Welcome to Port San Luis Commercial Fisherman's Association.

Port San Luis is a fishing harbor located 180 nautical miles south of San Francisco and home to approximately 30 commercial fishing boats. These vessels catch salmon, crab, rockfish and halibut which are unloaded and purchased by any of the three retail/wholesale fish markets located on the historical Hartford pier. This association of commercial fishermen has approxiamtely 40 members who meet monthly to discuss the problems facing the commercial fishing industry.

The purpose of this website is to inform the public on what is really happening out on the ocean as well as to point out the status of the fish and shellfish stocks and the health benefits of consuming wild, fresh seafood. Many so-called environmental organizations have damaged the commercial and sport fishing industry by convincing regulators and legislators to over regulate fisheries to the level that makes it difficult for fisherman to make a living, support their families and supply fresh seafood to the public. Fish markets and restaurants are forced to buy lower quality foreign, farmed, and frozen seafood to satisfy the public's growing demand.

On another front, seals and sea lions are stealing fishermen's catch as well as damaging gear and devouring King Salmon as they return to the rivers to spawn. This website is dedicated to keep you informed on the ongoing problems fishermen are facing with the overpopulation of the California sea lions, now near 400,000 animals. This population is responsible for consuming billions of pounds of fish annually. Some of these fish are species that are protected and/or regulated. There seems to be no end in sight with their population swelling 10% annually. Lethal removal of nuisance animals has been proposed, but no action has been taken because these animals are protected by the Federal Government.

The Marine Life Protection Act was passed in 1999 and signed into law by Governor Gray Davis. The MLPA mandates the state to design and create Marine Protective Areas (MPA's) along the entire state of California. This theory appears to be a good idea, although there is no scientific evidence that MPA's improve fish stocks. They simply shift more fishing effort to areas that are open to harvest. Existing regulations, restrictions, such as size limits, seasonal closures,and other fishery management tools are effective and are working to efficiently manage our ocean resources. We do not need additional layers of restrictions that overlap and create additional hardships for the fishing industry.