Outdoors : NOTES : Little Hoover Report Draws Ire of Cribbs

The executive secretary of the California Fish and Game Commission takes exception to the Little Hoover Commission’s conclusions that it is unresponsive to environmental issues, unqualified to deal with them and a rubber stamp for the Department of Fish and Game.

And, says Harold C. Cribbs, he was not indifferent to public interest, but “tried and tried” to return The Times’ phone requests for a response to the Little Hoover Commission report two weeks ago. Cribbs said his assistant, Bob Treanor, was refused copies of the report in advance. The Little Hoover Commission confirmed the latter point, contrary to its previous statements.

The report said the Fish and Game Commission--composed of five hunters and fishermen--was too lopsided to be effective in modern times.

Cribbs: “There’s no question that we have moved into the environmental arena. We’ve had doctors in environmental science on the commission. What you (also) need is someone who is knowledgeable about fish and wildlife issues and people who are proven decision makers.”

Besides, Cribbs said, if someone doesn’t like the gubernatorial appointees, he can complain to the Legislature.

“It helps if they have additional background in environmental science, and the Legislature has the ability to set some guidelines,” he said. “The Senate Rules Committee has the ability to deny the confirmation to a candidate if he doesn’t qualify, and the Senate as a whole votes on those individuals.”

Cribbs said one problem is that “the general public doesn’t know the difference between the commission and the department. There’s a specific code section that mandates that none of the commissioners has any administrative authority over the department. None. So I can’t pick up the phone and tell anybody to do anything.

“The commission is given the authority to set broad policy for the department, and we’ve adopted a multitude of policies that were motivated by the commission, not the department.”

As examples, Cribbs cited new coherent and uniform fishing regulations, a statewide policy mandating a no-net loss of wetlands, a directive to the department to put its acquisition and ownership of land in order and an emergency designation of the upper Sacramento River winter-run king salmon as endangered last year.

In that instance, the commission over-rode the department’s attitude that some observers linked to political influences.

The LHC acknowledged that in seeking a balance between people’s needs and those of the environment, the commission, lacking proper scientific evidence, often is in a position of being “damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”

The LHC also rapped Fish and Game for poor public relations.

Cribbs said: “The commission has assumed a low-profile approach to things. We’re going to be much more up-front with what the commission is doing.”

Each monthly commission meeting has a “public forum” on the agenda. Public workshops are being scheduled on subjects of major concern.

They aren’t catching the giant yellowfin tuna often associated with the area, but those traveling well into Mexican waters aboard San Diego’s long-range fleet are returning with impressive catches nonetheless.

The Polaris Supreme, with 16 anglers aboard, returned from a 16-day, 1,100-mile trip to the Revillagigedo Islands late last week with 248 yellowfin tuna--the largest an 89-pounder caught by Barry Knowles of Palos Verdes--and scores of wahoo and grouper. The Revillagigedos have produced yellowfin well in excess of 300 pounds.

Several days earlier, the Searcher and Royal Star returned from nine-day trips to the Alijos Rocks--about 700 miles south of San Diego--with better success. The 22 passengers aboard the Searcher brought back 476 yellowfin tuna, 92 yellowtail, 20 dorado, 11 wahoo, four grouper and three sargo. Paul Beckett of Los Alamitos caught the largest--a 104-pound yellowfin.

The Royal Star had similar success, catching fewer yellowfin but more yellowtail.

San Diego’s H&M; Landing has delayed until Jan. 24 its long-range natural history expeditions--aboard the Spirit of Adventure and Deluxe--to the winter breeding grounds of the California gray whale.

The 500-mile trips to Baja California’s San Ignacio and Scammon lagoons generally take eight or nine days--an 11-day trip includes travel into the Sea of Cortez to La Paz--and feature lectures by marine biologist Ted Walker.

Striped marlin are the main attraction for fishermen off Cabo San Lucas, where skippers are reporting an average of 1 1/2 billfish a day.

According to Darrell Primrose of Tortuga Sportfishing, most stripers are being caught in the blue water near the Jaime bank. Dorado are plentiful, averaging between 15 and 25 pounds, and an occasional blue marlin is among the catches.

In the East Cape region, the unseasonable dorado bite has slowed somewhat.

According to Rafael Martinez of the Hotel SPA Buenavista, the winds that generally blow consistently during the winter have yet to do so, and light-tackle fishermen working near-shore areas are producing fair catches of small roosterfish and sierra mackerel.

Briefly

The Sportfishing Assn. of California will have a benefit banquet for its founder, Bill Nott Feb. 1 at the Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach. Tickets are $75. Nott, who turned 73 Monday, is recovering at his Dominguez Hills home from a respiratory illness. Details: (619) 226-6455. . . . Jeff Gredvig of Roseville, Calif., has claimed a record catch for northern California’s Clear Lake. Gredvig’s Florida largemouth weighed 15.35 pounds, topping the record of 13.96 set in 1982. It was 29 1/2 inches long, with a girth of 22 1/4.

The 34th Southern California Boat Show is scheduled Feb. 2-11 at the L.A. Convention Center. Hours: 2-10 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sundays. Admission $6 for adults, $3 for children 6-12.

Times staff writer Rich Roberts contributed to this story.