Barbary Coast Divers
News and Events
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Big BCD Dive Outing in Big Sur - Labor Day Weekend Sept 3rd- 4th- 5th- !!
Sure, you could hang out with the in-laws, have a bar-b-q, knock down a few cold ones and watch the ball game ... and life would be pretty good.
But is that how you want to come to work on Tuesday? Saying, " I had a 'pretty good' weekend ... "
Of course not!
Chart uncharted waters or grab some back issues of CA Diving News online and get some spots lined up (look up back articles of Dive Spots at a Glance).
Big Sur is the place to be!
Also topside has something to offer for everyone.
RSVP Carol (when she and Curt get back from Bonaire) and reserve your campspot
From your Friends at California Fish and Game:
BOTTOMFISH
What: The sport fishery for federally managed bottom fish, including rockfish,lingcod, greenlings (rock and kelp), cabezon, and other federally managed groundfish species, re-opens for boat-based anglers . Shore-based anglers and divers may continue to fish for these species.
Where: From 40’10” North latitude (near Cape Mendocino in Humboldt county) to Point Conception (Santa Barbara county).
When: The fishery will re-open on August 1.
Additional information: Check the 2004 California Freshwater and Ocean Sport Fishing Regulation Supplement for depth restrictions and other area-specific regulations (Also see the Bottomfishing Regulations Summary Tables available online at www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/bfregs2004.html). Go to www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/fishing_map for more details.
Commercial
Greenlings Fishery Season
Set to Close Aug. 15
The commercial fishery for greenlings (genus
Hexagrammos) will close as of Aug. 15, 2004 at 12:01 a.m., the
California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced. Should
commercial greenling catches fall substantially below the defined allowable
harvest levels, the DFG may evaluate the potential of reopening the
fishery for a specified time later in the year.
California
Fish and Game Commission
Approves Protections for Coho Salmon
The California Fish and Game Commission has approved new protections
for coho salmon, adding them to the list of threatened and endangered
species under the California Endangered Species Act.
The five-member Commission voted 4-0 in favor of listing coho salmon
at its August 5-6 hearing in Bridgeport, California. The action will
provide protection for the species currently not available under the
federal Endangered
Species Act.
Coho salmon will be listed as “endangered” between San Francisco
and Punta Gorda (Humboldt County), and “threatened” between
Punta Gorda and the Oregon border. The commission’s vote concludes
a lengthy process that began in August 2002, when it found that populations
of coho salmon warranted new protections.
Since the 1960s, the coho salmon population between San Francisco and
the Oregon border has declined 70 percent.
California’s New
Marine Patrol Boats Assemble for First Time for Dedication Ceremony,
Training California Department of Fish and Game
BERKELEY - California
Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Director Ryan Broddrick today christened
the Department’s fleet of five state-of-the-art marine patrol boats
at a dedication ceremony in Berkeley. Stationed along the coast in major
ocean ports, the vessels will enhance the Department’s ability
to enforce the laws that protect ocean resources against environmental
violations off the 1,100-mile California coast.
“These new high-tech patrol boats will greatly assist our game
wardens in their efforts to oversee and protect California’s marine
resources,” Broddrick said. “The dedication of these vessels
as the newest boats to join the marine enforcement fleet signifies our
commitment to oversee, manage and protect California’s marine fish
and wildlife resources.”
For the first time, all five of the patrol boats are now online. The
five new vessels are 58-foot catamarans and are equipped with twin 660-horsepower
diesel-powered engines. Each one features cutting-edge technology and
speed that make them formidable against all vessels on the open sea.
Vessels were purchased with funds from the Marine Life Management Act
and through legislative appropriations.
These new vessels support the plan to replace many of DFG’s larger
offshore patrol boats with newer and more efficient foil-supported catamaran
designs. The new boats are capable of responding at almost twice the
speed, and are more fuel efficient and less costly to operate.
Following are the five new patrol vessels (P/V) and the areas they cover:
• P/V Marlin, Berkeley - San Francisco Bay to Fort Bragg, as well
as offshore waters and the Farallon Islands.
• P/V Steelhead, Monterey - Monterey to San Francisco, including
the Farallon Islands.
• P/V Swordfish, Ventura - San Luis Obispo County waters in the
north to Los Angeles County in the south, as well as around the Channel
Islands.
• P/V Coho, Long Beach - Los Angeles basin including the Channel
Islands.
• P/V Thresher, Dana Point - All ocean waters from the California/Mexico
border to Point Conception, and out to Catalina and San Clemente Islands,
as well as all offshore waters.
With the addition of the new patrol boats, the DFG’s fleet of enforcement
vessels now totals seven. Already online are the P/V Albacore, based
out of Eureka and covering the waters from Crescent City to Fort Bragg,
and the P/V Bluefin from Morro Bay, which patrols the waters from Monterey
to Pt. Conception.
Each of the new boats carries an 18-foot Zodiac Hurricane skiff and
operates an "A" frame hoist system for safe launch and retrieval
of the skiff in rough seas. During normal ocean tours, which may last
several days, the vessels will carry a permanent crew of four. Each
boat includes a lieutenant as skipper, two boarding officers, and a
motor vessel engineer.
“These patrol boats, along with two existing large patrol vessels
and 15 medium-sized patrol boats, comprise the largest, most modern
conservation law enforcement marine fleet in the world,” said DFG’s
Assistant Enforcement Chief Frank Spear.
All of the new boats are capable of patrolling out to 200 miles from
shore and have a range of 550 miles per trip. By coordinating the patrol
activities of the DFG’s fleet with twin-engine aircraft spotters
through high-level communication systems, DFG’s patrol boats will
have overlapping support and can be used for many other types of law
enforcement activities, including Homeland Security efforts.
