November Issue Cover Illegal?

Dear Dale,

Thanks again for another great issue! One thing that concerns me is that the photo on the cover of the November issue shows Mr. Thrasher with 10 lobsters. In his article he claims he was aboard the Conception and that was a photo of his three-day limit. According to DFG, there is no longer a multi-day limit on lobster. I was told today by the DFG that the possession limit is seven, period! According to DFG, Mr. Thrasher is poaching! I’m sure the captain of the Conception would not risk this violation, so who’s right? Is the limit for lobster seven in possession or seven per day in possession?
Thanks,
Mark Navas
Simi Valley, CA

Mark,
The excerpts of regulations below were pulled directly from the California Department of Fish and Game website (bold added by us):

29.90. Spiny Lobsters.
(b) Limit: Seven.
27.15. Multi-Day Fishing Trips.
The following provisions apply to anglers and to boat owners and operators when a Declaration for a Multi-Day Fishing Trip has been filed with the Department of Fish and Game.
(a) Provisions related to the angler: Up to three daily bag and possession limits of saltwater fin fish, lobster and rock scallops and up to two daily bag and possession limits of abalone are allowed for a person fishing during a multi-day trip in ocean waters from a boat whose owner or operator has filed a Declaration for Multi-Day Fishing Trip, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (b) below.

The Conception is owned and operated by Truth Aquatics, one of the oldest and most respected professional dive charter operations in America. I am sure they filed a Declaration for Multi-Day Fishing Trip.
Editor

Long Beach Breakwall Yields 12 Pound Lobster

Dale,

Caught this big boy on the breakwall. He weighted out at 12.2 pounds.
Judy Samad
via email

Languishing in Texas, Wishing for CA Diving

Dear California Diving News,

Thank you very much for your outstanding web-site. I am a member of the U.S. Navy, formerly assigned to San Diego. While stationed there, diving was not only exciting, it was convenient! An hour’s drive would have the diver at any number of fantastic dive sites. Now I am stationed in Corpus Christi, TX where diving is virtually non-existent. Your web-site provides me with a breath of fresh air as I count the days until I return to the waters of California. As always, your magazine keeps me informed and entertained. Keep up the good work. I look forward to slipping beneath the waves of the beautiful Pacific in 380 days.
Jesse
Corpus Christi, TX

Jesse:
Thank you for your kind words and you have no argument here, California diving is the best. But don’t just languish in Texas! As a commercial oil field diver, I worked out of Houston for many years, and although it was work, the diving on the oil platforms was quite good. And there are dive charter operations out of Corpus, Galveston and other nearby ports that head to platforms and the far offshore “Flower Gardens.” Ask a Corpus Christi dive store and they’ll fill you in.
Dale Sheckler
Editor

Catch and Release Big Bugs
Dear Dale and Kim,
While I enjoy the photos of the big bugs, my boat partners and I who have been diving in S. Cal for the last 25+ years would like to suggest a different “ending.” Catch and release of really big bugs. This idea began when I came across a really big bug while diving in Paradise Cove years ago. It was under a ledge with a lobster pot right nearby. The bug was clearly too big to get into the pot, so it was evident that the last predator it had to worry about was “me.” Since then, we will occasionally bag really big bugs (if it doesn’t’ mean tearing them up to get out of a hole), bring them back to the boat, take a photo and let them go. Sure, if you haven’t caught big bugs before, keep your first one or two to take home for “bragging rights” but after that, take a photo and put ‘em back. These bug fellows (almost all males) are older than most of us, can’t fit in a lobster trap, and research suggests that very large lobsters may provide a disproportionately large element in the breeding population. So here is a photo of a 10+ pound bug being put back in the ocean.
Capt. Andy
FV Moby Kate

Andy:
Good for you. In returning your lobster your to the water, however, don’t just drop him in. Even large lobsters can be vulnerable to predators, such as large sheephead, in open water, or out in the open on the bottom during daytime. If possible, descend again and return the lobster to a crack or crevice, preferably the one from which it was taken. Another preferable treatment would be to place the lobster into a marine preserve, although these are, admittedly and unfortunately, few and far between. Some divers have also donated large lobsters to marine aquariums.
Editor

California Diver Living in England Want to Read CDN
Hi,
I’m a California diver who (sadly) lives and works in England, but I get back to L.A. about twice a year to dive. Is it possible to subscribe to California Diving News and receive it here in the U.K.? If so, how much would it cost?
Regards,
Howard Kornstein
via e-mail

Howard,
Foreign subscriptions are $40 (U.S. Dollars). If that is too much or a paper copy is not important, most of the issue can be viewed on the web at www.saintbrendan.com.
If you opt for the paper subscription, you can send a check to CDN, P.O. Box 11231, Torrance, CA 90510.
You can find us on the web at: www.saintbrendan.com
Editor

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