DockRat
04-19-2011, 06:13 AM
Anybody up there ? Grab your rod and hit the harbor or jetty entrance.
At King Harbor sardine die-off it was WFO every cast with 2' monster mackeral and I landed 2 Bonito and lost a few. C&R ed 30 + Macs in 1 1/2 hours.
Look for birds and don't concentrate on the dead bait zone.
I bet for sure they were chased in by predators.
Sent a email to the NOAA Scientist involved in the King Harbor die off.
For someone who spoke to the media and was in AP nation wide, she didn't know squat about KH and wasn't even there :ROFL:
She had no clue that KH was packed full of giant Mackeral and Bonito that day.
The next day they were mostly gone.
Been catching macs on the Kroc at KH. Most caught on the drop mid to lower water section.
Sardines, Anchovies die in Ventura Harbor
By Zeke Barlow
Ventura County Star
Posted April 18, 2011
Stephen Osman/The Star Fisherman Mark Monteiro, 46, volunteered to help remove dead fish from the harbor. The fish were transported out of the harbor and dumped in the open ocean.
Thousands of anchovies and sardines were dead or dying in the Ventura Harbor on Monday from what officials think was a lack of oxygen in the water because of a high concentration of fish.
Lines of belly-up fish ran like ribbons through the harbor as seagulls and pelicans dived-bombed the water and sea lions and porpoises gobbled up the fish from below.
"They are all over the place," said Larry Bases, who lives on a boat in the harbor and woke up to see the dead fish. "There are thousands of them."
Pat Hummer, a senior officer with the Ventura Harbor Patrol, said the fish have been in the harbor for about a week and officials were concerned about a die-off as the fish used up all the oxygen.
Such die-offs are not uncommon when large schools of fish swim into harbors, where there is a limited flow of oxygen-rich water, said Andrew Hughan, a California Department of Fish and Game spokesman.
The school of fish in the Ventura Harbor wasn't unusually large, especially when compared to the one at Redondo Beach's King Harbor earlier this year, when 175 tons of sardines died.
Often, such incidents are connected to a red-tide occurrence, as was the case in 2003 in the Ventura Harbor. But Monday's die-off was blamed on the lack of oxygen, not red tide.
Hughan said any number of things could have driven the fish into the harbor — a sea lion or dolphin or a strong tide.
The Harbor Patrol hung six aerators over docks, hoping to pump a little oxygen into the water. "It's just like a fish tank where you aerate the water to keep them alive," Hummer said.
Still, the patrol drove around in three boats to scoop up the dead fish before they started stinking. It only took about 10 minutes to fill a tub with 400 pounds of fish. More than 20 50-gallon barrels were filled throughout the day, then dumped at sea.
More fish might die in the next few days, Hummer said, but he thinks Monday will be the worst of it.
About 20 porpoises — an unusually high number — also were in the harbor Monday, smacking their tales as they dove to catch the easy prey. Fat sea lions floated on the surface, basking after their buffet.
"Nature is the best way to clean this up," Hummer said.
The only problem, he said, is that when the seagulls digest all that fish, "it's a good time to carry an umbrella around here."
.
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/apr/18/sardines-anchovies-dying-in-ventura-harbor/#ixzz1JyOUvgLw
- vcstar.com
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g144/smokeyjoe_photos/BBQ-gegrilde20sardines.jpg
At King Harbor sardine die-off it was WFO every cast with 2' monster mackeral and I landed 2 Bonito and lost a few. C&R ed 30 + Macs in 1 1/2 hours.
Look for birds and don't concentrate on the dead bait zone.
I bet for sure they were chased in by predators.
Sent a email to the NOAA Scientist involved in the King Harbor die off.
For someone who spoke to the media and was in AP nation wide, she didn't know squat about KH and wasn't even there :ROFL:
She had no clue that KH was packed full of giant Mackeral and Bonito that day.
The next day they were mostly gone.
Been catching macs on the Kroc at KH. Most caught on the drop mid to lower water section.
Sardines, Anchovies die in Ventura Harbor
By Zeke Barlow
Ventura County Star
Posted April 18, 2011
Stephen Osman/The Star Fisherman Mark Monteiro, 46, volunteered to help remove dead fish from the harbor. The fish were transported out of the harbor and dumped in the open ocean.
Thousands of anchovies and sardines were dead or dying in the Ventura Harbor on Monday from what officials think was a lack of oxygen in the water because of a high concentration of fish.
Lines of belly-up fish ran like ribbons through the harbor as seagulls and pelicans dived-bombed the water and sea lions and porpoises gobbled up the fish from below.
"They are all over the place," said Larry Bases, who lives on a boat in the harbor and woke up to see the dead fish. "There are thousands of them."
Pat Hummer, a senior officer with the Ventura Harbor Patrol, said the fish have been in the harbor for about a week and officials were concerned about a die-off as the fish used up all the oxygen.
Such die-offs are not uncommon when large schools of fish swim into harbors, where there is a limited flow of oxygen-rich water, said Andrew Hughan, a California Department of Fish and Game spokesman.
The school of fish in the Ventura Harbor wasn't unusually large, especially when compared to the one at Redondo Beach's King Harbor earlier this year, when 175 tons of sardines died.
Often, such incidents are connected to a red-tide occurrence, as was the case in 2003 in the Ventura Harbor. But Monday's die-off was blamed on the lack of oxygen, not red tide.
Hughan said any number of things could have driven the fish into the harbor — a sea lion or dolphin or a strong tide.
The Harbor Patrol hung six aerators over docks, hoping to pump a little oxygen into the water. "It's just like a fish tank where you aerate the water to keep them alive," Hummer said.
Still, the patrol drove around in three boats to scoop up the dead fish before they started stinking. It only took about 10 minutes to fill a tub with 400 pounds of fish. More than 20 50-gallon barrels were filled throughout the day, then dumped at sea.
More fish might die in the next few days, Hummer said, but he thinks Monday will be the worst of it.
About 20 porpoises — an unusually high number — also were in the harbor Monday, smacking their tales as they dove to catch the easy prey. Fat sea lions floated on the surface, basking after their buffet.
"Nature is the best way to clean this up," Hummer said.
The only problem, he said, is that when the seagulls digest all that fish, "it's a good time to carry an umbrella around here."
.
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/apr/18/sardines-anchovies-dying-in-ventura-harbor/#ixzz1JyOUvgLw
- vcstar.com
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g144/smokeyjoe_photos/BBQ-gegrilde20sardines.jpg