Newport Pier Fishing Curfew Starts Tonight

No more fishing all night in this city.

Beginning today, the city will close the Newport Pier from midnight to 5 a.m. in a move aimed at curtailing crime and reducing fish waste on the pier’s deck.

Although adopted in February, the policy did not go into effect until today. The curfew will also apply to the city’s Balboa Pier but won’t be enforced until a gate and signs are installed later this month, said Peggy Ducey, assistant to the city manager.

The curfew has validated anglers’ fears that they would be shoved off two of the reputedly best fishing spots in the state during hours that yield bountiful catches. A group of fishing enthusiasts, named the Volunteer Newport Pier Patrol, pleaded with other anglers for more than a year to clean up after themselves.

But city officials agreed with merchants and area residents, who complained that fish bait and entrails left behind by anglers diminished the attractiveness of the city and hurt tourism. Officials also said there was a growing problem with graffiti, other kinds of vandalism and public drinking.

After a monthlong study conducted by the city staff to determine the effectiveness of closing the piers, city leaders decided in February to reduce fishing hours. Last week, the city installed large signs and a wrought-iron gate at the Newport Pier’s entrance.

Many anglers on Tuesday praised the city’s move, saying the policy will affect only a few people who regularly fish past midnight.

“There will be a few ‘real’ fishermen who will be affected by this,” said Robert Anderson, 67, who has been fishing off the Balboa Pier for nearly 50 years. “It will affect mostly those who come here to drink and smoke funny cigarettes.”

But Chris Whitehouse, 17, who said he’s been fishing off the Newport Pier as long as he can remember, said the new hours bother him. He denied that late-night anglers are sloppy with their catch or vandalize property.

“Late at night or real early in the morning is a good time to fish,” he said, adding that summertime is the best time for night fishing. “But it has gotten unfriendly over the years, and there’s only about five of us who are crazy enough to fish that late anyway.”

On Tuesday evening, dozens of anglers lined the Newport Pier railing, some with catches of tar fish, sand sharks and shovel-noses. Many said they had not heard about the curfew.

“I’m totally against it because that’s the time when the fishing is good,” said Colin Woodward, 19, of Fountain Valley. “It’s when I have to come out.”

Mike Tajima, 23, of Costa Mesa said people who don’t fish but enjoy the pier will be affected.

“This pier is an institution. Couples come out here for a peaceful stroll. The city is going too far.”

But Ducey said Newport Beach officials hope the curfew will curtail crime and reduce fish debris, which city crews will clean up during the closed hours much like in San Clemente, where the pier is closed from midnight to 4 a.m. The Huntington Beach Pier is the only other one closed after midnight, until 5 a.m.

“Sometimes, the difficulty we have [is] during those late hours with unlawful activity,” said Linn Hughes, San Clemente’s marine safety and recreation manager. “It has really worked out this way. . . . Daytime fishing is not a problem.”

Two years ago, the city imposed measures to keep the Newport Pier clean, including removing several wooden benches from the end of the pier. In addition, the city restricted anglers from cleaning fish or putting fish entrails on the pier or over the railings. The same ordinance prohibits sleeping bags or cots on the pier.

Also contributing to this report was Times staff writer Davan Maharaj.