California Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project Policies & Procedures
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California Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project Policies & Procedures SeaDoc Society UC Davis Wildlife Health Center May 2009 California Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project Policies and Procedures Prepared by: SeaDoc Society UC Davis Wildlife Health Center In consultation with: California Coastal Conservancy Fugro Pelagos, Inc. (San Diego, CA) Northwest Straits Commission (Mt. Vernon, WA) Scripps Institution of Oceanography UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory California Department of Fish and Game March 2006 Revised May 2009 www.lostfishinggear.org www.seadocsociety.org TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction................................................................................. 3 Policies and Procedures............................................................... 6 I. Rules and regulations................................................ 6 A. Permitting B. Insurance and liability II. Lost fishing gear location.................................. 10 A. Citizen reporting B. Lost fishing gear surveys C. Notification of operations III. Lost fishing gear removal................................ 11 A. Prioritizing gear for removal B. Safety and compliance C. Notification of operations D. Environmental precautions E. General conditions F. Emergency response G. Disposal IV. Data management and reporting..................... 18 A. Master database B. Field report form C. Field removal operations reports V. Administration................................................... 20 A. Project staff and administration B. Technical Advisory Committee Appendix A. Potential sources of lost fishing gear in California................ 22 Appendix B. Field operations notification process....................................... 34 Appendix C. Lost fishing gear removal prioritization................................... 42 CA Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project Policies & Procedures – REVISED May 2009 2 quality of underwater habitat via scouring action and by modification of surface contours. Lost gear is also a visual blight, diminishing the natural aesthetic quality of the seafloor and rocky reef habitat for underwater enthusiasts. Hawaii and Washington have INTRODUCTION comprehensive, coordinated efforts in place to actively remove discarded and abandoned fishing gear from the marine Lost Fishing Gear environment. The universal aim of these programs is to remove fishing gear that Lost fishing gear is defined as discarded or presents a hazard to people and to wildlife abandoned fishing nets, lines, pots, and and/or that damages underwater habitat, other commercial and recreational fishing and to do so in a safe and environmentally gear that sits on the seafloor, gets caught sensitive manner. In Hawaii, derelict on rocky reefs or underwater structures, fishing gear was determined to be the or floats in the water column. While primary anthropogenic threat to coral deliberate disposal of fishing gear in reefs, and was entangling a significant marine waters in California is unlawful, number of endangered Hawaiian monk unfortunately in the normal course of seals on an annual basis. In Washington both commercial and recreational fishing state, where removal of derelict fishing operations, it is not uncommon for gear gear is legislatively mandated, significant to become accidentally lost, either through losses of marine resources and protected the failure of lines, ropes and wires that species, including salmon and marine normally attach fishing gear to rods, buoys mammals, have been documented in or vessels, or the unintentional cutting of derelict nets. these lines by boat propellers or by underwater construction equipment. The All types of fishing gear have the potential majority of this gear does not decompose to become lost or abandoned. Gill nets in seawater and can remain in the marine are curtain-like nets that are suspended in environment for years. the water with mesh openings large enough to permit only the heads of the Lost gear impacts our marine targeted species to pass through. Purse environment in several ways: it can seines are nets that are cast in a circle continue to "catch" marine animals, around a school of fish, and then drawn including commercially valuable species, closed at the bottom to prevent escape; which become enmeshed or trapped; it the bowl or bag-like net is then hauled out can damage the habitat upon which it of the water. Trawl nets are nets or mesh becomes entangled or upon which it rests; bags that are dragged at various depths or it can pose an underwater hazard for along the ocean bottom. Long lines are boaters, fouling boat propellers and comprised of a long main line to which anchors; and it can similarly endanger are attached a large number of hooks. humans, especially