Rockfish season gets a reprieve
It’s not over till the judge says it is. In a surprising turn, the rockfish season, which was slated to be closed last week, is still on.
The green light will stay on for rockfishing until further notice in state waters after a San Luis Obispo judge ruled that fishermen were not given sufficient notice of the closure.
Earlier this month, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to close shore- and ocean-based recreational groundfishing in federal waters off the coast of California, saying that the limits had been met.
As a result, the California Department of Fish and Game announced its own closures for near-shore and shelf rockfish, sculpin and lingcod in state waters.
That led to complaints by fishing groups that the data supporting the closure were inaccurate, which led to the suit. Superior Court Judge Martin Tangeman issued his ruling Thursday, the day before the scheduled closure.
The Fish and Game Department said it would announce new closure dates for the fishery.
-- J. Michael Kennedy
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