Pete Thomas Outdoors

Legal in California to use firearms to safely land large halibut?

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: I have a question about safely bringing large halibut onboard. Because the Pacific halibut caught in Alaska are often over 100 pounds, deckhands use pistols or small shotguns to kill the fish before bringing them on board. This is to prevent the fish from causing damage or hurting anyone once on the deck. Would this method be legal to use in California ocean waters with large fish? Of course, the fish would already be "landed" by first being gaffed. Is it even legal to carry a pistol while fishing on a private boat near shore? (Timothy B., Morro Bay)

Answer: Sport fishermen may take halibut by hand, hook and line, spear fishing, spear, harpoon or bow and arrow (California Code of Regulations Title 14, sections 28.65, 28.90 and 28.95.) Firearms are not a legal method of take for halibut, so a gun may not be used to assist in taking or landing the fish.

In some areas it may be legal to carry a pistol on a private boat but there are closures that prohibit the possession of any firearm on a boat along portions of the Monterey and San Luis Obispo county coastlines within the California Sea Otter Game Refuge. If considering carrying a pistol on your boat, you need to research local laws and ordinances within the jurisdictions you will be transiting on your fishing trip.


Q: I’m interested in catching some local tarantulas to try breeding them. I can’t find anything obviously referring to either tarantulas or prohibitions on such things. Are there any licenses required? Are there any definite prohibitions against it or any issues pertaining to the different public lands (e.g. city, county, state, federal)? (S. Godfrey)

A: The Fish and Game Code and its implementing regulations currently do not prohibit the take of spiders, but federal laws may apply to the take or breeding of tarantulas. You may want to consult the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding federal prohibitions, and be aware that some public lands (e.g. state and national parks, scientific reserves, etc.) have laws that prohibit the taking of any live animals. You need to check with the jurisdiction of the land on which you want to hunt tarantulas.

Q: How far can a fisherman be from his nets once the traps are in the water? 100 yards? 500 yards? (Dixon C.)

Red tide bloom kills record number of Florida manatees

A red tide algae bloom off the coast of southwest Florida has killed a record number of manatees so far this year, and that number will likely grow.

Through Sunday 174 manatees have died, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

While results are preliminary, that number includes all manatee carcasses collected within the known red tide bloom boundary -- approximately 70 miles of coastline from Sarasota County to Lee County.

"This is probably going to be the worst die-off in history," veterinarian Martine DeWit told the Tampa Bay Times.

The previous record for manatee deaths attributed to red tide was 151 and was set in 1996.

DeWit, who oversees Florida's marine mammal pathology laboratory, believes that toxins in the algae bloom have settled onto the sea grass that manatees consume, causing the gentle sea mammals to become paralyzed and drown.

DeWit added that the manatee die-off will probably continue for months after the red tide bloom ends because the grass beds will likely retain this toxic coating.

So far, almost a dozen manatees have been rescued and taken to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo for treatment.

With an estimated population of 4,000 to 5,000, Florida manatees are endangered mammals protected by both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

-- Kelly Burgess

Image of a healthy Florida manatee courtesy of Keith Ramos / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Are there laws against feeding wildlife?

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: I have a question about feeding raccoons. My good-intentioned neighbor puts large pans of dog food out every night for the raccoons. We live in a very close community and the raccoons keep me awake at night with sounds of their fighting over food. They also venture onto my patio to cause more commotion and damage. I’ve tried everything to discourage their visits -- ammonia-soaked rags, cayenne pepper, lights, etc. Nothing works.

I’ve tried to talk to my neighbor, telling her it’s not good for wildlife to be fed by an unnatural food source, but she turns a deaf ear. Are there laws against feeding wildlife? Is there any other advice you can give me? (Anonymous)

Answer: While feeding 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 offered food, temporarily satisfying their hunger, in reality, many human foods lack the protein and nutritional components animals need for good health.

So, although your neighbor may be well-intentioned, she’s actually 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. But 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.

