California Diving News - Heard Thru the Kelp Vine

Italian Gardens on the frontside of Catalina Island is becoming a highly reliable place to spot the elusive and formerly rare giant black sea bass. This fall divers have seen as many as 20 at this particular location. Not only have the big fish been showing up in large numbers but are also approaching divers very close, sometimes only inches away. Italian Gardens dive site is located just west of Long Point.
Black sea bass are protected and have made a remarkable comeback. As the water cools this winter, the blacks become more scarce, most likely moving to warmer and/or deeper waters.

A 92-year-old shipwreck off the Northern California coast may become part of a state park and a registered historic site through efforts of a research team from Indiana University.
Charles Beeker, director of the Underwater Science Program at the IU School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, has received a grant from the California Department of Parks and Recreation to research the 1908 S.S. Pomona shipwreck site near Fort Ross. The project has a Web site at www.indiana.edu/~e472/pomona/pomonahome.html
Beeker is directing a group of IU students in preparing an underwater site map of the shipwreck and determining the visitor safety, resource significance, environmental sensitivities, and historic significance of the site, some 90 miles north of San Francisco. Included in the project will be a report on the underwater resources, with original photographs and video materials to help in establishing an underwater shipwreck park to aid divers in exploring the area.
Fort Ross is now a state park that commemorates the site where Russian explorers first landed in California in 1804 and established a settlement. Beeker said the IU project could lead to expansion of the state park to include the underwater location of the Pomona remains.
The ship was transporting cargo on a route close to the coastline when it hit a submerged reef and sank. Known as the “Pride of the Coaster Fleet,” the Pomona featured several unique components for a ship of its era, such as a triple-expansion steam engine and electricity on board.
Although salvage crews and looters have removed much of the sunken ship, large sections remain at depths ranging from 27 to 40 feet. Beeker said the Pomona is popular with divers today because of the proximity of sea life indigenous to Northern California, but diver safety is a concern because of the bottom surge encountered by the IU team when it was exploring the site.
In a report to California officials, Beeker said the Pomona “provides a unique opportunity to incorporate an underwater shipwreck into a State Historic Reserve. The S.S. Pomona warrants recognition as California’s best example of 19th-century steam ferry transportation along the Pacific coast, and it deserves acceptance to the National Register of Historic Places. Based on our investigations, the site has all the attributes to become an Underwater Shipwreck Park that can be successfully managed by the California State Park system.”
His list of 10 specific recommendations includes developing brochures outlining the history of the project, creating water-resistant printed guides for divers, building a land-based observation point at Fort Ross, adding a museum exhibit to the existing Fort Ross State Park Visitor Center, and encouraging public use of the site.
Beeker has directed a similar underwater park project for the State of California at a Lake Tahoe shipwreck site and conducted numerous underwater park projects in the Florida Keys and Caribbean.
Project leader Charles Beeker can be reached at 812-855-5748 or cbeeker@indiana.edu.

Point Lobos Changes Reservation System

Point Lobos State Reserve in Monterey County limits the number of dive teams visiting its waters. The system for making reservations has changed slightly. Diving reservations can be made as much as two months in advance to the date. A reservation is for a team of two divers as opposed to the previous three.
Individuals can make up to two reservations with each submission and up to two reservations can be made in your own name for two different days. Reservations are not transferrable and non-refundable.
Reservations can be made on the web at www.pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us/scuba/divereserv.htm. Your confirmation will be e-mailed. There is a $7 non-refundable reservation fee per team. Payment is made by check mailed to the reserve upon confirmation. Reservations must be paid for, even if you later find you are unable to make the dive.

Monterey Bay Sanctuary Releases Final Kelp Management Report

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) released its final Kelp Management Report incorporating public comment from two previous versions. The report contains a set of recommendations from the Sanctuary to the State of California with regard to managing kelp use in the Sanctuary.
• Designation of a no-kelp harvest area along a portion of Cannery Row in Monterey;
• Exclusion of mechanical harvesting from high population / recreational use areas of the MBNMS;
• Creation of a limited-entry scheme for kelp harvesters around the Monterey Peninsula;
• A seasonal ban on hand-harvesting of Nereocystis, an annual plant, in the MBNMS;
• A recommendation for an annual limit of 50% kelp canopy removal within the Sanctuary to reduce the possibility of excessive harvests;
• Closure of kelp beds in the northern part of the MBNMS that are not large enough to sustain a reasonable harvest level.
Check out the entire report at: www.mbnms.nos.noaa.gov/research/techreports/kelpreport/kelpreport.htm

Abalone Rules to Change Again?

Recent underwater surveys off the north coast reveal very few abalone less than five inches in size. This fact suggests that there has not been a successful spawning event since 1993. Having a multi-year gap between major spawning events is apparently not unusual for abalone. However, until a new wave of baby abalone appears on the scene, there’s cause for concern.
California Department of Fish and Game biologists are beginning to examine possible changes in sport harvesting regulations that will go into effect with the 2002 season. Potential changes include:
— reduce the open season by one or more months,
— reduce the daily bag limit from 4 to 3, 2, or 1 (note that a reduction to a 3 per day bag limit was a foregone conclusion in the remaining items on the list),
— reduce the annual take limit from the current 100 abalone to 30, 24, 12, 8, or 6 per year,
—Change the punch card to a trip limit card and limit harvesters to 10 trips per year (10 * 3 abalone per day = 30 abalone),
—Reduce the punch card to 12 or 8 abalone, but allow the purchase of a 2nd card (requires a legislative change).