Author: BD STAFF

California Anglers Report Online Anglers and divers can now go online to submit their abalone, lobster, salmon, steelhead and sturgeon report cards required by the Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). These report cards provide important harvest data critical to helping fishery scientists better manage these fishing programs. Reporting requirements for anglers and divers have not changed, but this online submission option makes the reporting faster and easier. By providing harvest details more quickly, fisheries managers can more promptly put the information to use. Standard mail reporting is still available and can be done through the address printed on the…

The lure of a hot bite and a big prize purse awaits teams fishing the Sailfish Challenge, which takes over South Florida’s offshore waters on February 7th. In 2012, 72 boats rose to the challenge and 185 sailfish were released in the one-day, three-inlet tournament. The first place team, SkipJac II, walked away with a check for $118,450. This year’s purse is expected to exceed $250,000! The Sailfish Challenge gives anglers the option to fish out of three different inlets — Government Cut in Miami Beach, Hillsboro Inlet in Pompano Beach, and Lake Worth Inlet in Palm Beach. The three-inlet…

California Outdoors Hall of Fame Michael L. Farrior of Rancho Santa Fe, California, was elected and installed into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame by a committee of his peers, the Hall of Fame Circle of Chiefs. Farrior was cited for his volunteer work on behalf of the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) and Tuna Club of Avalon. The California Outdoors Hall of Fame noted that “Farrior has been the catalyst in arranging Young Anglers Tournaments at fishing piers for the youth of San Diego, and the IGFA Junior Anglers Tournament at the Marlin Club. He regularly donates fishing reels…

Yamaha Marine Group recently announced that effective January 1, 2013, it became the first Platinum Sponsor of the Center for Coastal Conservation. “The corporate leadership of Yamaha Marine Group has a clear vision for the future of recreational fishing and boating,” said Jeff Angers, President, Center for Coastal Conservation. “With Yamaha’s incredible contributions of time, talent and treasure, we are better able to advance federal public policy that strengthens the entire fishing and boating community.” The role of the Center for Coastal Conservation is to affect laws and policy related to the conservation of marine resources with broad abilities to…

Commercial Fishing Worse Offenders As part of its overall efforts to ensure that the U.S. fishing industry isn’t undermined by unsustainable or illegal activities, today, NOAA submitted a Congressionally-mandated report identifying 10 nations whose fishing vessels engaged in illegal unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in 2011 or 2012, or had ineffective measures to prevent the unintended catch of protected species in 2012. All six of the nations identified in the previous, 2011 Biennial Report to Congress (Colombia, Ecuador, Italy, Panama, Portugal, and Venezuela) have addressed the instances of IUU fishing for which they were previously identified. These nations took strong…

5th Annual Southern California Tackle Show Swap Meet Tackle collectors, anglers and anyone else looking for a good deal is encouraged to attend the 5th Annual California Tackle Show and Swap Meet, which takes place February 7-9, in Cardiff, California. The meet will start with trading on Thursday afternoon and continue through Friday night. The public is welcome from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. The trading session will be followed by a show/sale open to the public on Saturday, February 9th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Room trading will be held at the same location as previous years, the…

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) released a staff evaluation of a petition to list the Northeast Pacific population of white sharks as a threatened or endangered species under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). In completing the petition evaluation, CDFW determined there is sufficient scientific information to indicate that the petition action may be warranted, and recommends the petition be accepted and considered by the California Fish and Game Commission. California White Shark Endangered At its next meeting, the Commission says it may take action on whether or not to accept the petition and declare the white…

Recreational fishing is more than just a pleasant getaway for millions of Americans. As an industry, it provides a living for countless people in businesses ranging from fishing tackle and boating manufacturing to travel and hospitality to publications, magazines and much more. As reported in Sportfishing in America: An Economic Force for Conservation, a new fishing statistics report produced by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), the trade association that represents the sportfishing industry, the number of anglers increased 11 percent over the past five years and fishing tackle sales grew more than 16 percent. When expenditures are multiplied by our…

