Darrell Ticehurst/Fisheries Issues
.jpg)
Salmon Season Now Set
Apr. 21 2010, 11:15 PM
Apr. 21 2010, 11:15 PM
Salmon Season Now Set
Well the tough two-meeting Pacific Fishery Management Council process finished last week and the salmon season is set, ending September 6. Fishing will be five-days-a-week South of Point Arena and a 24-inch size limit. North of Point Arena fishing will be open seven-days-a-week with a 24-inch size limit.
Well the tough two-meeting Pacific Fishery Management Council process finished last week and the salmon season is set, ending September 6. Fishing will be five-days-a-week South of Point Arena and a 24-inch size limit. North of Point Arena fishing will be open seven-days-a-week with a 24-inch size limit.
The two-meeting process is an awkward one, but this time it was a farce with California Fish and Game coming in with new ground rules after the Salmon Advisory Subpanel had spent hours hammering out a season based upon what F&G had said they wanted. They did this after the SAS meetings in Sacramento wasting most of the SAS efforts, and then did it again in Portland! They also blindsided the rest of us, coming out with a new position just hours before the final options were set. Many people had flown in and prepared remarks based upon CF&G guidelines and the published options only to have the rug pulled out from under them by the department. It wouldn’t have been so bad except that the department’s attitude toward the season was so arbitrary and seemed to reflect politics more than the science. I have said before, and I say it again, California Department of Fish and Game is the biggest problem that the recreational angler has to deal with. They are supposed to be on our side, protecting the resource, but fighting for a season when the science allows, yet they do neither. During all of the water pumping our salmon into the irrigation ditches we heard nothing from F&G. Then when the science says we can have a full salmon season they start finding reasons to not allow us to fish.
In addition to the loss of September, October and November this year, next year it is not clear that we will have a salmon season in April or maybe even in May. Why? Because F&G said that “it is better to open a season than to close it”, but that is political BS. If the April season is not declared open this year the technicalities of opening it next year are not in place and may not be able to be put in place at all. We have always operated with the opening being passed a year before it opens because of these PFMC technical issues, and there are procedures already in place to close it if there is a problem. But F&G arbitrarily decided that they wanted to avoid any potential political heat by having it already closed. Hmm, think they are just planning ahead on a closure? That way they don’t have to do anything if they don’t want to open it. That’s playing politics with our season, putting something in place so they can screw us without seeming to do anything. The old way worked quite well, but now there is no time or method in place to argue the science if they just decide to close it. We find out at the last minute what will happen instead of having the early part of the year to analyze. F&G reports to a Commission that has not shown it cares about recreational angling, and they report to Lester Snow, Secretary of Resources and a guy committed to the Big Ag water people. The Governor appointed him and the commission so we know where he stands. This administration and F&G are not our friends. They have forgotten the 23,000 jobs that depend upon a healthy fishery.
So fish for salmon this year, my friends, and enjoy it as much as you can. If this year is any indication then next year and thereafter we are not going to be able to depend upon F&G to work for us.
Jeff
April 22, 2010, 10:11 pm
Maybe we should form our own thing and not buy any license for hunting or fishing for one year. Maybe lack of funds would wake F&G up to whom they really work for. But how many people are willing to do that? Or nobody buys a license until the day before they go fishing. Somehow we need to show F&G who they work for.
April 22, 2010, 10:11 pm
Maybe we should form our own thing and not buy any license for hunting or fishing for one year. Maybe lack of funds would wake F&G up to whom they really work for. But how many people are willing to do that? Or nobody buys a license until the day before they go fishing. Somehow we need to show F&G who they work for.
Joe Blow
April 22, 2010, 10:42 am
All this is going to do is encourage poaching! I say scale back their budgets even more and thin out their staff! Poaching galore time! I will have some salmon and bear stew too!
Damm Ass F&G!
April 22, 2010, 10:42 am
All this is going to do is encourage poaching! I say scale back their budgets even more and thin out their staff! Poaching galore time! I will have some salmon and bear stew too!
Damm Ass F&G!
Post a Comment
All comments are moderated by the administrators.All fields are required.
April 23, 2010, 6:50 am
Politics is ruining the fishing in Cal.It's all about the water,I believe.When you get the big guns from F&G running with big ag. water,it presents BIG problems.I believe it will be a battle that will last for decades,but I don't think the fish have much of a chance in this if they turn the pumps back on.WAKE UP, F&G!!!!