HSWRI scientists breed and rear young seabass, called fingerlings, to a length of up to three inches. The fish are then tagged and transported to various grow-out facilities along the coast. In April 2003, 5,000 three-inch fingerlings were transported to SDOF’s San Diego Bay Grow-Out Facility at downtown’s Grape Street Pier in a space generously donated by the Port of San Diego. Now about 12 inches in length, the fish have been released into the bay to complement the wild population.

“Our collaboration with HSWRI has spanned nearly seven years, and has greatly contributed to the success of the recovery of the white seabass,” said Noelle Barger, operations director for SDOF. “Using HSWRI’s scientific expertise, breeding capabilities, and support, our volunteers have been able to participate in the program by feeding and maintaining the grow-out facilities, giving the community hands-on involvement in this statewide effort to restore the white seabass population.”

Since 1986, research scientists at HSWRI have cultured, tagged and released more than 650,000 white seabass into Southern California waters as part of the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program (OREHP). The decline of white seabass between the 1950s and 1980s was dramatic, with annual sportfishing returns in California dropping from over 55,000 fish to less than 3,500 fish during this period. Under the auspices of the California Department of Fish and Game and with the support of volunteer organizations like SDOF, Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute is helping rebuild fish stocks that support numerous industries including sportfishing, which contributes over $2 billion annually to the California economy. So far more than 600 tagged, hatchery-reared seabass have been recovered. Just last May, a nine-year-old fish was caught off of Anacapa Island, making it the oldest tagged seabass caught to date.

The recent release of over 4,000 white seabass could not have been possible with the following support from partners: HSWRI, the California Department of Fish and Game, the United Anglers of Southern California, the Port of San Diego, the San Diego County Fish and Wildlife Commission, the McCarthy Family Foundation, and the many volunteers who have given over 500 hours of service since April.

The following volunteers assisted with the white seabass release: Simon Weber, Jana Wagner, Ron Johnson, Noelle Barger, D. Calvo, Roy Warden, Liz Riedel, Therese Riedel, Neil Riedel, Jeff Klein, Anne Fisher, Kathi Fisher, Elena Villasenor, Todd Warshaw, Robert Berwaldt, David Burchinal, Marc Crocker, and the HSWRI staff.

To learn more about the program visit San Diego Ocean Foundation’s web site at www.sdoceans.org.

New NAUI Leadership and Instructor Courses Guides
The most comprehensive leadership training materials in the industry are now available as a complete set entitled “NAUI Leadership and Instruction” and include textbook, student workbook and two instructor guides. The new leadership materials were brought to market recently through NSG, Inc. on behalf of the National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI Worldwide).

“The ‘NAUI Leadership and Instructor Courses Instructor Guide’ and companion Instructor Trainer Workshop Guidelines have been widely-acclaimed by NAUI members,” stated Jed Livingstone, Vice President of Training and Development. “Members are quite pleased with the value of the materials in that they support seven different leadership and instructor programs.”

The instructor guides are presented in the same interlocking formats as the other NAUI instructor guides published in both paper and CD-ROM versions. The CD-ROM allows the greatest flexibility and enables NAUI instructors the freedom to customize presentations for maximum learning, enjoyment and creativity.

This latest set of NAUI products affords instructors the luxury of teaching with professional and creative tools that meet the ever-increasing need of students to be taught through sophisticated means. NAUI products provide both the entertainment and enjoyment customers and students have come to expect, and the substance they deserve.

NAUI Worldwide is the oldest, second-largest and most respected dive training and certifying organization in the world, and offers a full range of training programs from Skin Diver through Instructor Course Director, with dozens of specialty courses including Nitrox and Technical diving. Thousands of NAUI member instructors, dive businesses, resorts, and service centers are located in countries throughout the world. For further information on NAUI affiliated stores, resorts, and certified diving instruction, contact NAUI at (813) 628-6284 or www.naui.org.

Avalon Harbor Cleanup T-Shirt Contest
The 24th Annual Avalon Underwater Cleanup is being held on February 21, 2004, and this year Catalina Conservancy Divers and the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber are holding the 2nd annual contest for the logo design to be used for the T-shirts. The contest is open to any and all who have an interest and a talent. The rules of the contest are simple. The design must include no more than two colors. The winner will be acknowledged in the marketing of the event as well as at the event itself. Deadline for entries is December 1, 2003, and the winner will be announced on December 10th. Submit your artwork, entries and questions to: Jill A. Boivin - Event Chairperson at jaboivin@earthlink.net or mail entries to P.O. Box 91018, Los Angeles, CA 90009-1018. For extended details on artwork requirements, please visit: http://www.robinhoodtshirts.com/html/artworkfaq.html#files .

