Outdoors : NOTES : Newport Bay Boats Still Stuck in Port

As the cleanup continues, sportfishermen affected by the American Trader oil spill off Huntington Beach have been chartering courses of action.

The eight boats run by Davey’s Locker and Newport Landing, and the Pamela Rose bait boat haven’t been able to get out of Newport Bay since the booms went across on Thursday morning. No other sportfishing landings have been affected.

“We’re helpless,” said Eddie DiRuscio, manager of Davey’s, who calculated his revenue losses through Tuesday at nearly $50,000.

DiRuscio, Newport Landing manager Jim Watts and Pamela Rose operator Steve Greyshock met Tuesday with local merchants and legal counsel to discuss the impact on business and possible litigation against British Petroleum, which chartered the tanker. Monday they met with Bob Fletcher, president of the Sportfishing Assn. of California.

Fletcher was in Sacramento Tuesday to discuss the issue with a legislative committee on ocean fisheries.

The landings have laid off all of their deckhands and have been trying to get British Petroleum to hire them for the cleanup.

“They say all the positions have been filled,” said George Eddy, office manager at Newport Landing. “I would think there would be preferential treatment for people that have been displaced from their jobs.”

DiRuscio said: “We’re trying to make contact with British Petroleum and say, ‘Hey, we’re the ones impacted. We have crews out of work. They have families and mortgages.’ If they’re doing cleanup and paying guys down on the beach $15 an hour, let’s put the local boys to work who are out of a job. They’re willing and able to pick up oil-soaked diapers or whatever. I’m not opposed to putting on a pair of rubber boots myself.”

Some peripheral businesses near the landings, including the Balboa Bean coffee shop and Baldy’s Bait Shop, also have been forced to close.

“On the flip side, there are (other landings) that have benefited and are probably having record business,” DiRuscio said, meaning business he normally would have. “We’re concerned about that long-term business loss that we will never see again. We know what the short-term effect is. We won’t know what the long-term effects are for three to five years.”

Eddy said: “Some of the charters that have canceled don’t want to reschedule because they don’t want to take a chance fishing in polluted waters.”

Charlie Fullerton, regional director of the National Marine Fisheries Service on Terminal Island, said if the oil reaches shoreline rocks it could affect some mussels, but doubted it would harm the rich Huntington Flats fishing area just off the beach.

“Birds are the only problem we’ve had out here,” Fullerton said.

Because the spilled crude is relatively light, Fullerton said, “About a third of it (evaporates). Another third is the part we’re worried about, and the other third becomes the hard goo masses that isn’t ingested by anything. We’re taking samples but we’re not expecting to find any problem with the fish being contaminated or (the oil) settling on the spawning beds. Most of the oil is going ashore.”

Eddy isn’t sure. “I think it’s going to take some oceanographic researchers to get down and dive and see if it has settled on the bottom,” he said. “Maybe we won’t have that much residue on the bottom, (but) I don’t think anybody knows yet.”

The landings were told Tuesday the harbor would remain closed for at least 48 hours. Another meeting has been planned for Friday.

Fishermen aboard San Diego’s long-range boats continue to pull impressive numbers of large yellowfin tuna and other quality fish from the waters around Mexico’s Revillagigedo Islands.

The Red Rooster II, which runs out of Lee Palm’s Sportfishing, returned from a 17-day trip to Socorro and Clarion Island Saturday with 242 tuna in its holds, the largest a 250-pounder caught by Gregg Bilson of Sun Valley.

The largest fish, however, was a 412-pound black marlin caught by Marvin Pridemore of Norco. Also caught were 108 wahoo, including an 88-pounder.

Briefly

The Sierra Sweepstakes sled dog races at Truckee, postponed last month because of a lack of snow, will be run Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. Admission is adults $6, young people and seniors $3 and children under 5 free. . . . The Southern California Cruising Assn.’s first cruiser navigation contest of the season, sponsored by the Long Beach Yacht Club, is scheduled for March 3, starting at oil island Belmont in Long Beach Harbor. Details: (213) 472-7153.

The Department of Fish and Game reports that the bighorn sheep on San Rafael Peak in Ventura County are flourishing four years after 21 animals were relocated from the Angeles National Forest and three years after 15 more were brought in. Estimates are that the population has almost doubled. . . . Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa offers a course in off-shore and big game fishing each Wednesday through March 28, starting tonight, from 6:30 to 9:30. A similar class started Tuesday night at East Los Angeles College, and continues through March 20. The instructor is Al Zapanta.

The Eastern Sierra trout season is still six weeks away, but Bishop’s annual Blake Jones Trout Derby is scheduled for March 3 at Pleasant Valley Reservoir, north of town, where fishing is legal year-round. Entry fees are $3 for adults, $2 for children. . . . The South Coast chapter of Trout Unlimited will have its first banquet on March 10 at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach. Details: (714) 476-0792.

The Pasadena Casting Club will conduct casting clinics on March 10, 17 and 24 at the clubhouse at 415 S. Arroyo Blvd. The fee is $10 per session or $25 for all three. . . . Jerry Bliss, former president of the Southwest Council of the Fly Fishing Federation, will lead four weeklong salmon trips to Alaska this summer. Details: (805) 642-4359.

Times staff writer Pete Thomas contributed to this story.