“Cooperation and participation from a wide range of fishermen and divers is the key to the success of our tagging effort,” said Operations Director Noelle Barger of the San Diego Oceans Foundation (SDOF), which is implementing the program. “Any angler that can provide catch information or diver that sights a tagged fish should report it immediately to the Foundation. The results of the tagging study will be used for assessing artificial reef productivity and design, possibly increasing our understanding of the benefits of artificial reefs.”

Nearly 2,000 tags are expected to be attached to fish in four distinct marine environments off San Diego’s coast. These will include the Ruby E, a former Coast Guard Cutter that was purposefully sunk in 1989; the NOSC Tower, which fell to the ocean floor during the El Niño storm in 1988; the HMCS Yukon, a surplus Canadian Navy Destroyer which was cleaned, prepared, and sunk in 2000 by SDOF as an artificial reef; and the La Jolla kelp beds. Fish species that will be targeted include: sheephead, barred sandbass, kelp bass, cabezon, rockfish, surfperch, and lingcod. Recently the California Department of Fish & Game closed the sport fishery for some of these species; however, anglers are encouraged to report their catch and release information, specifically noting the tag number and the catch location.

Each fishermen and diver who reports catch or sight information will be entered into a monthly drawing for great prizes like diving gear and fishing tackle. In addition, a $5 reward is being offered to any fisher who returns a Floy tag, with the valuable catch information to SDOF. There will be tag drop-off locations located at each major fishing landing accompanied with tag recovery forms. Tag findings or sightings may also be reported to SDOF online at http://www.sdoceans.org (a simplified report-form has been posted to SDOF’s home page) or by calling Noelle Barger 619-523-1903.

The T-bar or Floy anchor tags are thin strips of colored plastic carrying contact information for the project. The tags are attached to the dorsal fin and are individually numbered and color-coded (i.e., hot pink, white and yellow). The use of external tags for identifying individuals or groups of fish is the oldest and most widely used technique applied. The justification for any type of tag on a fish is the future recovery or recapture and the adjoining information. Tagging is done quite rapidly with a tagging gun in the same way as clothes are frequently marked in shops. All fish are safe to eat once the tag has been removed.

The San Diego Oceans Foundation is an 18-year-old non-profit organization devoted to the stewardship of the region’s marine waters and their living resources. The Foundation conducts various projects with volunteer assistance and balances ocean user needs with environmental protection. The primary programs revolve around underwater research, fisheries restoration, pollution prevention and marine science education for the benefit of users of the ocean. For more information, visit http://www.sdoceans.org on the web or call Noelle Barger at 619-523-1903.

World Renowned U/W Photographer Jim Church Dies at 70
On December 31, 2002, James A. Church, a pioneer in underwater photography, died at his home in Miami Lakes, Florida after a brief illness. From his early diving experiences in the Navy, in an old style hard-hat suit in Adak, Alaska in 1953, he went on to become a renowned authority on underwater photography. As an author, educator and lecturer, Jim was able to share unselfishly his knowledge with countless individuals, many of whom are today’s leading underwater photographers worldwide.

Jim, a 1985 NOGI recipient for the Arts, was instrumental as a primary player in the evolution of underwater photography, as we now know it today. He began taking underwater pictures professionally in 1964 with a Calypso camera and flashbulbs

Skin Diver Magazine published Jim’s first article, “A Beginner’s Guide to Underwater Photography” in the May, 1966 issue. After that first article, Jim became a regular photo writer for Skin Diver, with articles that appeared in almost every issue from May 1966 to January 1999.

Jim’s photographs and articles have also appeared hundreds of times in dive, travel and photography magazines, advertisements for companies such as Nikon and Kodak, as well as in numerous books, including The Ocean World of Jacques Cousteau. Jim’s most recent advertisement shots were taken at Bikini Atoll for the Discovery Channel.

From 1989, Jim had been teaching underwater photography courses on the live-aboard dive vessels of the Aggressor Fleet.

Besides being a natural teacher, Jim enjoyed writing instructional books on underwater photography. His first book, Beginning Underwater Photography, (1972) ran for five editions. His two books on strobe photography were well received, and The Nikonos Book (1979, Nikonos I, II & III) and The Nikonos Handbook (1986, Nikonos IV & V) are now collectors’ items. Jim’s most recent books are: Jim Church’s Essential Guide to Underwater Video (1992), Jim Church’s Essential Guide to the Nikonos Systems (1994, Nikonos V and RS also released in German) and Jim Church’s Essential Guide to Underwater Photo Composition (1998, also released in Japanese).

In recent years Jim also lectured at dive expositions around the United States, including the annual SCUBA Show in Long Beach, CA, the largest dive expo in the Western U.S. In a variety of lectures and seminars Jim presented a summary of how to use underwater still photo equipment effectively. He took the mystery out of balancing sunlight and strobe light, TTL, multiple strobe exposures, as well as his special techniques for using strobes in turbid water. These seminars were considered a “must” by beginning or advanced still photographers.

He also lectured on the art and science of underwater videography. His video seminars concentrated on underwater shooting techniques. Jim presented his famous “fifteen practice drills” for camera handling, combining it with professional techniques for planning and shooting an underwater video movie.

Of all the accolades that Jim has received throughout his life, the one that meant the most to him was simply—”Teacher.”

Video Film Search Underway
Assemble now your best underwater film footage for the SCUBA Show 2003 underwater film festival.

One of the most popular portions of the annual Southern California SCUBA Show has been the unique continuous film festival. Featured at past film festivals have been footage and films from some of the world’s greatest underwater cinematographers. Even so, some of the most well received films have been from non-professional and semi-professional underwater camera operators.

For this year’s show, the film festival will be wide open to this talented group. The management of the popular annual dive convention is conducting an aggressive and all-out search for the best in underwater video films. They are also opening up the category to include digital still presentations set to music or narration. Submissions for consideration should be new material, never before shown in a film festival setting or on television. Films and digital slide shows of 5 to 30 minutes in length are preferred, but shorter is usually better. Footage can be from anywhere in the world, but the video should contain at least 50 percent underwater footage. Those films accepted for screening will be paid an honorarium. Firm deadline for film submission is March 17, 2003. For a complete guideline sheet on submissions, call (310) 792-2333, fax (310) 792-2336 or view the guidelines web page at http://www.saintbrendan.com/filmguid.htm

Famed Biologist Wheeler North Dies
Dr. Wheeler North was most noted for his ground-breaking research on the kelp forests of Southern California. He brought about techniques for restoring kelp forests off the coast of La Jolla and Palos Verdes, in particular. In frail health for some time, he passed away recently at the age of 80.

Dr. North was also instrumental in bringing the use of scuba diving as a research tool for scientists. A true pioneer in scuba, his first dive was off the coast of San Diego in 1949.