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NEWLY RELEASED REPORT

What’s happening in Monterey Bay’s commercial fisheries? We’ve spent the past several years digging into the data to help answer that question. The new Monterey Bay Commercial Fisheries: Status and Trends Report brings together more than 40 years of information about the fisheries that make up our local working waterfront. This report is about your industry—the boats, fishermen, ports, landings, and species that have shaped Monterey Bay over the decades. We’re sharing what the data tells us about where we’ve been, where we are today, and what it could mean for the future of fishing in our region.

Join us for our September 9th webinar to hear directly from the researchers behind the report as they share key findings and take a closer look at the trends shaping your industry. Your engagement and feedback matters and we would love to have you join us to hear what we've been working on.

September 9th, 11am-12pm

What does the future of fishing in Monterey Bay look like?

This fall, MBFT is supporting a team of UC Santa Cruz researchers will facilitate a series of workshops bringing together local fishermen and seafood industry professionals to talk about the changes we’ve seen in our fisheries, the challenges and opportunities ahead, and what a thriving fishing community looks like 10 years from now.

These workshops are designed to put local knowledge and experience alongside scientific research, giving fishermen a chance to help identify what the data gets right, what it misses, and what should be considered as we plan for the future.

The workshops are funded through CA Sea Grant and will be an important next step in building a shared understanding of the future of Monterey Bay’s fishing community.

Monterey - October 20th: 9:30am - 1:30pm

Moss Landing - October 26th: 9am - 4pm*

Santa Cruz - November 2nd: 9:30am - 1:30pm

To participate or get more information please contact Emily at ehess@mbfishtrust.org

A strong El Niño is developing in the Pacific this year, with NOAA warning that the 2026 event could rank among the largest on record. For West Coast fisheries, that could mean significant changes in ocean conditions and fish distribution. El Niño typically weakens the cold, nutrient-rich upwelling that supports the marine food web, potentially affecting forage fish, salmon, crab, sea urchins and other commercially important species. The 2015–16 Super El Niño, combined with the “Blob” marine heatwave, contributed to major disruptions across West Coast fisheries—including harmful algal blooms and significant losses for California’s Dungeness crab fleet. This year’s event is arriving in an already-warm ocean, making it especially important for fishermen and fishing communities to stay informed and prepared as conditions develop.

What does it take to ensure that fishing communities and working waterfronts are still thriving decades from now? In its August Principal’s Report, Ocean Strategies makes the case for “permanence” in American seafood—looking beyond individual fisheries or policy cycles to the broader systems that keep coastal communities working. The report points to challenges familiar to fishermen across the West Coast, including access to working waterfronts, infrastructure, workforce development, markets, processing capacity and consumer demand. Its central message: healthy fish stocks are essential, but they alone don’t guarantee healthy fishing communities. Building a lasting future for seafood will require stronger collaboration across fishermen, processors, aquaculture, policymakers, researchers and other partners—and a shared long-term vision for where the industry is headed.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) will meet September 16–21 in Vancouver, Washington, with several issues on the agenda that could be important for West Coast fishermen. Among the highlights are preliminary 2027 commercial and recreational Pacific halibut regulations, salmon management and Klamath River restoration updates, proposed changes to groundfish trawl regulations, bluefin tuna trip limits, and continued work on management provisions for the Pacific sardine fishery. The meeting will be open to public participation, with opportunities to provide oral and written comments both in person and remotely.

Want to better understand the science, policy, and decision-making that shape West Coast fisheries? The Marine Resource Education Program (MREP) is a free, nationally recognized workshop designed by fishermen, for fishermen and fishing industry professionals. Over five days, participants gain practical knowledge of fisheries science and management while building lasting relationships with fellow industry members, scientists, and resource managers.

The next West Coast Fisheries Science and Management Workshop will take place December 7–11, 2026, in La Jolla, CA.

Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust is offering scholarships to help members of the Monterey Bay fishing community attend. If you work in the local fishing industry and are interested in this incredible professional development opportunity, reach out to Emily at ehess@mbfishtrust.org to learn more and apply for a scholarship.

Pacific Fisheries Management Council Meeting

September 17-21

Ocean Protection Council Meeting

September 22

Santa Cruz Harbor Port Commission Meeting

September 22

Moss Landing Harbor Meeting

September 23

CA Fish and Game Commission

October 13-16

info@mbfishtrust.org | montereybayfisheriestrust.org