|
Hot off The Press:
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 10:50:06 -0800
From: "Marine Management News" <marinenews@dfg.ca.gov>
To: "Marine Management News" <MarineNews@dfg.ca.gov>
Subject: CDFG Press Release
Department of Fish and Game
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 04:022 February 20, 2004
Contacts: Tom Barnes, Marine Region, (858) 546-7167
Marci Yaremko, Marine Region, (805) 568-1220
Carrie Wilson, Marine Region, (831) 649-7191
Recreational Lingcod Minimum Size and Bag Limits to Change
To comply with new federal recreational fishing regulations expected to
be effective April 1, 2004, the California Department of Fish and Game
(DFG) is recommending an increase in the lingcod minimum size limit to
30 inches, and a reduction in the daily bag limit to one fish. The new
regulation changes will apply to recreational anglers fishing for lingcod
in all waters off California. The DFG will make this recommendation to
the Fish and Game Commission at the Commission's March 4-5, 2004 meeting
in Redding, when the Commission will consider taking emergency action
to conform to the new federal regulations.
The regulation changes are necessary to ensure that catches of lingcod
in California remain at or within the coastwide acceptable harvest levels.
The lingcod stock off the coast of California, Oregon and Washington has
been formally classified as overfished by the Pacific Fishery Management
Council (PFMC), and is currently managed under a rebuilding plan to achieve
recovery of the stock. A key element of the
rebuilding plan is to constrain catches to levels that allow the stock
to increase to a healthy level within a specified period of time. In 2002
and 2003, coastwide lingcod catches have well exceeded allowable
levels needed to achieve rebuilding of the stock.
"While the Department is reluctant to make in-season changes to
recreational size and bag limits, this was the only feasible way to keep
catches within allowable levels short of prohibiting all take of lingcod,"
said Patty Wolf, DFG Marine Regional Manager. "This management approach
continues to provide some fishing opportunity for lingcod throughout the
remainder of the year, and allows those anglers who catch large fish to
retain them."
The DFG anticipates by increasing the minimum size limit to 30 inches
and reducing the allowable daily bag limit to one lingcod per person,
California's lingcod catches will be held to the allotted amount for the
recreational fishery. Current regulations allow two fish per person at
a minimum size of 24 inches.
Public testimony will be allowed during the March 4-5 Fish and Game Commission
meeting. The need for additional measures has been determined in part
from new information on fishing during the last part of 2003
which was not available to managers when the current regulations were
established prior to the start of the 2004 season.
|