Black Sea Bass Regularly Seen At Italian Gardens, Catalina
As many as 10 giant black sea bass are now seen regularly at the Italian Gardens dive site according to Diana Madaras of Catalina Scuba Luv. It is not unusual to see four to six of the large protected fish. Once rare due to over fishing, the big creatures have made a dramatic comeback in recent years. They are unafraid of divers and often approach within just a few feet. They can range in size from three feet long to over six feet long weighing several hundreds of pounds. They are fully protected by law and cannot be hunted or fished in any way. Italian Gardens site is located on the frontside of Catalina just west of Long Point.
Filming for the TV pilot movie Avalon is wrapping up at the Isthmus of Catalina Island. The USC Wrigley Marine Science Center (location of the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber) was used as a back-drop for the movie. The movie centers on the activities of the crew of an offshore island marine laboratory. Much of the action is underwater. Starring Parker Stevenson, the movie is produced by Waterworks Productions, the same company that produced the popular Baywatch series. Parker Stevenson was an attendee to the recent SCUBA Show convention held in late June in Long Beach. He was at the show researching equipment for the movie. Scheduled air date for the show is November 5.
Six-to eight-foot soupfin sharks have descended on Catalina Island. They have been schooling in shallow sand flats inside of kelp beds. They are quite easy to approach by divers but are not considered dangerous. Soupfins are not rare to Southern California but not usually encountered by divers.
The proposed Cannery Row Market Place, a retail development project that would have created an eyesore in historic Monterey and eliminated access for divers at McAbee Beach, has been squelched by the Monterey City Council. The vote was 5-0, rejecting the project completely. McAbee Beach is a popular and easy beginner beach dive near Cannery Row. Your letters and E-mails made the difference.
More Changes to Fishing Regulations in the Works
The California Department of Fish and Game is considering more changes to sport fishing regulations. Proposed changes of interest to divers are:
1) Lingcod limit lowered from two to one or zero.
2) Lingcod minimum size raised from 24" to 25 or 26".
3) Probable lingcod closure during certain months and in certain areas.
4) Rockfish limit lowered from 15 to 10.
5) No SCUBA allowed on any vessel taking abalone.
6) Abalone trip or punch card system allowing only 25 trips or 100 abalone per year.
More information may be found at: http://www.dnai.com/~scampi/propregs.html
3Rs (Rocks, Rips and Reefs) Program Comes to Northern California
On Saturday October 30, 1999 the first Nor Cal 3Rs Dive will be held at Monastery Beach. The program is designed to help divers safely enter, exit and surface swim through various conditions at beaches that pose specific challenges to divers. 3Rs has been a extremely successful continuing education program for Southern California divers and is now available to the North. You can't sign up for the first dive since it is full, but there will be more in Y2K. For more information email or call David Clayton at drc@ccnet.com or by calling (925) 689-8840.
