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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Pending possible closures due to elevated levels of domoic acid, the season is now set to begin on Jan. 15, 2019.
Quality tests as prescribed by the Pre-Season Testing Protocol for the Tri-State Coastal Dungeness Commercial Fishery were scheduled to occur this week, but rough ocean conditions prevented vessels from safely deploying and retrieving traps.
This protocol requires that tested crab achieve a meat recovery rate to ensure that crab are ready for harvest. Previous quality test results from Dungeness crab collected on Nov. 3 and Dec. 4 indicated that crab did not have enough meat.
Without any passing test results from these areas, the Director continued to delay the season to Jan. 15, the final date a quality delay can be set to occur.
Delays due to quality only affect the northern commercial fishery in California Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9 (Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties).
The season in these districts is now scheduled to open at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 15, 2019, to be preceded by a 64-hour gear setting period that would begin no earlier than 8:01 a.m. on Jan. 12, 2019.
Two areas in Northern California continue to be sampled for domoic acid and it is unknown whether any further delays may occur based continued domoic acid testing.
Crab are evaluated to compare meat weight to total crab weight to determine whether they are ready for harvest under testing guidelines established by the Tri-State Dungeness Crab Committee.
If results indicate low or poor quality, the director may delay the fishery in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties, under authority of Fish and Game Code, section 8276.2.
No vessel may take or land crab in an area closed for a meat quality delay (i.e., Fish and Game districts 6, 7, 8 and 9) or within an area closed for a domoic acid delay.
In addition, any vessel that takes, possesses onboard or lands crab from ocean waters outside of a delayed area is prohibited from participating in the crab fishery in any delayed area for 30 days following the opening of those areas. This applies to any delayed areas in Oregon and Washington as well as in California.
Please refer to the latest Frequently Asked Questions for the current 2018-19 season that addresses questions regarding the Fair Start provision.
For more information about Dungeness crab fisheries in California, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab.
For more information on health advisories related to fisheries, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/ocean/health-advisories.
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- Written by: California State Fair
The Agriculturalist of the Year award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated leadership and contributed extensively to the agricultural industry in a professional manner. Individuals nominated must have clearly represented the industry over a number of years in one or more of the following areas: finance, government, production agriculture, education, labor, research, communications, trade and public service, regardless of contributions to the California State Fair.
The California State Fair first began presenting this award in 1980. Most recent awardees include . Paul Wenger (2018), Tom Nassif (2017), Sarbjit “Sarb” Johl (2016), Charles D. “Chuck” Ahlem (2015), Craig McNamara (2014), Edward H. Nishio (2013), A.G. Kawamura (2012), Robert “Bob” Gilbert (2011), Bill Lyons, Jr. (2010).
The 2019 Agriculturalist of the Year nomination form can be found on the California State Fair Web site under Agricultural Advisory Council.
Nominations can be made from within the industry and the general public. Nomination forms must be emailed, faxed, postmarked or hand delivered by Friday, Jan. 18, 2019, to Jay Carlson, Ag Program Manager, California Exposition & State Fair P.O. Box 15649, Sacramento, CA 95852, telephone 916-263-3109, fax 916-263-7903, email
The winner of the 2019 Agriculturalist of the Year will be presented at the Friends of the California State Fair Gala on June 27, 2019.
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- Written by: California Department of Insurance
"My priority as Insurance Commissioner is to protect California consumers," said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. "Insurance companies not properly licensed to transact insurance in California place policyholders at risk because the insurers have not met the standards required under state law. In this case the health and wellbeing of the farmworkers was put at risk by the unlicensed insurers who sold workers' compensation insurance illegally to the employers of farmworkers."
Despite a Cease and Desist Order issued by the Department of Insurance in October 2016 against the Agricultural Contracting Services Association Inc. and its affiliates, the American Labor Alliance and CompOne USA, and Board Chair Marcus Asay, and a decision and order issued by Commissioner Jones in November 2017 ordering them to refrain from selling insurance policies in California, the company continued to transact insurance without a license.
Wednesday’s decision and order imposes the $4.3 million penalty that represents $5,000 for each of the 869 days that the companies sold workers' compensation insurance without a license.
Employers transacting business with Agricultural Contracting Services Association, Inc., American Labor Alliance, or affiliate CompOne USA, should contact the Department of Insurance Investigation Division at 661-253-7500 for assistance in determining the validity of their workers' compensation coverage.
Commissioner Jones publicly releases latest insurance company oil, gas, coal and utility investments
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- Written by: California Department of Insurance
The commissioner added these new fossil fuel disclosures to the Climate Risk Carbon Initiative database on the California Department of Insurance's Website, which provides transparency and insights with regard to how much fossil fuel exposure each respective insurance company faces.
The database reveals fossil fuel investments by insurer, including thermal coal, oil and gas, and utility investments.
The online database now includes three years of insurer fossil fuel investments from 2015 to 2017 searchable by insurer and year, making it the most comprehensive public database of insurer investments in fossil fuels.
In addition, the database includes individual insurers' responses to Commissioner Jones' request that insurers divest from thermal coal because of the risk thermal coal faces of becoming a stranded asset.
"Climate change poses potential financial risks to insurers' investments, particularly those investments in fossil fuels, as governments, businesses, consumers and markets transition away from fossil fuels in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change," said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. "In 2016 I began requiring insurers to disclose their fossil fuel investments and I asked insurers to divest from thermal coal because of the risk thermal coal could become a stranded asset on the books of insurance companies as consumers, businesses, markets and governments transition away from thermal coal as a source of energy. With this most recent disclosure of insurer fossil fuel investments we have better insight into the climate change related transition risks faced by insurers and their investments in fossil fuels."
The database tracks fossil fuels investments based on the following criteria: oil and gas companies that receive 50 percent or more of revenue from mining, refining and exploration of oil and gas, thermal coal companies that generation 30 percent or more of their revenue from the mining of coal, utility companies that generate 30 percent or more of their power from thermal coal, and utility companies that generate 50 percent or more of their power from oil, gas, and coal.
Commissioner Jones launched the Climate Risk Carbon Initiative in 2016 to address the climate change related "transition risk" faced by insurer investments in fossil fuels. There is a potential financial risk to the value of fossil fuel investments as governments, consumers, businesses and markets transition away from fossil fuels in order to reduce climate change.
There is a risk that fossil fuel investments could become "stranded assets" on the books of investors, including insurance companies. A stranded asset is any asset that has suffered an unanticipated or premature write down, devaluation or conversion to liability.
As a financial regulator, one of Insurance Commissioner Jones' responsibilities is to make sure insurance companies recognize financial risks to their investment portfolios and invest in ways that maintain the value of investments so they are available to pay future claims.
This newly released information and the Climate Risk Carbon Initiative online database will allow the department to continue to monitor the climate risk faced by insurer investments in fossil fuels and the exposure of insurance company portfolios to fossil fuels.
"During COP21, world governments committed to contain global warming under 2°C. This has led to a tremendous mobilization across industries," said Jad Ariss, AXA Group Head of Public Affairs & Corporate Responsibility. "As one of the largest insurance groups worldwide, AXA was the first major institutional investor to initiate divestment from coal in 2015. Three years later, less than 10 percent of insurers have restricted coal investment. We hope our decisions will create further momentum in the insurance industry. Rather than supporting the past, we prefer to support a low carbon future."