MENDOCINO CO., 10/10/26 — A Noyo Harbor crabber who ran south last winter to fish the open grounds off the Sonoma coast couldn’t bring the catch home. The water south of Gualala opened Jan. 5 while the Fort Bragg grounds stayed shut, and having crab aboard inside a closed zone was illegal, according to the Senate committee analysis of the bill that just changed it. The crab had to come ashore at another port.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill changing the law, SB 1393 by state Sen. Mike McGuire, a North Coast Democrat, on Sept. 27. It carries no urgency clause, so like most new laws it takes effect Jan. 1. Two pieces are important for Mendocino coast fishers: one for the crab fleet at Noyo and Point Arena, one for anyone who fishes for steelhead in the Garcia, the Navarro or the Noyo rivers.
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