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The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Director Robert C. Hight has issued an order to close the halibut gillnet fishery in shallow waters near Monterey Bay and Morro Bay. This closures, made effective on September 13, 2000, prohibits the use of gill or trammel nets in ocean waters which are 360 feet or less in depth in an area extending from Point Reyes, Marin County, to Yankee Point in Monterey County. Point Arguello to Point Sal in Santa Barbara County will also be closed in 360 feet of water or less of depth. The order has been issued to last for 120 days, but may be extended by the Department. "Though this closure will help the halibut fisheries, due to less commercial fishing in the area, it was not brought about to help the halibut because we feel that the halibut fisheries are very strong," said Dave Bunn, DFG spokesman. "It is more geared toward the catch of unacceptable levels of seabirds and sea mammals." |
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He added, "With this closure, there will be more fish available for sport anglers fishing in shallow water." This closure is greeted by conservation organizations and anglers, who have seen the destructive impact of gillnets upon not only sea birds and mammals, but on California's fisheries for years. "This closure will definitely help bottomfish, including halibut, rockfish, lingcod, white sea bass, and other species,' said Dan Bacher, managing editor of the Fish Sniffer magazine and a board member of United Anglers of California. "Gillnets are the clear cutters of the seas, since they destroy everything in their paths. The Pacific Fishery Management Council held meetings in Sacramento this week to review plans to manage and restore rockfish, since there is a crisis in groundfish populations along the West Coast. This crisis was mainly caused by intensive gill net and trawl pressure upon coastal fisheries." According to the DFG press release, the central California population of common murre, a sea bird, is the subject of a major restoration effort, and the annual drowning of an estimated 5,000 birds by the Central California gillnet fishery is significant enough to jeopardize the Devil's Slide and Castle Rock/Hurricane Point colonies, as well cause identifiable long-term impacts to the Farallon and Point Reyes colonies. Also, the statewide population of the southern sea otter, a marine mammal listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act and "fully protected" under the Fish and Game Code, is the subject of a Federal Recovery Plan. Ten percent of the population now lies between Point Sal and Point Arguello, and there is sufficient evidence that the population in recent years has continued to decline. A public hearing regarding the Director's closure order will be held at Seaside City Hall, 440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside, on Monday, September 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. The hearing is scheduled to discuss this action and to determine if any modification of the Director's order is needed. For more information, call Steve Martarano, DFG information officer, at (916) 654-5866. |
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