San Mateo County Harbor District

news & updates

Spring 2024

Commercial Crab Season has Begun and is Well Underway!

Crab Season started on January 18, 2024.

The crab are plentiful and large. Great for any occasion.

You can get fresh live crab right off the boats and talk with the Captain and crews who harvested the catch. You can also get your fresh crab cooked at the newly opened Pelagic Fish Market, formally known as the Princeton Seafood Market.

Pelagic seafood market offers live or fresh cooked crab and also offers multiple types of fish (salmon, halibut, ground fish), scallops, clams, and other seafood.

For those adventurous enough to catch their own crab, Pillar Point Harbor is home to multiple commercial passenger boats that will take you out….limit is 10 crabs per person! You can book directly with the individual boats or call Half Moon Bay Sportfishing and Tackle at (650) 728-3377.

If you want to know which commercial fishing vessel is currently selling crab off the boats, please contact the Fishline at: (650) 726-8724.

2024 Lighted Boat Festival Already in the Works

After multiple years, the Lighted Boat Festival, a Coastside staple, was back. The 2023 event was a huge success, with thousands of local and out-of-town guests coming down to Pillar Point Harbor to enjoy the holiday season and view the multiple boats decorated by lights. Some Captains even put on short holiday skits or had live music. The Harbor was lucky enough that Santa took a break from getting all the toys and presents ready, to spend time at the Harbor. Hundreds of children were able to let Santa know what was on their gift wish list, as well as get their picture with Santa. The San Mateo Elks Lodge Band was also present and played multiple holiday favorites. The Half Moon Bay Yacht Club had a sailboat display and information on youth programs and water safety. The Harbor District also hosted a holiday craft area for the children which was fun for all involved.

Fishwife Sweets had their mobile outlet set up and had multiple delicious pastries and other sweets. Moonraker Food Truck was a huge hit for those seeking a fresh seafood meal during the festivities.

OceanCiders was also a very popular place, with multiple ciders and other beverages to offer, made better by the open fire ring to keep you warm.

The Coastside Fire District added to the festivities by dropping by the harbor promoting fire safety.

Plans for 2024 have already been started with a tentative date of Saturday, December 14th. The Harbor District is planning for additional food trucks, more kids’ crafts, additional lighted boats, Santa and hot chocolate. Let us know your opinion of this year's event so that we can improve and make the event better next time.

What would you like for the 2024 Lighted Boat Festival?

Santa

Life Jackets

The Difference Between

Life and Death

All motorboats, regardless of length, must carry a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket in serviceable condition and of a type and size appropriate for the intended wearer, the conditions, and the boating activity. The life jackets must be within easy reach for each person on board.

Under California state law, every child under 13 years of age must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket while the boat is underway unless every child under age 13 is in an enclosed cabin.

FIT FACTS

If a life jacket fits properly...

It will help keep your head above water.
If it's too big, the life jacket will ride up around your face.
If it's too small, it will not be able to keep your body afloat.
Life jackets designed for adults will not work for children!
Try it on for size!
Check the manufacturer's label to ensure that the life jacket is a proper fit for your size and weight.
Make sure the jacket is properly fastened.
Hold your arms straight up over your head.
Ask a friend to grasp the tops of the arm openings and gently pull up.
Make sure there is no excess room above the openings and that the jacket does not ride up over your chin or face.
For the best fit, try the life jacket in shallow water under safe and supervised conditions.

Taken from the California Division of Boating and Waterways Webpage: https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=29416

For more information:

www.WearItLifeJacket.com.

https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=29182

New Signage

New signage at Pillar Point Harbor emphasizing the purpose of protecting wildlife through the enforcement of Motorized Personal Watercraft Zones (MPWC Zones).

Motorized Personal Watercraft, i.e. “jet skies” pose a serious threat to wildlife and other ocean users. To prevent the disturbance of wildlife and other nearshore users, most MPWC Zones have been restricted within protected marine areas adjacent to, or overlapping MBNMS (e.g. the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and nearshore areas of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Marin County, California State Parks, and the City of Santa Cruz).

To help protect sanctuary habitats and sensitive marine life, operation of motorized personal watercraft within the MBNMS has been restricted to five zones and access routes. The waters off of Pillar Point Harbor are Zone 1, which was expanded in 2021. Zone 5, located offshore at the area of the Mavericks surf break is only open when official high surf advisories are in effect for San Mateo County during the months of December, January, and February. Zone 5 is a balance between the safety to marine life and the lives of the local and international surfers that dare to ride Mavericks.

2024 Harbor Board of Commissioners

At the January 2024 meeting of the San Mateo County Harbor District, Commissioner Tom Mattusch was voted in as the President of the Board for CY2024. Commissioner Kathryn Slater-Carter was voted in as Vice President. Commissioner Virginia Chang Kiraly was voted in as Treasurer.

Commissioner George Domurat will remain as the Board Secretary.

President Mattusch at the February Board Meeting laid out his focus for 2024 by continuing or establishing several sub-committees:

Committees

Human Relations

Finance

Dredge/Sediment Management

Pillar Point Retail Center

Memorial Recognition Program

Pillar Point Ocean Science Center

Coastside Search and Rescue

Breakwater Environmental Impact

New District Logo

Oyster Point Liaison One Shoreline Liaison

Army Corps of Engineers Liaison

For a full list of Committees push here

Harbor District Assists in

Coastside Storm Recovery

During the recent heavy winter storms, the parking lots at Pillar Point Harbor were transformed into a small PG&E city, with a local command post, trucks, crews, supplies and equipment.

This enabled PG&E crews to immediately respond to multiple power outages with the proper equipment and supplies. By stationing at Pillar Point, PG&E eliminated the risk of being trapped on the Bayside of the coastal range by a closure of Highway 1 or Highway 92. While the Coastside did suffer multiple power outages, PG&E's Coastside presence did increase the speed of recovery.