Posted by Eric Frasco on April 12, 2001 at 11:06:23:
In Reply to: Point well taken... posted by msblucow on April 11, 2001 at 11:36:24:
Msblucow:
Right now, DFG is working on a management plan for the Nearshore Fishery.
I am on the advisory committee and I am the only scuba diver out of about 20 people on the committee. The recommendations that we come up with will be presented to the Commissioner of DFG and he will then draft a final management plan. All this is brought on by the passage of AB1241, the Marine Life Management Act (MLMA), and the plan is required to be implemented on January 1, 2002. Similar management plans are being developed in parallel for squid, pink shrimp, and more. Information is available at: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/mlma/index.html
In regards to the noticeable decline in fish in our local waters:
First of all, the fish that are targeted by commercials in our southern waters are completely different than the fish that are targeted by the central and northern California commercials. One of the reason why you see so few sheephead anymore is because the young females are targeted by commercial fish traps, and taken live for restraunts that cater to people that want to pick their fish out of what is in the tank. This "live fish" market is one of the things that is contributing to the devastation of sheephead as it removes the female from the breeding pool right when she is at prime breeding age.
Up north, the commercials have gotten so efficient with sticks and long lines, that they are similarly devastating rockfish.
Now for the kicker: DFG is planning on implementing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) all up and down the coastline as one of the PRIMARY means of managing the Nearshore Fishery.
Should you be concerned? YOU DAMN WELL BETTER BE CONCERNED.
So much can go wrong with this if DFG does not set this up correctly. By setting up MPAs, DFG will be able to say "Look, we did what the experts told us to do, we don't have to do anything else".
The plan is still in the formulation stages, but I have not seen enough of it yet to be satisfied that DFG will manage the Fishery correctly once they set up MPAs. DFG wants to rely on a "spill over" effect, but this will not be enough. The areas that are not protected will need to be managed properly or they will end up being stripped of a sustainable biomass. So additional measures will be needed, and MPAs should be one of several tools, not the primary tool, that will be used to help the Nearshore Fishery recover to a healthy state.
We, as divers, need to keep a close eye on the process that DFG is using to make its recommendations to the Commissioner.
I will be keeping the four Councils of Divers (San Diego, Los Angeles, Channel Islands, and Central California all have a Council) advised of what progress is being made and what is going on. Later in this year, you may see the Councils asking divers to write DFG and state your opinions and concerns about MPAs and the way DFG will use them to manage the Nearshore Fishery.
As far as divers doing their part in curtailing excessive take of game, I believe it is the responsibility of the person taking the game to know and understand the impact they have on environment. I know as a fact that local freedivers, who probably are the most active spearfishermen, have voluntarily curbed their take of game. The biggest problem I see is that new, inexperienced weekend warriors buy a spear and go out shooting fish without knowing what they are taking. These folks should team up with more experienced divers and learn from them before they should even be allowed to take a spear into the water.
And yes, I do occaisionally hunt, but much much less than I did in the past. There are only a few fish that I like to eat and the only place where I can get them is out at the furthest reaches of dive boats.
One final thing I've learned from freedivers: scuba noise and bubbles scare away a lot of fish. Freedivers regularly tell me about fish in our local waters that I have never seen, and I have close to 1300 dives. And the freedivers brought back pictures to prove it.
If you want to talk to me more about this, come to our monthly meeting. The Greater Los Angeles Council of Divers meets the third Monday (this coming Monday, the 16th) at Lucio's Restraunt in Torrance (1605 Cabrillo Blvd) at 7 p.m.
Also, GLACD is planning on having a booth at the upcoming Scuba 2001 Show (June 2 and 3) in Long Beach, and I will be at the booth both days.
Eric Frasco
President, Greater Los Angeles Council of Divers