divers. Lost fishing Various types of pots, traps and baited gear can not only contain the carcasses of hoop nets are used in both the marine animals, but can also affect the commercial and recreational fisheries to catch prawns, lobster, crabs, sablefish and CA Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project Policies & Procedures – REVISED May 2009 3 near shore finfish. Lost or abandoned gear fisheries mean that some types of gear will from recreational rod and reel and be less commonly encountered. For pot/trap fisheries can consist of lines, example, the commercial use of bottom weights, hooks, flashers, downrigger wire, trawl nets has been prohibited within jugs, and pots. three miles of shore in California since 2004, with the exception of the halibut trawl grounds between one and three Lost Fishing Gear in California miles offshore between Pt. Arguello and Pt. Mugu. Since 2004, midwater trawls The amount of lost fishing gear in are only allowed outside the one-mile limit California marine waters has not been between Point Sur and Yankee Point (near quantified. However, marine biologists Carmel). The use of gill nets has not been and resource managers conducting allowed in state waters (out to 3 nautical underwater research on fish and marine miles from shore) since 1991, except for habitat encounter lost gear at various within one mile of the Channel Islands or depths caught on rocks or lying on the in water deeper than 70 fathoms seafloor. Marine engineers conducting (whichever is closer to shore). There are surveys or underwater projects report that no gill nets allowed in central California their equipment gets caught on lost between Pt. Reyes and Pt. Arguello in fishing gear, and that such gear is seen water shallower than 60 fathoms; gill nets snagged on underwater structures1. may be used in waters deeper than 35 Nearly 10% of all brown pelicans and fathoms between Pt. Fermin (Palos gulls admitted to wildlife rehabilitation Verdes peninsula) and the Newport jetty. centers in California are admitted with fishing gear entanglement or ingestion injuries23. Project Background Reasonably assuming that lost fishing gear In July 2005, the State Coastal currently encountered in California is Conservancy awarded the SeaDoc Society most likely a result of major commercial (UC Davis Wildlife Health Center) a grant and recreational fisheries that have taken to support a pilot phase of the California place since 1940, numerous commercial Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project. The and recreational fisheries may have, or National Fish and Wildlife Foundation may still be, potential sources of derelict also provided a grant in support of the gear in California (see Appendix A: pilot phase. The pilot project grew out of Potential sources of derelict fishing gear in the SeaDoc Society's initial planning effort California.). Recent restrictions on certain conducted in 2003 and 2004 for a statewide lost fishing gear removal program with support from the Laurel 1 Ed Saade, Fugro Pelagos, Inc, San Diego, CA; Foundation. Allison Dettmer, California Coastal Commission, personal communications. 2 Field operations in the pilot year were Dau, B.K., K.V.K. Gilardi, F.M.D. Gulland, A. limited to five select coastal areas: Higgins, J.B. Holcomb, J. St.Leger, and M.H. Ziccardi. Fishing gear-related injury in California Humboldt County; Monterey Bay from marine wildlife. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. In Moss Landing to Point Lobos, San Luis press. Obispo County from Point Estero to Point 3 Buchon, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, and Santa Catalina Island. Key CA Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project Policies & Procedures – REVISED May 2009 4 accomplishments in the pilot phase included is developing collaborations with acquisition of all necessary permits, commercial crab fishermen who are production of a California Derelict Fishing themselves taking the lead on recovering Gear Removal Project Policies and thousands of abandoned crab pots off the Procedures manual, hiring of project staff North coast. and contractors, production of outreach materials, establishing a website and a toll- In summary, the California Lost Fishing free reporting line, and conducting 47 days Gear Recovery Project is an initiative of of surveys for derelict fishing gear and 35 the SeaDoc Society, a marine ecosystem days of derelict fishing gear removal. health program of the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center. The goals of the Lost During this "start-up" period, the project Fishing Gear Recovery Project are to contracted with commercial fishermen remove lost and abandoned gear, to help (urchin harvesters) to retrieve over 11 tons (22,580 lbs) of derelict gear from around restore California's coastal marine Santa Catalina, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, ecosystem, to improve public safety, and Anacapa and Santa Cruz