The U.S. recreational boating industry began to see the tide turn for new power boat sales with an estimated 10 percent increase in 2012, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). Early projections indicate the industry will see additional increases in 2013 by as much as 5 to 10 percent. This level of growth in 2013 will depend on a number of factors including continued improvement in economic conditions that impact recreational boating — namely consumer confidence and the housing market — and sustained increases in Americans’ participation in outdoor recreation. “Improving economic conditions and what seems to be…

A group of Japanese scientists managed to capture the first live images of a giant squid as the creature descended into the inky depths. The squid in the pictures, which were published on Yahoo, is about 10 feet long. The images were shot last July, about one kilometer below the ocean’s surface. A 10-foot cephlopod is small by giant squid standards, but getting the animal on film in its natural habitat was a huge step for scientists hoping to learn more about these animals. The researchers used a small submersible rigged with lights that are actually invisible to the squid’s…

California Native Trout Program The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is reintroducing native rainbow trout to the Kern River as part of its Native Trout Program. Four water wells were recently drilled to serve as a back-up water source during adverse river conditions in preparation for the reintroduction. “This is an important phase of the project and represents a significant milestone in preserving the heritage species in the Kern River,” said CDFW senior fisheries Environmental Scientist Brian Beal. “Upgrading our facility to reintroduce native trout will offer great fishing opportunities, while providing economic benefits and encouraging tourism.” The…

Bluefin Tuna Japan Auction It seems like every year, the bluefin tuna Japan auction at the Tokyo Tsukiji fish market sets a record price for bluefin tuna. This year it was a 489-pound bluefin tuna that broke the record. It sold for $3,600 per pound to fetch a total of more than 153 million yen the equivalent to $1.76 million dollars. The record-setting bluefin tuna was caught off of northeastern Japan and was purchased by Kiyoshi Kimura, the president of a chain of sushi restaurants. After the fish was purchased, it was paraded through town and cut up in a whole…

Transocean Deepwater Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to violating the Clean Water Act (CWA) and to pay a total of $1.4 billion in civil and criminal fines and penalties, for its conduct in relation to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, according to the Department of Justice. Transocean Deepwater Inc. signed a cooperation and guilty plea agreement with the government, admitting its criminal conduct. As part of the plea agreement, Transocean Deepwater Inc. has agreed, subject to the court’s approval, to pay $400 million in criminal fines and penalties and to continue its on-going cooperation in the government’s criminal investigation. In…

On January 1, 2013, the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) became the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The new name was mandated by AB 2402, which was signed September 25th by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. and is one of numerous provisions passed into law during 2012 that affect the department. “The name of the department was changed to better reflect our evolving responsibilities,” said Department Director Charlton H. Bonham. “As our role has grown to meet 21st century expectations, we remain committed to our traditional responsibilities and to honoring our deep roots in California’s natural…

Ben Smith of Bryn Mar, Penn., was fishing in the surf at Delaware Seashore State Park on Saturday, December 8th, when he reeled in a 52-pound striped bass measuring 51 inches in length and 30 inches in girth. Under the rules of the Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament, Smith’s catch was measured and weighed using a certified scale at Old Inlet Bait & Tackle in Rehoboth Beach and then verified by Sr. Cpl. Douglas Messeck of DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Section. According to Nathan Rust, Delaware Sport Fishing Tournament director, Smith’s beast of a bass beat out the…

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will convene a special meeting of the Reef Fish Management Committee January 7-8, in Tampa, Florida. During the special meeting, the Reef Fish Committee will discuss several issues related to the management of red snapper. The Committee will review an analysis by the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of an estimated 1.6 million pound overharvest of red snapper during the 2012 recreational season. The SSC is recommending a 0.38 million pound increase in the acceptable biological catch in 2013 to 8.46 million pounds. The Committee will also review an analysis on how a…

