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Public Input Requested on 2003 Ocean Groundfishing Options, Deadline Sept. 1 The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is seeking public comments on a range of management options being considered by the Pacific Fishery Management Council for the 2003 fishing season. Those options relate to overfished rockfish and the effects of bottom fishing on long-term recovery efforts.
Because various species tend to co-mingle in groups, fishing activities can pose a threat to depleted rockfish that inhabit the same Continental Shelf areas of the ocean. As a result, fishing along the bottom areas of the entire shelf in 2003 will likely be severely limited or closed by the Council to protect certain depleted rockfish species.
The Council has indicated that other deep-water fisheries will also have to be closely managed along the Continental Shelf (shore to 35 miles out to sea, reaching depths of 900 feet). These fisheries include flatfish, sablefish, and possibly state managed fish such as California halibut and invertebrates, including pink shrimp, spot prawn, and sea cucumber. Other deep-water fisheries, however, would not be affected.
For the 2003 fishing season, the Council is considering three main options for California’s recreational and commercial groundfish fisheries. After receiving public comments, the Council is expected to adopt fishing regulations at its meeting September 9-13 in Portland. Those regulations will affect all groundfish fishing activities beginning in 2003 along the entire west coast. In addition to the hearings listed below, written comments on groundfish fishing options will also be received, and should be mailed by September 1 to the Pacific Fishery Management Council, 7700 NE Ambassador Place, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97220-1384.
The Council declared a West Coast groundfish disaster in 2000, when seven species were considered “overfished.” They are bocaccio, yelloweye rockfish, canary rockfish, darkblotched rockfish, widow rockfish, cowcod, and Pacific ocean perch. These species have dipped below 25 percent of the amount of fish there would be without any fishing.
There are more than 80 species of west coast groundfish, a complex of bottom-dwelling fishes highly valued for both food and sport. Allowable harvests of some rockfish have dropped by as much as 85 percent.
Guided by the Magnuson-Stevens Act (reauthorized by Congress in 1996), the Council approved a management criterium that “overfished” groundfish must be restored to 40 percent of their “unfished” populations.
Because these fish are long-lived with life spans measured in decades, once depleted it can take years for their populations to recover. Many groundfish species also reproduce slowly, taking many years to become mature enough to spawn.
NMFS stock assessments of these species, conducted in 2001 and 2002, indicates that current conservation measures are not adequate enough to help restore these depleted species.
Along California’s coast, the species of primary concern are bocaccio (central and southern California) and canary rockfish and yelloweye rockfish (central and northern California). Bocaccio have declined to 5 percent of their original abundance. Scientists say it will take nearly 100 years to rebuild the population, assuming all fishing stops next year.
The results of the new scientific findings, presented to the Council at its meeting recently in San Francisco, suggest that much of the bottom fishing for all rockfish species on the West Coast may need to be closed or modified in order to rebuild these stocks to federally mandated levels. Such management measures would be imposed on state and federal waters and for both commercial and recreational fisheries in Washington, Oregon, and California.
DFG and California Council members will also hear comments on California’s nearshore fishery, which are included in the range of groundfishing options. Those options include all waters (primarily state waters, shore to three miles) at depths between 120 feet (20 fathoms) or less.
DFG fishery managers have recommended proactive management measures to address the additional fishing impacts to the state’s nearshore rockfish species. DFG’s management of the nearshore fishery is guided by the Marine Life Management Act, which calls for a long-term sustainable-use fishery, and balanced between commercial and recreational users.
DFG recognizes that banning bottom fishing in federal deep-water areas will result in a shift in fishing effort to California’s nearshore fishery. In addition to management of deep-water rockfish, the Council also has jurisdiction over the state’s nearshore rockfish species. With DFG’s recommendations, the Council is considering several options that will help minimize the impacts that additional fishing pressure may have on California’s healthy nearshore stocks.
