California Sport/Rockfishing Disaster

[Mark Mc]

So many fishery politics issues happening these days. Our Oregon rockfishing concerns do indeed overlap with California's. We were mostly spared, but California anglers got the royal shaft, with no bottom fishing outside of 20 fathoms "forever", and no nearshore fishing for the next 8 months, BUT THE COMMERCIAL LIVE FISHERS CAN CONTINUE FISHING, as well as "exempted trawl" in the deep water. They can't even sportfish from freakin' shore!!! (This applies south of Cape Mendocino to the Mex border)

Read about it at:

Fish Sniffer

I sure hope that things don't get this corrupted in Oregon. Perhaps we should continue to ask our Commission, at every opportunity, to reiterate their commitment to the sportfishing public FIRST.

Note that a sportfishing group will be filing a lawsuit against the California Dept. of F&G, and maybe also the Commission.

Another good read, by the NorCal RFA rep:
Jim Martin Memo

[ 10-31-2002, 02:09 PM: Message edited by: Mark Mc ]

[Threemuch]

And I am pretty sure the RFA will sue down there. But for the next six months, the sport fishers are bumming.

KB

[corrirod]

Gives me the shakes just thinking about it happening up here.

[Deepslayer]

I guess I won't be moving back to California any time soon. It's obvious from reading all of the material available over the past two years, that when it comes to Democratic Politicians, the sportsmen will always lose out to the conservationists, PETA and the Sierra Club. :depressed: My fishing friends down there are really irritated at the conservation reserves Davis and Friends set up. These zones will do nothing to help the fishery, they will only prevent the sportmen from enjoying their sport.

[gimmeumpqua]

I lived in Western Nevada for 17 years before I moved to Oregon; a huge reason was the California busy bodies who infiltrated the political structure of Nevada and resurrected the very environment they were supposedly running away from in California. Oregon has the potential to be bullied by these hypocrites.. the saving grace has been that a huge percentage of the population in Oregon fishes as opposed to embracing the "shopping mall" lifestyles of the rich and heinous.

I suggest not electing ex- Californians to posts that influence our lives.

Kurt

[Deepslayer]

Hey Kurt I moved out of Massachussetts AKA Taxachussetts for some of the same reasons. that's why I don't vote for ex Bostonians.

gimmeumpqua,
You are 20 years too late :depressed:

[Miss B Haven]

Guys - You should ONLY Vote for ex-cons, Carreer Criminals are more honest than Career Politicians! :shocked: :depressed: :grin:

[Deepslayer]

Sounds like synonyms to me Miss B Haven!!

[black magic]

Mark,

Thanks for the reference to the great info on California nearshore. I knew it was real bad, but this Oct. 25 decision goes far beyond real bad.

I totally agree that we need to keep informing the ODFW commission about the ongoing California disaster. So far I believe that ODFW Commission and Marine Resources are honestly doing everything that they can to avoid a California situation. Two of the commissioners were ready to ban nearshore commercial on the spot at Corvallis, so at least they don't appear to be in the pocket of one user group. I plan to begin relaying information from California to the ODFW Commission as it comes up.

[Mark Mc]

Hi Mr Holloway, how are ya?

One thing that's becoming really obvious is that by watching the California situation closely, and by communicating with our "allies" there, we can be more prepared to manage the situation here. The more you read about it, the more appalling it is. For example, the night before the recent Cal. DFG Commission meeting in Crescent City, the only (3 )commissioners to show up had dinner at the home of the most prominent commercial live-fisher in the area; then they voted in favor of the commercials the next day. This may be in violation of the "Brown Act", which may apply because the meeting (if it had ANY conversation about the pending fisheries rule changes) had to be publically noticed with a posted agenda, public input, etc. Any i-fish lawyers out there who can comment on the Brown Act?

This is Randy Fry's (Norcal RFA) blistering presentation to the Cal DFG Commission in Crescent City on 10/25, which fell on deaf ears:
Randy Fry

Bob Franco & the Coastside fishing club is indeed going ahead with a lawsuit; they will be filing it in the next few months. Take a look at this article:

Half Moon Bay Review Article

Two good places to watch if you want to follow this:

Coastside Fishing Club
registration to the site is easy; then see the "political" discussion page.

Also, the RFA Northern California chapter:
RFA NorCal


Yea, lots of links & articles; there is a lot to keep track of.

[ 11-01-2002, 10:32 AM: Message edited by: Mark Mc ]

[black magic]

I'm just fine, thank you
And how are you, Mr. McCulloch?

I want to thank you again for the info references.
It has already resulted in a copy of Randy Fry's letter to the CA Fish & Game Commission being printed and enclosed with a cover letter to ODFW Commissioners with a desparate plea, Please don't do this in Oregon, and Thanks for what you've done so far. I have been bookmarking ( no pun intended) the sites that you have been putting up. This is a lot of work but worth it if we can keep the California atmosphere out of Oregon. Maybe we should modify some investment software so that we can have real time fish management ticker with the latest trend of the hour.

[Pilar]

Sensei sen, don't blame us for the nearshore plan! You have to look a little deeper to the dedicated staff at ODFW and our rep on the PFMC, Janice Green. I'm talking about Jim Golden (returned from retirement just for this effort), Mark Saelens, Don Bodenmiller, Patty Burke and all of the less visible and no less important people too numerous to mention. These folks have been (some of them) fighting this battle for years.

'Ifish' and the politically active Ifishers just added a sense of urgency and highlighting of common sense and economic realities to the fight.

I would like to emphasize a sense of urgency.

