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35 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 2, 2004 Committee ponders adjusting rockfish limit By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Oregon’s recreational ocean anglers may see their marine rockfish limit drop from 10 a day to eight next year as part of a new effort to keep a year-round season in the face of dwindling federal catch limits. The state’s groundfish advisory committee has concluded that the eight-fish limit for 2005 provides the best chance for not repeating this year’s unprecedented August groundfish closure caused by anglers catching their black rockfish quota far faster than anticipated. The committee considered other changes, such as keeping this year’s 10-fish limit, using mid-season bag-limit changes and even banning recreational rockfish angling in the winter — a move that would protect more rockfish during nesting seasons. But committee members, who mostly are recreational anglers and charterboat operators, believe the lower catch numbers — plus adjustments such as fishing deeper for blue rockfish — could stretch the season for a full year. "Seventy percent of the black rockfish are caught by the charter fleet, and if the charter fleet makes those changes, we should be all right," says Wayne Butler, a Bandon charter boat operator who is part of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s advisory committee. Advertisement "We have to bring the catch down 20 percent, and on this end of the coast, 20 percent means two fish because it’s a rare, rare day we don’t limit out," Butler says. The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is scheduled to decide the 2005 limits when it meets Dec. 10 in Salem. The eight-fish limit also has the endorsement of the Oregon State Police, which enforces ocean-fishing rules. Black rockfish account for the lion’s share of the recreational catch under Oregon’s "marine fish bag limit" that covers rockfish, greenling, cabezon and other species. It is separate from the lingcod limit. Next year’s allowable catch for black rockfish is 332 metric tons, 10 metric tons less than this year. Alterations in the bag limit or season dates are considered necessary to ensure the best chance for extending bottom-fishing beyond last year’s emergency closure in August. Brookings sport-fishing advocate Jim Welter, who also serves on the ODFW advisory committee, says he supports the eight-fish limit, which also includes a separate lingcod limit of two fish longer than 24 inches. Welter believes this year’s black rockfish catches were unusually high because of relatively poor near-shore fishing for salmon, diverting salmon anglers to rockfish. "If you have good salmon fishing, it will do all the good in the world for (black rockfish)," Welter says. Welter, however, also questions the data that federal fish managers used to set the black rockfish cap. Welter believes that black rockfish are faring far better than federal estimates and he wants the commission and the ODFW to work on increasing the caps. The Pacific Fishery Management Council sets the black rockfish caps annually. The state commission has no authority to adjust the cap, but it may legally set more conservative measures than those called for by the PFMC. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities