smokinflies
01-12-2009, 05:43 PM
Ran into this article on white sea bass a few months ago. :Cool:
Marina del Rey Anglers released 4,248 juvenile white seabass into the Marina del Rey embayment during a ceremony last week on November 6. This brings the total releases by MDRA to 70,435 for the program. MDRA is part of the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program, (OREHP), operated by Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) in San Diego in partnership with UASC, SAC, DFG and numerous angling clubs and environmental organizations throughout Southern California.
MDRA and HSWRI were especially pleased with this cycle’s results. The juvenile fish were received from the HSWRI hatchery facility in Carlsbad, California in the first week of September. They grew at a rate of over one inch per month during their stay at the Marina del Rey grow out pens. The warm water during September and October were conducive to robust activity and feeding promoting extremely healthy fish and fast growth rates. Darrell Pickford runs the MDRA white seabass facilities and commented, “these white seabass were the healthiest, fastest growing fish we have ever seen, and spent the least time in our grow out facilities. Our survival rate was 94% which is also an excellent measure for our success. We wish each of our white seabass the best of luck.”
Pickford noted that fish released from the MDRA facilities have been recently recovered from near Catalina Island, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island and off of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Palos Verdes. Legal sized white seabass recovered during the last 18 months which had been previously released from MDRA facilities have been between 4 and 10 years old and ranged in size between 10 and 21 pounds.
The OREHP began releasing cultured juvenile white seabass in 1986. Scientists at HSWRI implant each juvenile white seabass with a coded wire tag in its cheek muscle. The tags identify each batch of fish uniquely and help scientists evaluate the success of the program. To date the program has raised and released over 1.4 million juvenile white seabass.
White seabass reach legal size after three to four years so we are now seeing the results of all of this effort. The elimination of near shore gill nets, long lines and the introduction of the OREHP have all contributed to the strong resurgence of the white seabass fishery in Southern California. In the early 1980’s a sport caught white seabass was rare, and now we are frequently experiencing catches of fish up to 50 pounds.
As part of the tag recovery effort we are encouraging all anglers to turn in their white seabass heads to one of the many collection centers along the Southern California coast including most boat landings, bait docks and many beach area tackle shops. It’s good for science; it’s good for marine conservation and fisheries and it’s potentially very profitable for you. Please turn in all your white seabass heads; it doesn’t even matter if your white seabass head contains the tiny tag implanted by HSWRI. Every angler becomes eligible for each head they turn in for the semi-annual drawing sponsored by MDRA that pays $500 to the holder of the lucky number. For more information on where to turn in your white seabass head visit Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute or call 877-SAVEWSB.
Mark Johnson Wins $500 WSB Head Lottery
Mark Johnson of Ventura was the latest lucky winner of the $500 white seabass head bounty.
Mark was fishing in the PCYC, two day, Grand Slam Tournament in June. On the second morning, fishing in his own boat ‘Cathrine M’, he found a spot of squid near Eagles Nest off Santa Rosa Island. Mark said, “the bait was there, the current was right, so I cast a Tady 45 in the scrambled egg color. The iron was hit on the sink.” That fish turned out to be a 48 pound, 55 inch white seabass. Mark turned in the head with his name, address, and phone number at the local landing and became the latest $500.00 winner. Congratulations Mark
Darrell Pickford is a director of MDRA and heads the club’s white seabass program. MDRA operates one of 13 grow out facilities which care for the juvenile WSB until they are large enough and strong enough to be released and survive in the wild. For more information about MDRA or its white seabass program contact Darrell Pickford at 310/ 633-1885 or dpickford@roadrunner.com.
Marina del Rey Anglers released 4,248 juvenile white seabass into the Marina del Rey embayment during a ceremony last week on November 6. This brings the total releases by MDRA to 70,435 for the program. MDRA is part of the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program, (OREHP), operated by Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) in San Diego in partnership with UASC, SAC, DFG and numerous angling clubs and environmental organizations throughout Southern California.
MDRA and HSWRI were especially pleased with this cycle’s results. The juvenile fish were received from the HSWRI hatchery facility in Carlsbad, California in the first week of September. They grew at a rate of over one inch per month during their stay at the Marina del Rey grow out pens. The warm water during September and October were conducive to robust activity and feeding promoting extremely healthy fish and fast growth rates. Darrell Pickford runs the MDRA white seabass facilities and commented, “these white seabass were the healthiest, fastest growing fish we have ever seen, and spent the least time in our grow out facilities. Our survival rate was 94% which is also an excellent measure for our success. We wish each of our white seabass the best of luck.”
Pickford noted that fish released from the MDRA facilities have been recently recovered from near Catalina Island, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa Island and off of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Palos Verdes. Legal sized white seabass recovered during the last 18 months which had been previously released from MDRA facilities have been between 4 and 10 years old and ranged in size between 10 and 21 pounds.
The OREHP began releasing cultured juvenile white seabass in 1986. Scientists at HSWRI implant each juvenile white seabass with a coded wire tag in its cheek muscle. The tags identify each batch of fish uniquely and help scientists evaluate the success of the program. To date the program has raised and released over 1.4 million juvenile white seabass.
White seabass reach legal size after three to four years so we are now seeing the results of all of this effort. The elimination of near shore gill nets, long lines and the introduction of the OREHP have all contributed to the strong resurgence of the white seabass fishery in Southern California. In the early 1980’s a sport caught white seabass was rare, and now we are frequently experiencing catches of fish up to 50 pounds.
As part of the tag recovery effort we are encouraging all anglers to turn in their white seabass heads to one of the many collection centers along the Southern California coast including most boat landings, bait docks and many beach area tackle shops. It’s good for science; it’s good for marine conservation and fisheries and it’s potentially very profitable for you. Please turn in all your white seabass heads; it doesn’t even matter if your white seabass head contains the tiny tag implanted by HSWRI. Every angler becomes eligible for each head they turn in for the semi-annual drawing sponsored by MDRA that pays $500 to the holder of the lucky number. For more information on where to turn in your white seabass head visit Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute or call 877-SAVEWSB.
Mark Johnson Wins $500 WSB Head Lottery
Mark Johnson of Ventura was the latest lucky winner of the $500 white seabass head bounty.
Mark was fishing in the PCYC, two day, Grand Slam Tournament in June. On the second morning, fishing in his own boat ‘Cathrine M’, he found a spot of squid near Eagles Nest off Santa Rosa Island. Mark said, “the bait was there, the current was right, so I cast a Tady 45 in the scrambled egg color. The iron was hit on the sink.” That fish turned out to be a 48 pound, 55 inch white seabass. Mark turned in the head with his name, address, and phone number at the local landing and became the latest $500.00 winner. Congratulations Mark
Darrell Pickford is a director of MDRA and heads the club’s white seabass program. MDRA operates one of 13 grow out facilities which care for the juvenile WSB until they are large enough and strong enough to be released and survive in the wild. For more information about MDRA or its white seabass program contact Darrell Pickford at 310/ 633-1885 or dpickford@roadrunner.com.