OUTDOOR NOTES : Commercial Fishermen Hope El Nino Heats Up Business

As San Diego landing operators struggle to make ends meet on the heels of their worst season in decades, they look optimistically to the south.

From that direction, they hope the warm-water phenomenon known as El Nino is on the way, as experts have predicted. The question is: How strong will it be and what will it bring?

“I think it’s fair to say that water conditions this summer will certainly be different than last summer,” said Tim Barnett, an oceanographer at Scripps Institute in La Jolla. “I’ve driven around in hot water out there without a fish in sight, so you can never tell. But if I had to bet, I would bet that we are going to get some of the tunas and dorados and that kind of stuff up here.”

That would be good news for Southland fishermen and Southland sportfishing landings.

“We expect that, if what they’re forecasting right now happens, it will be a boon for our industry, especially after last year,” said Paul Morris, 49, manager of Fishermen’s Landing in San Diego. “I’ve been in the business down here almost 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like last season--just horrible.”

What a difference an El Nino could make.

If it is anything like the El Nino of 1983-84, fishermen could find striped marlin off the central California coast, tuna inside the San Pedro Channel and yellowtail just outside the surf.

Barnett, an authority on the warm-water phenomenon, said this El Nino will probably not be of the magnitude of 1983’s. Indications are that, whatever size it is, it could affect Southern California as early as late spring.

Pelagic red crabs, the tiny sea creatures that washed up on Orange County beaches by the thousands in the summers of ’83 and ‘84, are beginning to show off Point Fermin and San Diego. Yellowtail and yellowfin tuna in the past few days have appeared in the Geronimo area, 200 miles south of Point Loma, where the water is 63 degrees, five above normal.

Further south, off Cabo San Lucas, the water is well above normal at 73 degrees. Wahoo, dorado and tuna--some of the tuna topping 100 pounds--have been unusually abundant, and blue marlin have been showing more frequently than usual.

Larry Edwards, a Lemon Grove representative of the Gaviota Fleet in Cabo San Lucas, cited the recent catch of a 515-pound blue marlin as evidence that something unusual is in effect at the cape.

“Blue marlin, wahoo and substantial counts of dorado are not the norm for February, when water temperatures tend to dip into the high 60s,” Edwards said.

Trout fishermen planning to fish the 16-mile stretch of the Owens River between Pleasant Valley Dam and Five Bridges Road should be aware that new regulations on portions of the river will be in effect starting Sunday:

--The upper 2.7 miles, from the dam to the campground footbridge, will be governed by a two-trout limit of fish 12 inches or more, catchable by artificial lure only;

--The next 4.4 miles of the river will have in effect a zero-fish limit, and from the footbridge to Five Bridges Road, anglers will be allowed five fish a day with no size or gear restrictions.

The new regulations are designed to protect the popular fishery, a designated Wild Trout water, against over-harvesting.

Death sentence: Such appears to be the case, anyway, for deer relocated last December from Ardenwood Park in Alameda County to the nearby Ohlone Wilderness.

At least 16 of the 27 deer have died, most apparently victims of mountain lions, according to the Department of Fish and Game.

The black-tailed deer, moved at a cost of $100,000, were thriving off crops grown in an experimental farm in Ardenwood Park, where vegetables are grown and sold to the public “in the tradition of earlier times.”

Thanks to development in the area, the park was fenced off, the deer multiplied within the fences and soon cost the park district as much as $8,000 a year.

Alternatives ranged from depredation hunts to sterility, but relocation won out despite the DFG’s opposition. The DFG favored issuing the park district a depredation permit for the elimination of deer in a humane manner, with the meat earmarked for charities.

“Unfortunately, relocation is not the cure-all some people insist it is,” said Terry Palmisano, a wildlife biologist for the DFG. “In many cases, it can be a death sentence for deer, while only temporarily solving a recurring problem.”

Briefly

CONSERVATION--The Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep, U.S. Forest Service and Department of Fish and Game will conduct a census of bighorn sheep March 7-8 in the San Gabriel Mountains. Volunteers are needed, and interested persons can get details by calling (213) 256-0463.

FLY-FISHING--East Fork Fly Fishing Store will hold advanced fly-tying classes on Tuesdays beginning March 3. For details, call (714) 724-8840. . . . The Sierra Pacific Flyfishers is offering a month-long casting class, held each week beginning March 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Reseda Recreation Center. No charge. For details, call (818) 718-8566. . . . The San Gabriel Valley Fly Fishers is offering a 10-week beginner tying class starting March 17 at Sorensen Park in Whittier. For details, call (310) 696-0676.

MISCELLANY--Southwest Anglers is sponsoring a fish-fry and seminar on trailer-boat fishing in Baja California March 6 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Eagle Lodge in Redondo Beach, with proceeds going toward the building of an artificial reef and a white seabass hatchery project. Cost is $10 in advance or $15 at the door. For details, call (213) 316-6446. . . . Don and Alicia Bullock’s Gun, Show & Sale will be March 14-15 at Fairplex Park in Pomona. For details, call (213) 430-5112.