The sign on the jetty .........

Pilar · 06-18-2002, 11:26 PM

The sign on the jetty says CLOSED TO ALL FISHING BEYOND 20 FATHOMS

Excuse me if I get a little windy but I need your help. We need your help. I'll tell you how to help at the end. You, the members and lurkers of Ifish can work magic by getting involved and making the voice of sport fishers heard as you did at Tillamook.

This will all be a little general at first and as information comes in it will get posted.

As some of you may know there was an informal meeting last Saturday between some members and officers of the RFA (Recreational Fishing Alliance), some of the members of Ifish and Janice Green, a member of one of the PFMC (Pacific Fisheries Management Council) commitees at the Doubletree at Jantzen Beach. I say informal because we all did a lot of learning.

Any others who were there and want to add or correct my recollection please do.

It goes like this ...

The groundfish on the Oregon Coast are in trouble from overfishing and imperfect monitoring and regulation.

There are 3 species in particular concerned. Yellow Eye Rockfish, Boccacio and Canary Rockfish. The Quota for these species has been lowered for several years now and is approaching zero.

The PFMC is considering (considered inevitable by some) drastic restrictions on ocean fishing for commercial, private sport and charter sport ocean fishing on the continental shelf. Maybe no deepwater halibut, rockpile salmon or bottom fishing beyond 25 fathoms. Starting in 2003 and lasting for an estimated 100 years.

Some of you know some or all of this so bear with me while I explain it to the rest.

The PFMC is meeting this week in San Francisco? to make policy regarding this matter. Janice Green (a member of the PFMC) has signed up for Ifish and has graciously offered her time to lay out the facts and answer questions about it when she returns from the meeting in California, next week.

From the Saturday meeting it was obvious that this first battle is already lost. The way we fish in the Ocean is about to be drastically changed for a long time. The Coastal and recreational fishing communities will have a negative economic impact when we stop fishing at the coast.

What we talked about was how to save what ocean fishing is left. Live rockfish are a lucrative business. As this new fishery gets regulated out of California it is moving north to our waters. Oregon has no near shore groundfish management program at ODFW.

The RFA is an organization that has lobbyists in DC and is already engaged in fishing issues, mostly on the East Coast. The national director of the RFA, Jim Donofrio warned us of an attempt to ramrod the Magnuson Stephens act through a distracted Congress. This act has been in place for 25 years or more and needs modification to provide more specific protection for sport fishermen. We are mentioned in the original act in a very vague and dismissive manner. This is RFA's current major battle in the legislature. They are trying to kill the bill and prevent a hasty renewal of the act that will worsen the commercial over fishing and continue to ignore the 19 million sport fishers nationwide. At the meeting it was joked about that the lobbying efforts of the commercial fisherman made many legislators think that only commercial fishers used the Ocean or 'cared' about it.

But Senator, we private fishers go there too.

There are only 40,000 commercial fishers and they are the sole, lay occupants of the various boards and committees that decide quotas, methods, seasons and so on for sport and commercial ocean fishing. The fox is guarding the henhouse.

Should we let the commercial interests wipe out near shore groundfish?

I say no! Please help by doing the following.

1) Check out the RFA and consider a membership, they have the biggest dog in the fight for sport ocean fishers.

2) Pay attention to the information posted about this subject and post it for all of us if you find anything out. Once we get organized write letters and E-mails and ask the officials that need to be asked to get involved.

3) Mark your calendar for July 12 There will be a meeting of ODFW that we all need to attend to demand action to protect the near shore fishery. Before it goes away too.

Stay tuned and speak your piece.

Thank you for your time and attention.

[ 06-19-2002, 12:28 AM: Message edited by: Pilar ]

BUGLEMAN · 06-19-2002, 09:38 AM

I'll be there on the 12th. This is a fight we can't afford to loose.

OceanBlue · 06-19-2002, 09:54 AM

EXCELLENT! Action! I love it!

Any more takers?

[img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img]

OceanBlue · 06-19-2002, 12:02 PM

Time, agenda, etc are coming. I think Janice is getting us on the agenda and we'll find out more about that when she returns.

A big part of being there, however, is to be visible. That's why we need bodies... lots and lots of bodies. :smile:

Mr. Fisherman · 06-19-2002, 12:19 PM

Remember folks,

We need to be organized to win this one and we have to work together.

The most important thing is to relay the same message, consistently. That message is:
Protect the Oregon near shore fishery.

Write it down if you have to or direct anyone asking questions to one of the aforementioned experts on the subject.

