More News
Barbecue
at Michael Walsh's house
on July 8
After our club dive in Monterey, we will regroup at Michael Walsh's house for a barbecue. Bring your fish or a dish to share plus something to wash it down with.
Directions to Mike's house will be posted in the next newsletter.
If you want to see what kind of halibut our club members are pulling up, look no further than Peter Fong, who's Memorial Day catch measured 42 inches and weighed 30 pounds!
BCD Recalled
Due to a sticky valve, the following models are being recalled:
-
Sherwood, models Silhouette, Magnum, Avid, Luna, Outback and Freedom, serial numbers 21280001 through 22010740.
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Genesis, models Cayman, Cobra, Athena and Phantom, serial numbers 21280001 through 22010740. Models Talon and ReCon, serial numbers 20520001 through 22010740.
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All units of the Aeris brand Atmos jacket.
The model name is inside the jacket and the brand name on the right outside pocket. The serial number is on the air cell.
More info at: http://www.sherwoodscuba.com/opv, http://www.genesisscuba.com/opv or http://www.diveaeris.com. Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov
(Red) Abalone Fishing Regs -- Ready for Revision?
A news item in the latest issue of California Diving News mentioned that the Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game is considering reducing the daily limit of abalone to two per day (it is currently four per day).
According to a Fish and Game biologist that replied to Jean Lundeen's inquiry about the proposal:
"The number of small (sub-legal) abalone is greatly
reduced from previous years. At the same time, there has been a concentration
of fishery effort in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties during the past decade.
The scarcity of juveniles and increased fishing effort could lead to significant
population declines in the future if immediate action is not taken."
--Jennifer K. O'Leary, Marine Biologist, Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game
Send your comments to: RAACSuggestions@abcamp.com
White Abalone Listed as an Endangered Species
Hip hip hooray! White abalone were declared an endangered species on May 29 by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Don't worry, you won't accidentally collect one while diving for reds. White abalone live at depths of 100 or more feet, and due to overfishing they are few and far between. The ruling makes any harvest of white abalone a federal offense--harvesting whites was already against state law--and it makes federal money available for programs to save the species.
White Abalone Sex a Success
On April 23, scientists succeeded in coaxing white abalone to mate in the first white abalone captive breeding in 30 years. At UC Santa Barbara, the scientists set the abalone in individual containers, dimmed the lights and added hydrogen peroxide, an abalone aphrodisiac developed for spawning red abalone. A couple of hours later, two of the females had spawned about 3 million eggs each. Shortly after, one of the males released sperm. The scientists added sperm from the male to the two batches of eggs and watched as more than 95 percent of the eggs were fertilized and developed normally, the next day, into free-swimming larvae. Next, scientists will settle the larvae onto plates with red algae and then attempt to raise a fraction of them to adults.
Update on
the
Nearshore Fishery Issue
For the Latest: Check out http://www.californiafish.org/. You'll find the addresses of the local and state representatives, fish and game commissioners. Write and tell them you support a ban or rollback on commercial fishing. Sign the petition. Today!
Public Comment Opportunity: On June 12th at 4 pm, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which oversees federal fishing regulations in Washington, Oregon and Calif., will hold a public comment period where the public can voice opinions on the nearshore fishery rockfish plan being developed by the Feds. (Yes, the Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game is not the only player in this debate!) For more information, see http://www.pcouncil.org.
Regulator recalled
Atomic Aquatics is recalling certain first stage regulators for possible defective springs which could cause air shut-off to the second stage.
The serial numbers affected are between A07751 and A11276.
Call Atomic Aquatics at 1-888-270-8595.