FLIR Systems recently announced the launch of the next-generation of its popular First Mate line of handheld thermal night vision cameras, the First Mate II. The First Mate II family has the same thermal imaging performance that boaters have come to expect, but the manufacturer added a new feature called InstAlert. InstAlert is an automated image-processing feature that uses the color red to highlight the strongest heat signatures in the image, instantly alerting boaters to people who have fallen overboard as well as hazards along the way. First Mate is the most popular line of handheld marine thermal night vision…

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) recently announced that will begin utilizing a more accurate method of determining Louisiana’s recreational landings of yellowfin tuna. The new program will go into effect January 1, 2013. The new method requires anglers and charter captains possessing tunas, billfishes, swordfish, amberjacks, groupers, and snappers first obtain an Offshore Landing Permit. The permit is available at no cost to the public, and can be obtained through the Department’s website at www.wlf.louisiana.gov/rolp or through smartphone applications. The iPhone app can be downloaded free from the App Store by searching for Louisiana Recreational Offshore Landing…

Several species of grouper will close to recreational and commercial harvest starting January 1 in Florida state waters of the Atlantic, including Monroe County. This seasonal closure includes gag, black, red, yellowmouth, yellowfin and tiger grouper as well as scamp, red hind, rock hind, coney and graysby. State waters in the Atlantic run from shore to three nautical miles out. Florida Grouper Closure 2012 Season The harvest of these species of grouper in Atlantic state waters will remain closed through April 30, reopening May 1. The harvest closure was established to ensure the “long-term sustainability of Atlantic grouper species,” according…

The Big Game Club Resort & Marina is anticipating some major wahoo action in February with its Smackdown II Tournament. The resort kicked off the wahoo season run in November with some 60 anglers competing for more than $30,000 in cash and prizes. Participating teams literally saw tons of action landing nearly a ton and a half fish. Tournament Director Capt. Paul Cameron hopes the fishing gods will back in force on February 21-23 with the season-ending wahoo tournament. “We listened to what the anglers wanted and have come up with what we feel is a good combination blending reasonable…

Simrad Yachting recently launched a personal mapping tool, Insight Genesis. Using sonar recordings from Broadband Sounder and StructureScan HD sonar imaging transducers connected to the Simrad NSS Sport touchscreen multifunction display, Insight Genesis gives boaters the ability to create custom contour maps of their favorite fishing areas. Whether mapping previously uncharted waters or ensuring surveyed water details are accurate and current, Insight Genesis delivers personal cartography and situational awareness for boaters. Designed for inland, coastal and offshore charting needs, users can create free custom maps, by activating the standard sonar-logging feature of any NSS multifunction display to record all subsequent…

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has completed its annual sturgeon tagging program in Bay Area waters. The tagging operation is used to help manage California’s green and white sturgeon populations. The tags are white plastic disks that are smaller than a dime. Anyone who catches a DFG tagged fish is encouraged to return the tag. DFG pays a reward for the return of certain tags, and those tags are clearly labeled. Additional details about the tagging program can be found by clicking HERE. Information received from anglers about tagged sturgeon complements the details submitted on sturgeon fishing…

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) launched its first iPhone application on December 19. The application is free and available at Apple’s App Store. LDWF’s iPhone app offers the most vital information needed for the outdoor enthusiasts. The app is simple to use, quick and to the point, providing relevant information while participating in outdoor activities. “This is great news for anglers, hunters and anyone who enjoys the outdoors,” said LDWF Secretary Robert Barham. “We’re giving our citizens a tool that can improve their outdoor experience, no matter what skill level they may hold.” The iPhone app took…

Hosted at Sailfish Marina on Singer Island, 37 sailfishing teams competed in the inaugural Operation Sailfish event, the first leg of the highly touted Quest for the Crest Sailfish Series. The event opened with the singing of the national anthem and the presentation of colors by the 4th Anglico Marines from West Palm Beach, Florida. Despite mediocre fishing in advance of the tournament, things broke loose on the first day of fishing and never slowed down. The fleet caught and released 400 sailfish during the two-day competition. Ten Minutes into the first day, the first sailfish release was called in…