Squid in Early
During winter nights along the Southern California coastline, squid move up into submarine canyons to spawn. Huge swarms of the six-inch long creatures can engulf delighted divers that are in the right place at the right time.
They usually make their appearance in late December but showed up early this season with appearances as early as the first week of December. The spawn is expected to be strong this year with cool, calm waters. Prime dive sites for seeing the squid are the La Jolla and Redondo Submarine Canyons.
The La Niña cold water condition is expected to return this year. Opposite of the warm water El Niño that bring heavy winter storms, the La Niña climatic condition usually carries with it fewer and milder storms and excellent conditions for diving but cold water. Divers can expect more days available with calm seas this winter and spring with excellent visibility. On the flip side, you may want to consider that new wetsuit or dry suit purchase now.
A remarkable number of divers will be marking the new year (and century and millennium, depending who you talk to) by being underwater at the stroke of midnight. Many California clubs have beach and/or boat dives planned for that evening. What better a time to see if your dive computer is Y2K compliant?
Check the Dive Store Directory or California Scuba Calendar section of this publication for a dive club near you celebrating the New Year underwater.
Leaders from the California Department of Fish and Game and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary have joined forces to explore the issue of "no take zones" around portions of the five Channel Islands falling within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands).
The concept of closing 20 percent of the above mentioned islands to any kind of commercial or recreational take of marine life was spearheaded two years ago by a group known as the Channel Islands Marine Resources Restoration Committee. Sport diving activities could continue, but game could not be taken.
Fish and Game and Marine Sanctuary officials agreed the concept had merit and have now begun the formal process of examining feasibility and practicality by forming a Sanctuary Advisory Council made up of representatives of various user groups, both commercial and recreational. Sport divers, however, are poorly represented on this council.
To become more informed on this now ongoing process, and make your opinions known, first visit Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary web site at www.cinms.nos.noaa.gov and look into "Marine Reserves" and other current news.
Several major changes will take place January 1, with regards to game popular with sport divers.
The daily bag for abalone will remain four but now abalone takers will be required to have a punch card limiting the individual to no more than 100 abalone per year. The card must be returned at the end of each year. As before, red abalone may be taken by breath-hold divers only north of San Francisco. Another change stipulates that no scuba or other surface supplied breathing devices may be aboard vessels used by divers taking abalone.
Other changes effect the taking of rockfish, lingcod and California Scorpionfish (often referred to as sculpin). The take of rockfish will now be closed January and February from 36° N latitude (just south of Lopez Point in Monterey County) south to the Mexican border. From this point north to 44° 10' N latitude (near Cape Mendocino), rockfish take is closed March and April. In addition, daily limit of rockfish has been reduced to 10 fish. Daily limit of Bocaccio is 3 per day with a minimum size of 10". Daily limit of Canary Rockfish is 3. Minimum size for Ling Cod has been increased to 26". Cabazon minimum size is now 14 inches. With the size limit changes comes changes to the filet size limit changes.
Other fish are also effected by the changes. For complete and detailed changes to the California Fish and Game regulation, pick up an updated copy of the regulations (or a flyer outlining the new regulations in detail) at your local sporting goods or dive store.
The California Department of Fish and Game's web site is located at www.dfg.ca.gov but the updates were not yet posted at the time of going to press.
