[CINC] Free Southern California Best Practices Recreational Fishing Workshop Set For August 10

Wed Jul 24 14:58:36 PDT 2013

Greetings CINC Volunteers:

For those of you interested, I am forwarding the press release for the
upcoming Sanctuary Classic Best Practices workshop. Please help spread this
far and wide and consider attending!

Regards,
Shauna
*

Contact(s):

East Coast: Tom Raftican, 805-895-3000, tom at sportfishingconservancy.org

West Coast:   Jenny Armstrong, 949-813-7831,
jenny at sportfishingconservancy.org

<jenny at sportfishingconservancy.org>

Free Southern California Best Practices Recreational Fishing Workshop Set
For August 10

Anglers, Scientists and Managers to Exchange Ideas on Improving

Sport Fishing Techniques Around Channel Islands and Southern California

(July 24, 2013) — On Saturday, August 10, recreational fishermen,
professional fishing guides, fisheries managers and top marine scientists
will gather in Southern California to exchange ideas on increasing the
effectiveness of “catch & release” angling.    This free, open-to-the
public event is being held in conjunction with the summer-long Sanctuary
Classic fishing/photo contest and is a joint effort of The Sportfishing
Conservancy, The National Marine Fishery Service and the Channel Islands
National Marine Sanctuary.

This latest Best Practices Workshop follows similar recent successful
events in Georgia, Florida and Massachusetts.   Like these events, the
Southern California workshop will focus on popular regional sport fisheries
and how recreational anglers can do a better job of making sure the fish
they release survive.   “Recent statistics indicate that recreational
anglers across the country release the majority of the fish they catch
today,” said Tom Raftican, President of The Sportfishing Conservancy, a
non-profit sport fishing/conservation organization.   “With this in mind,
it’s easy to see how great an impact it could have if we all did a better
job of releasing fish alive and healthy.”

West Coast anglers fishing around the Channel Islands and across Southern
California are accustomed to dealing with a variety of regulations –
ranging from closed areas to species-specific closures to minimum size
limits.  This translates to a wide range of fish being released for a
variety of reasons, in addition to fish released by personal choice.    In
addition, the 2013 change in the minimum size limit for kelp bass and
barred sand bass from 12 inches to 14 inches has significantly increased
the number of these popular sport fish being released.    “Private boats
and party boats alike are releasing more and more bass, along with rockfish
and other coastal and island species,” said Raftican.  “It’s important to
all of us that as many of these fish as possible live, thrive and breed, so
we can enjoy a robust recreational fishery in the future.”

-more-

Channel Islands Best Practices Workshop/Page 2

The August 10 Best Practices Workshop will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. at the Channel Islands Boating Center, 3880 Bluefin Circle (at the
corner of Bluefin Circle and Harbor Blvd.).   It will include presentations
by The Sportfishing Conservancy, the Channel Islands National Marine
Sanctuary and Dr. Chris Lowe from California State University, Long Beach.
 Perhaps more importantly, recreational fishermen will be asked for their
input.   Although the workshop will cover a wide variety of topics, tools
and techniques, Dr. Lowe’s studies on rockfish and recommendations for
successfully recompressing and releasing these bottom dwelling species will
be a highlight of the workshop.    The Channel Islands are well known for
excellent catches of rockfish, and are frequented by private boaters,
charter operations and party boats.   Among other things, this workshop
will open people’s eyes to the fact that rockfish — if properly handled and
returned to depth — have an excellent survival rate.    Event organizers
are working to secure additional guest presenters, as well.

The Channel Islands Workshop will provide a complimentary continental
breakfast in the morning, as well as lunch for those in attendance.

In addition to presentations, there will be ample opportunity for group and
individual discussions where fishermen can share their own techniques and
tools for successful catch and release fishing.   “This event will
emphasize audience participation and an open exchange of ideas and
information.  Our goal is to bring scientists together with recreational
fishermen to talk with them — not at them,” added Raftican.

This workshop is also in support of the ongoing 2013 Sanctuary Classic, a
free, summer-long fishing photo contest designed to get families on the
water to enjoy responsible recreational fishing in America’s National
Marine Sanctuaries.    Running through Labor Day, the Classic provides
valuable weekly prizes for anglers who register online and submit photos of
fish caught in any National Marine Sanctuary or adjacent waters.  The
popular Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is an important part of
this event.

Future events like these are being planned for 2013 near National Marine
Sanctuaries around the country, each designed around regional experts,
angler groups and specific fish survival issues.  For more information and
details about the Southern California Best Practices Fishing Workshop at
Channel Islands Harbor, call the Sportfishing Conservancy at (805)
895-3000or visit
www.sportfishingconservancy.org.
###*

-- 
Shauna Bingham
NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
University of California Santa Barbara
Ocean Science Education Building 514, MC 6155
Santa Barbara, CA  93106-6155
805-893-6421 (voice)
805-568-1582 (fax)
Shauna.Bingham at noaa.gov
http://channelislands.noaa.gov/

 ´¯'·.¸¸..><((((º>.·´¯'·.¸¸.·´¯'·.¸><((({º>¸.·´¯'·.¸. ,.
 *Follow us on Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/pages/NOAA-Channel-Islands-National-Marine-Sanctuary/375160569258277>
 and** Twitter <https://twitter.com/NOAA_CINMS>*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.rain.org/pipermail/channel_islands_naturalist_corps/attachments/20130724/2b799c46/attachment-0001.html>