thelog.com
Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan adopted by state commission
Changes would affect recreational lobster divers; plan aims to prevent species from being overfished.
By Parimal M. Rohit
SANTA ROSA — California’s Fish and Game Commission hopes being proactive about how commercial fishermen and recreational divers interact with spiny lobsters would prevent the species from being overfished and threatened into extinction. Commissioners approved the
Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan (FMP) on April 13, changing the rules of how and when the crustacean species is caught. The FMP, state officials hoped, would be adaptive to allow the growing amount of recreational lobster divers to continue hunting for spiny bugs but also strict enough to sustain the fishery for future generations. If all goes as planned the FMP would be implemented beginning the 2017- 2018 lobster season. “The goal of this FMP is to formalize a management strategy that can respond effectively to changes in the California lobster fisheries pursuant to the tenets of the MLMA. California lobsters have long supported major commercial and recreational fisheries, and the species plays a key role in maintaining the health of the Southern California kelp forest ecosystem,” a summary of the FMP stated. Changes include pushing the start time of the recreational start time to 6 a.m., instead of 12:01 a.m., on the opening Saturday, punching a hole into the tail of a caught lobster, adjusting the recreational bag limit, and extending how long the lobster season
Tight lines — By Parimal M. Rohit
Lake Mission Viejo to be filled with treated water
What’s Up: A manmade lake is South Orange County known for trout fishing will no longer be filled with drinking water as the Mission Viejo City Council backed a $4 million plan on April 12 to use recycled water at the watering hole. Lake Mission Viejo would be the first
recreational waterway in California to use purified water as the main source to maintain lake levels. Switching to a treated water system could benefit local fish species and swimmers who wade in the lake. “By providing a locally produced,
secure sustainable source of lake fill water, this project will eliminate up to 350 acre-feet per year … of potable
demand that currently is used to fill the Lake and make this potable water available to [local water district] customers including more than two- thirds of the residents of the city,” Mission Viejo city staff stated.
The Bottom Line: The city of Mission Viejo will fund the project with a $1 million grant and a $3 million loan to the Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD). City officials anticipate the switch in
water supply would save Mission Viejo about $850,000 by 2041. A memo from SMWD staff stated a
recycled water treatment plant would be built at the lake to help the watering hole and city residents to reduce its reliance on imported water.
fishrap.com
To upload your own Kiss Your Katch photo, visit
FishRap.com, click on the Kiss Your Katch logo, then click “Upload.”
You certify that the photograph you are submitting to FishRap’s “Kiss Your Katch” gallery promotion is original to you, and that FishRap’s use of the photograph will not violate any laws or rights of any other person or entity, including, without limitation, any copyright rights or rights of publicity or privacy. You agree to indemnify and hold FishRap harmless from any claims. arising from use of the photograph.
“at a sustainable level.” “Biological
A management plan for California’s spiny lobster is finally in place and would likely go into affect in time for the 2017-18 diving season.
remains closed. Whether lobsters could be
measured aboard a boat, the lack of sufficient data of the recreational fishery collected by the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), potential damage to kelp forests by the setting of lobster traps, how to prevent whale entanglements were among some of the concerns expressed to the commission about the FMP. The California spiny lobster fishery is unusual in that it supports both an important commercial fishery and significant recreational take. The Department is committed to maintaining traditional differences in allocation and function between the recreational and commercial fisheries,” DFW staff stated. “The department is aware of the need for more data on the recreational fishery and will seek opportunities to implement additional recreational data collection methods.” California began looking into
developing a plan to sustain the spiny lobster fishery in 2012. The species has been hunted off the coast between Pt. Conception and the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego since the 1800s, according to the FMP.
A stock assessment of the species in 2011 found the local spiny lobster population is, according to DFW staff,
sustainability of the stock is attributed to multiple factors. Chief among them is likely the minimum legal size for the CA lobster fisheries, which is larger than the size at which individuals reach sexual maturity,” the FMP stated. “The number of sub-legal- size lobsters caught by
commercial fishermen has increased in recent years, which suggests that the current size limit is effective, and that a sizable number of sublegal-size lobsters are present in the wild and contributing to reproduction.” The FMP stated recreational lobster catches have increased during the past seven years but exact data of how much of the fishery is caught annually is not available. Recreational lobster hunting, which lasts about 25 weeks along the Southern California coast, contributes up to $40 million to the California economy each year, according to the FMP.
The Log • Apr. 22 - May 5, 2016 • 31
The Triggerfish Man By Parimal M. Rohit
LOS ANGELES — Has El Niño struck again or are triggerfish a tough and rare catch? While anglers are currently on the lookout for bluefin tuna one local fisherman caught jumbo triggerfish on at least two occasions during the final weekend of March and first few days of April. Puria M. Keshmiri provided one
photo of triggerfish he caught while fishing in the Santa Monica Bay on consecutive weekends. Triggerfish are, for the most part,
rare to Southern California waters and quite elusive to catch. One of the few spots the species is found north of the U.S.-Mexico border is where Keshmiri was fishing: Santa Monica Bay. Otherwise you are more likely to find triggerfish along Mexico’s Pacific Coast.
Send Us Your Best Shot by
April 29, 2016
And you could win a pair of Black Flys Sunglasses
Your
Deadline: April 29, 2016 Prints or high-res digital photos are preferred.
email to:
editor@fishrapnews.com or mail to: FishRap, Kiss Your Katch 18475 Bandilier Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
KissKatch
A Prized Kiss: Tom Dyer of Point Loma puckers up to kiss his prized lingcod caught aboard Drop Back.
Aviar Talazazan photo
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
