Waterpup

Posts Tagged ‘Fishing’

This is from Tommy AKA M/V Santa Rosa from BloodyDecks. He’s seen a lot, knows a lot and experienced it all.

With the way they schedule the MLPA meetings they intentionally make it hard for many of us to show up and show support of voice our concerns. However Tommy thought of a way that all boat owners and fishermen can show support on any given day.

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In the 70s San Diego had the AMERICAN TUNA FLEET, which at that time was the biggest and best in the world. San Diego was home port to over 275 seiners and was also home base for the largest tuna vessels in the world.

During this time, news got out about the killing of dolphins while fishing tuna. Now the American fleet killed about 1 out of 100 trapped inside the net.

The American fleet were the only guys that would jump into the net, full of tuna, and sharks and save what we could. Ever taken a 80 pound tuna in the chest at 40 MPH? It leaves a mark, trust me.

Okay, well we fought and wrote letters and the American tunaboat assc went to Washington for us, and still the people protested against canned tuna.

Right up to the time when then Gov Gerry Brown started to pay attention, and the american fleet all 275 plus vessels came into San Diego bay, all by name A thru Z, and blocked the bay.

Things changed for the American tuna fishermen, now, yes about 20 years later we lost, but that was because the canneries all left..so can it be done? you bet it can, the question is not if it can be done, or when it can be done, the question is do we as anglers has the nuts to get it done?

Just think if every angler around just hooked up his/her vessel and towed it around town for a week, with protest signs hanging from it, No big rally, no big traffic jam up, just all over the city trailer boats with protest signs on it… You got rod holders don’t ya,, well, stick a sign it that and drive it around town…..easy pezzie nice and easy like right?

As I read through more of that thread I have to suggest you read it too.  Protest Against MLPA

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Thanks to ZenSpearo over at BloodyDecks.com

There is a general feeling that it’s more important to show up at meetings personally than to attend the webinars and call in for public comments or write your comments.

NOT SO.

They are all important venues for the public to communicate with the MLPA people. I know that this process has not been public-friendly (more from being a clusterf&ck and incompetence than from design–I speak as someone who runs his own business for over 10 years). The law was passed in 1999, and after doing the Cencal process, so many months with the SoCal process, you figure they’d have it straighten out (it’s less than 48 hours to the SAT May 5th meeting and they still haven’t posted the materials to review. Most public members work full time tomorrow–when can we have time to review the science materials? And of course there are no hints as to how long you can speak, how you can cede time or even you can cede time, etc.).

But hang in there guys. It’s our right to speak up, and we need to or they will simply say after the fact “how come you didn’t say anything when the process was underway?” We consumptives and small groups like kayak fishermen in particular need to be informed and our voices need to be heard loud and clear or we’ll be swept under the rug.

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Tuesday, May 5, 2009
9:30 a.m.
via teleconference and online meeting
Toll free phone number: 800.697.5978
Pass code: 8527564
Presentations via GoToMeeting. Reserve your reservation now at

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/411343984

Public Participation: Members of the public are invited to participate in the meeting using the toll-free phone number and to watch presentations via the GoToMeeting webinar, or may join staff at one of the offices listed above. In addition, the meeting is being simultaneously webcast for viewing only; see the MLPA website (California Department of Fish & Game, Marine Life Protection Act Initiative) for more information.

Public comment: The public will be invited by the co-chairs to offer comments on agenda action items. General comments on the work of the MLPA Master Plan Science Advisory Team (SAT), not directed to specific agenda items, will be taken after lunch at approximately 1:00 p.m. Note that the general comment period is for public comment specific to the SAT; comments related to the regional stakeholder group, Blue Ribbon Task Force or other MLPA Initiative activities should be directed to those bodies or MLPA staff.

Meeting materials will be posted to this page as soon as they are available.

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Friday, May 8, 2009
12:00 p.m.
via teleconference call and webinar
Toll free phone number: 800.697.5978
Pass code: 5499680
Presentations via GoToMeeting. Reserve your reservation now at

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/389320216

Members of the public are invited to attend the meeting in person or view and listen to the meeting via simultaneous webcasting on the Internet, and may view an archived version approximately two days after the meeting. Please visit the MLPA website at California Department of Fish & Game, Marine Life Protection Act Initiative for more information. Meeting materials will not be provided at the meeting but will be posted to the MLPA website as soon as they become available.

Public Participation: The public will be invited to offer comments on the work of the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF) at approximately 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2009. Note that the public comment period is for comments specific to the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force; comments related to other MLPA Initiative activities or groups should be directed to those bodies or MLPA staff.

