California DFG Wardens Work with Commercial Lobster Fishermen to Catch Poachers
November 20, 2008
Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wardens arrested four suspected lobster poachers over the weekend on two all-night operations. The SCUBA-clad divers are suspected of stealing lobsters from commercial fishermen’s traps.
“Lobster trap poachers have always been a problem for commercial lobster fishermen,” stated Eric Kord, skipper to the patrol boat Thresher, whose crew spearheaded the operation. “For a poacher, traps can be tempting targets. Stealing from them can also earn a poacher a felony grand theft conviction.”
Arrested and booked were 37-year-old Oscar Pinon of Anaheim, 32-year-old Anton Vasilescu of Alisa Viejo, 31-year-old Robert Hartman of San Jacinto and 48-year-old Louie Maldonado of Apple Valley. All dive gear related to the commission of the crimes was seized.
During the operation, wardens also wrote citations for an undersized lobster, otherwise legally harvested, and use of illegal gear to harvest lobster.
While surveilling the shoreline for poaching activity, wardens ended up coordinating a rescue of a panicked diver who was in danger of drowning. Two wardens had to quickly don wetsuits to assist and while lifeguards rescued the diver, the wardens recovered his dive gear. Once the rescue was made and the scene was secured, the rescued diver’s partner was found to be in possession of illegally harvested scallops and was appropriately cited.
Making these kinds of cases requires extensive coordination between DFG wardens and commercial fishermen. Poaching losses can add up quickly for commercial fishermen and are taken very seriously in California state law. According to Section 487 (b)(2) of the California State Penal Code, grand theft occurs: “When fish, shellfish, mollusks, crustaceans, kelp, algae or other aquacultural products are taken from a commercial or research operation which is producing that product, of a value exceeding one hundred dollars ($100).” The law is similar to a long-standing law making it a felony to steal more than $100 worth of agricultural products from a farmer. At the current commercial price of $10.50 per pound, a poacher who steals seven lobsters from a trap (the normal legal recreational limit) will have stolen in excess of the $100 threshold.
Related posts
Apprentice Duck Hunts At Grizzly Island Wildlife Area of California
November 18, 2008
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announces two special apprentice duck hunts at Grizzly Island Wildlife Area. On Saturday, Dec. 13 and Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008, spaced blinds on Pond 11 and Crescent Unit of the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area will be available only for apprentice hunt participants and will be closed to the general public. The hunts are available to junior hunting license holders.
An adult chaperone (18 years of age or older) is required to accompany and supervise each junior hunter. The adult may hunt with the junior hunter and must possess the required 2008-09 California hunting license and state and federal waterfowl stamps. Sixteen-year-old junior license holders must have a federal waterfowl stamp to hunt waterfowl. All available blinds can accommodate two people, the junior hunter and his or her adult chaperone. Non-toxic shot approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is required for waterfowl hunting. A minimum of one dozen duck decoys are required at all blind sites and chest waders are recommended.
To apply for a reservation, please use a standard post card and send it as follows:
Each hunter may apply only once and for only one date. Application cards must be received by close of business on Nov. 25, 2008. Junior hunt reservations will be filled by a random drawing conducted on Nov. 26. There will be 16 reservations issued for each date. All successful applicants will be notified by mail. The Grizzly Island Wildlife Area will also accept junior hunters on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the hunt to use the free roam areas and to fill any no-shows.
DFG encourages use of the West Family Unit, which is available only to junior hunters. Hunt days are Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the open season. The gate will open approximately two hours before shoot time. An adult chaperone is required and four double blinds are available. The unit is north of Benicia on Goodyear Rd. From Highway 680 take the Marshview Road exit and turn right onto Goodyear Rd. from the off-ramp. The hunt area will be on the left.
