Outdoor Notes / Earl Gustkey : Great White Attacks on Marine Mammals Up

Department of Fish and Game biologists and wardens in the Monterey area are reporting a higher incidence of marine mammal deaths in recent months and attribute them to probable attacks by great white sharks.

Seven sea otters have been recovered in the last 2 1/2 months that had sustained fatal injuries “most probably” inflicted by great whites, the DFG said.

Marine mammals are the primary forage of great whites, which are known to take their prey in a distinct manner that biologists can identify. The DFG listed several recent incidents believed to have involved great white sharks in the Monterey area:

--March 18: A confirmed sea otter kill by a great white. Evidence: Shark tooth fragments.

--March 28: Two great whites were seen by Coast Guard crewmen feeding on a dead California gray whale.

--March 31: A DFG warden sighted a “very large fin,” identifying it as belonging to a “probable” great white shark.

The DFG has recently advised its divers to follow procedures aimed at minimizing the risk of shark encounters during diving operations.

Besides adopting a controversial mountain lion hunting proposal, the Fish and Game Commission has made several other major changes in California’s mammal hunting regulations for 1987-88.

Bighorn sheep will also go on the big-game hunting list, for the first time in more than a century. The commission authorized the taking of nine mature Nelson bighorn rams by hunters, all from the Kelso Peak-Old Dad Mountains area, and from the Marble Mountains, both Mojave Desert ranges.

Prospective bighorn hunters will participate in a drawing for eight $200 tags. The ninth will be auctioned off to the highest bidder--a sum that could exceed $100,000--with all funds going to California bighorn management programs.

A major change in deer hunt regulations is the splitting of Zone X9 into two zones, X9a and X9b, and a substantial reduction in the number of tags issued for both. The commission also authorized a DFG-requested, special November buck hunt in the Shasta Lake area.

Pronghorn antelope hunting regulations remain largely the same, except that buck and doe tag numbers increase, from 550 to 630, and from 135 to 150.

The lion hunt calls for a 79-day season beginning Oct. 10, with 190 permits at $75 each, and hunting in four zones, all in Central and Northern California.

A Montana taxidermist, desiring anonymity, will receive a $1,000 reward from the National Audubon Society for information that led to the conviction of a man who illegally killed a Montana grizzly bear.

The case stems from an investigation by Montana game wardens who were contacted by the taxidermist after a grizzly hide was presented to him for mounting.

After an investigation, William Frankhauser of Barron, Wis., was charged with two state game law violations and fined $1,400. Frankhauser said he mistook the grizzly for a black bear.

The DFG’s recent bighorn sheep census in the San Gabriel Mountains resulted in an estimate of 700 Nelson bighorns, unchanged from last year’s count.

Sherry Teresa, DFG wildlife biologist, described the does she observed in the two-day helicopter count as “fat, healthy and pregnant.”

Briefly A bill introduced in the state legislature would permit Californians 62 or older to fish in all lakes, rivers and streams without a fishing license. Senior citizens can now fish free from public piers. . . . Expecting a large Lake Mead turnout during the Easter vacation, Nevada law enforcement officials remind visiting Californians that Nevada boating laws differ in several respects from California regulations. . . . Big Bear Lake’s May Trout Classic will be held May 16-17. . . . Prominent sporting dog trainer Pat Callaghan will offer dog owners tips at the Budweiser Shooting and Hunting Sports Fair at Raahauge’s Pheasant Hunting Club in Corona May 15-17.