For a detailed list of all options for California’s recreational and commercial groundfish fisheries, logon to DFG’s Web site at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/groundfish_options.html. The list below provides a summary of the state’s recreational options for both the northern and southern management areas.
Options for California’s recreational fishery south of Cape Mendocino are summarized as follows:
* Sport rockfish and lingcod fisheries would be closed year-round in waters between 10 fathoms (60 feet) to 20 fathoms (120 feet) and deeper.
* Daily bag limit of five nearshore rockfish reduced from the current 10-fish limit.
* Min. limit of 16-inch for cabezon instead of the current 15-inch limit.
* The fishing season could be shortened by two months from the current eight-month season.
Scubapro/UWATEC™ Dive Computer Consoles Recalled
In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Johnson Outdoors Inc., of Racine, Wis., is voluntarily recalling about 1,700 Scubapro/UWATEC™ dive computer consoles. The U-Line™ submersible pressure gauge that is part of the dive consoles can malfunction and display inaccurate pressure readings. Divers using the consoles could fail to decompress properly during a dive, causing decompression sickness.
CPSC and Johnson Outdoors Inc. have received four reports of the pressure gauge malfunctioning. No injuries have been reported.
Only U-Line™ submersible pressure gauges contained in UWATEC™ brand Smart PRO™, Pro ULTRA™, and Sport PLUS™ dive computer consoles are included in the recall. The consoles are mostly gray in color and the brand name “UWATEC™” is written on the front of each console. The pressure gauges are made in the U.S. and the computers are made in Switzerland. All of the recalled consoles have a test code that appears on the back of the gauge as follows:
Test Codes: Tested - IL, Tested - LL, Tested - DM, Tested - JL, Tested - AM, Tested - EM, Tested - KL, Tested - BM, Tested - LL, Tested - CM
Aquatic sports, sporting goods and dive shops nationwide sold these gauges from January 2002 through May 2002 for between $500 and $700. Consumers should stop using the recalled consoles immediately and contact Scubapro/UWATEC at (800) 382-2211 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s web site at http://www.scubapro.com. Consumers should send the console to Scubapro/UWATEC, Attention: Tech Services/U-Line PG 1166 Fesler Street, El Cajon, CA 92020, to receive a replacement pressure gauge.
No other Scubapro/UWATEC products are included in the recall.
Diving Exhibit Comes to Los Angeles Maritime Museum
Aptly entitled 20,000 Jobs Under the Sea, retired commercial diver Torrance Parker’s book has quickly become a required addition to the library of those seriously connected with the sea. After selling Parker Diving Service in 1985, Torrance Parker turned his energy to two projects. The first was writing his successful book on the history of commercial diving in Southern California, and the second establishing a landmark, world class display on the subject at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro.
Initially approaching the museum with his idea in 1986, it took nearly 16 years for the concept to be accepted, red tape to overcome, and artifacts to be collected (mainly from Parker’s personal inventory) before construction began on the exhibits at the beginning of this year. Working together with a dedicated group of divers and tenders, three rooms have been created under the passenger ramp of the old ferry building housing the museum.
The first exhibit room is a diving locker displaying nearly a hundred artifacts. These items range from heavy gear (hard hats and dress), to communication devices and everything between. Each article has an interpretative label drawing from Parker’s 50 years of working with the item in and around the waterfront.
The second exhibit depicts the first fishery diving in the Los Angeles harbor area, that of a 1901 Japanese abalone diver off of White Point. This exhibit as Parker explains, “will be the depiction of one of the 11 original divers whom immigrated from Japan. It shows him engaged at collecting abalone from 20+ feet of water. Working hand-powered air pumps out of open rowboats, these Japanese divers settled on then deserted Terminal Island. In 1903 they established the mackerel and sardine fishery which was to bring countless millions in revenue to the port area over the next century.” This exhibit is the first dedicated permanent public recognition of these original Terminal Islanders and acknowledges their contribution to the diving and fishery industries.
