Independence Day Celebration and DFG & the MLPA - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

kurtfish · 07-07-2010, 09:45 AM

My son came down with a cold last week but we committed to bringing fish to a 4th bbq so I headed up to Carlsbad with 20 pounds of White Sea Bass in a cooler on my own. I bbqed the bass dipped in olive oil and rolled in bread crumbs. Everyone loved the fish and I enjoyed sharing my story of bodysurfing Thursday afternoon and launching my kayak that evening into the surf at La Jolla Shores. I managed to catch only 4 squid before the sun set but I noticed a group of fish on my electronics screen at 9:30pm and cast a live squid out on a very light rod and reel. In the dark I landed a 46 pound Sea Bass by 9:45 pm after untangling a couple lines and pulling the fish off the bottom. Landing through the surf in the dark was a bit challenging as well.

I feel the incredible WSB Season we have all enjoyed in 2010 should be celebrated and shared with the DFG as part of the MLPA review process on July 23rd. Sharing fishing success was fronded upon by many folks on this forum during the initial public impute rounds of the MLPA environmental review process. Now that we are in the environmental impact process with the DFG I feel sharing the incredible success we have recently experienced and the significant impacts of the gillnet ban on the WSB population is important. I have not encountered any DFG agents checking at LJ this year. I was checked once at the Shores in 2009 but the awesome 2010 results may be going unnoticed by the DFG unless they have been anchored off Crystal Pier recently.

I feel suggesting that further regulations such as one fish per day all year or daily limits of 5 WSB per day for commerical fishermen within 6 miles of shore make more sense than massive area closures. I heard the commercial price of WSB is down to $1.50 a pound as the local market is so glutted currently with commercial guys bringing in 20-40 WSB per night recently. Commercial fishermen catching WSB on hook and line at the local kelpbeds seems to me to circumvent the success of the 6 mile gill-net ban. These issues could be discussed as part of the MLPA environmental impact reveiw process. If we are going to be relegated to fishing a much restricted area of our local kelpbeds than the commercial fishing pressure needs to be regulated further to reduce the impact of condensed fishing pressure.

Today, I received the following notice via e-mail today. Most recent MLPA notices have been related to the North Coast process so many of you following this process may have deleted this one as another Northern note. I believe we should submit notes and photos of the recent WSB run to show evidence of the tremendous impact current regualtions are having on the WSB population. Public comment is now being accepted on the preparation of Environmental Impact Report. Please share your thoughts.

MLPA E-mail from 6/7/2010:

The environmental review process has begun for the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) South Coast Study Region Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). On June 29, the California Fish and Game Commission and Department of Fish and Game (DFG) together issued a Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the project. This initiates the scoping phase, during which interested members of the public are invited to help identify the range of issues and type of information to be considered in the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) that will be prepared in the coming months.
There are currently five MPA proposals under consideration for the South Coast Study Region, which extends from Point Conception to the California border with Mexico. The proposals were developed with input from a regional stakeholder group, a science advisory team and a Blue Ribbon Task Force consisting of marine experts. The currently preferred proposal, the Integrated Preferred Alternative (IPA), was selected by the Blue Ribbon Task Force. The IPA is a hybrid of the other proposals. The DEIR will also look at three alternative proposals and the no action alternative or the status quo (the current South Coast Study Region MPAs with no suggested changes).
All five MPA proposals can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/southcoastipa.asp.
The DEIR will be prepared pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act and will analyze the five proposals. The NOP for the DEIR can be found on DFG's website at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/regulatorydocs_sc.asp.

