Rockfish Reg. Petition Workgroup - Need your help

I'm in as well, Paul. Keep me posted am happy to volunteer. We need numbers and we need to consistently call and show up to meetings to get ourselves in the conversation. I think a petition might not be enough. We need to be a "squeaky wheel". Kayak angling is not even on their radars right now.

I'm in as well, Paul. Keep me posted am happy to volunteer. We need numbers and we need to consistently call and show up to meetings to get ourselves in the conversation. I think a petition might not be enough. We need to be a "squeaky wheel". Kayak angling is not even on their radars right now.

Thank you for your support, Nando.
I agree with you that a petition is just first step.  This will be continuous process to protect kayak fishermen.

Paul

Thanks for starting this topic.

Look forward to its progression.

I am up on the air with lingcod bag limits . Someone brought up slot size suggestions on another thread. I think this a great idea. As much as i enjoy harvesting a large lingcod,i have seen such smaller and less lately. ( I am referring to shallow water fishing)
Would be nice to see the big breeders released for a bit.

Of course there is the great Cabezon debate.  Its rare that i see them in carmel ! 

Al

I might be the minority here but I don't have a problem with a shorter San Francisco region season. Rockfish take a long time to mature and hopefully we will get some bigger fish in the future.

Descenders should be mandatory and a lower limit on rock fish would be a good idea too.

July 16th is just around the corner and if you really need your fix try taking the drive down to the central region.

The most painful fish to not be able to catch this year is salmon, I would love just a 1 month (July) 1 fish limit season. But that's another topic all together.

Good luck Paul.

I feel like I missed the background discussion about this idea/petition. Why would we petition to reduce the bag limit by 50 percent?

X2 here 🙃

I feel like I missed the background discussion about this idea/petition. Why would we petition to reduce the bag limit by 50 percent?

I feel like I missed the background discussion about this idea/petition. Why would we petition to reduce the bag limit by 50 percent?

I’m not sure that there has been much proposed here that I actually support with the exception of mandatory descenders. I could probably be talked into a slot limit for lingcod if it also extended the season.  Other than that…

I feel like I missed the background discussion about this idea/petition. Why would we petition to reduce the bag limit by 50 percent?

In 2023 our Nearshore Rockfish Season got reduced by 31% to 45% depends on the Management Area.
We are trying to find a way to get our old season back.

The 2023 rockfish seasons were shortened as a result of constraining stocks, particularly quillback and copper RF. I'd focus the regulation suggestions around those constraining stocks, and drop the other stuff. Keep it focused and based on the same data the managers used to craft this year's seasons. Most of these data are readily available online, either via National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Fishery Management Council, CDFW, etc.

There's a modeled release mortality rate for each of these species. If you extend the fishing season, the models will show an increase in CnR mortality of the constraining stocks. This is something to consider when suggesting an increase in fishing season length. Maybe address this in the petition. For example, consider reducing the copper RF limit to zero in exchange for extending the total season length and increased CnR mortality.

Tie the regulation suggestions back to the reasons why the restrictions were imposed in the first place. Identify the problem (the constraining stocks), then identify how to allow some fishing effort that may impact those stocks but wouldn't adversely affect their potential for recovery. Describe why the proposed regulations are an improvement over the ones currently enacted. You can "sweeten the pot" by describing any potential economic benefits stemming from the regulation suggestions to disenfranchised communities and user groups as well.

Lastly, get as many user groups signed onto the petition as you can. Not just kayak anglers, but anyone you think has a vested interest in these regulation changes. Coastal communities that depend on revenue brought in by visiting anglers, restaurants, motels, campgrounds, etc.

Just my thoughts on making your petition stand out among the rest. Good luck.

Petitioning to have the bag limit reduced so that you can fish year-round doesn't seem like a winning deal. Most of the winter months aren't very fishable anyway. Cold, windy, swelly, rainy weather. Then, come summer, you'll be stuck with a reduced limit. Seems like shooting yourself in the foot to me.

Petitioning to have the bag limit reduced so that you can fish year-round doesn't seem like a winning deal. Most of the winter months aren't very fishable anyway. Cold, windy, swelly, rainy weather. Then, come summer, you'll be stuck with a reduced limit. Seems like shooting yourself in the foot to me.

I am not considering year-round season, just trying to return to Year 2022 or prior year season and able to fish April, May, June, and July (SF and Mendocino management areas)

Paul

There are so many Coppers in Monterey ( I think I released 8-10 over 2 days) and seems like a good amount in Sonoma, seems like they could increase the sub limits in those areas. Otherwise I’m now of the mind to take baby steps and swap adding 1 more month on the front end of the season for a reduced combined bag of 8.

Petitioning to have the bag limit reduced so that you can fish year-round doesn't seem like a winning deal. Most of the winter months aren't very fishable anyway. Cold, windy, swelly, rainy weather. Then, come summer, you'll be stuck with a reduced limit. Seems like shooting yourself in the foot to me.

I am not considering year-round season, just trying to return to Year 2022 or prior year season and able to fish April, May, June, and July (SF and Mendocino management areas)

Paul

Can you clarify for me what the rules would be, then? I'm looking at your initial post and don't see details regarding dates, other than referencing the 2012 and 2013 seasons. What do those years have to do with anything?
April and May are usually pretty windy, so you're really only getting 2 good fishing months in exchange for cutting the limit in half for the entire season.

We don't have a draft petition yet. 
I am proposing to form a workgroup of volunteers to research and develop a draft petition together to develop the best one.
Many talented NCKA members are there, and I hope someone can lead this effort with many volunteer support.

But what about 2012 and 2013? That’s the most confusing part to me.