Bay Area Reps Asking Governor to Prepare for Crab Fishery Disaster
By Alexander Nguyen
Several local Congressional representatives are asking Gov. Jerry Brown to closely monitor levels of domoic acid found in Dungeness crab and to prepare to provide economic relief in the event of a fishery closure.
In a letter, sent by U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman, Jackie Speier, Sam Farr and Louis Capps, the group is urging the governor to stand ready to ask the Secretary of Commerce to declare a disaster if the fishery is closed for the season, the group announced Wednesday.
The letter follows a vote by the California Fish and Game Commission earlier this month, establishing the indefinite delay of the commercial crab season due to the high levels of domoic acid.
The acid is linked to a toxic algae bloom found along the West Coast, stretching from central California to the Alaska Peninsula, state officials said.
A closure of the commercial fishery would have an impact on the economies of coastal communities in Central and Northern California, as well as the state as a whole, state officials said.
California’s Dungeness crab fishery was valued at $60 million last year, according to state officials.
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