MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

black magic · 10-07-2002, 05:37 PM

All recreational fishers need to come to the rescue of the nearshore groundfish. You can help with the ongoing process of their rescue by attending the ODFW Commissioner's Meeting on Oct. 11. It will be held at :
Mt Hood National Forest Offices
16400 Champion Way
Sandy, Oregon

There are three items on the agenda concerning groundfish. The main focus of the presentation by Marine Resources Program ODFW is to reduce the level of harvest in the future until stock assessments can be done to determine what a sustainable level of harvest might be. Some species could theoretically already be overfished.
If the harvests are cut it will be very costly to some users of the resource, and they might be at the meeting in large numbers to resist this action.

A severely overfished stock could lead to complete closure of vast areas of the ocean to all fishing including salmon, if there happens to be no allowable bycatch.

So, if this is not what you want for the future, I would recommend attending this meeting and testifying to the commission. Only one sentence of testimony will help, ie: 'Don't allow the nearshore to become overfished'.

Remember we have only maintained status quo for the year 2003. All bets are off after that.
The commission will only implement harvest caps if there is public support If we outnumber the opposition then we become that public support.

The agenda items mentioned are not likely to start before 2:30 PM or possibly not until early evening, so if you can not leave work early, please come anyway as soon as you can. You may not miss the action.

I am afraid that, due to the limited nature of this once abundant resource, political effort will have to be constantly put forth to keep the ocean open for the long term. This is not a 'crisis only' effort any more.

If you can make the meeting please post that you can.

If you have more questions please post them too. There are many knowledgeable people on this board who may have answers for you.

Thanks for listening.

[ 10-07-2002, 07:04 PM: Message edited by: black magic ]

black magic · 10-07-2002, 07:25 PM

From RFA Janice:
On Friday, at the Commission meeting in Sandy, the Commission will take up the highly important first step in getting some interim measures in place so that Oregon's nearshore rockfishes will not be overfished in the same way that California's have been due to the livefish fishery impact on a fully utilized recreational resource. Next year, Californians will be entirely prohibited from nearshore bottom fishing six months of the year, and even when they are allowed to fish, the species allowed will be severely restricted.

The agenda item will come up after the agendum having to do with the Native Fish Conservation Policy, which is scheduled for 1:30. Since the NFCP is a highly controversial item, protection of the nearshore will probably come up rather late in the day. Therefore, people who work may be able to testify on the subject late in the day on Friday, even after work. The last time this was discussed was about 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. at the last Commission meeting in Corvallis.

ODFW has been working very hard to find a way that is satisfactory to the public involved, and legally possible, for capping harvest of nearshore stocks pending stock status studies which would tell us where we are. Numerous of these stocks (21 are in the proposed plan) are being heavily fished, particularly along the south Oregon coast, without any satisfactory information about their abundance. There have been complaints about the need to limit new commercial entrants in order to limit harvest on these stocks. Achieving this through the federal Council process may eventually happen, but not for some time (several years?) and probably not in time to protect our Oregon stocks from overfishing.

Also, there is some information on the recreationally important black rockfish which indicates that it is to the point of being a fully utilized resource. Putting in place some protection of that species is also important to prevent overharvest.

The Department's main approach is to use the Developmental Fisheries Board process to achieve a de facto limited entry for the present, and thereby limit the number of commercial permits, until the needed (but expensive) stock assessments and modeling exercises can be completed.

This would be strictly an interim measure, allowing a moratorium, until research and a public process can be mounted that would result in a nearshore fisheries management plan.

If you value your nearshore rockfish, and want to leave a legacy of healthy reef fisheries to your children, then please try to attend the meeting, take an active part in the discussion, and support ODFW's efforts to provide interim protection to our nearshore species.

Yours,

Janice Green
P.O. Box 71
Umpqua, OR 97486
hjgreen@jeffnet.org

corrirod · 10-07-2002, 11:58 PM

I could probably attend this one. Anyone on the west side want to carpool? I've got a Ford Excursion we can take. I'll probably head out there the middle of the day or early afternoon.

Send me an email if you're interested.

Pilar · 10-08-2002, 07:36 AM

Thank you Black Magic and Janice.

Krystalflash and Capt'n now is the time. You have indicated an interest in this subject and meeting. Come on down and join us in Sandy this Friday.

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I can summarize the above for you like this ... They will (The Feds) eventually regulate and restrict this fishery. They do not however have the same sense of urgency as we (The ocean fishers and salty dogs) do. By the time they jump off the dime it will be all gone.

We can change that by getting a state moratorium and limited entry on Live fish commercial boats. Reduce the size of the fleet to 1/2 its present size. Support ODFW in this endeavour and save your resource.

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Look south my friends and see how it could be.

