Posted by Marty Gingras
on 8/5/2006, 8:42 pm, in reply to "Proposed 2007 Sturgeon Regulations"
207.177.240.75
Hello all,
CDFG has submitted to the California Fish and Game Commission a suite of proposals for sport fishing regulations, including regulations for sturgeon fishing. These were submitted as part of a legally-mandated every-three-years process.
The proposal for sturgeon is consistent with our overarching mission to manage fishes (including sturgeon) for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public. In arriving at this proposal, we considered feedback received at several public meetings in spring 2006, many types of data going back to the 1950's, sturgeon life-history, and enforcement issues. Given the diverse issues, the proposal is of course a compromise.
The formal proposal was summarized in a memo by Fisheries Branch Chief Neil Manji as follows:
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Sturgeon Sport Fishery, Section 1.62-27.95
Current fishing regulations do not differentiate between different life histories and population status, ignore the population-effects of varying production of young sturgeon, can not manage the boom-and-bust character of the fishery, and make it difficult to deter poaching and illegal commercialization. This proposal will facilitate existing efforts to improve California’s sturgeon populations. It includes a size limit for white sturgeon of 46 to 60 inches total length, no retention of green sturgeon, a daily bag limit of one white sturgeon, an annual bag limit three white sturgeon, no authorization of boat limits when sturgeon fishing in ocean waters, and an annual sturgeon report card with tags.
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The tags mentioned above would be for application to to legally-harvested sturgeon and would aid the enforcement of an annual bag limit.
The Commission will have an adoption hearing December 8, 2006 in Santa Monica, so they will be receiving comments at least until that time. Their email address is fgc@fgc.ca.gov.
I have continued to scan and post documents on sturgeon at the site below, and will be posting more in the days and months to come:
ftp://ftp.delta.dfg.ca.gov/Adult_Sturgeon_and_Striped_Bass/
Thanks
Marty Gingras
Supervising Biologist (Fisheries)
California Department of Fish and Game
Central Valley Bay Delta Branch
4001 North Wilson Way
Stockton, California 95205
Phone (209) 948-3702
email mgingras@dfg.ca.gov
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