Rockfish Bag limit reduction to 5 fish

Salty Walty · 07-13-2005, 01:43 PM

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2005/july/007.asp
I as well as a few others are on the SD Board are on this Committee and were at this meeting yesterday. All present were in agreement that a reduction was necessary to ensure the season did not close prematurely. We were given very good information in regards to fish taken and increase in pressure on the Rockfish. Most of this is due to the lack of Salmon which transfers over to the increase in presssure on rockfish. The increased success of anglers when targeting rockfish was also cited. This was a necessary action so that we could avoid the disaster of the season closing altogether like it did in 2004. Rockfish may not be as glamorous as TUNA but it is the backbone of the charter industry and many of the people who come to the Coast to fish. A reduction now is far better than the complete closure of the Fishery.

rainrshine · 07-13-2005, 01:46 PM

Thanks for the info and your efforts to let us keep fishing

Rainrshine

Diver_Down · 07-13-2005, 01:49 PM

Thanks for the info Walt.

kamloops · 07-13-2005, 01:54 PM

Is Washington going to reduce their bag limit.
AND

When the Ilwaco Charters fish Tillamook Head are they fishing Wa. or Oregon bag limits. It's Oregon territorial waters.

Cloud-Nine · 07-13-2005, 02:18 PM

Looks like GOOD management to me.
Thanks SW
Dick

OceanBlue · 07-13-2005, 02:35 PM

Oh, and the state of the YE bycatch is hideous. They're watching it very closely, but are finding that YE are being caught and released INSIDE of 40 fathoms.

PULEEZE do whatever you can to avoid these fish. If YE cap is exceeded, it will shut down every other bottom fish opportunity - including HALIBUT (Which I'm sure Kamloops wouldn't mind a bit, because I'm recommending that if hali gets shut down, we move the remaining quota to CR :grin

Mr. Krabs · 07-13-2005, 02:36 PM

Thanks for this info and for your active involvement. I am VERY happy that this may help keep the rockfish season open longer... especially considering the way coho season is *not* coming together.

Was there any discussion about the coho-no-show... like maybe considering leaving the season open longer? I don't suppose that would help fill the freezer any if the fish simply NEVER show up, but if they're just late I'd love an extra couple of weeks.

kamloops · 07-13-2005, 02:46 PM

Hey Jen

I like the way you think.

AND

Yes, Wa. boats fishing Oregon territorial waters need to follow Oregon bag limits.

OceanBlue · 07-13-2005, 02:51 PM

Just so you know, your buddy Don likes it, too. When I mentioned it to him yesterday, he said he was already thinking along those lines. Yes, he says, we won't leave those fish on the table.

CATCH AND EAT · 07-13-2005, 02:58 PM

Bitting my tongue.

ron m · 07-13-2005, 03:49 PM

Thanks for the info Walter and for your work on our behalf. This shouldn't surprise any of us, we knew this was coming (but not when) since ODFW kept the limit up early in the year instead of lowering it for the entire year. I remember last year there were some choices to be made and the fishermen recommended this one. A limit of 5 is ok. any info on the ling or cabbie situation?

Was there any discussion of the impact on the YE and canary pop. from barotrauma release methods?

Last year ODFW encouraged targeting yellowtail rockfish after the black rockfish closure problem. Was there any discussion about doing that again this year or a larger limit of yellowtail in the fall after the fishery opens up again outside the 40 fathom line?

again, thanks for your work on these issues
ron m

Threemuch · 07-13-2005, 04:13 PM

Ron-
There was some discussion about possibly moving the limit back up to 6 if the cap allows it late in the season, but I wouldn not bet on it, certainly not if the YE cap is what is limiting.

I think this is tough for the charter operators, but good for private boat fishers. It will keep the season open all year, and allow us to target these fish as a secondary species.

Also, I am pretty sure that release mortality is still assumed as total.
KB

ron m · 07-13-2005, 04:37 PM

Kurt

At the ODFW commission meeting last when they were deciding which option to use for this year, the charter operators (as I remember it) were in favor of the larger limit early in the year with a reduced limit later. Their reasoning was that the early season clients were local and wanted to catch more fish while the summer clients were mostly tourists and wanted to go out and catch some fish, but the number of fish wasn't as important to them as to the early season clients.

