Newport ... meeting ... bottom fish .. heeeya

[Pilar]

Heading out now for Newport. The 3rd of 3 meetings regarding the nearshore ODFW management plan beckons.

Hope to see some of you there.

We shall overcome .....

Keep up the good work John. :smile:

[craigc]

and thank you for the time you have invested in this shared interest on our behalf.. Craig

[Pilar]

I've been recently reminded that these posts are too long to read. So I will attempt to show wit in the form of brevity.

ODFW has an interim nearshore management plan that will be implemented in the near future. They are waiting on PFMC to do their thing in Sept.

This plan will reduce the # of ******* working the livefish and set daily catch limits for nearshore species.

IT IS AN EMERGENCY, TEMPORARY THING, IN LIEU OF DOING NOTHING

More work is needed and a permanent program will be required to effectively manage for a sustainable fishery.

What we can do ...

1) Network and discuss ways to change bottom fish gear to limit take of troubled rockfish.

2) Get NMFS to spend money on testing the gear restrictions and to certify their effectiveness.

3) Spend money on the stock assessments that will make an exacting and successful management of nearshore fisheries possible.

4) Ban commercial nearshore fishing (as Washington State has already done) and possibly recreational as well to buy time and preserve the unstudied stocks.

ODF & W have heard the pleas and letters of those who showed up at meetings and wrote letters. It must continue and increase or cease to be effective.

Chairman Esler and Vice Chair Denman were very close to agreeing on a moratorium on Comm. nearshore fishing last Friday. I daresay this subject will be discussed again, soon.

All of our efforts have been directed at the 'guilt bone' and are having an effect. Chairman Esler's heartfelt comment about not wanting to be the chairman of the commision that blew it on the bottom fish was genuine.

Thank you for your thanks and your participation.

The next poo-bah is the Aug 26th Developmental fisheries meeting in Newport. Janice Green, our new sport fisher DFB member will be there fighting for the rockfish. Show up and voice your support for her efforts.

There are also some upcoming meetings on the trawl fishing restrictions down on the south coast. Any of you wild eyed southern oregonians attending those? We need your help and representation.

Don't make me beg.

[skein]

Just got back from Canada. They've jumped on the bandwagon big-time. On the entire east (inland) coast of Vancouver Island it's one, count 'em, one rockfish, of which one may be a yelloweye. That's from the Strait of Georgia, up through Johnstone, and including all of Queen Charlotte Strait in the Port Hardy area. The west side, at least up north, is three rockfish, with one (if I remember correctly) being a yelloweye.

It's not in the regs, but was posted on all the boat ramps and at the tackle stores.

I wish I had more background information, but that's all I know.

Skein