Anglers Catch the Spirit, Send Fish to New York

Disaster relief has been arriving in New York in the form of blood and money, of clothing and medical supplies.

But this week one of the most unusual donations made its way to Ground Zero, intended to feed rescue workers and cleanup crews. It was 1,000 pounds of fish, prime cuts of tuna, mahi-mahi, wahoo and mako shark, courtesy of the Southern California recreational fishing community.

And it was only a veritable drop in the bucket.

Reacting to a plea by the Hard Rock Cafe in New York for help feeding rescue and cleanup crews in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks, Chuck Robinson, a retired fireman from Anaheim, posted a plea of his own on a popular Internet sportfishing site.

He asked anglers for any fish they could spare and promised to organize a means of sending it east.

That opened the floodgates. So far, about 3,000 people have posted replies on the Allcoast Sportfishing (https://www.sport-fish-info.com) message boards, offering fish from their freezers and asking how else they can help. The result was the donation, at collection centers scattered throughout the Southland, of about 5,000 pounds of fish, so much that Robinson has had to temporarily suspend collection efforts.

A grand gesture?

“When I was told about what the guys in California had offered I thought that was just fantastic,” said Mark Levine, general manager of the Hard Rock Cafe on 57th Street in Manhattan, which has been providing meals to families of victims and to rescue and cleanup crews. “We appreciate it so much and I can’t say in words how I feel about what everyone has done; only that they should keep on showing support.”

Robinson and fishing partner Earl Durham of Irvine have been overwhelmed by the support, from those donating the fish to those storing and packaging it to the Irvine Federal Express company that paid for the first shipment to New York.

With so much fish, the nonprofit group that calls itself “Fish for America” is having to find other ways to use it in the relief effort.

One is a fund-raising banquet planned in the coming weeks, with proceeds going to the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund. Robinson said the Hard Rock Cafe in Newport Beach has offered the use of its facility and chefs.

Meanwhile, Robinson, who can be reached via e-mail at crobinson@idea4you.com, said he is being inundated with offers of assistance from as far away as Singapore.

“I had one guy e-mail me from Idaho this week saying he had all the elk, moose and bear we could accept,” he said. “I had to tell him, ‘Hang on for now, pal. Right now this is ‘ Fish for America.’ But we’ll see where this thing goes .... We may turn our attention to the local soup kitchens. I just don’t know.”

It has become painfully clear, in the past several days, just how reliant Baja California is on American tourists.

Tracy Ehrenberg this week described Cabo San Lucas as “a ghost town” and added that most of her clients at Pisces Sportfishing have rescheduled their September bookings for another time.

The same holds true throughout the peninsula, especially in the south, where resorts rely almost exclusively on fly-in tourists.

“The economic ramifications are obvious in all sectors of the tourism industry,” Ehrenberg said. “People here are pretty worried, but I’m sure of one thing: Every-body will certainly appreciate the tourists [when they return] and I hope treat them a lot better.”

Asked via e-mail to describe the scene at Land’s End on Sept. 11, she replied: “Our clients this day had set out happily on their fishing trips, oblivious to the events unfolding in their country. It fell to me to break the news to them upon their return. Shock and disbelief was the reaction of everybody ... until I could convince them that I was telling the truth.

The rest of the day, Ehrenberg said, “Everybody was numb and of course these events were the only topic of conversation, with a lot of speculation as to what the events meant for us here in Mexico. During the morning, we did have a couple of people come in and inquire about fishing, despite knowing the news. They signed up and had an attitude of ‘We’re here now; why not go fishing?’ However, I did see an underlying fear in their eyes.”

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Asked what Sept. 11 meant for the dive business Baja Quest in La Paz, director Rocio Lozano replied, half-jokingly, “Don’t ask or I will cry. All my reservations for September were canceled. It’s pretty depressing, but worse things happened to other people up in the USA--that has no comparison.”

In another report from La Paz, Jonathan Roldan of the Hacienda Heights travel company Tailhunter International said early this week he was stuck in Baja California Sur’s capital with 19 tourists who were trying to find their way home. “We are all angry that we’re stuck here,” Roldan said, “but in the grand scheme of things, we also realize that this is merely an inconvenience compared to the larger issues currently taking place in our world.”