I think all of us, charters and private, want the season to stay open thru the end of the year. I'm fine with a 5 rockfish limit, especially if the ling limit stays at 2 and even if it went down to 1 or hopefully not, to zero. All of us like being out on the ocean and the fresh fish is a bonus. Bottom line though is that we all want the fish stocks to be in good shape--so some have to be managed to stay in good shape and some need to be managed to recover. ODFW does the best they can with the info they can get, they are serious about doing their job well. Even though some of us sometimes disagree with them, I think we should support them . (sorry, sounds like a rant, wasn't meant to be, not sure what brought this out, it's certainly not a response to Kurt's message)

ron m aka Ron Mason

Megabites · 07-13-2005, 04:43 PM

I am all for a reduction over closer. Even though I think their is no good evidence as to the sport fishers impact on this fishery. I would much rather have our charters still fishing than to do what they did to them last year.

Lepper · 07-13-2005, 06:45 PM

Quote:

I am all for a reduction over closer. Even though I think their is no good evidence as to the sport fishers impact on this fishery.

I'd have to agree with you on that one.. and that is why this year I am not sharing information with the fish counter, I will tell them how many I caught and let em see it, but as for releasing fish it is non of there buisness....

KeyWest · 07-13-2005, 07:20 PM

I haven't brought a single black rock back to the dock - release them all. And still we find ourselves here.

jigmaster · 07-13-2005, 07:44 PM

Thanks for the report Walter...Lots of tourists are thrilled to just catch 1 fish and that helps support the local charterboat business...
We should support coastal businesses whether it be hotels, stores, tackle shops, gift shops...SEE THE BIG PICTURE and the future of the Oregon Coast....TOURISM.... P.S....All you meatheads..chase Tuna..You won't know what to do with all the meat...PELAGIC MAGIC...

OceanBlue · 07-13-2005, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Bitting my tongue.

I guess I shouldn't ask why you're biting your tongue, but I'm going to anyway.

This should be very good news for you, Bernie. If we get shut out of halibut, you get it. What's wrong with that?

If you look at the big picture, it's a step in the right direction. Baby steps... it's all about baby steps. And pressure. Keep the pressure up. (In a positive and respectful manner)

1 aught · 07-13-2005, 09:43 PM

Thanks for the info. Fishing for rockfish is fun when you find them.

1/0

CATCH AND EAT · 07-14-2005, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Bitting my tongue.

I guess I shouldn't ask why you're biting your tongue, but I'm going to anyway.

This should be very good news for you, Bernie. If we get shut out of halibut, you get it. What's wrong with that?

If you look at the big picture, it's a step in the right direction. Baby steps... it's all about baby steps. And pressure. Keep the pressure up. (In a positive and respectful manner)

Believe me Jen the pressure is still being applied with letters but now a few phone calls will be place. (In a respectful manner at least, but positive, not sure what you mean)

What I meant by biting my tongue is I am doing it hear on this board. Whenever we that fish the CR region voice our concerns in a less than positive light all we get is that we from the CR region are a bunch of whinners and we should just suck it up and move our boats down to Newport. Sorry, that is just not even funny to suggest. We are all fisherman/fisherpersons

and in my thinking should be supportive of the plight of the entire coast region.

I personally was just starting to fish for bottom fish this year and made one attempt on a friends boat a couple of weeks back. Bought some gear this week and then this.

Oh well, I will continue to write, call and attend meetings that are in salem that I can make it to. With all due respect mind you.

Do you honestly think they will be able to keep it open?

Threemuch · 07-14-2005, 07:58 AM

If I were running a charter, I would start running "lingcod specials" where we mooched with whole mackerel or used big scampis and such. You could get people limits on nice lings, and leave the rockfish alone. I think folks would be WAY more interested in a lingcod special than a $75 trip for five rockfish.

Lepper · 07-14-2005, 08:26 AM

interesting idea about a ling cod special.. but what happens when you have all the charter boats targeting lingcods for a few summers in a row? they'll say there isn't enough ling cod...

I think that with the limit decreasing charter boats are going to have a hard time filling there boats with people, I Mean here locally it is 55$ for a half day bottom fishign trip. that'd be over 10$ for a little rock fish! i wouldn't go for it even if I Didn't have my own boat.

kamloops · 07-14-2005, 08:41 AM

Kurt and Others

Any talk of using a punch card point system on groundfish
like we were talking about last year.
It would solve the Yellow Eye by-catch problem, at least on the sport boats. Once you get your points on Y.E. for the year your also done with Halibut.

OR

Groundfish Subarea quotas per species simular to Halibut
but a fair quota system to begin with. It would allow different areas to target or avoid particualr species, or in our case (CR) get a fair shake at the groundfish.