Catalina Lobster Study Needs Your Help
Very little is known about the size and numbers of lobsters in Southern California. Since March 2003, Dr. Kathy Ann Miller and her group at the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island has been counting, measuring and tagging lobsters around Santa Catalina Island during the closed season. They are interested in population numbers, sizes, growth rates and movement patterns. It is hoped that divers will work with the group to help estimate the size of the recreational fishery.

Your help is needed to get the facts about Catalina lobster. The group would like to know how many lobsters are caught per day and the number of divers participating in the hunt. Important data include the carapace length, sex, the weight (if possible) and the general area.

E-mail kam@usc.edu for a data sheet template to be emailed to you to record your lobster catches. Directions on data gathering and reporting will be included.

If you or any of your fellow divers find tagged lobsters, the group requests a description of the tag and precise information about where it was captured. Lobsters are marked in three ways:
1. Yellow numbered “spaghetti” tags (inserted on the side between the tail and the carapace). These have a phone number.
2. Color coded nylon zip ties on the upper joint of a leg or on a knuckle
3. Holes punched in the tail fans (uropods)

WWI German U-Boat Located Off Los Angeles
A team of California shipwreck explorers, announced the discovery and documentation of the wreck of the only German submarine known to exist on the West Coast of the United States.

Project leader Gary Fabian said, “We are pleased to announce the discovery of the World War I German submarine UB-88. With the sonar imaging and photographic record we have to date, we are certain of its identity. We believe we are the first to identify, document and dive this historic wreck.”

Considered the most sought after and elusive wreck off of Los Angeles, the UB-88 has remained undiscovered for more than 80 years somewhere on the bottom of San Pedro Bay.

On July 9, 2003, utilizing high-resolution digital imagery provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, the wreck of the UB-88 was located in deep water southeast of the Los Angeles Harbor lighthouse. An underwater video camera was deployed for initial confirmation of the submarine.

On August 27, 2003 a team of technical divers visited the wreck site and brought back with them photographic proof of the submarine’s identity.

Fabian continued, “We will continue to document this important piece of American and California maritime history.” In order to allow this documentation effort to continue undisturbed, and in recognition that the wreck lies far deeper than the accepted sport diving limit of 130 feet, the location of the wreck will not be disclosed. “The wreck lies in deep water. Press reports from the time state that an unexploded scuttling charge is still aboard, making any diving on the wreck extremely hazardous,” Fabian explained.

The history of the UB-88, its discovery, and images past and present, can be viewed at the group’s web site at http://www.ub88.org.

UB-88 was one of six U-boats allocated to the United States by Great Britain after the conclusion of WWI in March 1919. Placed in special commission in the U.S. Navy, she transited the Atlantic under the American flag and with an American crew, to begin an extensive tour of the United States to promote the sale of Victory War Bonds. The U.S. Navy learned a great deal from her. Much of this knowledge played an important, perhaps decisive role in the development of the highly successful American submarine force of the Second World War.

During the trip from Harwich, England, to her final arrival at the submarine base in San Pedro, California, she and her crew made calls to ports along the Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River, coast of Panama and the West coast, “steaming” a total of 15,361 miles.

Forty-five cities were visited, and over 400,000 visitors were shown through the boat.

On January 3, 1921, in accordance with WWI peace treaty terms, the UB-88 was towed out to sea and sunk by the U.S. Navy in a live fire exercise.

Survey of CA Diver Attitudes Towards MPAs
John Moore, recreational diving representative on the Southern California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Regional Working Group, is preparing to do a survey of California diver attitudes towards marine protected areas. He’s asking divers to register in advance to receive the survey by visiting http://divebums.com/contacts.html and providing their e-mail address and county of residence.

Carbon Dioxide is a Bigger Threat Than Once Thought
Scientists once hoped that the oceans would safely absorb the vast quantities of carbon dioxide that are produced by our industrialized society. The oceans were believed to be able to absorb most of the carbon dioxide, and higher concentrations may even increase ocean productivity. Scientists Ken Caldeira and Michael Wickett Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory now question this position. Their research shows that increased carbon dioxide absorption will harm animals with calcium carbonate shells (like corals) due to an increase in the ocean’s acidity.

New Ocean Conditions Web Site
There is a new ocean conditions web site that gives an up-to-date and sometimes better view of current ocean conditions. Live web cams at some beaches give a good view of what to expect. Hopefully more beaches will be added to those listed on this web site. Log on to http://watchthewater.co.la.ca.us.