OUTDOORS : Outdoor Notes / Pete Thomas : Two Groups Add Support to Bill to Ban Gill Nets Near Shore

Assemblywoman Doris Allen, an opponent of gill net use by commercial fishermen in Southern California waters, has received the support of the San Diego Marine Trade Assn. and the Sportfishing Assn. of California.

Assembly Bill 1, authored by Allen (R-Cypress), would eliminate most gill nets in near-shore areas off Southern California and establish a Marine Resources Protection Zone within three miles of the coastline from Point Arguello to the Mexican border and 420 feet around the Channel Islands.

The bill was heard in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee last April and held over for an interim hearing scheduled for this fall.

SAC president Bob Fletcher, a former Department of Fish and Game director, had previously declined to support Allen’s efforts to eliminate gill nets, referred to by sportfishing interests as “death nets,” because “the bill didn’t take into account the importance to sport fishermen of the offshore rockfish resource--a resource that is being hard hit by gill netting.”

Fletcher said his organization changed its position to lend its support and resources “after winning assurances (from Allen) that the growing gill net fishing pressure on offshore rockfish populations would be addressed in future legislation.”

Fletcher said he originally chose to remain neutral on the issue because he feared that if near-shore areas of the coast were protected--by AB 1--from gill nets, the result would be increased fishing pressure on the offshore grounds inhabited by rockfish.

“The significance of these two major associations joining in support of my bill should send a message to the legislators in Sacramento that their constituency back home whose jobs and futures depend upon the protection of our ocean resources are watching their actions very carefully,” Allen said.

SAC consists of 200 charter boats operating from 24 landings from Morro Bay to the Mexican border. The SDMTA is made up of about 200 fishing-related industries that rely directly or indirectly on California’s marine resources for their livelihood.

With their support, Allen said, “the chances of getting AB 1 through the Legislature have improved.”

The San Diego long-range fishing fleet has come up empty so far in its attempts to locate albacore tuna, and despite earlier reports of improved conditions in comparison with previous seasons, it appears that the city’s landings are once again headed for hard times.

The American Angler, which late last month made a three-day exploratory run after hearing reports of a large school of albacore about 500 miles off the coast, returned empty-handed.

Now the Searcher, based at Fisherman’s Landing, on July 12 will make a four-day run “to areas where we have caught them in the past,” owner-operator Art Taylor said.

With the lack of commercial fishing effort for albacore in the waters off Southern California--most boats have moved on to more productive waters--such exploratory runs appear to be the only means of locating the fish that the fleet counts on to pay its bills.

“We’re going to lose money on the deal,” Taylor said. “But hopefully we’ll stumble across them . . . and save our season.”

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the highest concentrations of albacore should be in the waters off Northern California and the Pacific North-

west, with the fish arriving later this month. The monthly albacore bulletin put out by the service calls for another year of low availability of albacore off southern and central California, but predicts “an improvement over last year for sportfishing in the Southern California Bight.”

Baja fishing: The water off Cabo San Lucas has been green and cold, between 66 and 70 degrees and, according to Didier Van Der Veecken of the Solmar Hotel, boats have had to travel 12 miles to find more productive blue water, where dorado to 50 pounds, striped marlin and an occasional wahoo are being caught. One California resident, fishing aboard the Chubasco, caught an 88-pound wahoo. Strong winds haven’t helped matters.

East Cape region: Abundant baitfish in the water is making for slow marlin fishing, but some boats are averaging two stripers a day. Blue marlin still absent. Chuy Valdez of the Hotel SPA Buena Vista says dorado are providing most action with one caught last week weighing 65 pounds. Most are in the 30-pound class, and boats are taking about three fish a day. Fishing for roosterfish has slowed, with most showing near La Ribera. Wahoo and sailfish just beginning to show. Water temperature is about 80 degrees.

Bahia de los Angeles: Yellowtail averaging between eight and 12 pounds, with an occasional fish to 20 pounds, are biting off Punta Piojo and in channel between Smith Island and peninsula. Early mornings a must. Gringa Point productive in evenings, mostly for small yellowtail. Cabrilla and barracuda abundant around the local islands.

An occasional giant sea bass is being taken at the south end of Isla Angel de la Guardia, with guide Rafael Cuevas in the most demand. Cuevas has caught 26 since last October with the smallest weighing about 150 pounds. The biggest was a 378-pounder caught last May by Woodland Hills resident Brian Wallace.

Water temperature has reached 76 degrees.

Calendar

Don Bullock’s Gun/Knife & Collectors Show, July 8-9, Los Angeles County Fair Grounds in Pomona; The American Boating Jubilee ‘89, July 21-30, at Shoreline Village Marina in Long Beach.