Senator Noreen Evans has introduced Senate Bill 369, legisltation to curb the impacts of the crab fishing industry's annual "race for crab", a dangerous dynamic that creates safety risks on the water, harms the environment, and makes California crab fisheries less competitive.

The fishery for Dungeness crab is generally regarded as stable and well-managed in the terms of the crab stocks, however, the fishery experiences "derby dynamics" where fishermen increase their number of crab traps to compete for the the valuable catch at the opening of the season. This "race for crab" creates a more dangerous work environment for fishermen, depletes the supply of crab, leads to waste, and increases the amount of gear lost in the water. Additionally, because Oregon and Washington already have trap limits, an increasing number of larger, out-of-state boats come to California to participate in the "race for crab", further harming our fishery and local fisherman.

"Dungeness crab is one of the most profitable and healthiest fisheries of our West Coast, and we want to keep it that way. The industry fixes in this legislation come directly from the fishermen themselves, who have worked together for nearly two years to advise the State on how to best address safety and sustainability issues".

Senate Bill 1690, a 2008 measure by former State Senator Patricia Wiggins, established the Dungeness Crab Task Force. This task force empowered fishermen to recommend the legislative fixes necessary to strengthen their industry and keep crab fisheries sustainable for future fishermen. The task force, in coordination with the Ocean Protection Council, issued its recommendations in 2010. SB 369 contains the key recommendations and focuses on regulating the number of crab traps in ocean waters.

The measure is supported by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman's Association and Environmental Defense Fund. The task force's recommendations can be found at: http://www.opc.ca.gov/2009/04/dungeness-crab-task-force/.