February 2010 Archives

Surfrider Foundation members from Long Beach, Seal Beach/Huntington Beach and Newport Beach chapters plan to gather Sunday for a mixer.

The 4-7 p.m. event, at Mahe, 1400 Pacific Coast Highway, Seal Beach, will include sushi and libations.

Members of the chapters -- and anyone who wants to join Surfrider -- is welcome. There will be Happy Hour prices until 7 p.m., according to organizers.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's preliminary 2009 salmon data show a deep decline in the return of adult Sacramento River Fall Chinook -- the lowest recorded number in the past four decades.

 This data -- collected by the state Department of Fish & Game at the Central Valley Hatchery --  will be a major consideration as the PFMC begins the process of setting the 2010 ocean salmon season.

This finding will automatically trigger an "overfishing concern" by the PFMC, officials said.
 
"This year's Sacramento River fall Chinook adult return is a terrible disappointment," said Neil Manji, DFG fisheries branch chief.

According to DFG's estimates, about 39,500 Fall Chinook adults returned to the Sacramento River to spawn in 2009. It's the third consecutive year that the PFMC Salmon Fishery Management Plan conservation objective has not been met. (A range of 122,000 to 180,000 adult hatchery and natural spawners return to the Central Valley on an annual basis.<CF11>) </CF>

The one positive note in the Sacramento River Fall Chinook estimates is the healthy number of returning two-year-old salmon, or "jacks." DFG counted 9,216 jacks in 2009, more than double the number that returned in 2008. Jack returns are used to help forecast the ocean abundance of adult SRFC for an upcoming season.

The data  will be forwarded to the PFMC for consideration as it begins the its annual ocean salmon season setting process. The PFMC sets the season for federal waters from three to 200 miles offshort. The same data will be used by the Fish & Game Commission, which will be setting the state salmon season (up to three miles offshore) at its April 21 meeting.

The information will be formally presented to the PFMC at its March 6-11 meeting. To view the PFMC agenda,  visit http://www.pcouncil.org/newsreleases/newsreleases.html.

Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the state Department of Fish & Game. Her weekly column is offered to the public, and she can be ontacted at CalOutdoors@dfg.ca.gov. The column is featured below:

Q: Can someone be cited for the inadvertent stomach contents of their catch? As an example, a typical cabezon belly might contain a couple of 3-inch abalone, crabs and/or octopus. Is it a violation to have the abalone (and crabs and octopus if it is in a no-invertebrate take zone) in possession? Another example would be a ling with a big rockfish in his belly. Could the stomach contents place you over the 10 fish RCG complex (rockfish, cabezon and greenlings) possession limit?

A: This situation would be the same as if you caught an undersized or prohibited species unintentionally while fishing. According to Lt. Dennis McKiver, you are required to discard or return to the sea any prohibited species as soon as you discover you have caught a prohibited species. Although you would not be required to remove and inspect the stomach contents of all fish you catch ..., if the fish regurgitates a prohibited species you would not be allowed to retain possession of that prohibited species. You must return it to the ocean even if it is dead.

In your last example, it would be the same as if you had 10 rockfish in possession and continued to fish for lingcod. If you caught a rockfish, you would have an overlimit and would be required to return it to the ocean. Let's say you were legally fishing for lingcod with two hooks and you caught a lingcod on one hook and a rockfish on the other. You would be required to return the rockfish if you already had a limit in possession. If you are fishing for rockfish and lingcod and you catch a lingcod that contains a rockfish and then you choose to keep the rockfish from the lings stomach in your possession, that rockfish becomes part of your rockfish bag limit.

A similar problem occurs when anglers catch surf perch, a species that carries live young. During their spawning season a caught fish may discharge their young as they die or when handled. The angler may then be in possession of more than the 10 surf perch limit of one species, but wardens clearly understand this biological phenomenon.

Q: Every waterfowl season, whenever there are heavy rains and flooding, the question comes up as to whether we can hunt lands that are temporarily inundated with flood waters. Can we lawfully go into an area that has been traditionally posted but is now flooded?

A: According to Capt. Mark Lucero, you can lawfully pass into flooded areas as long as you are not in violation of section 2016 of the Fish & Game Code, which is the hunter trespass section. This section says that if an area is posted with signs forbidding trespass that are displayed at intervals not less than three to the mile along all exterior boundaries and at all roads and trails entering such lands, then a person may not hunt this property even if the land is temporarily inundated by flood waters.

