California’s commercial fisheries include crabs, salmon, groundfish, squid, and other products.
The dungeness crab fishery is one of the state’s most valuable fisheries. The fishery has become a financial mainstay for many fishermen, although catches have declined in recent years.
Commercial Dungeness crabbing vessels operate in some of the winter’s worst weather in hazardous waters and have the highest fatality rate of any West Coast fishery.
Squid are important catches for California commercial fishermen, both in terms of volume and cash value. The bulk of the fishery is made up of Loligo squid.
Salmon have been a traditional catch for California fishermen although the fish seem to go thru cycles and may be scarce in some years. As of 2008, Coho salmon were in decline and are listed as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act in the Central/Northern California and Southern Oregon watersheds.