action
under the Risk Assessment and Mitigation Program.
While it's impossible to know how the spring 2023 season will
unfold, CDFW did authorize an early start to the Trap Gear
Retrieval Program in at least some areas during 2020, 2021 and
2022.
CDFW encourages interested entities to submit an
application as soon as you are able to confirm a point of
contact and lists of Designated Retrievers and vessels. CDFW's
License and Revenue Branch typically issues permits within
15 days of receiving an application, although it can
take longer if there are issues with the application form or
verifying that the applicant and Designated Retrievers meet the
requirements of the program.
By applying for a permit in February or March, you will be
ready to start gear recovery operations as soon as they are
authorized.
Permit applications for the 2023 Trap Gear Retrieval Program are
currently available on CDFW's Commercial Fishing Licenses Web
page: www.wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/
commercial. If you scroll down to the Limited Entry Permits
Transfer Information section, you'll find a link to the form
under Dungeness Crab Vessel.
The application fee for 2023 is $479.50. This fee helps to cover
CDFW's costs in administering the program.
I mentioned that receiving a Retrieval Permit comes with
several administrative obligations. I'll briefly review
those and some other key aspects of the program.
The first obligation is that this program is limited to
commercial Dungeness crab gear with a buoy tag. No other gear
can be recovered under the program.
This includes Dungeness crab traps deployed by CPFV vessels,
which can look very similar to commercial Dungeness crab traps
but won't have a buoy tag. This also includes recreational
Dungeness crab gear and gear from other recreational or
commercial fisheries.
The second obligation is that Designated Retrievers and
Retrieval Permittees are required to document gear
recovery on a specific logbook form. Most of the fields on the
logbook need to be filled out by the end of the retrieval trip
and before anyone disembarks from the vessel. This includes
the vessel name, Designated Retriever name, Retrieval Permit
number, port of landing, and trip start and end dates as well
as the retrieval date,
buoy tag, license number, trap tag information, depth, and GPS
coordinates for each retrieved trap, as well as comments and
the Designated Retriever's dated signature. Other fields are
completed by the Retrieval Permittee prior to submitting
the original hard copy log books to CDFW. These include whether
or not CDFW reimbursement is requested as well as the
Retrieval Permittee's dated signature.
The third obligation is that once gear is recovered,
Retrieval Permittees must reach out to the original owner of the
gear within one week by either text, e-mail or certified
letter, letting them know their gear has been recovered under
the program and offering to return the gear in exchange for
a freely negotiated fee. It is also important to maintain a
record of that contact so CDFW can confirm when and how it
occurred.
And the fourth obligation is that the Retrieval Permittee is
required to securely store the gear and avoid causing any
additional damage until the gear is either returned to the
original owner or October 21st, at which point you can request
reimbursement from CDFW and freely dispose of the gear.
I hope you found this presentation helpful and will
consider applying for a Trap Gear Retrieval Permit this year.
You can find more information about the program on our web
page www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/whale-safe-fisheries.
If you have any additional questions, please send an e-mail
to WhaleSafeFisheries@wildlife.ca.gov.
Thank you for your time and attention.