The final exhibit depicts a diver in near darkness assembling a 36" sewer pipe jetted 25 feet below the harbor’s main channel seafloor. The project depicted was an actual job carried out by Parker Diving Service in 1975 for the city of Los Angeles and is one of three such lines still in use today.
Attention to detail is the hallmark of every successful diver and Parker is one of the best. That detail carries over to his museum display work as well.
The exhibits have enjoyed the support of William “Pete” Lee, director of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, right from the start. Parker’s diver project was approved, making this the first major permanent maritime exhibit pertaining to Los Angeles, to be installed in the Museum in over a decade.
“It is a very exciting exhibit, a very visual way to introduce visitors to the history of commercial diving in Los Angeles,” claims Marifrances Trivelli, the museum’s curator.
Assisting parker with construction of the exhibits is a hand-picked crew of five. They include major contributor Captain Ed White, riggers Rick Eriksen and Peter Jensen, master carpenter Rigden Crawford and Jim Cummings.
The Los Angeles Maritime Museum is located at Berth 84, Foot of 6th Street, in San Pedro. For more information call 310-548-7618.
- submitted by Peter G. Genes
Tahoe Wreck Reached By Divers
The wreck of the USS Tahoe, a wooden steamer that sank in Lake Tahoe in 1940, has been reached by a Reno dive team. On their first dive, Brian Morris and Martin Mclellan reached the wreck 370 feet down but only had 5 minutes to spend on the wreck due to the extreme depth and high altitude of Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe lies at 6,229 above sea level. A 370-foot dive at this altitude in fresh water is equal to about a 475-foot dive in the ocean. Trimix breathing gas was used and long decompression was required.
Two subsequent dives have been made, the latest to nearly 400 feet reaching the level of the wreck smokestack. More dives are planned. The wood wreck is remarkably well preserved in the lake’s frigid 39-degree fresh- water. Photos of the wreck can be seen on the team’s website at http://www.diverssupport.com/sstahoe.htm.
Reaching the Tahoe took the team 3 1/2 years of training and planning. The team wishes to find and explore additional wrecks on Lake Tahoe’s bottom, including the SS Nevada, Meteor, and Marian B. These wrecks, however, will require deep water technology and cannot be reached by divers.
The project is headed under the name of New Millennium Dive Expeditions. They are a non-profit organization fully recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 corporation. They are available for speaking to large groups and accept donations to the project. For more information, visit their website at http://www.diverssupport.com/sstahoe.htm or call 775-824-7060.
U.S. Navy Mark V Helmet Raffle
The Historical Diving Society is raffling an original U.S Navy Mark V helmet for its 2002 Fund Raiser. The helmet is functional and comes tin coated with polished brass fittings. More photos of it can be seen at http://www.hds.org.
The helmet is valued at $5,000. The drawing is on October 26 in Las Vegas. Winners need not be present to win. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20 and available from HDS-USA, 2022 Cliff Drive #405, Santa Barbara, CA 93109, telephone 805-692-0072.
Cleanup of SS Jacob Luckenbach Going Slowly
Efforts to cleanup the SS Jacob Luckenbach are behind schedule and over budget. The Luckenbach sunk in 175 feet of water off the Golden Gate in 1953, and oil leaking from the wreck has been killing sea birds. A late storm and a corroding hull are making the job harder than expected. So far, the cleanup has cost $6 million, nearly twice the amount awarded in a contract to Titan Maritime. Meanwhile, oil continues to seep from the wreckage, and dead and injured birds continue to wash ashore on San Mateo County beaches.
Study Links Cats to Otter Deaths
In recent years, wildlife veterinarians have become concerned about the increasing number of southern sea otters dying in California, whose population is down 10 percent from seven years ago. Two species of protozoa, Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona, have been identified as important causes of fatal brain infections in these otters. Cats are the only animals known to shed oocysts, which are the tough, environmentally resistant eggs of Toxoplasma parasites, in their feces. Scientists believe fresh water runoff is carrying cat feces into the ocean, and infecting the otters.
