Pete Thomas Outdoors

What is done with fish and game that is seized by wardens?

Pete Thomas — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:09:25 -0700

In support of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Pete Thomas Outdoors, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly California Outdoors Q&A column:

Question: What do the wardens do with the seized abalone, crab, cod, salmon, etc.? You can’t tell me that it gets thrown away! (Austin)

Answer: When unlawfully taken fish or game is seized, it is kept as evidence until the case is settled or until the judge orders it returned. In most cases though, if at all possible and in good condition, seized fish and game is given to the homeless shelters or soup kitchens that allow donations of wild fish and game. Because of inspection requirements, some facilities may not be able to accept these donations. If a suitable facility cannot be found, the evidence is thrown away or destroyed. In some commercial cases involving commercial size loads, the Fish and Game Code allows for this evidence to be sold and the proceeds may be used by the Department.

 Q: I would like to do some shrimp fishing but when I read the regulations, they say shrimp traps can’t have an opening larger than a half-inch in diameter in waters south of Point Conception. This makes it impossible to catch any of decent size. Are there different regs for spot prawns which are quite large and could never fit through this size hole? (Jesse Link)

A: Your reading of the regulations is correct on the size of the trap opening, and you are also right about the opening size making it impossible to catch large spot prawn. According to California Department of Fish and Wildlife senior marine invertebrate specialist Kristine Barsky, when that regulation was developed, there was no interest in catching spot prawn recreationally. The reason was because they are found so deep (80 to 100 fathoms) and it is time-consuming to raise and lower traps to that depth when the daily bag limit is only 35 shrimp. In more northern states spot prawns are found in shallower water, but off Southern California they stay deep. The opening was kept small to prevent take of short lobster in this area.

As always, you are free to develop suggestions for regulation changes that you may present to the Fish and Game Commission. For more information regarding this process, contact the California Fish and Game Commission at fgc@fgc.ca.gov or visit their website at www.fgc.ca.gov.

 Q: In the freshwater regulation hand book under Section 1.38 it states: "CLOSED SEASON. That period during which the taking of fish, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks or crustaceans is prohibited."

Can a person still fish during a closed season as long they release all the fish they catch? In other words, I would practice catch and release and use barbless hooks to protect the fish from further harm. The regulation restricts the taking of fish, but no fish will be taken. I am very confused. Can you help clarify?. (Robin O.)

A: Fishing during a closed season is prohibited, period. Even though you don’t intend to take any fish away with you, the definition of take is to "Hunt, pursue, catch, capture or kill fish, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, crustaceans or invertebrates or attempting to do so" (CCR Title 14, section 1.80). Therefore, despite your best methods, even the attempt to fish is prohibited. There are few exceptions, but the take of crayfish other than with hook and line is authorized under 5.35 (e) when a stream is otherwise closed to fishing.

 Q: What is the maximum number of rounds you can have in your hunting rifle? I have heard it is five rounds but other people have said the California limit is 10 rounds. What’s the correct answer? (Nick Holly)

A: Most rifles hold three to five rounds, but the California penal code allows for up to 10 rounds. There are no California Fish and Game Code sections that address limits on the number of rounds a rifle may hold. Remember the Penal Code prohibits the purchase or sale of ten round rifles. There are many rifles out there that were purchased long before these laws went into effect that are perfectly legal. Many people own .22 caliber rifles with tube magazine and high capacities. These are not outlawed and can be used for hunting small game. Many people have carbines and other rifles bought long ago and they too are still legal even with a 30 round magazine.

If you have a question you would like to see answered in this column, e-mail it to CalOutdoors@wildlife.ca.gov.

Image of a seized overlimit of crappie courtesy of California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Animated video portrays Florida capture of 19-foot python

Pete Thomas — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:00:12 -0700

The recent Florida capture of a Burmese python measuring a state-record 18 feet, 8 inches, made headlines around the country.

A story I posted on GrindTv Outdoor was featured on the Yahoo homepage Monday and Tuesday and garnered 4 million views.

There were photos of scientists posing with the dead snake, courtesy of the University of Florida, but the missing element was video footage showing Jason Leon pulling the massive reptile from the brush and stabbing it to death.

That's where TomoNews US comes in. Its staff put together the accompanying animated video portraying what happened, based on reports, late at night on a highway in southeast Miami-Dade County.

The video is somewhat informative and viewers who are not angry with Leon for killing the snake probably will find the footage to be amusing.

