Massive sardine die-off in Redondo Beach California

Tom,

That would be a good idea except that there are almost no Dungeness crabs in southern Calif!

In over 10 years boating in SoCal I never saw any crab pots and never heard of anyone catching crabs (except for the social kind). LOL


http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/dungeness_crab.asp

In California, the most abundant crab is the Dungeness crab, Cancer magister. Related to this crab are several other species that are caught by commercial and recreational fishermen in southern California and northern California. South of Monterey Bay, the Dungeness crab decreases rapidly in abundance. In southern California, where only an occasional Dungeness crab is caught.
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Or they could cut out the "middle man" and just send the lobsters up this way. Alternatively, we could use the sardines for salmon or sturgeon bait.
 
Larry, I think Lobsters are caught in pots too. >>Think Grand Banks off Newfoundland / Maine.<< I don't believe the NE lobstermen were diving for their catch.

jmho

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Harvey,

Like lots of sea life in SoCal, lobsters have been overfished, so the regulation is that divers may only be take them by hand, they can also be taken by hoop nets, so the bait idea might work.

An excerpt from the rules.
Divers take most of the lobsters in the recreational fishery. Some commercial passenger fishing vessels schedule special recreational dive trips during lobster season. The total recreational take of spiny lobster is unknown. Recreational fishery management measures that protect this resource include:
• A size limit of 3.25 in. CL. The minimum size limit ensures that there will be several year-classes of younger broodstock, even if all legal-size lobsters are caught each season.
• The recreational fishery for lobster runs from early October through mid- March, same as the commercial season. The closed season protects egg- carrying females and molting lobsters.
• Recreational fishermen must possess a valid sport-fishing license with an ocean enhancement stamp.
• Skin and scuba divers may only use bare (or gloved) hands to take lobster. No fish spears, short hooked poles, or similar appliances may be used to remove lobsters from crevices and caves. Baited hoop nets may also be used to take lobster. South of Point Arguello (Santa Barbara County) no more than five hoop nets may be fished per person, and no more than 10 may be fished from any boat.
• Divers may take seven lobsters per day (reduced from 10 lobsters in 1971). • Some marine reserves and conservation areas prohibit the take of lobster.
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Larry, thanks. I wasn't thinking of So Cal specific, just lobsters in general. I really don't pay much attention to shell fish in anyway, just happend to remember the GB lobstermen.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Harvey,

I have read that in Maine waters, you almost cannot transit any harbor or nearshore area without picking up lobster pot bouys on your prop.
The lobstermen there think they own the water and zoom around everywhere at top speed in their 500 hp lobster boats.
Some Ease Coast trawler type cruisers skip Maine due to these boats. But, we can get live Maine lobster in our restaurants!
 
Interesting--there were plenty of crabs in the San Pedro area when I was growing up on the docks there in the late 40's. Of course lobsters also used to be taken in pots in that same era there.

I was a bit surprised to see that many sardines--there used to be a huge sardine fishery, which had been depleated. Sorry to hear about the loss of these bait and forage fish in the chain. I suspect that they were migrating.
 
We were out at the Mission Bay inlet, San Diego, Monday night. We watched several boats setting lobster pots in the channel, and saw one pot pulled up with a lobster.

Also watched a boat launch out of the Shelter Island, San Diego boat ramp with pots on board.

Assume it's legal, since those boats weren't hiding anything.

Boris
 
Are West coast lobsters the spiny type, like in Florida, or the clawed types found along the Eastern seaboard, typically called "Maine lobsters"?

I spent some time on Deer Isle three years ago, and the lobsters were so over-abundant that the fishermen were getting paid less per pound than hotdogs were selling for in the same town (Stonington, Maine).

But, they were making up for the low price with high volume...

The Maine lobster population escalated, apparently after the cod population was decimated by over-fishing (cod being their former primary preditor).

The Maine fishery industry is nearly 100% based upon lobsters now.
 
Boris,

Were those boats private or commercial? Commercial fishing boats are allowed to fish with pots.

I have been out of SoCal for 5 years so things might have changed, but I was checking the Cal fish & game website for the info.
 
Commercial lobstermen use traps. Recreational catch must be made by hand only, no tickle sticks or any hooked device allowed. You may also catch them using a hoop net from the surface, but cannot have any scuba gear onboard while hoopnetting.
87226d1201445428-hoop-net-davit-imgp0689b.jpg
 
Just for info only, what is the difference between a commercial and recreational lobster boat? It was at night, and I didn't see any license signs on the boats. They were just small skiffs. Maybe they were fishing with hoop nets.

Didn't see a license sign/board on the one that launched. I'll look for that next time we're down there and I see a boat with pots getting launched. It was also a small (20') skiff.

Live and learn.

Boris
 
California Spiny Lobster is similar but not identical to the Florida Spiny Lobster. Calif is Panulirus interruptus, Florida is Panulirus argus. Neither have claws.
 
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