On today’s episode of the AgNet News Hour, commercial fisherman and Morro Bay resident Lori French described an industry struggling under mounting regulations, shrinking infrastructure, and declining opportunities for the next generation of fishermen. Drawing comparisons to many of the challenges facing California agriculture, French said commercial fishing has become increasingly difficult as regulations continue to expand while access to productive fishing grounds continues to shrink.
French said the numbers tell the story. California issued nearly 6,000 commercial fishing licenses in 2020, but that number has dropped to just over 3,200. Commercial vessel registrations have also declined significantly, while fish landings in Morro Bay have fallen dramatically over the past decade. The result, she said, has been the loss of processors, fuel docks, marine supply businesses, and skilled workers that once supported coastal fishing communities.
“It’s becoming harder every year to make a living,” French explained, noting that uncertainty has driven many young people—including fishermen’s own children—to pursue careers outside the industry despite growing up on commercial fishing boats.
One of French’s biggest concerns is California’s continued expansion of marine protected areas. She pointed to a proposed protected area off Morro Bay that she says could eliminate access to some of the region’s most productive commercial and recreational fishing grounds. According to French, the proposal threatens not only commercial fishermen but also hotels, campgrounds, restaurants, bait shops, and other businesses that depend on recreational anglers visiting the Central Coast.
The discussion also highlighted similarities between California’s fishing and farming industries. French, who grew up on a family farm in the San Joaquin Valley and now helps manage a small avocado orchard on the Central Coast, said both industries face increasing paperwork, regulatory burdens, and water-related challenges.
“We’re all food producers,” French said. “Farmers are not the bad guys, and fishermen are not the bad guys.”
Food security became another central theme of the interview. French estimated that well over 80 percent of the seafood consumed in the United States is imported, despite America’s extensive coastline and abundant fisheries. She argued that imported seafood often comes from countries operating under far different labor and environmental standards than U.S. producers, placing domestic fishermen at a competitive disadvantage.
French also discussed California’s salmon fishery, which recently reopened after multiple years of closures but now operates under limited fishing windows and statewide harvest caps. While she supports sustainable fisheries management, she said decisions should be based on sound science rather than litigation and politics.
Despite the industry’s challenges, French remains optimistic that California’s commercial fishing fleet can recover with practical reforms. She welcomed recent federal efforts to place commercial fishing under USDA programs and expressed hope that policymakers will recognize commercial fishermen as an important part of America’s food security system alongside farmers and ranchers.
“We’re part of the food security of the United States,” French said. “We just need the opportunity to do our jobs.”
Listen to the full interview below or on your favorite podcast app.
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