California Code of Regulations
Title 14 - Natural Resources
Division 1 - Fish and Game Commission-Department of Fish and Game
Subdivision 1 - Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles
Chapter 5.5 - Fishery Management Plans
Article 4 - Market Squid Fishery Management Plan
Section 53.01 - Definitions

(a) Brail gear, dip nets or scoop nets means any net attached to a rigid frame operated by hand or mechanical device deployed from the vessel to scoop fish or invertebrates.

(b) Daily trip limit means a routine management measure which may be used to limit take of squid on a per-vessel basis within a calendar day.

(c) Drum seine means a purse seine net which is stored, deployed and retrieved with the aid of a mechanized drum (reel) mounted on the stern of the vessel.

(d) Egg escapement means the number or proportion of a female squid's lifetime supply of eggs that she is able to deposit, on average, before being taken in the fishery.

(e) Egg escapement method means a management tool which may be used to determine whether the fleet is fishing above or below a predetermined sustainable level of exploitation. The method requires establishing a threshold value to ensure that an adequate number of eggs are deposited prior to harvest.

(f) Fishing year or fishing season under the Market Squid FMP means the period April 1 through March 31.

(g) Fishery Control Rules means specific management strategies such as seasonal catch limits, daily trip limits, area closures, time closures, and sustainable levels of egg escapement which provide for a sustainable market squid fishery.

(h) Fleet capacity goal means an optimal number of vessels where the number of vessels matches the available squid resource.

(i) Forage means the role of market squid in the food chain as a critical source of food for higher predators, including birds, fish and marine mammals.

(j) Lampara means a rectangular net constructed with graduated mesh sizes, a definite bunt (bag), and fitted with floats. It is laid out by the fishing vessel in a circle and closed at least partially on the bottom by pulling the leadline in advance of the float line.

(k) Light boat means a vessel engaged in the commercial taking or attempting to take market squid which uses bright lights to aggregate squid for commercial purposes including live bait.

(l) Market squid means Doryteuthis opalescens.

(m) Market Squid Fishery Management Plan (Market Squid FMP) means Chapters 1 through 5 of the Market Squid Fishery Management Plan approved by the Commission on August 27, 2004, hereby incorporated by reference.

(n) National Marine Fisheries Service, NMFS or NOAA Fisheries means the federal fisheries management agency which is contained in the United States Department of Commerce.

(o) Overfished is defined at Fish and Game Code Section 97.5, and in the Market Squid FMP also means a condition that may exist when either the egg escapement threshold is not met, or catches of squid exceed any specified allowable level.

(p) Overfishing is defined at Fish and Game Code Section 98, and in the Market Squid FMP also may mean that harvests of squid are occurring at times when either the egg escapement threshold is not being met, or catches are exceeding specified allowable levels. These catches may not be sustainable.

(q) PFMC or Council means the Pacific Fishery Management Council established pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

(r) Point of concern means one or more of the following conditions affecting market squid that, if found or are expected to exist, may trigger the application or adjustment of one or more management measures by the commission:

(s) Points of concern process means a process authorizing the commission to apply or adjust fishery management measures at any time during the year based on the confirmation of the existence of one or more resource-based points of concern identified in a fishery management plan pursuant subsection 50.03(a), Title 14, CCR.

(t) Purse seine means a rectangular net constructed with uniform mesh sizes, without a prominent bunt (bag), and fitted with floats. It is laid out with the end attached to a skiff while the deploying vessel encircles the squid. The end of the net is then brought up to the deploying vessel and is closed on the bottom by pulling a purse line (draw string) threaded through rings along the leadline, preventing the catch from escaping.

(u) Round haul vessels mean those that employ the use of lampara, purse seine, and drum seine net gear to commercially harvest squid.

(v) Seasonal catch limitation means an amount of allowable catch which may be taken within a designated geographic area in a fishing season, specified in short tons and excluding discard mortality. The attainment (or expected attainment) of this limit will cause closure of the directed commercial fishery as specified in regulation.

(w) Tons means short tons, and is the standard unit of weight for purposes of describing catches and limits for the market squid fishery, notwithstanding subsection 50.00(c), Title 14, CCR.

(x) Vessel capacity means the gross registered tonnage, as listed on a federal Coastal Pelagic Species permit or calculated from length, breadth and depth measurements provided on United States Coast Guard documentation papers.

(y) Weekend closures mean a routine management measure which may be used to prohibit take of market squid during certain days of a week.

(z) Definitions contained in Chapter 1, and Article 1 of Chapter 5.5, of Subdivision 1, Division 1, Title 14, CCR, and Chapters 1 and 2 of Division 0.5 of the Fish and Game Code apply to the market squid fishery in addition to definitions of this Section.