It should be stressed that Burmese pythons are an invasive species and a threat to Florida's native wildlife. Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hopes to contain or control their numbers as effectively as possible, and praised Leon for removing this particular predator.

--Pete Thomas

Could enormous Baja amberjack have been a world record?

Pete Thomas — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:34:53 -0700

The powerful amberjack was so massive it might have been a world record.

But the fisherman who battled the monstrous fish, and the Mexican crew that helped deliver it from the Sea of Cortez to a remote Baja California beach, were not thinking about records.

They marveled at the size of the fish and hefted their great prize as if to see if it could, indeed, be hefted—then carved it up for fish tacos and fillets for the grill.

(Note: This is a reprint from a Pete Thomas story on GrindTv Outdoor.)

The International Game Fish Association lists a 156-pound amberjack caught off Japan in 2010 as the all-tackle world record. The fish caught last week by Kevin Shiotani was conservatively estimated to weigh at least 135 pounds.

As anyone who has done a lot of weight-guessing knows, however, estimates can be wildly inaccurate.

Regardless of a possible record lost, Shiotani's amberjack is one of the largest ever caught, although it's likely that larger specimens have been hooked and lost in the rocks.

The catch was made after a 25-minute struggle near Cerralvo Island, the southern-most island in the Sea of Cortez. Shiotani is a regular customer of Tailhunter International Sportfishing, a La Paz-based charter business that trucks clients to a remote beach to fish Cerralvo and offshore waters out of pangas, or large skiffs.

Jonathan Roldan, who owns Tailhunter International and Tailhunter Restaurant, explained the catch to Phil Friedman Outdoors Radio.

"Kevin fought the fish for 25 minutes to a half-hour and got it to the boat and, of course, blew everyone away," he said. "They stuck a gaff in it, got it back to the beach, and started taking pictures. It's a magnificent fish."

Roldan said there was no scale on the beach and that he was not present when the fish was brought ashore. Had he been, he would have been sure to get the behemoth weighed on a certified scale.

He said that because amberjacks are so powerful and always lurk near structure, the larger fish are incredibly difficult to land.

"The largest we've put on a scale is 110 pounds, and 60- to 70-pounders have taken an hour or two hours to put on the boat, so this is just a fish that [Shiotani] happened to turn and put the wood to it, and got it back out of the rocks and got it to the boat.

"Like [with] a lot of world records, there was a lot of good luck and good angling."

There is one world record out of La Paz that seems as though it might last forever: a 114-pound roosterfish, a cousin of the amberjack, that was caught in 1960.

--Pete Thomas

--Photos of Kevin Shiotani's amberjack, being lifted by captains Mundo (top) and Nando are courtesy of Esteban Romero

False killer whales make rare appearance in Sea of Cortez

Pete Thomas — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:25:07 -0700

Mark Rayor has lived in Baja California's East Cape region for more than 15 years, guiding sportfishing and diving trips.

He has seen plenty. But on Monday morning, Rayor was visited by a pod of cetaceans that he could not positively identify.

They turned out to be false killer whales, which are large toothed whales that generally reside in the open ocean.

The rare sighting was at about 8 a.m. at the northern end of Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park.

"We have seen what I thought were false killer whales but they looked different," Rayor said. "At first that is what we thought they were but then we had doubts. They just hung around and played with our panga until we left."

False killer whales were named because they share feeding habits of some killer whales, or orcas--notably because they also attack and kill other cetaceans. (Both are actually dolphins.)

They're smaller than killer whales, however, measuring to about 20 feet (females to about 15 feet) and weighing to about 1,500 pounds.

Like killer whales, false killer whales establish strong social bonds and typically travel in groups of 10 to 20.

“False killer whales are typically found in deep, offshore, tropical to semi-tropical oceans and they feed on large game fish,” said Annie Douglas, a researcher with Cascadia Research Collective in Olympia, Wash. “However, they occasionally come into more coastal waters or stray into colder climates.

“They are very gregarious and are one of the few cetaceans that share there food with their group, and there have been numerous accounts of individual false killer whales offering food to divers and swimmers as well!”

Falkse killer whales are also known to strand on beaches, sometimes in much larger groups, in some parts of the world.

They're studied extensively in Hawaiian waters, where one of three distinct populations--a tiny population associated with the main islands--was recently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

--Pete Thomas

--Photos of false killer whales are courtesy of Mark Rayor/Jen Wren Sportfishing

Killer Oklahoma tornado as seen from the air (time-lapse)

Pete Thomas — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:08:22 -0700

As rescue crews continue to search for survivors of Monday's devastating tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, and as what's left of the community struggles to cope, footage has emerged that helps to illustrate the magnitude of a twister that at one point was two miles wide.