Anyone wishing to provide written input on the scope of the analysis to be conducted and included in the DEIR for this project may send written comments by August 3, 2010 to:
MLPA SCSR DEIR
Department of Fish and Game
South Coast MLPA Office
4665 Lampson, Suite C
Los Alamitos, CA 92679
Comments may also be e-mailed to Thomas Napoli, Staff Environmental Scientist,at tnapoli@dfg.ca.gov.
Members of the public may also provide comments verbally at a public scoping meeting to be held in Long Beach on July 23. The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the following location:
Administration Building of the Port of Long Beach
925 Harbor Way, Sixth Floor
Long Beach, CA 90802
A map to the Port of Long Beach offices can be found at www.polb.com/facilities/maps/default.asp.
All comments submitted will be used to help prepare the DEIR, which is scheduled for completion in early August.
####
Note: This e-mail account is used to distribute information to the public. Do not reply to this e-mail. Direct questions or comments regarding the information contained in this e-mail to the California Department of Fish and Game staff listed as points of contact for this subject.

My son and I made the trip up to the LAX MLPA meeting last year and he still talks about speaking in front of 500 people and fighting the environmentalists to preserve our local fisihing rights. The shoving match between the fisherman and the bald tree hugger was pretty exciting as well.
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Size: 42.6 KB

Aaron · 07-07-2010, 11:16 AM

*Fixed

Great job. I am not yet a father, but that's the sort of stuff I am looking forward to. Not the fighting ridiculous legislation part, but the part about teaching my children values and a responsibility to do the right thing. Just fantastic.

Oolie · 07-07-2010, 02:59 PM

not to rag on you or anything, but while i think your ideas are fair, i don't think a good year of fishing represents the rebound of a population, it only shows that there are alot of fish that are easily being able to be taken.

it doesn't mean that the population has exploded.

yes i am an enviro, yes i am a fisherman, they are one and the same in most cases.

no i am not an extremist.

Nic D · 07-07-2010, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oolie

not to rag on you or anything, but while i think your ideas are fair, i don't think a good year of fishing represents the rebound of a population, it only shows that there are alot of fish that are easily being able to be taken.

it doesn't mean that the population has exploded.

yes i am an enviro, yes i am a fisherman, they are one and the same in most cases.

no i am not an extremist.

Hey Oolie, this is Kurt's thread. If you want to open a discussion in another thread, have at it brotha. Lets not thread jack each other.

-nic

Oolie · 07-07-2010, 03:23 PM

my apologies if i came off that way.

robmandel · 07-07-2010, 07:54 PM

Kurt, I hear ya. However, we pushed management but the BRTF and MLPAI was specifically tasked with closures. So it didn't matter. PAL can give you more and better details but I know he's burnt and probably doesn't want to rehash all that again. I don't blame him either, after all he did.

Yes, management is THE way to go, but it isn't what it was all about. It was a corrupt process from the beginning and it was done precisely to get closures. sound practices were never a consideration. For one, all fishing, recreational AND commercial were lumped together. new criteria were created and imposed, science was completely ignored (for instance the actual (in)effectiveness of MPA's), and the outcome was basically a done deal from the start.

right now we have the scoping hearings (which I'm not sure what they do) an a pending lawsuit. plus the whole funding issue, Sen. Dutton has been hitting that one big.

cowboybill · 07-08-2010, 09:55 AM

Hey Kurtfish, I think you have logical points, but I am not sure if logic ever really was on the table with the MLPA guys....

If there is a viable meeting, I will do my best to be there...

Give your son a big Hi five (or whatever they do nowdays!) for getting up and speaking before a crowd for what he believes in!!....and you for raising him that way!

Reading Robmandels post reminded me of fighting The Desert Protection act back in the 80s....

You come to realize you are not fighting on a level field, and the umps are in the pockets of the other team....Hard to keep up the good fight...

The whole global warming fight is like this on a Macro scale....

Cowboybill

THE DARKHORSE · 07-08-2010, 01:36 PM

[
"You come to realize you are not fighting on a level field, and the umps are in the pockets of the other team....Hard to keep up the good fight..."

[/QUOTE]

You got that right!

The good fight left a bitter taste in my mouth---that's for sure. And since I've had an up close, opportunity (I'm blessed) to watch the fishing get better each year---it should be obvious that the numbers of fish have been improving each year (since the gill-net ban). Regardless of Pelagic migration, and varying numbers of fish from season to season---the ban on gill-nets was the biggest hurdle of our lifetime (until this propaganda driven, complete B.S. otherwise known as the MLPA). You'd think it would be hard to argue this point, but some people just like to argue---apparently, even when they know they're wrong!