If we rant ands rave our efforts will be discounted. This issue is too important.

Please educate yourself on the issues and be courteous in public. We can enjoy beverages and talk amongst ourselves later

.

We CAN work together to make this happen but as mentioned it is likely to get worse before it gets better. Lets stay cool and focus on the objective.

After all, "When fishing is outlawed only outlaws will fish"....

Stay tuned.....

Ray

Threemuch · 06-19-2002, 12:33 PM

I am in!

puffins crew · 06-19-2002, 02:39 PM

I am in, also.

John, we need to get puffin involved too. You know how he gets when a topic gets him going.

Pilar · 06-19-2002, 02:50 PM

Hey Tom, he was at the meeting. And yes the wheels started spinning very fast, he was waving his arms around, getting louder and louder and was heading towards an overspeed alarm when the meeting broke up.

For hours afterwards he could be heard muttering to himself 'the ******s are closing down my Ocean'. This went on the whole time I was welding the seats for him.

The man is upset and I can't blame him.

This weekend at the Halibut grounds could be the last hurrah for team bad Halibut.

Marty · 06-19-2002, 09:16 PM

Where is the newspaper coverage of these events???? You would think that it would be on the front page of every newspaper in the Northwest.............I have read very little about the empending doom other than on a few web sites. Maybe we need to get every fisherman we know that has a boat on a trailer and make a trip to the capital in Salem. I am sure we would get some coverage if there were 300 boats, trailers and trucks surrounding the capital. For that mater we could catch just as many bottomfish on the blacktop in Salem as the 'projected' catch limits for us next year. Maybe we should continue to fish the capital for a week or two straight so we could get our points home. Maybe even troll us up some politicians, get them in the net (or gaff) so we can communicate our wishes in a more direct format. It just seem unfathomable that folks are actually talking like this could really happen.

Marty

Fishplay · 06-19-2002, 10:15 PM

I'll be doing some recruiting work out my way. July 12th is a Friday. Everyone; please make arraingements now to assure your attendance.

There have been various articles in the Statesman and Oregonian about the shelf closure and the three depleted fish species that Pilar mentioned. They never made the front page however. Bellow is a link to a story that ran June 4th in the Statesman.
http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article.cfm?i=42937

This is for real!!!! This is going to happen and maybe sooner than the 2003 season. Read the article!!!

Mr. Fisherman · 06-19-2002, 11:53 PM

I wouldn't miss it.

Any word on how to get on the agenda or what it would take to be heard?

Ray

OceanBlue · 06-20-2002, 06:14 AM

Marty/Fishplay, you are spot-on! We're planning a rally at the ODFW meeting July 12. That's what all this noise is about. So do you have ideas about how to get 1,000 fishers and their boats there? ifish is definitely one forum, but we need to get this thing rolling, get organized, and FAST.

And it isn't just about fishers... what about businesses along the coast that we support?

[img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

Mike Gilchrist · 06-21-2002, 01:11 PM

Just to agrivate you all a little more, here is a link to the yelloweye stock assesment for Northern California and Oregon. You don't need to look much past the commercial harvest numbers to understand. The other two fish are having problems as well, but yelloweye is worst off and causing all this grief.

http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/fish/rockfish/yelloweye.htm

OceanBlue · 06-21-2002, 01:20 PM

Coincidentally, I just received a reply to a message I sent the ODFW on 6/10...

My original message:

"I have some confusion about the yelloweye rockfish rule during all-depth
Pacific halibut days. The regulation as posted on the ODFW web site reads:
'Retention of yelloweye rockfish is prohibited during open all-depth halibut
days if Pacific halibut have been retained.' The pamplet I received last
Saturday at the boat ramp in Newport had a similar statement, but I believe
that statement included something about not retaining yelloweye if there are
pacific halibut on board the vessel.

Could you clarify for me, please? Here's my scenario: 3 people in a boat.
2 have already caught halibut and the 3rd hauls in a yelloweye. Now we have
a problem. All 3 fish are dead. Which dead fish are we supposed to
release?

I am planning on heading out for halibut on the next open days and hope I
don't have to deal with the scenario as described, but want to do the right
thing in case it happens. I've heard a lot of talk and a lot of stories
about confusion and, unfortunately, stories of by-catch being discarded.

Thanks for your help!"

The response I received today:

"Interesting question." Followed by a notice that my message had been forwarded to a contact at "Marine Resources" for a reply.