In addition to helping carry out the Department’s enforcement mission
to enforce current regulations and legislative mandates, these new patrol
boats and their crews will also provide Department scientists with research
and resource management support, assist with search-and-rescue operations,
and respond to major pollution incidents.
Commercial Cabezon Fishery Season Set to Close Sept. 4
The commercial fishery for cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus) will
close at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2004, the Department of Fish and Game
(DFG) announced.
The DFG will take action to close the fishery at that time based upon
projections from recent landing receipts and dockside tabulation efforts
indicating the annual commercial allocation will be reached. It is expected
that by the closure date of Sept. 4, the annual commercial allocation
of 75,600 pounds of cabezon will be taken for the 2004 calendar year.
Ok, enough Fish and Game News ...
"Divers for Survivors of Breast Cancer"
Coming up Sunday, Octobr 3rd will be the annual fundraiser dive and barbeque in Monterey. Registered volunteer fundraiseres will be holding a dive to celebrate their fundraising efforts for Community Breast Cancer Health. It will be held at the Breakwater grassy area of San Carlos Beach. Divere registratiion opens 8:30. 9:15 is the dive itself and chould be wrapping up by 1:00. They"ll have a raffle and give away dive gear. It's $20.00 to register. Any one with Questions should call Margo Lillie at Wallin's Div Center in San Carlos at (650) 591-5641. More about "Divers for Survivors" can be found ou their website at www.diversforsurvivors.com
CENCAL (remember them?) News
CENCAL is spearheading a project to get a permanent handrail put in at the Boat Luanch Ramp at Pt. Lobos State Park. The rail will be replaceable, in case someone backs into it, it corrodes, or gets swept out to become an artificial reef.
U.S. Barred From Weakening Dolphin Rules
August 10, 2004 By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO - In a victory for environmentalists, a federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Bush administration cannot change the standards commercial fisheries must meet before the tuna they catch can carry the "dolphin-safe" label. U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson found that Commerce Secretary Donald Evans not only failed to conduct the scientific research required to relax existing tuna-labeling laws, but engaged in "a pattern and inattention" to build support for his position.
New Hypoxic Event Found Off Oregon Coast
For the second time in three years, a hypoxic "dead zone" has formed off the central Oregon Coast. It's killing fish, crabs and other marine life and leading researchers to believe that a fundamental change may be taking place in ocean conditions in the northern Pacific Ocean.
The event appears similar to one in 2002, when an area of ocean water with low oxygen content formed in the nearshore Oregon coast between Newport and Florence, causing a massive die-off of fish and invertebrate marine species. The fact that it's happening again is triggering concern among marine scientists.
Scientists Describe the World's Smallest, Lightest Fish
Scientists in San Diego have described the earth's smallest, lightest animal with a backbone. H.J. Walker of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, and William Watson of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, in La Jolla have identified the miniscule "stout infantfish," a new species no longer than the width of a pencil. Found exclusively in the vicinity of Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea, only six specimens are known to exist.
The largest specimen-and only female-measures approximately a third of an inch (8.4 millimeters) while the males measure just over a quarter of an inch (7 millimeters). Roughly 500,000 of these fish weighed together would barely tip the scales at one pound. A full scientific description of the animal was published in the latest issue of Records of the Australian Museum.
When the Sunshine is Too Strong, Plankton Makes Clouds
Little plankton may be able to change the weather, and longer term climate, in ways that serve them better.
It's almost hard to believe, but new NASA-funded research confirms an old theory that plankton can indirectly create clouds that block some of the Sun's harmful rays.
The study finds that in summer when the Sun beats down on the top layer of ocean where plankton live, harmful rays in the form of ultraviolet (UV) radiation bother the little plants. When they are bothered, or stressed, plankton try to protect themselves by producing a compound called dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP). Though no one knows for sure, some scientists believe DMSP helps strengthen the plankton's cell walls. This chemical gets broken down in the water by bacteria, and it changes into another substance called dimethylsulfide (DMS).
DMS then filters from the ocean into the air, where it reacts with oxygen, to form different sulfur compounds. Sulfur in the DMS sticks together in the air and creates tiny dust-like particles. These particles are just the right size for water to condense on, which is the beginning of how clouds are formed. So, indirectly, plankton help create more clouds, and more clouds mean less direct light reaches the ocean surface. This relieves the stress put on plankton by the Sun's harmful UV rays.
For years now scientists have been studying related processes in the lab, but this is the first time scientists have shown how variations in light impact plankton in a natural environment. The research was done in the Sargasso Sea, off the coast of Bermuda.
Previous research also found that the cloud producing compound peaks in the summer in the ocean, when UV rays are high, but plankton numbers are at their lowest.
The researchers were also surprised to find that the DMS molecules completely refresh themselves after only three to five days. That means the plankton may react to UV rays quickly enough to impact their own weather.
This is important in light of man-made greenhouse gas production that warms the planet, and ozone depletion that allows more life-threatening UV radiation to strike Earth.
"There is the potential that this cycle could slow global warming," said Siegel. "But right now we have no idea of the size of it or even what it means."
British Divers Celebrate with Salvaged Champagne!
A group of British divers found 20,000 half bottles of fifty year-old champagne on the bottom of the English Channel. They celebrated by popping the corks of a few sample bottles...
Wine experts on hand described the champagne as quite drinkable but a bit “pongy” and with a mild aroma of fish.
Divers found the champagne buried under layers of silt in the wreck of a French cargo ship called the Seine. Members of the Folkestone Diving Club and other scuba clubs from the southern coast of England that found the champagne are not divulging the whereabouts of the shipwreck. The freighter reportedly sank after hitting a Russian freighter in the summer of 1955.