All gone

This is Oregon, dammit! We are smarter here and we should show the rest of coast how it is done.

People at meetings make an impression. People at meetings who speak and outline points of concern get on the record. The live fish guys will be there and you should be too. The commisioners are already on the side of conserving the resource. Lets support the effort and the people who will make it happen.

Join us on Friday in Sandy.

Thanking you in advance .........

OceanBlue · 10-08-2002, 08:44 AM

Thanks Black Magic.

We've proven several times that together, we CAN make a difference. The ODFW needs to hear that we not only support a nearshore plan, we want one that is conservative. There will be considerable opposition to reducing commercial fishing and restricting gear. We need to provide adequate representation as a unified voice that we, recreational fishers, are in favor of protective measures that will allow further assessments to be completed so that we have a shot at managing resources before they're gone.

As Pilar says, this is OREGON! Washington was smart enough to play it safe. California waited until it was too late. Let's be smart about this and ensure that our kids... and their kids... and their's have something left long after we're gone.

STOP the oceanic equivalent of clear-cutting!

I have a copy of the advance material on this topic. I'm happy to forward it to anyone wishing to review the 111 page .PDF - Email me if interested.

See you Friday!

skein · 10-08-2002, 09:23 AM

Due to other commitments, i.e. mortgage, food, water, lights, boat payment, etc., I will be at work while that meeting unfolds. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to want to help - if only by being there - and finding that almost all of the meetings are during the day and too far for me to get to even if I left early. Does anyone know if there is an address where I can send a written statement?

Pilar, when you and others speak of commercial operations, are you including charters as well? I remember when salmon fishing was mostly catch and release along the coast, the charters were trying to stay alive (afloat) by doing bottom fish trips. I could hardly blame them, but I watched load after load of black bass, cabezon, and lings come through the cleaning stations. Many of the fish were simply too small to keep, but in their zeal to limit out they were encouraging their clients to keep everything. Admittedly, a net dragged through the water is far more lethal, but there is no doubt the charters had an impact on nearshore fisheries.

Skein

Captn · 10-08-2002, 01:20 PM

Thanks John for the heads-up. It sounds like about a 3:00 take-off time for us. I know how these meetings go. There is a lot of material to cover, and each item needs to be discussed. We will be available around 4:30 or 5:00. Is that what I am hearing for the nearshore bottom fish? Is there anything we need to bring or what?

Pilar · 10-08-2002, 01:48 PM

Hey doc, good to hear from you. Your estimate of show time is probably pretty close. We have inside info that says it could be as early as 14:30. But there is never a shortage of viewpoints to hear and the commision members are determined to give all that come to the meeting and want to speak their say (bless em, each and every one). As a result it goes long.

Bring a snickers bar, it will seem like an eternity.

Pilar · 10-08-2002, 11:59 PM

Skein, no the references to 'commercial' fishers are mainly directed at the "livefish" commercial boats. This fishery takes live bottomfish from relatively shallow areas that are by and large ignored by other commercial interests. The main targets are Cabezon, Greenling, black rockfish and lings. The problem with this fishery is that restrictions to the south of us have pushed these guys north into our waters.

An aside .....
The charters have an impact as do the sport boats like you and me. BTW the charter and private sport fishing fleet is treated as all one group as far as regulation goes. Yes, the charters are there every day and take a limit every time possible. Those people patronizing the charter fleet are within state guidelines and limits and would take those limits from their own boats as we do if they could.

Back to the topic, sorry for straying ....
Some people will argue that they (Livefish fishers) finished off N. California's bottom fish and caused in some way the closures in California. This fishery is unrestricted, you could go buy a permit today and go carc the ocean.

We want to change that to a limited entry and very restricted fishery. No new permits and a reduction by 1/2 of those that are currently held.

The next step is to get stock assessments and find out what we have as far as populations. Then intelligent management is possible. Using the resource with care is OK and totally possible. Strip mining it to extinct is not OK and that is why I am going to Sandy Friday. The restrictions must go in now!

The commisioners are poised to act and impose a state level Moratorium and make the limited entry happen. Let's support them.

OceanBlue · 10-09-2002, 06:40 AM

To the top!

black magic · 10-09-2002, 02:40 PM

How sad and pathetic, the level of apathy on this board.

This thread has been up for two days now and we have only 6 people willing to put forth some effort on this issue. That means that out of 2900 registered users of this board 99.8% have not responded to this request for help on issues that could dramatically affect their fishing future.

Oh well, I guess I should have known. I guess most fisherpeople would like to maintain status quo, which is let someone else do all of the work, but expect them to change everthing if they don't produce the results that they like.

Please excuse me for the interruption. You may now go back to your whining and complaining about things you are unwilling to do anything about.

[ 10-10-2002, 07:31 AM: Message edited by: black magic ]