:whazzup:

Deepslayer · 06-22-2002, 10:04 AM

Looks like they have already determined a date to post the sign in California. "Effective July 1, 2002 in all waters south of Mendocino County, no ANGLER fishing in waters over 120' deep.

,Ed

OceanBlue · 06-24-2002, 07:48 AM

As Paul Harvey would say... Here's the "rest of the story"... answer to my question posed to the ODFW. I'm not sure whom he means by "management"... my guess would be the PFMC?

"Isn't it regretfull that the regulations that are being adopted promote
discard (waste)? I guess management is doing that as the other option
would be to close fishing. We find that a large proportion of the annual
yelloweye rockfish catch occurs on all-depth halibut days. By preventing
retention the managers are discouraging any fishing near reef areas (the
rockpile may be closed to halibut and bottomfish next year). Why are they
doing this? Yelloweye rockfish are thought to be overfished. They are old
(can live to over 100 years), slow growing, and not very productive. Their
abundance is thought to be less than 10% of prefished levels.

Now to your question: Yelloweye rockfish retention is prohibited if ANY
halibut, during all-depth fishery, are on-board the VESSEL. As to which
dead fish to release - it is up to you (3 halibut verses 1 yelloweye). Try
to fish away from yelloweye habitat (reef areas).

FISH INFO - please see that the wording on the web site is corrected (no
yelloweye if any halibut is on vessel). Thanks.

Don Bodenmiller
Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
2040 SE Marine Science Dr.
Newport, Oregon 97365
541-867-0300 ext.223"

The ODFW didn't make the rule, but they enforce it. I guess if one good thing came out of my question to them, it is that they seem to have corrected the problem of inconsistent wording.

:smile:

OceanBlue · 06-25-2002, 07:52 AM

Brinckman's article regarding PFMC meetings in SF last week. also, Janice promised to post a message with information as soon as she can digest what she gathered. :shocked:

http://www.oregonlive.com/environmen...7000155871.xml

OceanBlue · 06-26-2002, 07:48 AM

Info on July 12 ODFW meeting...

Slight change in plan. New information indicates that we should have about a dozen, maybe 2 dozen representatives at this meeting. A couple of people will be able to speak. Tone is very important... it will be important to remain focused, positive and yes, politically correct.

If you would like to participate:
1) Post here and/or send me your email address and phone number
2) Please plan to meet early in the morning 7/12 for a strategy session - we should be done by noon.
3) Let me know if you'd like to speak

Mark your calendars for 8/9... we will need all hands on deck for that meeting.

For July 12, the following have committed their support.

*********
Black Magic
Bob b
Bugleman
Mr. Fisherman
Fishplay
Krystalflash
Mark Mc
Pilar
Puffin's Crew
Threemuch
Trick

Anyone else?

Orca · 06-29-2002, 08:36 PM

Can anyone post or provide the link to the meeting location and time? Also the location and time for the iFish stategy session?

Also, what is coming up on 8/9?

OceanBlue · 06-29-2002, 09:10 PM

Orca,

Gladly.. the meeting time and place is on the ODFW website. I'll add you to my mailing list so that you are up to date on strategy, etc. I'm still looking for a meeting place near ODFW HQ (Portland)- but time is 0630 7/12. ODFW meeting starts at 8am. We want about 1 - 2 doz. people there.

The deal with the 12th is that we'll respectfully request a number of items including a nearshore plan that doesn't allow the same destruction that has been allowed to occur off-shore.

On Aug 9th, we'll be full-force. That's when the issue will be on the agenda. The meeting will be in Corvallis that time.

Shout at me on email if you need further, but I'll send you the latest on Monday.

Oh, by the way, Pilar is without a computer... it got run over :depressed: Don't know when he'll be back online.

sturgn · 06-30-2002, 07:34 AM

Im not sure I can be a the July meering, but I am going to try. The Aug Meeting in Corvallis, I bet I an get a dozen people to be there for that one. Please add me to your mailing list!

fishon@sturgn.com

OceanBlue · 06-30-2002, 08:15 AM

Sturgn: You're ON!

Slow Roll · 07-01-2002, 03:13 PM

PM, sent you an email, count me in for August, can't make July though.

Paul B.

OceanBlue · 07-03-2002, 05:45 AM

Suggestion of a meeting place is the Double Tree - 310 SW Lincoln, Portland. It is very close to the ODFW HQ. The coffee shop opens at 6:30. We could meet at that time.

For information on what you can do prior to and after the meeting... Click Here