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On the brighter side, flights have resumed into and out of San Jose del Cabo and La Paz. And for those ready to get on with their lives, Cabo San Lucas’ waters are said to be teeming with dorado and La Paz’s waters are holding lots of tuna and wahoo.

As for the diving, Lozano said the giant Pacific mantas remain in the clear waters at nearby La Reina. Pisces Sportfishing can be reached through https://www.piscessportfishing.com , or by calling 011-52-114-31288. Baja Quest Scuba Diving and Adventure Travel can be reached at https://www.bajaquest.com.mx or at 011-52-112-35320. Tailhunter International can be reached at https://www.tailhunterinternational.com , or at (626) 333-3355.

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Northern Baja tourism is suffering as well, thanks in large part to “more intensified checks” by Immigration and Naturalization Service officials at the border crossings, which are leading to long waits for those returning to the United States.

Last Friday, about 80,000 people made the crossing at San Ysidro, 50,000 fewer than normal. The average wait was 21/2 hours and some waited for up to five. The number of people crossing the border shrank even more last Saturday and Sunday.

This week the numbers remained below average and the daytime wait at San Ysidro has averaged 11/2 to 2 hours. A Spanish language Web site, https://www.fronteratij.com/garitashttps://, provides approximate waiting times, seven days a week, for the San Ysidro and Otay-Mesa crossings.

In Other News ...

* Heavyweight: A 287-pound striped marlin caught during this week’s Zane Grey-Cabo Yachts Invitational marlin tournament at Santa Catalina Island is believed to be the heaviest striper weighed in at Avalon in more than 25 years. It was caught by Newport Beach angler Graham Pederson aboard Blue Thunder and earned the team $112,210. The tournament, which resulted in 11 releases and seven boated marlin, raised $14,500 for the American Red Cross.

* On the lookout: Deer hunters in San Bernardino County’s Zone D11, specifically in the Lytle Creek area, are being asked to watch for a downed aircraft. The zone is open to archery only until the general season opens Oct. 13. A single-engine Piper PA28 has been missing in the area since June 3. Anyone spotting it is asked to call the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s dispatch at (909) 387-8313. General deer hunting season opens Saturday in zones D3, D4, D5, D8, D9, D10 and X8.

* Crestfallen: The Assn. of Surfing Professionals on Thursday canceled the European leg of the World Championship Tour (WTC), featuring the world’s top 44 surfers. The decision was made after the American surfers unanimously agreed, in light of recent events, not to travel to Europe for the 30-day, three-tournament leg.

* Hearing updates: The California Department of Fish and Game has rescheduled public hearings regarding the state’s draft Nearshore Fishery Management Plan (FMP) in Los Angeles and San Diego to Oct. 2 and Oct. 3, respectively.

The Los Angeles hearing, previously scheduled to take place in Long Beach, is from 7-10 p.m. at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel’s Bunker Hill Room, at 251 S. Olive St. The San Diego hearing is from 7-10 p.m. at Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute’s West Room at 2595 Ingraham St. Public comments also will be accepted at the Fish and Game Commission’s meeting Oct. 5 in the Shedd Room at Hubbs.

The Nearshore FMP, highly controversial in that it suggests closing substantial coastal and island areas to both sport and commercial fishermen, was presented to the Fish and Game Commission in August. Under the Marine Life Management Act of 1998, the Commission has until Jan. 1, 2002, to adopt a plan for the nearshore fin-fish fishery. Drafts of the FMP can be downloaded at https://www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/nfmp.

* The albacore score: Fishing turned from good to poor for the one-day boats out of San Diego but remains excellent for the 11/2-day boats fishing 90 miles south of the landing.

In that area, bluefin tuna are mixed with the albacore schools and limits are the rule. “Some of the boats have been returning with 100 or more bluefin,” said Philip Friedman of https://www.976tuna.com. “While most are the 15-to 40-pounders, some are going 40-70 pounds so it’s really great fishing right now.”

Friedman also reports that the Big Game 90 out of H&M; Landing is offering a 50% discount for firemen, policemen or active servicemen and women.

* Free fishing day: Saturday is the second of two annual state-sponsored days when anglers do not have to be in possession of a valid California fishing license.

To hear about special events planned in the Los Angeles area, call (562) 342-7151.

* Showtime: The annual Lido Yacht Expo is Sept. 27-30 at Lido Marina Village in Newport Beach. Admission is $8 for adults and free for children 12 and under.