And it makes perfect sense---close all the best fishing spots to recreational anglers while the stock numbers of fish go through the roof--- Brilliant!

07-07-2010, 09:45 AM	#1
kurtfish Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: I work in the little Village of La Jolla Posts: 139	Independence Day Celebration and DFG & the MLPA My son came down with a cold last week but we committed to bringing fish to a 4th bbq so I headed up to Carlsbad with 20 pounds of White Sea Bass in a cooler on my own. I bbqed the bass dipped in olive oil and rolled in bread crumbs. Everyone loved the fish and I enjoyed sharing my story of bodysurfing Thursday afternoon and launching my kayak that evening into the surf at La Jolla Shores. I managed to catch only 4 squid before the sun set but I noticed a group of fish on my electronics screen at 9:30pm and cast a live squid out on a very light rod and reel. In the dark I landed a 46 pound Sea Bass by 9:45 pm after untangling a couple lines and pulling the fish off the bottom. Landing through the surf in the dark was a bit challenging as well. I feel the incredible WSB Season we have all enjoyed in 2010 should be celebrated and shared with the DFG as part of the MLPA review process on July 23rd. Sharing fishing success was fronded upon by many folks on this forum during the initial public impute rounds of the MLPA environmental review process. Now that we are in the environmental impact process with the DFG I feel sharing the incredible success we have recently experienced and the significant impacts of the gillnet ban on the WSB population is important. I have not encountered any DFG agents checking at LJ this year. I was checked once at the Shores in 2009 but the awesome 2010 results may be going unnoticed by the DFG unless they have been anchored off Crystal Pier recently. I feel suggesting that further regulations such as one fish per day all year or daily limits of 5 WSB per day for commerical fishermen within 6 miles of shore make more sense than massive area closures. I heard the commercial price of WSB is down to $1.50 a pound as the local market is so glutted currently with commercial guys bringing in 20-40 WSB per night recently. Commercial fishermen catching WSB on hook and line at the local kelpbeds seems to me to circumvent the success of the 6 mile gill-net ban. These issues could be discussed as part of the MLPA environmental impact reveiw process. If we are going to be relegated to fishing a much restricted area of our local kelpbeds than the commercial fishing pressure needs to be regulated further to reduce the impact of condensed fishing pressure. Today, I received the following notice via e-mail today. Most recent MLPA notices have been related to the North Coast process so many of you following this process may have deleted this one as another Northern note. I believe we should submit notes and photos of the recent WSB run to show evidence of the tremendous impact current regualtions are having on the WSB population. Public comment is now being accepted on the preparation of Environmental Impact Report. Please share your thoughts. MLPA E-mail from 6/7/2010: The environmental review process has begun for the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) South Coast Study Region Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). On June 29, the California Fish and Game Commission and Department of Fish and Game (DFG) together issued a Notice of Preparation (NOP) for the project. This initiates the scoping phase, during which interested members of the public are invited to help identify the range of issues and type of information to be considered in the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) that will be prepared in the coming months. There are currently five MPA proposals under consideration for the South Coast Study Region, which extends from Point Conception to the California border with Mexico. The proposals were developed with input from a regional stakeholder group, a science advisory team and a Blue Ribbon Task Force consisting of marine experts. The currently preferred proposal, the Integrated Preferred Alternative (IPA), was selected by the Blue Ribbon Task Force. The IPA is a hybrid of the other proposals. The DEIR will also look at three alternative proposals and the no action alternative or the status quo (the current South Coast Study Region MPAs with no suggested changes). All five MPA proposals can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/southcoastipa.asp. The DEIR will be prepared pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act and will analyze the five proposals. The NOP for the DEIR can be found on DFG's website at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/regulatorydocs_sc.asp. Anyone wishing to provide written input on the scope of the analysis to be conducted and included in the DEIR for this project may send written comments by August 3, 2010 to: MLPA SCSR DEIR Department of Fish and Game South Coast MLPA Office 4665 Lampson, Suite C Los Alamitos, CA 92679 Comments may also be e-mailed to Thomas Napoli, Staff Environmental Scientist,at tnapoli@dfg.ca.gov. Members of the public may also provide comments verbally at a public scoping meeting to be held in Long Beach on July 23. The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the following location: Administration Building of the Port of Long Beach 925 Harbor Way, Sixth Floor Long Beach, CA 90802 A map to the Port of Long Beach offices can be found at www.polb.com/facilities/maps/default.asp. All comments submitted will be used to help prepare the DEIR, which is scheduled for completion in early August. #### Note: This e-mail account is used to distribute information to the public. Do not reply to this e-mail. Direct questions or comments regarding the information contained in this e-mail to the California Department of Fish and Game staff listed as points of contact for this subject. My son and I made the trip up to the LAX MLPA meeting last year and he still talks about speaking in front of 500 people and fighting the environmentalists to preserve our local fisihing rights. The shoving match between the fisherman and the bald tree hugger was pretty exciting as well. Last edited by kurtfish; 07-07-2010 at 10:49 AM.

