Recreational and charter boat anglers may be facing another year with stricter regulations on rockfish and lingcod, due to a controversial federal preseason survey, even though the lingcod catch was very high for so early in the year. This led the federal government to believe that there was need for emergency action, prompting a series of meetings between the Department of Fish and Game and recreational anglers.
In a recent meeting, many anglers and charterboat representatives attended to voice their opinions. "The charterboat representatives were very concerned about the use of the MRFSS estimates for managing the fisheries on a real time basis. They expressed concern about the manner in which the federal data are collected, especially as it relates to the telephone survey," said Robert C. Hight, Director of the Department of Fish and Game in a letter to the California Fish and Game Commission.
"I do feel that something needs to be done, because groundfish are slow growing, but they're using faulty data to make solutions that aren't fair," said Bob Ingles of The Queen of Hearts. "The biggest problem is with the commercial draggers who are wasting metric tons of fish. They're asking us to share the pain when we're not causing the problem," said Ingles.
Many anglers and skippers, like Ingles, believe that it is the recreational fishermen that are taking the bigger hit in regulations, rather than the commercial fisherman who caused the decline in groundfish fisheries in the first place.
"The presenters believe that the 'overfished' situation for bocaccio and lingcod was not caused by the recreational fishery, but that they are now being asked to carry a major part of the burden for rebuilding the stocks," said Hight.
"They're trying to take our fishing away and I'm tired of us taking a hit. The commercial fishermen get free ride and free reign, and they're taking everything," said Bob Strickland, President of United Anglers.
Some people feel that if something is to be done, than there should be other options than what are being offered. Ingles suggested dropping the cabezon limit. "I'm asking for different regulations for northern and southern California, since they have different fisheries and problems," expressed Strickland.
There is no easy answer or solution to such a sensitive issue, but many charterboat representatives feel that their industry is being attacked. "They want to reduce the fleet by 50%, and they've already reduced the catch by a third. Plus, we've lost a couple months out of the season," said Sherry Ingles of the Queen of Hearts.
No decisions have been made yet on the issue, so public input is still greatly encouraged. The next meeting of the Pacific Fisheries Management Council will be on September 11-15, 2000 in Sacramento at the Red Lion Inn, (916) 922-8041. The Fish and Game Commission meeting will be on October 19 and 20 in San Diego. "The Department will report back to the Commission on the status of bocaccio and lingcod landings at the October 2000 meeting in San Diego. Emergency regulatory action can again be considered at that time," said Hight.
The current summary of recreational fishery options affecting shelf rockfish and lingcod, as proposed by the Department of Fish and Game, include:
The rockfish and lingcod management line should be moved from Lopez Point to Point Conception (28.27 and 28.55). This should place Avila Beach and Morro Bay in the northern California management area and be consistent with the statistical area boundary used by the MRFSS. The PFMC will be asked for the same regulation.
Rockfish and lingcod closure periods (28.27 and 28.55) south of Cape Mendocino should be extended to November-February in the south and January-April or March-June in the north. These additional closure periods may be needed to reduce the bocaccio catch to under 100 mt in the combined commercial and recreational fisheries. The catch of lingcod in the combined fisheries would be projected to be at or under 130 mt. The PFMC will be asked for the same regulation, in addition to closing the commercial fisheries (trawl and fixed gear) for nearshore and shelf rockfish and lingcod during these same periods.
Fishing for and retention of cabezone (28.80), greenlings (28.29), scorpionfish (new section), sanddabs (new section), sheephead (new section), and ocean whitefish (new section) should be prohibited during the rockfish and lingcod closures south of Cape Mendocino. These closures would be intended to minimize by catch of rockfish and lingcod when fishing for these species. The PFMC will be asked to adopt the same regulation for cabezone, greenlings, scorpionfish and sanddabs, both recreational and commercial.
Reduce the bag limit for bocaccio (27.60 (b) and 28.55 (b)) from three to two or one fish. This would be done to further reduce targeting on the species, but could increase the discard of dead fish. The PFMC would be asked to adopt the same regulation.
Reduce the number of hooks that anglers may use when fishing for rockfish (28.55 (d)) or lingcod (28.27) form three to two or one. This would be done to reduce the chances of catching more than a limit of bocaccio on a single trip. The PFMC will be asked to adopt the same regulation.
Close the season or part of the season for lingcod (28.27 (a)), cabezon (28.28), and greenlings (28.29) south of Cape Mendocino during September-April. This would apply to fishing for and possession of any of these species. These closures would be intended to meet biological and allocation objectives for the individual species and at the sane time protect nesting fish. The PFMC will be asked to adopt the same regulations, both recreational and commercial (fixed gear and trawl).
Reduce the lingcod bag limit (27.60 and 28.27) from two to one fish. This would be done to meet biological and allocation objectives for the species. The PFMC will be asked to adopt the same regulation.
Increase the minimum size limit for cabezon (28.28) from 14 to 15-18 inches. Increasing the size limit will save immature fish and contribute to meeting biological and allocation objectives for the species. The PFMC will be asked to adopt the same regulation, both recreational and commercial.
Provide for the transport of recreational fin fish through restricted areas under terms and conditions specified on an annual permit that may be issued by the Manager of the Marine Region (new section, "Transport of Fin Fish Through Restricted Areas"). The Department of Fish and Game suggests a $20 fee for issuing the permit. This provision is in response to a request from Mr. Robert Fletcher, Sportfishing Association of California and others. The PFMC will be asked to recognize this provision.
Require that operators of CPFVs carry and cooperate with Department and federal fishery observers on trips when space is available and at no charge to the sponsoring agency (new subsection under 195). Also, the Department may require an explanation be submitted to the Manager of the Marine Region, on a form provided by the Department, whenever observer coverage is denied. At-sea fishery observations are required in the CPFV operators have increasingly denied fishery observers access to their fishing trips in recent years.
Prohibit fishing for and retention of cowcod (27.60). This option is intended to eliminate targeting on cowcod, but could increase discard of dead fish. The PFMC will be asked to adopt the same regulation, both recreational and commercial.
Prohibit recreational fishing year round for federal groundfish (Option 1), sheephead (new section), California halibut (new section), and ocean whitefish (new section) as follows: Area 1- The area bound by 118 degrees 50' W. Long., 33 degrees 50' N. Lat., 120 degrees W. Long., and 32 degrees 20' N. Lat. Area 2- The area bound by 117 degrees 50' N. Lat., 32 degrees 50' N. Lat., 118 degrees W. Long., and 32 degrees 30' N. Lat. Option 2: Is the same as Option 1, but excludes federal nearshore rockfish, cabezon, scorpionfish, sanddabs, greenlings, and sheephead. The PFMC will be asked to adopt the same regulations for federal groundfish, both recreational and commercial.
For more information, call the California Fish and Game Commission at (916) 653-4899.
