THE OUTDOORS : Outdoor Notes / Pete Thomas : Bluefin Tuna Within Reach of San Diego Boats

Albacore may not be cooperating fully with fishermen aboard San Diego’s huge fleet of sportfishers, but the bite is improving and schools of large bluefin tuna have moved into waters reachable by the overnight boats.

Two weeks ago, the Pronto brought in the season’s first bigeye tuna--three fish at 85 pounds apiece--and since then the bluefins have become the primary attraction, with many in the 40- to 50-pound class.

Fishermen aboard the Pacific Dawn on Sunday caught 13 bluefin tuna and could have done better, according to owner-operator John Shull, who said the normally finicky tuna made short work of the boat’s supply of sardines largely because the 13 fishermen aboard had not brought heavy enough tackle.

Other skippers apparently had the same trouble, some claiming more than a hundred hookups, resulting in just a few fish.

Overall, 304 bluefins were caught Sunday by fishermen aboard 23 boats, according to a spokeswoman for San Diego’s three primary landings. On Monday only 102 bluefin tuna were landed.

But the 186 albacore caught amounted to the season’s biggest haul of the highly sought tuna. The albacore--primarily in the six- to eight-pound range--and bluefin tuna were caught between 60 and 100 miles south of Point Loma.

Scattered catches of yellowfin and bigeye tuna, as well as a good showing of dorado and yellowtail, primarily under floating kelp paddies, also has helped to turn around what had been an extremely poor season.

Meanwhile, albacore have yet to show in any concentrations in the coastal waters off central California. Commercial boats have been catching some fish 150 to 200 miles off Point Conception and farther north, off Ft. Bragg, there were reports of a school about 80 miles off the coast but strong winds have been keeping the effort down.

Striped marlin fishing off Southern California is still going strong, though things have slowed somewhat after a busy week.

The striper count at Avalon is up to 89, according to weighmaster Rosie Cadman, who said the water and the bite both have cooled somewhat after the weekend. Cadman hoisted 10 marlin onto the scales last Wednesday and between four and five fish a day through Sunday.

The Balboa Angling Club, meanwhile has recorded 94 marlin, including three Saturday and eight Sunday; and the San Diego Marlin Club count stands at 80, including 16 fish caught over the weekend.

An estimated 200,000 warm-water fish died last week because of emergency action to repair the Los Angeles Aqueduct after heavy flooding in the Lower Owens Valley.

The estimate was made by Dr. David Groeneveld, an ecologist with the Inyo County Water Department. A colleague, Thad Taylor, described it as “a complete kill.”

Water above the blocked and damaged section near Olancha was diverted into the Lower Owens River through the Alabama Gates and at Diaz Lake north and south of Lone Pine, respectively. The surge brought tons of organic debris that drained the oxygen from the river, which normally has a minimal flow through a series of still-water ponds.

Warden Pat McLernan of the Department of Fish and Game reported largemouth bass, bluegill, carp, frogs, crawfish and bullheads “floating and littering the banks.”

The area is fished almost exclusively by local residents, but it is the site of the planned Lower Owens River Project, which would divert aqueduct water regularly through the 25-mile plain to enlarge and restore it as a warm-water fishery and wetlands habitat. The water would be pumped back into the aqueduct just north of dry Owens Lake.

Supporters of the project say it would prevent a future, similar occurrence.

“If that river had had adequate water in it, this wouldn’t have happened,” said Phil Pister, a DFG fisheries biologist. “This accumulation of debris would not have occurred.”

But, under the circumstances, Pister added, “It was an unavoidable thing . . . the only reasonable thing that could be done by the city. The best answer is to keep water in there all the time.”

Briefly

Robert Levi’s 36-pound thresher shark, caught last April in the Santa Monica Bay, has been approved by the International Game Fish Assn. as a world record in the four-pound test line category. . . . The Bonita-based Mexico West Travel Club is offering, free, a four-page informational sheet entitled “45 Most Commonly Asked Questions About Baja California,” which can be ordered by phoning (619) 585-3033. . . . Mike Mathiot, Quail Unlimited’s western regional director, will conduct a seminar on quail calling and hunting Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Long Beach Elks Lodge. For more information: (213) 541-6625.