Related posts
Record Size Chinook Salmon Found on California DFG Survey of Lower Battle Creek
November 14, 2008
One of the biggest Chinook salmon ever recorded in California was found dead of natural causes in lower Battle Creek near Red Bluff last month. Department of Fish and Game (DFG) biologists measured to estimate what the live weight of the dead fish would have been. A standard size-to-weight formula was used to determine approximate live weight. Based on measurements of the fish (51 inches long), it could have surpassed the current state angling record for a Chinook salmon. It was estimated to have been between five and six years of age.
“I have counted tens of thousands of salmon during my career and this is the biggest I have ever seen,” said Doug Killam DFG Associate Fisheries Biologist. “When alive, it could have weighed more than the largest Chinook officially recorded in California, an 88-pound fish caught in the Sacramento River.”
The monster salmon was found during a routine fall-run Chinook salmon survey conducted by DFG biologists. Biologists walk through the spawning reach on lower Battle Creek on a weekly basis, recording numbers of spawned-out salmon. Most of the salmon they find weigh between 20 and 30 pounds. The size of this salmon literally stopped them in their tracks. Killam was called and made a special trip to the site with camera in hand to record the size of the fish.
Because Pacific Chinook salmon die after spawning, surveys counting dead carcasses are commonly used throughout the Central Valley to estimate the number of salmon spawning in each stream. These monitoring surveys provide vital information on the number of salmon returning to specific areas, baseline information for establishing sport and recreational fishing seasons, evaluating hatchery programs, and evaluating habitat restoration and improvement projects.
Killam supervises a crew of employees that work year-round monitoring fish populations throughout the Upper Sacramento River Basin. The monitoring projects use state-of-the-art under water video monitoring techniques and traditional walking surveys to gather information. These surveys are cooperative efforts. They involve a number of different state resource agencies along with federal entities and non-profit groups and organizations. Four distinct runs of salmon are surveyed: winter, spring, fall and late fall-run Chinook salmon, and steelhead. The winter and spring-run Chinook salmon and steelhead are listed under the state and federal endangered species acts making information on their population size vital in recovery efforts and for state and federal water management activities.
“Hopefully this fish was entirely successful in passing on its superior genetic potential,” said Killam. “This is one of the few bright spots this year for one of California’s great sport fish, the Chinook salmon.”
Related posts
California DFG Responds to Potential Injunction on Salmon and Trout Stocking Programs
November 11, 2008
SACRAMENTO - Following a Sacramento Superior Court Judge’s decision Friday regarding the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) fish stocking program, Director Donald Koch made the following statement:
“We look forward to meeting with the petitioners from Stanford Law School within the next two weeks to seek agreement on the continuance of our fish stocking programs. The department is concerned with the recreational impacts that curtailing our stocking programs have on the fishing community. In addition, our stocking program has important benefits to many small businesses and communities that depend on fishing.”
In October 2006, Stanford Law students sued DFG over fish stocking programs it has engaged in for more than 100 years, claiming that no Environmental Impact Report (EIR) had been completed for the programs. The result of the case was a court order requiring DFG to complete an EIR. DFG is engaged in the years-long and multimillion dollar EIR process, now scheduled to be completed in January 2010.
Due to delays in the EIR process, on Friday, Nov. 7 Sacramento Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette told the department to negotiate with the petitioners to seek an agreement on terms for how and where DFG may continue stocking fish during the time it is preparing the EIR. If an agreement is not reached, the department might face an injunction that could stop altogether or significantly reduce its fish stocking programs. If an agreement can be reached in the next two weeks, the parties will take that agreement back to the judge for his approval.
Related posts
Wanted: Talented Artists to Design 2009 California Duck Stamp
November 6, 2008
The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced today an art contest for the 2009 design for the state’s duck stamp. This is the first time since 1994 a contest will decide the stamp’s art.
The contest is open to all U.S. residents aged 18 and over. Entries will be accepted from March 1 until the April 30 contest deadline. The species selected by the Fish and Game Commission to appear on the 2009 duck stamp is the northern shoveler.
