THE OUTDOORS : Outdoor Notes / Pete Thomas : Full Fields Expected for 2 Halibut Derbies

California halibut are beginning to spawn in Santa Monica Bay, so a lot of fishermen will be signing up for two major tournaments in the next two months.

What this means is added fishing pressure, although nothing that warrants concern, according to marine biologist Steve Crooke. Nevertheless, the growing popularity of the annual events has officials of the original halibut derby taking a conservation approach to this year’s event. The other is open to anyone interested.

Carl Lambert, chairman of the 15th annual Marina del Rey Halibut Derby, scheduled March 18-19, said this year’s event will be limited to 1,200 participants and the format will be designed to lessen the strain on the species.

“We will only weigh in the heaviest fish,” he said. “And we encourage people to let those (that are smaller than previously caught halibut) go.”

The Santa Monica Bay Halibut Derby, on the other hand, awards prizes for the top three fish, and raffle tickets for each legal halibut--22 inches or longer--caught. Tournament officials are expecting more than 2,200 fishermen April 1-2.

“The problem is that they are encouraging people to kill fish,” Lambert said of the Santa Monica contest. “Nobody is going to let a 23-inch fish go. If they do, they might lose a prize.”

John Borget, chairman of the April event, disputed that, saying that rod-and-reel fishermen can’t impact the fishery, and pointed out that his tournament has donated about $24,000 to the Department of Fish and Game’s halibut hatchery project in the last three years.

Said Crooke: “There might be some extra pressure, and more hooking fatalities (among released fish) than normal, but I think the size limit adequately protects the resource.”

Proceeds from both tournaments will go to charities and conservation groups, and each will award $25,000 in cash and prizes to participants. Applications are available at most tackle stores.

Meanwhile, planning is under way for a multi-species tournament in Santa Monica Bay this June, with the objective of saving the bay from further pollution.

Tournament organizer Tom Woods said that more than 16 fishing clubs--with membership ranging from 20 to 80 members--have already signed up for the event, and proceeds will go directly to the conservation group, Heal the Bay.

“Everybody gets disgusted with all the plastic and other pollution in the bay,” Woods said. “Either we confront the problem or we’ll be driven out. Maybe this will put some pressure on City Hall to do something about the problem.”

California deer hunting in 1988 was down from the previous year, both in the number of deer killed and the number of hunters in the field, the DFG said.

Last year, 260,755 deer tags were sold and hunters killed 25,039 deer for a success rate slightly less than 10%.

In 1987, 277,116 tags were sold and hunters shot 25,864 deer.

The number of deer taken legally by hunters has dropped each year since 1984, when 32,190 deer were killed, but DFG officials said the success rate has remained fairly constant at about 10%.

In June of 1974, Jack Harrington made fishing history when he became the first rod-and-reel fisherman to catch a blue marlin weighing more than 1,000 pounds in the Atlantic Ocean.

The International Game Fish Assn. reports that in 1988, Atlantic fishermen caught four 1,000-pound marlin.

The fourth of the “granders,” was taken in the waters off St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, aboard Capt. Bob Kiley’s Lethal Weapon. Kiley was attempting to boat his 100th marlin of the year when the 1,004-pound fish struck--and was successfully landed--last Oct. 3.

Faced with growing environmental problems caused by discarded plastic, researchers at a Japanese government laboratory have reportedly succeeded in making biodegradable “plastic” from shellfish.

The International Game Fish Assn. says that Japan’s Ministry of Trade and Industry will soon launch a $70-million biotechnology project this year to cope with “the scourge of plastic waste.”

Commercial fishermen have added a new weapon to their technological arsenal: a radar system that enables them to detect birds--and differentiate birds from rain--from as far away as 20 miles.

According to Hookup, a saltwater fishing publication, some captains attribute up to 30% of their catches to the new equipment. Birds generally congregate near schooling fish.

Briefly

Classes in offshore and big game fishing, taught by Al Zapanta, are being held on Tuesday nights at East L.A. College. For information call (213) 265-8793. . . . Richard Phillips will kick off the spring series of “San Diego and the Sea” seminars by discussing the history of San Diego’s bays and lagoons tonight at 7 in room 204 at the University of San Diego’s Serra Hall. . . . Flyfishing: Sierra Pacific Flyfishers is offering, free, a one-month course in flycasting and basic flyfishing with registration scheduled for and March 4 at 9 a.m. at Reseda Park in Reseda; the San Gabriel Flyfishers will give a fly-tying demonstration Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Legg Lakes-Whittier Narrows Visitor’s Center in El Monte as an introduction to the group’s Tuesday fly tying classes, which begin March 14.