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What can you speak about?

1) For SAT: The science is the grading criteria. Others may chime in regarding specific issues with the science but issues regarding kelp, water quality, habitat representation, spacing, etc., are all fair issues to discuss.

2) For BRTF: Socio-economic issues regarding specific closures. By socio-economic issues, we are talking about how a closure will affect your usage, your business, the general business of marinas, tackleshops, tourism. Address issues regarding process as well (what you observe to be good/wrong about this process).

General suggestion: Be courteous. You don’t have to be perfect. Speak from what you know/see/believe. Don’t insult and don’t make it personal.

We need a huge turnout of consumptives to ensure that we make our concerns known. Remember that those who cower and stay silent usually have their rights trampled.

This is a very easy meeting to make. You can work and have a window open on your computer to hear the meeting in the background. No travel involved. You can write your speech in advance and just read it (my strong recommendation–don’t try to wing it. Read it from a prepared statement works very well for those who are not used to public speaking).

There are no excuses for not dialing in and speak your alloted minute. Don’t fall short on the easy ones by skipping these equally important meetings. If you work anywhere near a desk or a phone on Tuesday May 5th or Friday May 8th, you need to sign up and tune in and speak out for your area!

P.S. I’m a spearo and we are organizing spearos to attend and speak. They told me not to bother with BD since BD’ers are all talk, no action but I don’t believe it. Let’s have 100 BD’ers showing up on the phone and speak for your fishing rights. Let’s do it guys.

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Kelp Paddy Pic by Mo Betta From Bloody Decks Fish Boiling on Kelp Paddy

With summer approaching here in Southern California, fishermen are beginning to prepare their boats for the fishing season. During the summer and fall seasons many Southern California fishermen participate in what we call “Paddy Hopping”. Basically, anglers go out and look for kelp paddies floating in the ocean. The reason for looking for the paddies is they hold bait,? where there is bait, there is fish. Well…….Hopefully.

Among the most commonly targeted fish are typically Tuna, Yellowtail and Dorado (AKA Mahi Mahi). In Southern California and Baja Mexico, these are very highly sought after game fish. When the word gets out that they’re biting every yahoo that owns a boat heads out for the hunt and paddy hopping is easy to do.

With that said, I thought I’d post up some “Do’s” and “Don’ts” or Paddy Etiquette. No one person owns the ocean, or the paddy you see, but yes there is etiquette that should be followed.

Say you’re out and it’s been a long day of burning fuel looking but finding nothing, then you see a boat that appears to be stopped on a “Barn Door”. You could just run right up to it and drop a line but that would be bad. Very bad. If there are fish there, the sound of the engine and splash from the boat will cause the fish to dive out and the bite to shut down. If the boat that was there before you was catching fish you effectively kill the bite for them. This in turn makes them angry and you make no friends and even worse, you catch no fish.

The first thing you should do is keep your distance and observe through binoculars if any fish are being caught by the other boat. Also look for signs of life such as fish boiling on bait around the kelp paddy. If tuna or yellowtail are biting you will see them splashing around, You may even want to look outside of the paddy. Many times dorado are well off the kelp paddy and beacuse of their speed grabbing a meal is not hard for them .

Next try to hail the other vessel on the radio, or try to get someone’s attention in all likelihood they will motion

Yellowtail Boil by MikeyLikesIt

you?on in. I’ve never had anyone flag me away after showing an act of courtesy such as this on the water. If you can’t get anyone’s attention make a decision based upon your observation of life around the paddy, not based on “”it’s a paddy, I’m going in”.

If you do decide to slide in, do so slowly, throttled down at near idle and upwind of the kelp paddy. Set up? so you drift near that kelp paddy at a good casting distance from it. This way if you were hook up, the fish won’t instantly wrap your line around the kelp and break you off. Also if you drift directly over the kelp you may scare the fish off. It may be a good idea to fish the other side of the paddy opposite the other vessel. Just common courtesy.

If you pull up to a paddy and there are boats sitting right on top of the paddy, try fishing well outside of it. Again not runing and gunning around it. Slowly idle around it or better yet drift. If there are any boats sitting right on or very close to it the fish will likely be outside of the kelp paddy or deep below it. Typically fish are never right under the paddy anyway. They’ll be all around and many times deep below it. If nothing is bting on the surface, tie a sinker on and try down deeper. Even tie a jig on and try to “Yoyo” the fish on. I’ve done and seen it happen more times than I can count. Boats on kelp paddies getting nothing and we’re outside hook’n up.

Here’s to a good 2009 fishing season in Southern California!

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