The accompanying video, a stunning time-lapse, is one such example, minus the bodies and gore. The footage was captured by a photo crew aboard an OKC TV helicopter that was flying adjacent to the tornado.

At least 24 people, including children, were confirmed dead at the time of this post.

Emerging details, especially those regarding children at Plaza Towers Elementary School, are especially heart-wrenching. We'll leave the reporting of those grisly facts to news crews, but wanted to show people the scope and speed of a tornado that leveled virtually everything in its path.

Best wishes to Moore, and to other communities in tornado country.

As Gov. Mary Fallin said to reporters, "It's a terrible, terrible day for Oklahoma."

Stranded 'white shark' in Venice actually a salmon shark

Pete Thomas — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:09:36 -0700

A YoVenice blogger on Saturday posted two photographs showing what he identified as a baby great white shark, which he helped rescue after the shark had stranded itself on the shore in Venice Beach, Calif.

However, shark expert Chris Lowe says the fearsome-looking junior predator, which sort of resembles a white shark, is a salmon shark.

Asked how he could tell the difference, Lowe replied via email: "Really dark back, sometimes splotchy. White above the pectoral fins (key ID characteristic). Short, pointy nose. Large eyes. Double caudal fin keel."

The blogger, Robert DM, stated that he encountered the shark near the breakwater during an early-morning walk, and that he managed to "throw" the shark back into the water.

A surfer then "took it on his board past the rocks and let it swim away."

Salmon sharks prey largely on salmon, but also eat squid and other fishes. They typically range in Alaskan waters from spring through fall, but there have been sporadic sightings recently off Southern California.

They can measure to about 10 feet and weigh nearly 1,000 pounds, and though they boast a fearsome appearance salmon sharks have never been positively identified in attacks on humans.

Lowe, who runs the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, said salmon sharks that strand themselves on beaches typically suffer from brain ailments caused by bacteria.

The biologist added that the shark rescued in Venice "probably won't survive."

--Pete Thomas

Grizzly bear decides video camera looks too good to pass up

Pete Thomas — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:17:32 -0700

If you ever wondered what it would look like to be mouthed by a grizzly bear, here's proof that it would not be a pleasant experience.

Brad Josephs, a wildlife biologist and expedition leader for Natural Habitat Adventures, got the footage while in Alaska filming "Great Bear Stakeout" which was shown on BBC One and Discovery Channel.

Josephs said that the above video was "filmed with a GoPro camera that I strapped to a rock with a rubber band! The first bear to appear is an older mother, and the second is her 3-year-old cub. The bear only gently mouthed the camera, and didn't even put a dent in it!"

Josephs also shares some other behind-the-scenes footage on his website that was obtained during the making of the documentary.

-- Kelly Burgess

Necessary to stow gear while transiting a marine reserve?

Pete Thomas — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:35:33 -0700

Question: I would like a definition of "stowed" in regard to fishing gear while transiting a state marine reserve. The reason I ask is that a sport fisherman reported he was stopped by a patrol boat at the Channel Islands and told he could have been cited for having his rods in the rod holders. He was told he should have had them in his small cuddy.

It does not seem reasonable to require my buddies and I "stow" all our rods and reels in my cabin every time we need to make a move across a state marine reserve. Or when we are at an island, we should not be required to drive six miles out, then whatever distance across, and then back in another six miles … at $4 or more a gallon. All of this would be quite a hardship for those of us fishing from private sport boats just to stow our fishing gear when maneuvering around state marine reserves. (Fred H., Anaheim)

Answer: There is no requirement for equipment to be stowed under the Marine Life Protection Act laws covered in section 632 of the California Code of Regulations Title 14. CCR Title 14, section 632(8) covers the law you are referring to as follows:

Transit or Drifting. Vessels shall be allowed to transit through marine protected areas and marine managed areas with catch onboard. Fishing gear shall not be deployed in the water while transiting through a state marine reserve. Fishing gear, except legal fishing gear used to take species identified as allowed for take in subsection 632(b), shall not be deployed in the water while transiting through a state marine recreational management area, state marine park or state marine conservation area.

 Q: My Italian grandmother asked my brother and me to bring home some fresh octopus so that she can make her favorite pasta dish. The only problem is we don’t know how to catch them. Can you help us out? (Joe K.)

