Sea bass fingerlings get room to grow

The fish were flopping and the sea lions were barking Saturday morning as a dozen volunteers from the Balboa Angling Club emptied 6,000 White Sea Bass fingerlings into grow-out pens in Newport Harbor.

The fish, which measure just four to five inches now, won’t have to wait long until they’re big enough to be released.

“The warmer the water, the faster they grow,” said Jock Albright, a club member who led the effort to build the pens 15 years ago. “They should be out of here around October.”

Protected from swooping seagulls and a huge, hungry sea lion population by screens and fiberglass walls, the bass will grow to more than twice their size — anywhere from 10 to 13 inches, Albright said.

The fish arrived from the Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute in Carlsbad, where they hatched and were injected with 1.1-millimeter metal tags. Implanted into the fingerlings’ cheeks, the tags have bar codes that allow researchers to study their life spans, travel paths and other information.

Fish restocking efforts and grow-out pens are not uncommon in this area, as overfishing and large numbers of sea lions, which are federally protected, threaten fish populations.

“There are 12 grow-out facilities up and down the coast. This is really a huge conservation effort on the part of the fishermen,” said John Zartler, a club member who organized Saturday’s delivery.

The club, which was officially incorporated in 1926, operates using privately donated funds and many volunteer hours, Club director Drew Cosgrove said.