Cape Mendocino closure

There's a potential closure of Cape Mendocino being considered by DFW and PFMC....not good.   In an email response, Joanna Grebel said in order to expand fishing opportunitiues they need to close areas to stay under the Yellow eye rf catch limit....but their just arent any yelloweyes being caught at the cape.  Here's her email response:

Hi Ryan,
Thanks for your email.  We have not come to any decisions yet on what, if any areas, will be closed.  We requested input on possible areas to close as a way to allow for more fishing opportunity, particularly in the northern areas.  We'd like to provide more time on the water and maybe even deeper depths, but we probably cannot do it without some assurance that we can stay within our allowable catch limits of yelloweye rockfish.  If we stick with our current depths and seasons, then no closures will be needed.  But if we start looking at providing more opportunities, some closures will likely be necessary.  It is a tradeoff and we look forward to getting more input from our public on this. But to be very clear -- we are still in the discussion phase and no decisions have been made.

I appreciate your feedback on this particular location and we will keep it in mind as we move forward.

Thanks,
Joanna

Joanna Grebel
Senior Environmental Scientist
Marine Region


We need voices!  Please email these people and tell them to keep Cape Mendocino open for sportfishing!

[email protected]

[email protected]


I find myself bitching about our shorter rcg fishing season up here but I would never trade a longer season for the few days I get to fish at the cape! 

Post up your pics from the Cape so everyone can see whats on the line!!!

The cape

Hey guys this is true and I'm seriously fired up. 

I need to figure out how to make video files go from my wife's camera to my PC then how to edit the video, attach files, etc.  I've also got a draft of a letter for submission to the PFMC that I'll circulate for signatures. 

We need to be on top of this.  Kayakers are the vast majority of users there and we are getting thrown under the bus.

I'll update when I get this shit figured out.

"They're still in the discussion phase..."  They want the input so let's give it to em!   What good does it do to shut this area down to save the Yelloweye when no ones catching them?!  It's just more area that's off limits without an achievable goal.  Unless that is the goal...more area off limits. 

What about the 90% of CA waters that are already closed by depth restrictions to protect YE rockfish? It's never mentioned as part of the equation, but the dept needs to leverage that data to provide more fishing opportunities; instead of closing more water completely.

This is the first I' lve heard about this, surprisingly. Do you guys have more info because I want to know if other areas are under consideration too...

What about the 90% of CA waters that are already closed by depth restrictions to protect YE rockfish? It's never mentioned as part of the equation, but the dept needs to leverage that data to provide more fishing opportunities; instead of closing more water completely.

This is the first I' lve heard about this, surprisingly. Do you guys have more info because I want to know if other areas are under consideration too...

There are 12 areas according to DFW that are on the table during the april meetings.  I know where 9 of them are.  I have a pdf of the latest with the new 8 that have been proposed.  Not sure how to add that here and i don't have a link to a publicly available website yet.  I could email it to you if you PM your email address.

Where are the kids of the new going to fish it's getting bad out there us reck Guy's get a bad rap we can only catch a couple of fish as it is. Why is the man taking all are fish crab and fun away. This system is a joke

Here's a screen cap of Summary of spots from Dougs pdf...a few spots down by some of you folks closer to the Bay Area

Comments can still be submitted for consideration to the pfmc at the April meeting...

[email protected]


Comments received by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, March 17, 2016 will be included in the briefing  books mailed to Council members prior to the meeting.  Comments received after March 17 but  by 11:59 p.m. April 3, 2016 will be distributed to Council members at the onset of the meeting. 

If they want to close an area to protect yelloweye and are considering Cape mendo then they sure as hell better have Ocean Cove area on the list because I have seen, heard and caught personally more yelloweye in a weekend there, but yet there is a longer season and more pressure from a larger population there.

Whatever information the CA DFW is using to determine Cape Mendocino being  yelloweye Hotspot is bogus.  I have never caught a yellow eye at Cape Mendocino and I cover more there than anyone else who fishes there.  I did at least 3 solo trips there last year alone and go further offshore hitting different spots that any of the other folks that fish there don't fish .  I have caught several canaries but never a yelloweye.

Follow the smell, far flung conspiracy theory, is the attempt at further closures (especially the Cape Area) in any way connected to the results of the much touted reasonable co-operation and compromises made during the MLPA process up there?

Probably not, but, the idea just popped into my head.

I suspect it was more like the possibility of trading a closure for a longer season came up at a local meeting and some PBers made up YE hotspot tale on the spot for that area because they know that almost no one in a PB goes there.  I suspect that it was a relatively innocent attempt to get more time without giving up anything real, and they probably didn't know that we use it.  Then the DFW just went with their word without conducting a single study trying to throw us northern folk a bone by extending our season or giving us more depth, because we've all be asking for it, PBers and kayakers alike.  We just didn't show up to the meeting and ended up getting (hopefully inadvertently) thrown under the bus.

At least that seems most likely to me at this point before heading off onto conspiracy theory territory.  Not saying there isn't one though, and of course just because youre paranoid does not mean that they aren't all out to get you.

Here is a letter to sign and send in for public comments at the PFMC April meeting:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u-iO-D6uKqN6L62JD9tGW-K0C3xxNUjrwheJI6bnXGM/edit?usp=sharing

Add your name and I'll send it in or you can send it to [email protected]

We need to speak up.

This is a copy of the letter I sent:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hcLdNlNlpbOLIrbucZYU4yZIBxSltAayjrrSDJlrZTk/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks all.  Lets kill this idea dead.

Links to proposed closures:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_F1Pg6BodBUTkdabzNWWkFwTzg/view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_F1Pg6BodBUanR0cW9rN3lrNDg/view

Hey Doug, I mucked up your letter a bit, I added a short comment (at the top) to yours then copied it into my email, I thought my comments would disappear when I closed your doc but they didn't.

Sorry about that I should have copied it to my email first, then edited it. I figure the more individual emails they get the better.