3.8 Socioeconomics
Relevant fish blocks and their corresponding shorelines within the project area include 877 (Imperial
Beach), 860 (Point Loma to La Jolla), 842 (Torrey Pines to Del Mar), 821 (Encinitas), 822 and 801
(Oceanside), as shown in Figure 3.8-1. All fishing gear types are combined and include hook and line,
longline, troll, harpoon, trap, seine, and trawl. Assignation of a species to a specific block is not always
completely accurate, and fluctuations in annual catches are significant. Determining the cause of these
fluctuations can be difficult due to the complex set of variables that affect fish movements and abundance.
San Diego Area Overall Commercial Fishing Catch Volume and Value
San Diego area port landings for the five-year period 1994 through 1998 (inclusive) had a total dollar value
over .2 million and totaled 17 million pounds for the data blocks analyzed (Table 3.8-10). This dollar
amount was an ex-vessel value (e.g., whole fish, wholesale price), whereas the final economic contribution
may be estimated to have been three to four times higher.
Lobster was the highest ranked commercial species in San Diego, representing 42.7 percent of the 1994
to 1998 dollar value of all species. Five-year totals were .9 million for a total of 1 million pounds. The
majority of the catch (76 percent) came from the Point Loma and La Jolla areas. Approximately 13
percent of the catch came from the Encinitas to Solana Beach fish block, 8 percent from the Oceanside
block, 3 percent from the Del Mar to Torrey Pines block, and 0.2 percent from the Imperial Beach block.
Urchin dollar value was ranked second at .6 million, and urchin poundage was ranked second at 5.3
million pounds. The dollar value for urchin represents 34.8 percent of the total of all species. Nearly 99
percent of the urchin catch was from the La Jolla to Point Loma fish block. Crabs were the third ranked
taxa by dollar, with 479,000 pounds worth approximately 9,000 (3.0 percent of the total dollar value).
Mackerel and sardine were the first and third ranked catches by weight, at 6.4 and 1.4 million pounds,
respectively. The relatively low value per pound for these two species placed them fourth and thirteenth
by dollar value, respectively. California halibut, swordfish, rockfish, prawn/shrimp, and tuna all supported
local fisheries, with five-year dollar values ranging from approximately 7,000 to 9,000. Shark and
croaker had the next highest commercial value with five-year dollar values near 9,000. The 12
species/categories listed above had a combined dollar value of .4 million, which is 95 percent of the
total .2 million for all commercial fish species (Table 3.8-10) listed for these blocks, which include both
nearshore and offshore species.
Page 3.8-10
Regional Beach Sand Project EIR/EA
99-69\SANDAG EIREA 3.5 to 3.12.wpd 7/17/00
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