By feeding wildlife, your neighbor may be disrupting the animals’ normal behavior patterns in violation of California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 251.1. There may also be a local ordinance that bans feeding of some wild animals. Los Angeles County, for example, has an ordinance that prohibits feeding of "non-domesticated mammalian predators, including but not limited to, coyotes, raccoons, foxes and opossums."


Q: Can you please clarify whether trout can be used in California inland waters as bait? (Andrew G.)

Killer whale's sudden appearance behind boat startles anglers

Imagine cruising along in a fishing boat and turning to gaze off the stern and spotting not a sunning marlin, leaping tuna or ray--which anglers might not be too surprised to see--but a large killer whale riding in the boat's wake only a few feet away.

This was Bryan MacGowan's experience recently in the Sea of Cortez, in Baja California's East Cape region.

MacGowan on Saturday was fishing farther south off Cabo San Lucas and showed the photo to Pisces Sportfishing general manager Tracy Ehrenberg.

She posted the photo to the Pisces Facebook page in late afternoon, and by about 7:30 p.m. it had been viewed by 30,000 people and shared more than 300 times.

Ehrenberg's post reads:

Look very carefully at this photo, sent to us by Brian MacGowan from Newport Beach, California, who is out today on the Tracy Ann. He was fishing at the East Cape recently, when the captain yelled for him to look back... he did, glad the lures were not in the water, he could have had the fight of a life time on his hands.

--Editor's note: Pete Thomas Outdoors tried reaching MacGowan by telephone, to obtain more details, but at the time of this post he had not returned the call.

World's oldest Laysan albatross has a name for new chick

The world's oldest known Laysan albatross now has a name for her new chick: Mana’olana -- which is Hawaiian for "Hope" -- thanks to the bird's Facebook friends.

Wisdom, believed to be at least 62 years old, hatched her most recent chick Feb. 3 on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

In all, 270 people entered the naming contest via Wisdom's Facebook page, with seven people coming up with the same suggestion for the chick's name. A $500 donation will be made to the “Friends of Midway Atoll NWR” by Wisdom's human representative on behalf of those that entered the winning name.

Wisdom was first banded in 1956, in the same location of the refuge, at an estimated minimum age of 5 years old.

This marks the sixth consecutive year the bird has had a successful hatch at the refuge. According to Bruce Peterjohn, chief of the North American Bird Banding Program at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md., Wisdom has likely raised at least 30 to 35 chicks during her breeding life. That number, however, may be higher because experienced parents tend to be more successful at rearing chicks than younger pairs.

Wisdom made headlines in 2011 by surviving a tsunami that washed over parts of the mid-Pacific atoll and killed thousands of albatross in the aftermath of the major earthquakes that struck Japan.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Legal to import rattlesnakes to sell as exotic meats?

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: I have a business where I sell different types of exotic meats for human consumption. If legal to do, I would like to offer the meat of the following species of rattlesnakes: eastern, western and prairie rattlesnakes. I know I cannot bring western diamondbacks into the state, but are there any restrictions to selling eastern diamondbacks and prairie rattlesnakes from Montana in California? What about selling rattlesnake sausages and rattlesnake cakes made in Colorado? Can I sell processed food in California or is there a restriction? (Anshu P.)

Answer: There are no restrictions in California Fish and Game laws against importing and selling the meat of any species of reptile or amphibian that is not found in the wild in California, as long as they are not otherwise prohibited by federal law. For a list of species found in the wild in California, please go to www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/list.html.

Q: I understand from the regulations that if hoop netting from a kayak, you need to keep your license and card with you. However, if you are scuba diving, you can keep it in your car 500 yards away. I want to hoop from land, but most likely I will have to swim or get wet at certain areas. Can I also keep my license in my car or do I have to bring it with me? (Ping Lee)

A: The Fish and Game law that allows the license to remain in the vehicle is specific to a person who is diving from a boat or from the shore. The law requires you to have your license in your immediate possession under all other circumstances.