A duck stamp is required for hunting waterfowl in California. The money generated from stamp sales can only be spent on waterfowl-related conservation projects. Since it began in 1971, the California duck stamp program has raised more than $22 million. It is also the first, and oldest, state duck stamp program in the country.
DFG sells about 70,000 duck stamps annually, which includes sales to collectors who value them for their artist depiction of native ducks and geese. In addition to duck stamps, DFG typically issues signed, limited edition prints that are valued by art collectors.
The duck stamp contest will be judged by a panel of citizens with expertise in the fields of ornithology, conservation, art and printing. The winning artist will be selected during a public judging event to be held in May. A date has not yet been set for the judging.
The top entries will then be displayed in July at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association’s art show in Sacramento. The winning entry will be reproduced on the 2009 California Duck Stamp and will be available as collectible limited edition prints.
For contest information and entry forms, please visit the DFG Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/about/duckstamp
.
Related posts
California DFG Checkpoints Are Successful
November 3, 2008
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) inspected 132 vehicles Oct. 26 at two border station checkpoints to help prevent transport of chronic wasting disease (CWD). The checkpoints were conducted at the Truckee station on Interstate 80 in Nevada County and the Long Valley station on U.S. Route 395 in Lassen County. Game wardens issued a total of 20 citations.
The violations included 11 cases of importation of deer or elk parts that could contain CWD, three loaded firearms in vehicles, one illegal possession of fireworks, five over-limits of trout, one case of transportation of a game bird without a fully-feathered wing and one case of importation of deer without a tag. Numerous warnings were issued for various other violations.
“We received Declaration of Entry forms from hunters returning from Canada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Idaho, and discussed the importance of protecting California deer and elk herds from CWD,” said Capt. Sherry Howell whose squad operated the checkpoint at the Long Valley station.
DFG game wardens inspected deer and elk meat or parts that could contain CWD. DFG has been educating California hunters about CWD for the past five years and other states’ agencies have advised out-of-state hunters to adhere to home state regulations to help prevent importation of the disease.
“The detail was a very successful enforcement effort, with the majority of the hunters complying with the CWD regulations,” said Capt. Mark Lucero, whose squad operated the checkpoint at the Truckee border protection station on I-80. “This is a strong indicator that out-of-state hunters are aware of efforts to keep the infectious disease from spreading.“
CWD is not present in California, but transporting a deer spinal column or brain from a state where the disease exists, could introduce it.
CWD has been found in 15 states and two Canadian provinces. It is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer and elk, but has not been found in humans. Hunters are prohibited from bringing any portion of elk or deer into California that could contain CWD, as outlined in the state’s hunting and sport fishing regulations, available on the Web at www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations. For more information about CWD, please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/deer/cwd.
At the checkpoints, K-9 detection dogs also were used to inspect incoming watercraft for invasive species like Quagga and Zebra mussels. State law makes it illegal to possess or transport Quagga or Zebra mussels and gives DFG authority to stop, detain, search and quarantine boats suspected or determined to be contaminated with mussels. No Quagga mussel violations were found at the checkpoints on Oct. 26.
Quagga and Zebra mussels pose a serious threat to California’s ecosystem and economy. Inspections help ensure the state’s water bodies remain mussel-free and serve to educate the public about the threat the invasive mussels pose.
Mussels attached to watercraft or trailers and in boat engines, bilges, live-wells and buckets can spread rapidly throughout our waterways. Boaters should inspect all exposed surfaces, wash boat hulls thoroughly, remove all plants from the boat and trailer, drain all water - including lower outboard units, clean and dry live-wells and bait buckets and dispose baitfish in the trash. Most important, watercraft should be dried for at least five days between launches in different bodies of fresh water and even longer in cool, moist weather.
For more information about the destructive Quagga and Zebra mussels, please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/invasives/quaggamussel.
Related posts
Dungeness Crab Sport Fishing Season Opens Statewide in California Nov. 1
October 31, 2008
The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced today the annual Dungeness crab sport fishery opens statewide on Nov. 1. The California Fish and Game Commission approved a regulation change on Sept. 4, opening the season from the Oregon state line through Mendocino County on the first Saturday in November, the same day as the rest of the state.
