Transect Results 2016

The DFW has completed their transects for this round and as we suspected they have hit a trigger.  According to the current management plan, (table 7-2 of the ARMP) when densities in the deep water transects are <2,500 abalone per hectare and no recruitment occurs the commission could choose to reduce the TAC, Total Allowable Catch, by 25%.  The Department’s Recreational Abalone Advisory Committee, (RAAC) has a regularly scheduled meeting on Saturday, November 5th.  We are currently looking for options as far as location to make this meeting more available to divers for input on the current situation and possible management actions.  The Marine Resource Committee meeting will be in Los Alamitos in November and the Commission meeting where the action will probably be voted on will be in San Diego in December, so this will most likely be the only chance for Northern California residents to be heard in person.

We need to start discussing what we as divers think is a prudent decision in this case.  We know that what is happening has nothing to do with fishing pressure and that the amount of pressure divers pose on the fishery is very small, therefore it makes little sense to change fishing regulations unless what is happening might be considered a threat to the species.  We also know that the “Perfect Storm” regarding the kelp was not as bad as predicted and that we actually had a decent kelp year.  What I would like to see is a voluntary management action with expiration dates so that if the situation persists or gets worse, we can modify our action but if it gets better whatever we decide to do now will expire and just go away.  The biggest concerns right now are for what “might happen.”  I prefer not to manage for what might happen but for what has happened.  We’ve all seen the shriveled abs and most of us know that it’s easy enough to find healthy abalone if you look around.  If we as fishermen are ok with looking around a little to find healthier abalone it is ok to not manage to the standard of a Cadillac fishery. 

Joshua Russo
President, Watermen’s Alliance
Director, SCAN
North Coast Representative, RAAC

Joshua,
I am sure we all appreciate the update and all your involvement and communication that must be going on behind the scenes.

I have some suggestions, a couple of which I've floated out there before. The first is simply to make the quantity of tags more user defined. Just like there is a one day salmon fishing license, why not have a one day abalone, 3 ab license. We all know people who do something like an annual family camping trip to Van Damme and just want to dive one day. And when my kids were young, many weekends were too busy for me to dive. I would have voluntarily bought, for instance,  a 9 tag license for a season,  if I could have.

Doing this would immediately show the DFG a reduction in intended take. A side effect, I believe would be safer diving and, hopefully, fewer fatalities. If people have to pay full price for a full 18 tag license, there seems to be an inherent incentive to perhaps go diving on some rougher days just to use more of the license.

Moving to a user defined system would also allow DFG to get closer to real time management of the resource. Say a big warm water event begins in Sonoma county one summer. DFG could respond during that summer, rather than the next year, by immediately reducing the number of tags that are available for Sonoma County. If it cleared up, they could conversely, raise the available take all closer to the real situation rather than responding a full season later.

Another idea on positive side would be see if we as a diving community would be willing to step up and do specific habitat improvement projects. For instance, what about designating some specific areas of "urchin barrens" that we could collectively work on to smash urchins? Elsewhere on this site there was some back and forth about reducing urchin populations and some inspiring examples from Southern CA about guys making a real dent. I am still curious whether urchins need to be entirely smashed. If they would die from just being poked with something like a Phillips head screwdriver I would think groups of guys, especially if they used tanks, could go to specific GPS coordinates that you or the DFG defined and reclaim the area for kelp and then abalone.

Along the same lines, is there anything feasible we could do as divers in re-introducing kelp to cleared areas rather than waiting for random reseeding of kelp over time. I would be happy to volunteer for any such effort either against urchins or to promote kelp restoration.

Perhaps as an incentive for contributing to urchin destruction or kelp restoration, participating divers could be allowed to purchase additional tags beyond 18 for additional fees? That would be a great motivation to spend some Saturdays not taking abs or fish, but restoring habitat for everyone's benefit!

If we, as a community, could make a measurable improvement in the habitat situation, wouldn't DFG be less likely to reduce the overall sport take, especially if that take, as you mention, has really very little impact on the abalone resource, compared to environmental factors?
Thanks,
Warren

Any improvements we could make on the habitat would benefit us for sure.  The suggestions you make have been brought up before.  I think the fear is that 80% of the divers would buy a day license and decrease income by 75%.  The options are being explored though.

<snipped> I think the fear is that 80% of the divers would buy a day license and decrease income by 75%.

Too bad it's not just about the Abalone density. No ill-will to you, Joshua, just my knee-jerk reaction.

<snipped> I think the fear is that 80% of the divers would buy a day license and decrease income by 75%.

Too bad it's not just about the Abalone density. No ill-will to you, Joshua, just my knee-jerk reaction.

No worries brother.  If you think you're discouraged by the political BS, think how I feel.