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Recreation
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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) reminds abalone and lobster sport fishermen they are required by law to return their 2013 abalone report cards and 2013 calendar year spiny lobster report cards by Jan. 31, 2014.
Card holders are asked to review their cards carefully and check that the information is as complete and accurate as possible.
Information collected from report cards provides CDFW with data necessary to monitor and manage California’s recreational abalone and spiny lobster fisheries.
The new full season spiny lobster report card, which became available after July 31, 2013, is good for the entire lobster fishing season. The full season spiny lobster report card is not due until April 30 following the close of lobster season.
Any report card holder who fails to return their full season spiny lobster report card will be charged a non-return fee of $20 when purchasing a spiny lobster report card in the subsequent fishing season.
In the past, report card return rates have been too low to accurately estimate catch for these fisheries, but the Automated License Data System (ALDS) has greatly increased the ability of the CDFW to remind card purchasers of the need to return report cards.
ALDS was used last year to alert abalone report card purchasers if they had not returned their cards or entered data online for the cards before the January 31 deadline.
ALDS also was used to mail reminder notices to all spiny lobster report card holders to return their report cards through the mail or submit their harvest data online. If ALDS warnings fail to increase Abalone Report Card return rates, a non-return fee may be implemented in the future.
Report cards need to be returned even if no abalone or lobster were taken, or no attempt was made to take either species.
Report card data can be submitted online at www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/InternetSales/CustomerSearch/Begin .
Report cards also can be submitted by mail to:
CDFW – Abalone Report Card
32330 North Harbor Drive
Fort Bragg, CA 95437-5554
OR
CDFW – Lobster Report Card
3883 Ruffin Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Additional information and a list of frequently asked questions about these programs can be found on CDFW’s Ocean Sport Fishing Web pages, www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/abalone.asp (abalone) or www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/lobster.asp (spiny lobster).
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – To help promote Lake County's Climb to the Peak of Health Move More 2014 Fitness Challenge (http://www.climbtothepeakofhealth.org/move-more-2014.html ), the Highland Springs Trails Volunteers are offering a series of six weekly guided hikes starting this Sunday, Jan. 19.
The hikes will take place beginning at 11 a.m.
These hikes will be at a moderate pace, covering three to five miles in approximately two hours.
These hikes are by reservation only. Rain or wet trails cancels. Please no dogs.
For more information or to make a reservation, go to http://www.highlandspringstrailsvolunteers.com/hikes-and-wildflower-walks.html .
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Southshore Little League will hold baseball and softball sign ups this month.
Sign ups will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Lower Lake High School gym on Lake St.; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Pogo’s Pizza, 14914 Olympic Drive in Clearlake; and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Redbud Park ballfields; and 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, Jan. 26, at the Lower Lake High School gym.
Sign up fees are $65 for the first player in a family, $50 for each additional sibling.
Please bring each player’s original birth certificate, proof of physical address (three proofs for minors, majors, junior and senior players), and payment in the form of cash or check.
Volunteers, managers, coaches and umpires are needed.
Visit the team site at www.eteamz.com/southshore for more information including tryout dates and to print registration, medical release and volunteer forms, or call Jeremy at 707-995-1180 for more information.
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- Written by: Carrie Wilson
Feeding wildlife can do more harm than good
Question: Our neighbor feeds wildlife three-day-old bread on a regular basis. The wildlife consists of deer, turkey, birds and other mammals.
Although this neighbor has been told this is not good for the animals, she continues.
What can be done to stop this person from feeding people food to wildlife? (Steve S.)
Answer: While feeding human food to wildlife makes those people doing so feel good, in the long run it is often to the detriment of the animal recipients.
Although many animals will eat stale bread when offered, temporarily satisfying their hunger, in reality, many human foods – especially bread – lack the protein and nutritional components animals need for good health.
Although your neighbor may be well-intentioned, she is actually being very selfish. She’s hurting the wildlife and her neighbors by encouraging wild animals to get too comfortable around humans.
When animals concentrate around food they are more likely to spread diseases to each other and to domestic pets. When wild animals lose their natural fear of humans they can become very aggressive.
Coyotes, in particular, are well-known for eating small pets because they do not differentiate between the food you leave for them and other prey items, like dogs and cats.
People often think they are just feeding cute, furry critters, like squirrels and raccoons. If they were to put a surveillance camera out, they would likely be surprised to find out what’s actually eating the food at night.
They would probably be appalled to discover animals fighting over the food, and that they’re actually keeping the neighborhood rats fat and happy.
In addition, there may be a local ordinance that bans feeding of some wild animals. Los Angeles County, for example, has an ordinance that prohibits feeding non-domesticated mammalian predators, including but not limited to, coyotes, raccoons, foxes and opossums.
Regarding deer, there is a statewide ban on feeding big game, which includes deer, bear, elk, antelope and bighorn sheep (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 251.3).
You may want to contact a local game warden to report your well-meaning but stubborn and misguided neighbor. Her actions may cause her to be guilty of a misdemeanor, which may carry fines or even jail time.
For more tips on preventing wildlife-human conflicts, please visit www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/ .
Fishing from my apartment without a license?
Question: I live in an apartment complex that sits on a slough in the San Francisco Bay area. Do I need a fishing license to fish off of the shore while standing on the apartment property with my child, who is under 16? (Dan S.)
Answer: Yes, you will need a license but your child will not.
Anyone 16 years or older must possess a valid California fishing license in order to legally fish the public waters of the state.
The only exceptions are the two free fishing days offered each year by the state, and fishing from a public pier in ocean waters.
Catching lobsters on a baited hook?
Question: While fishing off the jetty the other day, I caught a large lobster on a baited hook but released it because I think I remember reading that spiny lobsters could not be taken on hook and line.
Where can I find this in the regulations? (Gary K.)
Answer: You did the right thing in releasing the lobster, as the only legal methods of take for lobsters are by baited hoop net or by hand.
Baited hoop nets are the only appliance that may be used for people fishing from a boat, pier, jetty or shore.
Skin and SCUBA divers may only take crustaceans by hand and may not possess any hooked device while diving or attempting to dive for lobsters (CCR Title 14, section 29.05.).
In addition, spiny lobster report cards are required by everyone fishing for and/or taking lobsters.
Gifting wild game to family members
Question: Is the practice of “gifting” still legal? With larger possession limits for waterfowl this year, does the “gifting” limit increase as well?
Does gifting apply to mammals and upland game as well as waterfowl? Do you know the specific regulation number? (James S., Oakley)
Answer: Yes, gifting fish and game is legal. There is no “gifting limit.” Instead, the amount of game that can be gifted is determined by the possession limit for that species.
There are two primary fish and wildlife laws that relate to this practice: Fish and Game Code, section 2001, which applies to all wildlife, and FGC, section 3080, which only applies to game birds and game mammals.
Waterfowl possession limits can be found in the CCR Title 14, section 502. Details of these regulation sections can be found online at www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement/ .
Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at