NMFS - Inseason Changes to Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery

[Wahoo!]

Recreational Fishery
California Recreational RCAs and Seasons
For more detailed regulations applying to
recreational RCAs and seasons, see §§ 660.384
of the Pacific Coast groundfish regulations.
Data results from California Recreational
Fisheries Survey (CRFS) suggest that the 2006
recreational management measures could be
further revised to allow for additional fishing
opportunity for shelf species, while reducing
fishing pressure on nearshore groundfish species.
Therefore, NMFS is implementing the following
recreational RCA and season changes:
• Between 40º 10' N. lat. and 36º N. lat.,
move the shoreward boundary of the
recreational RCA to a line approximating
the 30-fm depth contour in
July-December;
• Between 36º N. lat. and 34º 27' N. lat.,
open the area shoreward of the
recreational RCA through the month of
October (i.e., the recreational RCA
extends from a boundary line
approximating the 40-fm depth contour
to the exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
from May-October); and extend the open
season for RCG complex, lingcod, and
California scorpionfish through October;
• South of 34º 27' N. lat., move the
shoreward boundary of the recreational
RCA to a line approximating the 60-fm
depth contour in September-October (i.e.
the RCA extends from a boundary line
approximating the 60-fm depth contour
from March-December); and extend the
open season for California scorpionfish
to July-December.

[PlatinumHooks]

I don't know how I feel about this. If I'm understanding it correctly, they want to cut down , or should I say limit the Inshore fishery more so that they can make more time for fishing bottom species like Sculpin, etc. ???? I like the idea of extending the Lingcod fishery, now only if they'd drop the legal from 24" to 20" yuuummmmm

Thanks for posting it.