A: You will have to be creative on this one. Fortunately, there are no size limits on octopus and the bag limit for each of you is 35 (CCR Title 14, section 29.05(a)). California sport fishing regulations allow you to catch them only by hook and line or with the hands (CCR Title 14, section 29.10(a)). You cannot catch them with traps or spears. The most common way to successfully catch them in California is by hand while diving with snorkel or scuba equipment. It’s also unlawful to use any chemicals, such as bleach, to attempt to disturb octopi from their hiding locations.

Q: I was wondering if it is legal to use electronic calls for animals and birds out of season for things such as bird watching or scouting? I have heard yes and no from different people, so I want to clarify. Also is it even legal to call with non-electronic calls out of season? (Taylor F.)

A: Yes, this would be legal as long as you do not have any methods of take with you. The prohibition against electronic calls only applies when "taking" birds/mammals (Fish and Game Code, section 3012 & CCR Title 14, section 475(b)).

Q: Yesterday we collected a few mussels at low tide at Chicken Ranch Beach with the kids (past the Inverness Yacht Club). They are of a decent size, about 3 to 4 inches, and all black. Are they safe to eat? (Ben)

A: Don’t eat those mussels! There is currently an advisory out against consuming sport-taken shellfish in Marin County – please see www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR13-009.aspx. A great Q&A about mussel quarantines is located at www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/MusselQuarantineFAQ.aspx. The California Department of Public Health shellfish biotoxin information line is (510) 412-4643 or toll-free at (800) 553-4133 – you can check with them at any time to see whether there are advisories in effect for your area. And finally, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife posts advisories on the CDFW website at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/healthadvisory.asp.

If you have a question you would like to see answered in this column, e-mail it to CalOutdoors@wildlife.ca.gov.

Image courtesy of Carrie Wilson

Alabama angler's enormous striped bass is a world record

Pete Thomas — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:25:07 -0700

An Alabama angler has learned that a humongous striped bass he landed in late February has been approved as a world record.

James Bramlett, 65, caught the 69-pound, 9-ounce striper in Alabama's Black Warrior River.

The catch, weighed on a certified scale, exceeds the previous record, set in 1959, by 15 pounds

Joe Songer of AL.com met with Bramlett soon after the catch and took the photo that accompanies this post.

Songer also broke the news this week that Bramlett was notified by the International Game Fish Association about his record submission being approved in the landlocked striped bass category.

Bramlett's striper, caught after his ailing wife had persuaded him to go fishing, measured 44.1 inches long and boasted a girth of 37.75 inches.

Songer's photo is an eye-catcher and when we posted the story of Bramlett's catch on March 6, several people commented that the photo looked fake because there's no way Bramlett could have held up so large a fish so easily.

If you look closely, though, the fish is hanging on a stringer.

Bramlett landed the behemoth after a 25-minute struggle while several witnesses watched from boats and shore.

--Pete Thomas

Photo is courtesy of Joe Songer/Al.com

Blackbird catches midair flight... atop a red-tailed hawk

Pete Thomas — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:32:47 -0700

Sometimes, when relentlessly fighting off hawks, blackbirds need a place to rest.

Or so it might seem to anyone viewing a remarkable image captured recently by Bay Area photographer Eric Dugan.

It shows a red-winged blackbird standing atop a soaring red-tailed hawk as if it were catching a ride to some other destination.

Dugan's images, captured at Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area in Northern California, appeared Tuesday in the San Francisco Chronicle. He described the event to outdoors columnist Tom Stienstra:

"I was exploring the wildlife refuge and heard the screech of a red-tailed hawk, loud and repeated. I scanned the sky but didn’t see anything at first. Then, in the distance, I saw a young red-tailed hawk sitting on a telephone pole and the red-winged blackbirds were jumping on and off its back and head, apparently to drive it away from a nesting area.

"I immediately stopped, changed to my long lens and set up my camera in anticipation for the show. As I walked closer, I anticipated that the hawk would take flight and the blackbirds would pursue it, to drive it out of their territory. I raised the camera and the blackbird actually landed on the hawk multiple times.

"The small bird was so far more maneuverable in flight that all the hawk could do was tolerate it and fly away."

Dugan explained via email that the photos "are 100% legit" and that his only edits were exposure- and shadow-related because lighting was harsh at certain points because of the bright sunshine.

"I went back to the same spot a few days later hoping lightning would strike twice," he said. "But the red-tailed hawks were hunting way off in the distance."

--Pete Thomas