As per the press communiqué of DFG commercial season of market squid fishery is going to be close this week. After thorough study of the situation DFG has determined that the season’s harvest limit of 118,000 short tonnes of market squid will be reached by that date. Usually the squid fishing season runs from April through the following March of each year, meaning the fishery will remain closed through 31 March, 2012.
Information revealed that market squid remains the state’s largest and most lucrative commercial fishery, valued at over USD 73 million in 2010. To ensure squid are not overharvested DFG has been on the tracking strictly. The harvest limit is one of many constraints on the fishery, which has been managed under the state’s Market Squid Fishery Management Plan since 2005.
To maintain the harvest limit properly DFG issued only a limited number of commercial squid fishing permits are issued, and a closure of the fishery on weekends is imposed to allow for periods of uninterrupted spawning each week. The plan was developed under the provisions set forth by California’s Marine Life Management Act (MLMA), which became law in 1999.
