NOTES / GEORGE DOHRMANN : Tuna Finally Start to Make Their Move

San Diego fishermen are keeping their fingers crossed after recent catches indicate the tuna haul may finally be improving.

Although day trips inside 90 miles are still slow, the 1 1/2-day trips have been picking up, meaning the tuna appear to be moving closer to shore.

Fisherman’s Landing reported 50 yellowfin and bluefin tuna on Monday for day trips within 50-80 miles, and limits of yellowfin for its 1 1/2-day trips out to 110 miles.

“It’s good news,” said Rob Fletcher of Fisherman’s Landing. “The tuna bite has been as slow as it’s been in years. But it finally looks like it’s going to pick up.”

H&M; Landing is reporting similar numbers, with only a handful of tuna on the day trips but 164 bluefin and 90 yellowfin on trips just outside the 90-mile mark. “It finally looks like they’re coming in closer,” Eileen Benyshek said. “As soon as people start seeing the high numbers, hopefully they will start coming out.”

The water temperature is still low at 62 degrees--prime conditions would be about 70.

“A couple days of nice weather and the water will warm, and those yellowfin will start sneaking in a little closer,” said Paul Morris of Fisherman’s Landing. “Then the day trips will be more successful.”

*

Hiking boots may be as necessary as a rifle for deer hunters looking to score quickly with the opening of Zone A hunting season Saturday.

According to Department of Fish and Game biologists, the wet winter has resulted in good forage conditions and lots of water, which could mean the deer will be widely scattered to start the season.

Zone A is bordered by U.S. 99 to the east and stretches westward to the coast, from Santa Monica northward into Mendocino County. The season runs until Sept. 24.

“If temperatures are mild, opening weekend should be very good,” DFG deer biologist Terry Palmisano said. “Deer tend to graze longer on cooler days, and of course, hiking will be easier for hunters.”

Most of Zone A is privately owned, but areas available to the public include the Jackson State Forest in Mendocino County, the Los Padres National Forest and the Mendocino National Forest.

*

Recent visitors to the Arizona wildlife scene--three snapping turtles--are getting a free plane ride to Florida on behalf of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The turtles, which are common to eastern states and can weigh as much as 100 pounds, are on Arizona’s prohibited list because of their threat to native wildlife.

They may also pose a threat to traffic.

One turtle was found wandering through Phoenix, near McDowell Road and 16th Street. The others were found in lands adjacent to urban areas.

Department spokesman Ken O’Brien said that prohibited animals are often released into the wild after the owner learns of its illegal status, or if the animal becomes a hassle.

“That is when the critters show up in the neighborhoods and become a problem,” he said.

The turtles are being housed at the department’s wildlife rehabilitation center and will be shipped to Save The Wildlife Inc. in Orlando later this week.

*

Three fly fishers and one club in Southern California will be honored by the international Federation of Fly Fishers Thursday in Livingston, Mont.

Maggie Merriman of Huntington Beach, Charlene Hansen of Santa Ana and Daniel Iwata of Fountain Valley will be honored for their conservation work, education and promotion of the sport.

The Aguabonita Flyfishers Club of Ridgecrest will receive the McKenzie Cup, for outstanding contributions to the goals of the FFF.

*

According to estimates by the Boat Owners Assn. of the United States, recreational boating fatalities have declined 55% since 1973.

The association counted 784 deaths from boating mishaps in 1994, compared with 1,754 in 1973. Recreational boating fatalities decreased considerably between 1985 and 1990, when the annual total dropped from 1,116 to 865.

Boat/U.S. also reported $7 million to $10 million in damage to recreational boats caused by Hurricane Erin when it hit Pensacola, Fla., last Thursday.

When the eye of the storm came ashore, it tossed boats about from Pensacola to Ft. Walton Beach. Several marinas in the path of Erin reported heavy damage, the association said.