by JD on November 9, 2011
About 250 people showed up at Portuguese Hall in Rio Vista last night to voice their opinions on the new proposed striped bass fishing regulations for California.
The was simply a public forum in which the DFG did a quick presentation on the reasoning behind the regulations they are proposing and then the public was able to comment. Basically, most folks said that the water diversions, not predation by striped bass, were the main culprits in the declines of native Delta fishes. The DFG answered the questions and seemed to agree with that point.
So, the next step is the proposal (and the public’s comments) gets sent onto the CA Fish & Game Commission next month, where the Commission can either decide to act on it…or decide to ignore it.
Here’s where you can affect change: Write a quick email to the Fish & Game Commission at [email protected] and let them know how you feel about this issue. There are 5 voting members…we need three of them to vote against this whole abomination.
by JD on November 5, 2011
Let the Slaughter Begin!
The DFG’s new proposed regs to wipe out stripers in California are out. Here’s what they’ve come up with…
* Raising the daily bag limit for striped bass from two to six fish.
* Raising the possession limit for striped bass from two to 12 fish.
* Lowering the minimum size for striped bass from 18 to 12 inches.
* Establishing a “hot spot” for striped bass fishing at Clifton Court Forebay and specified adjacent waterways at which the daily bag limit will be 20 fish, the possession limit will be 40 fish and there will be no size limit. Anglers fishing at the hot spot would be required to fill out a report card and deposit it in an iron ranger or similar receptacle.
* Changes to the sport fishing regulations for the Carmel, Pajaro and Salinas Rivers to allow harvest of striped bass when the fishery would otherwise be closed.
DFG is also recommending an adaptive management plan that will help assess how the new regulations influence the fishery.
YOUR VOICE NEEDS TO BE HEARD ON THIS ONE. BE SURE TO BE AT THE ONE AND ONLY PUBLIC MEETING:
The scheduled public workshop at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8 will be held at the Rio Vista & Isleton Club, 295 South 7th Street, Rio Vista, 94571
The proposal and management plan will be presented to the Fish and Game Commission for consideration at its December meeting.
by JD on November 2, 2011
If you like striped bass fishing, put this down on your calendar: The California Department of Fish and Game will hold a public workshop in Rio Vista on Tuesday, Nov. 8 to review its proposal to change sport fishing regulations related to striped bass.
The workshop will be held at 7PM at Rio Vista City Hall (One Main Street, in Rio Vista) and will cover the DFG’s new proposed reduction in minimum size and increased bag and possession limits.
UPDATE: Due to extensive interest in the issue, the scheduled public workshop at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8 has been moved to a larger venue. The new location is the Rio Vista & Isleton Club, 295 South 7th Street, Rio Vista, 94571.
According to DFG, the proposal is supported by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries and is intended to help recover several fish species listed under the California and Federal Endangered Species Acts.
But here’s the rub: To get us here, the DFG was sued in 2008 by the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta (a misleading name for a group, considering it is made up of a group of Kern County growers and irrigators). They sued under the federal Endangered Species Act, seeking to require the department to apply for federal permits to enforce one of the fishing regulations that limits sport harvest of striped bass.
Basically, they’re saying that striped bass are the reason the salmon runs plummeted recently. As I see it, it is a diversionary tactic that attempts to cover up the fact that massive water exports will ultimately lead to the demise of all the Delta’s fisheries.
Of course, striped bass eat juvenile salmon — they’ve been doing so since their introduction in the mid 1800′s. However, both species have flourished simultaneously for decades so it is very difficult to for me to believe that stripers are at the root of the salmon’s decline (and oh, yea, by the way: salmon numbers in the Valley have been fantastic this fall!). Furthermore, noted California fisheries expert, Dr. Peter Moyle of U.C. Davis has written that there’s no evidence that stripers are having a major impact on salmon populations and, if you do attempt to irradiate them, you may be potentially making things worse with unintended consequences. For example, a new predator may take the top spot and do even more damage.
Using the Coalition’s logic, we better remove all non-native species while we are at it: all black basses, all catfishes, all panfish and all trout besides rainbows, to name a few. This is crazy talk. Let’s show up at City Hall and let ‘em know how we feel!
Scientists working on the recovery of endangered coho salmon in northern California appreciate success even if it comes in small doses. Field biologists from the California Department of Fish and Game recently reported that the fall of 2010 produced the largest number of returning coho in tributaries of the Russian River in more than a decade.
Prior to the launch of a recovery program in 2001, the number of returning adult coho salmon averaged less than four per year. These low numbers were the catalyst for the Russian River Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program, a recovery effort in which offspring from hatchery-reared adults are released into the river system. This past season, biologists estimate that more than 190 adult coho returned to the Russian River system, beginning with early storms in October and peaking in December. [click to continue…]
Time to send those report cards in!
California anglers who purchased a steelhead card in 2010 need to return it to the Department of Fish & Game by Jan. 31 — even if you didn’t catch a fish.
In the old days, you had to mail them in, but now the DFG has an online form you can fill out that makes the whole process much easier to do.
Submit your report card online
HEREby JD on January 11, 2010
Every January, California steelhead anglers are required by law to return their Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Cards to the DFG by mail. Starting this year, however, the DFG has set up an automated system to allow anglers to submit their info online. [click to continue…]
by JD on December 19, 2009
Through the purchase of the Bay-Delta Enhancement Stamps on their fishing licenses since 2004, Californians have added nearly $9 million into the Department of Fish & Game’s coffers. But, according to the Bureau of State Audits, which reviewed the DFG’s use of the stamp’s proceeds, only $1.6 million of that had been spent on projects and administrative costs, leaving a surplus of $7 million.”
Seems like with fisheries crashing all around us, it might be nice to have those $7 million for fishery enhancement eh?
Read Ryan Sabaow’s story in the Redding Record Searchlight and be sure to click on the Bay-Delta Stamp Projects button in the left margin to see where exactly the money has been going (or not).
by JD on November 28, 2009
This one comes to ya from the “Well, it seemed like a good idea initially…but things got a little off track along the way” file:
On October 11, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed legislation that repealed the requirement for anglers to purchase a Bay-Delta Enhancement Stamp with their fishing licenses beginning Jan. 1, 2010. [click to continue…]
