The DFG Commission met yesterday in lovely HOT Bakersfield...I was at the meeting to make a couple of statements along with Wayne Kotow and Wendy Tochihara from the CCA CAL.
The Department and the Lobster Advisory Committee have been working on a Fishery Management Plan and a regulatory package since 2012.
The regulatory package was voted on and adopted by the Commission yesterday and will go into effect in the 2017-18 lobster season. Both the Department and the Commission stated they are prepared to make changes in these Regs through their "Adaptive Management" practices if they don't seem to be working out.
The Commercial trappers will get a long-overdue 300 trap limit. They will be allowed to soak their traps for as long as 7 days as opposed to the shorter time frame now allowed. There are a few other changes to the Commercial Regs that are small and I won't go into.
There was a lot of discussion about the actual number of traps that they can actually put in the water and how many tags and traps they should hold back for eventual trap loss during the season. It seemed unfair to reveal this until the adoption hearing so the Commercial guys really raised a fuss over these numbers...I hope the Department works this out for the Commercials.
As far as the Recreational Consumptive users...we did pretty good in these negotiations...
1. We will see new regs on legibly marking our floats with our DFW GO#.
2. The Recreational opener will be changed from a midnight opening time to a 6am time on Saturday morning.
3. Lobsters will be able to be measured by hoop netters above water on the vessel then the shorts must be immediately returned to the water.
4. Divers will be able to carry a spear-gun while looking for lobsters...the spear my be used only to capture legal fin-fish.
The regulation on the marking of a sport caught lobster by hole punching or cutting the tail will not be used as there was much concern by the Commercial guys on sabotage by the Recreationals of short lobsters with a hole punch (thereby keeping the Commercials from capturing them for at least 2 molts). The wording on this Reg is complex and the Department decided to recommend that the Commission discard this proposed Reg.
This was a pretty big Reg package and there was some confusion on the reg numbers during the motion to adopt them...so I really need to go over the package in a few days...but overall I think we did well in this process and we didn't lose any of our hooping or diving rights.
During the public statements "Heal the Bay" once again brought up the fact that they thought the Recreational sector should have given up more during the LAC meetings..specifically a seasonal limit. Wayne from CCA reminded them in his statement that we already have a POSSESSION LIMIT of 7 lobsters and we already have a GEAR LIMIT of 5 or 10 nets maximum on a vessel. The Commercial Trappers have neither a gear or lobster quota at this time so any more restrictions on us would be unfair!
I'll repeat my stand on the seasonal limit since I represent the Recreational Community at most of the LAC or DFG meetings...I do not have a problem with a properly established Seasonal Limit...the problem is getting to a number that we feel is fair while working with the extreme Ecos and the Commercial Trappers.
You can bitch and moan all you want (it's a little late for that, but I know some guys live under a rock and usually wait till it's over to complain)..but the Regs are now adopted and will go into effect in the 2017-18 season.