Q: I have a second-rod stamp. Does this allow me to catch five fish (trout) per rod or is it per person?

A: The second-rod stamp only allows for a person in inland waters to fish two rods concurrently. The bag limit remains the same. Fishing two rods just helps you to maybe catch your bag limit quicker! When fishing for trout, make sure you're not fishing in an area with special regulations requiring only artificial lures, barbless hooks or catch-and-release because the second rod stamp would not be allowed those areas.

Q: I have a question about whether my son is still eligible to hunt the special federal youth waterfowl hunt. He was 15 when the season began but just turned 16 in December. We usually hunt at a club in the Suisun Bay.

A: Unfortunately, the Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days regulations state that youth hunters must be 15 years of age or younger at the time the hunt is conducted. I'm afraid your son has outgrown this particular hunting opportunity.

The Gateway Cities Council of Governments has voted  to approve a Long Beach-sponsored plan to seek $41 million in federal and state funds to treat urban runoff.

Working collaboratively with the 27 cities in the Gateway region, Long Beach officials plan to improve local beaches' water quality by installing full-capture trash devices, antibacterial sponges and automatic retractable screens in all catch basins in the cities leading to the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers.

The project will include Avalon on Catalina Island, according to city spokesman Ed Kamlan.

"This funding request is a necessary step as we work towards our goal of cleaner beaches and improving water quality in our city," said Mayor Bob Foster. "Long Beach cannot address our water quality issues alone. We greatly appreciate the support of our upstream neighbors to pursue funding for this project, as much of the runoff is generated beyond Long Beach's borders."

These stormwater treatment devices would be installed over a period of four years, and build upon the $10 million federal Stimulus grant awarded for trash capture devices in the Los Angeles River watershed, Kamlan said.

The spokesman added that the project will install devices at more than 22,000 catch basins. The first phase of the project will cost $12.2 million, and install 3,300 retractable screens and 3,500 filters on the Los Angeles River catch basins, and outfit 100 percent of San Gabriel River catch basins with internal trash screens.

The Long Beach Water Department is urging customers to keep all outdoor irrigation turned off for the next week.

This weekend's rainfall will add to last month's nearly seven inches of rain.

"Landscapes act like a sponge that soaks up water," said Kevin Wattier, Water Department general manager. "During a rainstorm and for a certain time afterward, that sponge becomes completely saturated and unable to soak up any additional water. Using sprinklers during this time is therefore completely unnecessary and will actually cause additional runoff to enter our storm drain systems, and eventually make its way out to the ocean," added Wattier.

Despite the recent rain, the state is still facing another year of drought.

The City of Long Beach receives nearly 40 percent of its total water supply from increasingly unreliable imported sources.

"Conservation must continue to be both an immediate and long-term solution for our water crisis," said Paul Blanco, president of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners.

Kamlan said customers with automatic sprinkler systems can sign up to receive periodic notices that recommend adjustments to sprinkler systems with changes in weather patterns and hydrologic conditions, by visiting www.lbwater.org, and clicking on E-Watering Update.

The state's Department of Fish & Game will seek  public opinion online throughout this month prior to review of state and national pintail harvest management goals.

Last month,, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service presented state wildlife agencies with a wide range of regulatory options on pintails.

 In March, Fish & Game and other state wildlife agencies will meet with the federal officials to discuss these options.

Throughout this month, Fish & Game is conducting an online poll to solicit public opinion that will be considered during this decision-making process. The 12 questions prompt hunters to provide their opinions on the trade-offs between daily bag limits, length of the pintail season and stability of hunting regulations associated with the options presented by the Fish & Wildlife. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete.

The online poll can be found on the Fish & Game Web site:http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/waterfowl/docs/lPintailSurveyQuestions.pdf

The Fish & Wildlife report detailing the pintail regulatory options can be found on Fish & Game's Web site:http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/waterfowl/docs/NOPIProposedHarvestStrategy2009.pdf

The poll is scheduled to close at the end of February, giving Fish & Game officials time to organize the results and to present the information to the federal officials and other states at the Pacific Flyway meetings in March.

Fish & Game will also post the results of the survey on its Waterfowl Program Web page.