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Written by: California Department of Insurance

Published: 22 November 2018

SACRAMENTO – As survivors of the Camp and Woolsey wildfires begin the long road to recovery from the recent devastating wildfires that have so far tragically killed 84 people and destroyed more than 12,000 homes, other homeowners in wildfire areas may find themselves shopping for coverage when rates increase or they receive non-renewal notices, as some insurers limit their underwriting.

To help consumers shop for the most coverage at the best price, the department has a convenient, easy-to-use online price comparison tool available.

The homeowner insurance comparison tool is designed to take some of the guesswork out of shopping for insurance by allowing consumers to quickly and easily make comparisons of rates from both national and local insurance companies.

"Finding the best coverage for your needs starts by being well informed," said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. "As the number and severity of wildfires grows and some insurers limit their underwriting, it is important for consumers to shop around for the most coverage they can afford and this online tool provides a wealth of information to help them in that search."

While this tool does not provide actual premium quotes, it does provide each company's average premium and a toll-free number and website address for consumers to ask questions about available discounts or credits and receive an actual premium quote. The tool also includes a link to the specific company's performance based on the consumer complaint study.

Consumers enter their county and nearest city, type and amount of coverage, and age of the home to compare estimated premiums. Homeowners should compare prices for various insurers along with the coverage features, limits, and exclusions.

The department's Consumer Services team is also available toll-free at 800-927-HELP to assist consumers with any questions regarding their claims, coverage, or search for insurance coverage.

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Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Published: 21 November 2018

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham issued a memo Tuesday delaying the Northern California commercial Dungeness crab season due to poor crab meat quality test results.

The delay includes Fish and Game Districts 6, 7, 8 and 9 (Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties).

The northern Dungeness crab fishery is delayed until 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, Dec.16, pending another round of test results tentatively scheduled for Dec. 1. If these results indicate good quality, the fishery will open and be preceded by a 64-hour gear setting period that would begin no earlier than 8:01 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13.

“Last season, the northern Dungeness crab fishery was delayed until Jan. 15, the latest a quality delay can be extended,” said CDFW Environmental Scientist Christy Juhasz. “Results from our recent test are very similar to last year indicating that this delay may be extended past Dec. 16.”

If the next round of quality tests remain low, the CDFW Director has the authority to delay the season an additional 15 days until Dec. 31. Under new legislation, CDFW can continue testing until Jan. 15.

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 poor crab quality, the CDFW director may delay the fishery under authority of Fish and Game Code Section 8276.2.

The southern Dungeness crab fishery opened on Nov. 15, except for the area from the southern boundary of Bodega Head State Marine Reserve, Sonoma County (38° 18’ N. latitude) north to the Sonoma/Mendocino county line (38° 46.125’ N. latitude) which was delayed due to domoic acid.

Upon a recommendation from health agencies that domoic acid no longer poses a risk to public health, the CDFW director may provide a minimum 72-hours’ notice before the gear-setting period and avoid a gear set date that lands on state and federal holidays.

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, possess onboard, or lands crab from ocean waters outside of a delayed area is prohibited from participating in the crab fishery in a delayed area for 30 days following the opening of those areas. This applies to any delayed areas in Oregon, Washington and California.

For more information, please see CDFW’s Frequently Asked Questions regarding the 2018-19 Dungeness crab commercial season.

For more information on health advisories related to fisheries, please visit: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Ocean/Health-Advisories . 

For more information on Dungeness crab, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/crab .

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Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Published: 19 November 2018

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife enacted new regulations to reduce the risk of marine life entanglements in commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear.

These regulations became effective on Oct. 30, 2018, and will be in place for the upcoming 2018-19 commercial Dungeness crab season.

The new regulations allow no more than two trailer buoys to be used at the surface and establish a maximum distance between the front end of the main buoy to the tail end of the last trailer buoy depending on the depth that a trap is deployed.

In depths less than or equal to 35 fathoms (210 feet), the distance should measure no more than 4 fathoms (24 feet), while at depths greater than 35 fathoms, the distance should measure no more than 6 fathoms (36 feet).

A diagram describing new surface gear regulations for the 2018-19 season can be found here.

These regulations were developed with input from the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group, a multi-stake holder group comprised of state and federal agency staff, fishermen and non-governmental organizations.

The working group is tasked with evaluating options to reduce the risk of whale interactions with Dungeness crab fishing gear.

In addition to the new surface gear requirements, all recreational and commercial Dungeness crab fishermen are strongly encouraged to follow the Best Practices Guide developed by the Working Group to reduce the risk of marine life entanglements.