California had its worst albacore fishing season in more than 30 years last year. The 2023 season saw a 71 percent decline in volume and a 65 percent decline in value in the fishery for albacore, also known as longfin tuna, according to the governor’s office, prompting the state to seek federal aid.
Gov. Gavin Newsom joined Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Dec. 24 to request a federal fishery disaster declaration for the U.S. West Coast Pacific albacore fishing industry.
In a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the governors wrote, “Performance of this fishery was very poor in 2023 leading to severe economic impacts on distressed fishing communities and reliant businesses.”
The value generated by the commercial U.S. West Coast albacore fleet during the 2023 season was $9.5 million—greatly reduced in comparison with the previous five-year average of $24.6 million—which resulted in an economic loss of 61 percent, or an inflation-adjusted 67 percent, according to the letter.
“Declaring a fishery resource disaster will begin the process for requesting federal aid to assist these fishery dependent communities during this difficult time,” the governors wrote in the letter.
Federal aid for the affected community is important, Craig Shuman, marine region manager for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told The Epoch Times.
“Because if the community cannot fish, they cannot make money, then the infrastructure starts falling apart. People start selling their boats and selling their permits and selling their docks,” he said. “We want to keep fresh, sustainable seafood coming into California ports.”
Shuman said it’s not clear why 2023 was a poor year for albacore fishing, but the weather and the market could have both played roles. Meanwhile, the state is trying to help those who are affected. The process could take longer than a year for fishermen to get financial relief.
Clayton Wraith, executive director of the Western Fishboat Owners Association (WFOA), said it’s important to maintain the albacore fishery industry.
The albacore season usually starts in late June and lasts until mid-October, he said.
“It was the worst season [in 2023] in 30 years,” Wraith told The Epoch Times, noting that fishermen were out fishing as usual, but the albacore never arrived in large numbers along the Pacific coast.
The 2024 season was back to normal, he said.
Wraith and the WFOA reached out to the governor’s offices in the three states to work on the disaster declaration request.
“We want to help fishermen who had a bad season,” he said, adding that the declaration is especially important for new fishermen to help all of the fishermen to continue to function as a fleet.
Wraith said the albacore fleet usually has from 300 to 500 boats, with fishermen all the way from San Diego to northern California, and to Washington state. They travel along the Pacific coast, sometimes staying at sea for a month at a time.
An albacore fishing boat is seen in the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 14, 2021. (Courtesy of Western Fishboat Owners Association)
Although the albacore fishery is not a billion-dollar industry, it is important to maintain it, he said.
“If we lose out on that knowledge and participation, in the future, we may not be able to access these natural resources,” Wraith said.
“We import so much of our seafood that [it] creates secondary issues.”
Those issues include problems in labor practices, fishing practices, and quality of the finished product, he said.
“We need to be very cognizant of ... maintaining healthy and sustainable practices, and the United States does that, and quite frankly, may lead the world in that regard,” Wraith said.
