Modified ban may save dory fishermen

June Casagrande and Paul Clinton

NEWPORT BEACH -- The city’s historic dory fishermen, who appeared

doomed by an emergency ban on catching rockfish, now just might be saved.

In response to an outcry from the fishermen, the council that

recommended a wide ban on catching rockfish along the Pacific Coast now

says it should have taken Southern California fishermen into better

consideration.

As a result, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council, which

recommended the original ban on catching rockfish, has now suggested that

a portion of the ban be lifted.

“Basically, there was an oversight,” said John Devore, a member of the

council. “No one spoke up for the fishers south of Point Conception. I

and others didn’t catch that it should not quite be the same there.”

To fix this problem, which as recently as Tuesday seemed to spell

certain doom for Newport’s beloved dory tradition, the council has

recommended three species of fish -- long-spine thorny heads, short-spine

thorny heads and sable fish smaller than 22 inches -- be exempted from

the ban.

Though fishing for these species threatens to wreak environmental

disaster in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, Southern

California stocks of these fish aren’t threatened by the low-volume catch

of the dory fishermen and others.

“It doesn’t solve all the problems, but it keeps our doors open,” said

Jan Baker, whose family trawls the waters each morning for the Dory Fleet

Market. “It’s going to give us a reprieve for the summer.”

Baker called on federal officials to back off their emergency

“in-season” ban of the fish, which was in place Monday. The market, which

provides fresh fish each day off the northern edge of the Newport Pier,

can now operate as it normally would, Baker said.

Regulations are still being worked out for the 2003 season, which will

begin Jan. 1.

The council makes recommendations to the National Marine Fisheries

Service, which makes the official rules. The service is a division of the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

If the agency accepts the council’s recommendations, the new rules

would probably go into effect next week, Devore said.

Last week, council regulators banned fishing of the bocaccio, yellow

eye rockfish, canary rockfish, dark-blotched rockfish, widow rockfish,

cow cod, Pacific whiting, Pacific ocean perch and lingcod.

The livelihoods of the dory fishermen depend on the sable fish, thorny

heads, king fish and other species, which tend to be found in deeper

waters. The bocaccio, for example, is usually found in shallower waters

and is a favorite of sport fisherman.

Dory fishermen don’t even go after those fish, Baker said.

“They’re not as desirable market fish because they stink,” Baker said.

“Nobody targets bocaccios.”

In 2000, the Pacific council officially declared bocaccio as

“overfished” and has estimated that the species is at 5% of its original

population. Allowing fishing to occur for other rock fish in the same

waters inhabited by bocaccio, can hamper efforts to restore this species

to federally mandated levels, regulators said.

On Tuesday morning, fisherman Chuck Moreno -- who lives in Ontario,

but travels to the market a couple of times a month -- said he disagreed

with the ban.

Moreno said he buys mackerel at the market to use as fresh bait when

he fishes off the shoreline.

“It’s all politics,” Moreno said. “If you didn’t vote in the right

guy, then this stuff happens.”

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] . Paul

Clinton covers the environment, John Wayne Airport and politics. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

[email protected] .