07-08-2010, 09:55 AM	#7
cowboybill Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Santee, CA Posts: 103	Nice suit! Hey Kurtfish, I think you have logical points, but I am not sure if logic ever really was on the table with the MLPA guys.... If there is a viable meeting, I will do my best to be there... Give your son a big Hi five (or whatever they do nowdays!) for getting up and speaking before a crowd for what he believes in!!....and you for raising him that way! Reading Robmandels post reminded me of fighting The Desert Protection act back in the 80s.... You come to realize you are not fighting on a level field, and the umps are in the pockets of the other team....Hard to keep up the good fight... The whole global warming fight is like this on a Macro scale.... Cowboybill

07-08-2010, 01:36 PM	#8
THE DARKHORSE Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Seven minutes from the launch! Posts: 987	[ "You come to realize you are not fighting on a level field, and the umps are in the pockets of the other team....Hard to keep up the good fight..." [/QUOTE] You got that right! The good fight left a bitter taste in my mouth---that's for sure. And since I've had an up close, opportunity (I'm blessed) to watch the fishing get better each year---it should be obvious that the numbers of fish have been improving each year (since the gill-net ban). Regardless of Pelagic migration, and varying numbers of fish from season to season---the ban on gill-nets was the biggest hurdle of our lifetime (until this propaganda driven, complete B.S. otherwise known as the MLPA). You'd think it would be hard to argue this point, but some people just like to argue---apparently, even when they know they're wrong! And it makes perfect sense---close all the best fishing spots to recreational anglers while the stock numbers of fish go through the roof--- Brilliant! __________________

07-07-2010, 11:16 AM	#2
Aaron Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 175	*Fixed Great job. I am not yet a father, but that's the sort of stuff I am looking forward to. Not the fighting ridiculous legislation part, but the part about teaching my children values and a responsibility to do the right thing. Just fantastic.

07-07-2010, 07:54 PM	#6
robmandel Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 186	Kurt, I hear ya. However, we pushed management but the BRTF and MLPAI was specifically tasked with closures. So it didn't matter. PAL can give you more and better details but I know he's burnt and probably doesn't want to rehash all that again. I don't blame him either, after all he did. Yes, management is THE way to go, but it isn't what it was all about. It was a corrupt process from the beginning and it was done precisely to get closures. sound practices were never a consideration. For one, all fishing, recreational AND commercial were lumped together. new criteria were created and imposed, science was completely ignored (for instance the actual (in)effectiveness of MPA's), and the outcome was basically a done deal from the start. right now we have the scoping hearings (which I'm not sure what they do) an a pending lawsuit. plus the whole funding issue, Sen. Dutton has been hitting that one big.