Under the previous regulation, far northern California Dungeness crab fishermen would have had to wait until Nov. 29 for the season to open. That would have increased the likelihood of sport crab fishermen encountering commercial gear already on the fishing grounds in anticipation of the traditional Dec. 1 commercial Dungeness crab opener. The Fish and Game Commission decided to increase fishing opportunities for sport crab fishermen by setting the opening day earlier and making the date uniform, up and down the coast.
Every November, recreational crab fishermen in northern California set out hoop nets and crab traps from boats and piers to try and catch the crustaceans, and some divers take the crab by hand. The daily bag limit is 10 Dungeness crab per person, except when fishing from a commercial passenger fishing vessel (or “party boat”) south of Mendocino County; in that case, the limit is six. Dungeness crab may not be taken from San Francisco or San Pablo bays, which are important crab nursery areas.
For more information regarding recreational Dungeness crab fishing and regulations, please visit the DFG Marine Region Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/dungeness.asp.
Related posts
California DFG Offers Special Game Bird Heritage Program Event at Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area
October 27, 2008
Permits for two Game Bird Heritage Apprentice pheasant hunts for junior hunters will be issued by drawing. The deadline to apply is Oct. 27. To be eligible, youths must have successfully completed a hunter education course and possess a valid California Junior Hunting License. This apprentice hunt will be located south of the City of Sonoma at the Valley of the Moon Trap Club and on the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Ringstrom Bay Unit of the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area.
Additional activities will include wildlife management and safety talks, and practice shooting at the trap range. Lunch will be provided to participants and their chaperones. This event is possible through DFG’s Game Bird Heritage Program, the generous contributions by The Valley of the Moon Trap Club, and our many volunteers and donations. The event times are scheduled as follows:
Morning Hunt - Nov 15, 2008 - 8 a.m. to noon
Evening Hunt - Nov 15, 2008 - 1 p.m. to 4:55 p.m.
Hunters can apply on the DFG Web site or can download, print and mail an application form available at: www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/uplandgame/gamebird/specialhunts. Scroll down and click on “Apprentice Hunts for Juniors” to find information and a statewide map of the hunts and the application. Applicants must enter all required information. Hunters who have just graduated from a hunter safety class and have a priority stamp may enter that number to receive priority in the drawing. Two hunters may enter as one party.
The hunters must be accompanied and supervised by a non-hunting adult, 18 years of age or older. Shooting safety glasses and blaze orange clothing are required by all participants (including chaperones).
A total of 20 permits will be available for the Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area hunts (10 in the morning and 10 in the afternoon). All successful applicants will be notified by mail only. Any vacancies after the drawing will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis through the receipt of applications.
Related posts
Correction on White Goose Regulation Dates in Imperial Valley
October 27, 2008
Incorrect dates for white goose hunting are printed on the Imperial County White Goose Area Map in the 2008-2009 Waterfowl Regulations Booklet.
The correct season dates are Nov. 1, 2008 - Jan. 25, 2009 and Feb. 14 - March 1, 2009 for the Imperial County White Goose Area. The correct dates are printed in the 2008-2009 Waterfowl Regulations Booklet on page 10.
A new version of the Imperial County White Goose Area Map with the correct dates is posted at: www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations.
Related posts
Check Points Set to Stop Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) from Entering California
October 20, 2008
Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wardens will check hunters entering San Bernardino County to prevent the introduction of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This checkpoint, which will be held at an agricultural inspection station, is a continuation of DFG’s extensive educational outreach program and will be conducted Oct. 20 and Oct. 21. They are a part of an enhanced educational effort to supplement information provided in the hunting regulation pamphlet and the California Hunting Digest.
Checkpoints are an educational and enforcement tool to protect California deer and elk herds from CWD. Hunters play a key role in keeping CWD out of California. Wardens enforce all Fish and Game laws at