We (Jen and I) and all of you who participated in the process put a face on the sportfishers in Oregon. After years of private sport fishers as a no show when decisions were made we showed up. You can do this too. Show up, open yourself to learning the process, make intelligent comments and encourage the ODFW to do the right thing.

They (ODFW) want to do the right thing and with your help they will. If they stray off into Californication, I will personally make more noise than 'Puffins' burnt out boat trailer bearing did, sparks and smoke included.

I will now get down off the hood of my truck.

[Sensei-san]

Quite frankly I think that doing the political blame game does little to bring back the fish. Some of you like to think that the enviros and Democrats are to blame. You just have to look at Rep. Greg Walden (R) OR Klamath Falls District to see great Republican politics at work and 50,000 DEAD salmon most of them in California, which he doesn't represent.

The simple facts are these. Cal DFG fisheries programs that deal with commercially fished stocks is practically 100% funded by commercial landing taxes. It doesn't take much rocket science to realize that if your job was dependent on landings that you would do every thing in your power to make sure that those landings stayed high.

For years under REPUBLICAN administrations in California the Cal DFG turned a blind eye to the growing rockfish problem until the Magnuson Act was changed to include overfishing as a criteria for fisheries management. The sportfishing lobby was one of the groups that argued to include this language in the act.

Well in the best example of our democracy where the power is of and for the powerful and entrenched, lo and behold, it was discovered that rockfish was overfished. Is it no wonder that the commercial fishermen still get to fish and the sports are locked out in California?

Let what happened down there be a lesson to us in Oregon. We are lucky that our fisheries people are accessible and willing to listen. All you have to see is the great work that John Wells and Jennifer Johnston did to get the ODFW to develop a nearshore plan for our rockfish.

We have a short lived reprieve. If you don't realize it we are on probation. If Oregon catches too many of the species of concern, we will be in the pot along with California. They are taking the heat now. We could be next.

[Bstnwaler]

As a Californian I speak from personel experience...we attended both meetings in Oakland and spoke..like talking to a wall..they're minds were already made up..my son who is 23 got up and spoke and they payed a little more than they did to us old farts...the enviros have this commision wrapped around their finger...and now that Davis has been re-elected it can only get worse...and right the nearshore live fishery re-opens in January but our kids can't even fish from shore then...and by the way Kurt it isn't a 6 month closure..it's eight months...now till December is a Federal closure and January to July is a State closure..or vice versa...confusing...keep one step ahead of them you lucky people in Oregon..they are sneaky..Mark Capra

[Booja 1]

I have a good friend who is a charterboat skipper in the L A area and he said they staged a very peaceful demonstration in the LA harbor this past Sun..Had near 200 boats putting around waving flags and banners and such and with Gray Davis being reelected it all
seems to go for naught.

Yeah Bstnwaler my friend attended the mtgs in Oakland also..He said he was told the Sierra Club with all it's money basically told them you are going to be shut down..

For those of you who know the area they plan on shutting the area around the Northern Channel Island, Cherry Banks is closed and so is the Tanner Bank both excellent bottom fishing area with the Tanner drawing surface activity too.

Closing some coastal areas under the disguise of creating new underwater "national parks" is the plan with the idea to restore and replenish the slow growing rockfish.

Something else very interesting, my friend ran into a commercial skipper who told him his boat will soon have a "bug" installed to monitor where and when he goes out fishing..If he stops in closed waters for too long he was told a coastguard cutter will be dispatched to investigate. Hmmm sounds like it's getting pretty ugly..

Bstnwaler,
The sportsfishermen of California should be able to come up with several million dollars to "contribute" to Davis so he will support you .

[Mark Mc]

Hi Keta, if I get your drift, it's already in the works....Bob Franco of the Coastside Fishing Club has a top SF law firm preparing a lawsuit against Cal F&G and the Commission; it will be filed very soon. Bob & his club officers have met & formed an alliance with the other major sportfishing org.'s in CA. See links above for more info. It's going to get real ugly down there; I sincerely hope the regulators pay for their transgressions against the constituents they are supposed to serve.

Oh hi Mr Capra, nice to see you post up here. Send me an e-mail if you'd like more info on nautical school......

Best regards to all; keep the faith.

[Bstnwaler]

Mark..I think Keta's drift is to buy off the S.O.B. Davis like the ******* and the evnviro's did...yes the other option the lawsuit is proceeding as we speak..so far the firm is handling it 'pro bono"..but if $$$ are needed I'm sure they will appear...as to Captain's School..looks like the last two weeks in Feb...just got to get a log made up of all my boat time and take a few other classes and physicals..hopefully by your next halibut Opener Kurt will be calling me Captain...

Bstnwaler,
You got it
How could a blatant crook like Grey Davis get re-elected
:whazzup:

[Bstnwaler]

Keta...I'll have to admit Simon shot himself in the foot..heck both feet..a few times...he wasn't really that good of a candidate..and mainly he really didn't come out supporting the sportsmen until a few weeks before the election..I'm sure if his views on fishing and hunting would have been known a few months ago a lot more people would have jumped on his side of the fence most of us down here were straddling...

MB,
There is always Brookings.

[Miss B Haven]

Keta - you forgot to say, "there's always Tuna" too! :grin:

[Master Baiter]

I hear you Keta, also I believe the closure is only up to Cape Mendocino, that would mean the eureka area is not affected! I say 'believe because I have not been able to make heads or tales of the written rule and usually school everyone else on them so they must be poorly written if I am lost.

[Master Baiter]

GEEE, I got my new ride just in time to not be able to go fishin! Rock fishing closed the week I was traveling to pick it up and Salmon closed the following weekend...This really sucks! Guess I will have to figure out this Crab & Dab thing whatever a Dab is?

MB