Q: I have had some discussions with other fisherman over the use of bluegill for bait in the body of water it was caught in. I can’t seem to find anything on the website this year pertaining to using them for bait. Am I looking in the wrong area? Have the regulations changed? Please lend us a hand with some info because we don’t want to fish out of our limits. Thanks a million and tight lines to you. (Randall S.)

Legal to ship venison to troops overseas?

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: We are interested in shipping sealed venison packages to the troops overseas. Are there any California laws that prohibit this? The sealed venison will consist of packages of 50 to 100 pounds. If you could please advise us of any regulations or guidelines related to the shipping of sealed game to troops overseas, it would be greatly appreciated. (Anonymous)

Answer: There are no laws that prohibit the shipping of venison from California as long as the animals were lawfully taken in accordance with California Fish and Game laws, including seasons, limits, and gender restrictions. In addition, any  package being shipped by common carrier must bear the name and address of the shipper and/or the consignee, and an accurate description of the numbers and kinds of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles or amphibians contained in the package clearly and conspicuously marked on the outside (Fish and Game Code, section 2348.) Federal laws have similar marking requirements. For details, go to www.fws.gov.

However, whether or not the military will accept sealed venison from a private citizen is another issue. Contact them directly for details.


Q: I have been warned three times this year by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy that the next time I am caught feeding squirrels at the local park, I will get a ticket. The deputy stated they enforce state regulations. However, I fed them foods that are safe; food from pet stores such as pigeon feed and raw unshelled peanuts.  There are no signs posted in the park where I visit but I was told it’s still a violation.

There are really no food sources for these animals at the park and I don’t want to see malnourished animals. Please let me know the specific law covering this subject since I have not been able to find it online. I will abide by whatever the law says. This may seem to be an unimportant matter, but to me as a senior, it becomes a quality of life issue. Thank you. (Tamara M.)

World's oldest known Laysan albatross hatches another chick

Congratulations are in order for the world's oldest known Laysan albatross, who earlier this week hatched a chick on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

Wisdom, believed to be at least 62 years old, hatched another chick early Sunday morning, the sixth consecutive year the bird has had a successful hatch at the refuge.

"Everyone continues to be inspired by Wisdom as a symbol of hope for her species," said Doug Staller, the Fish and Wildlife Service Superintendent for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which includes Midway.

Wisdom was first banded in 1956, in the same location of the refuge, at an estimated minimum age of 5 years old.

Wisdom made headlines in 2011 by surviving a tsunami that washed over parts of the mid-Pacific atoll and killed thousands of albatross in the aftermath of the major earthquakes that struck Japan.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo of Wisdom and her mate courtesy of Pete Leary / U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

If white-tailed deer stray into California, can we shoot?

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: If white-tailed deer were to migrate into California from Oregon or Idaho, could they be shot here on sight since there is no season or provision for that species? (Scott H.)

Answer:  No. Since Fish and Game Code, section 3950(a) defines deer as genus Odocoileus, which includes white-tailed deer, white-tailed deer can only be taken under the normal deer hunting provisions for the area in which it wandered.


Q: I live in the Valley District and am wondering if it is legal to spearfish in the Sacramento River? I know there are carp, pikeminnow (squawfish) and western suckers. I’ve been searching online and many people say you can’t spearfish in any fresh water system, including streams, lakes and rivers. I have spearfished in the ocean but not in fresh water yet. I keep hearing different things from people regarding the spearfishing.

Also, is there any recommended equipment for spearfishing? Can homemade or custom-built equipment be legally used for spearfishing? I know the Valley District is only open for a short time (five months) for spearfishing. (J.T. Moua)

A: Spearfishing is allowed but there are some restrictions. First of all, please pick up a copy of the 2012-2013 Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations booklet available free of charge at most stores or DFG offices that sell fishing licenses or online at www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations/. Section 2.30 (page 15) lists the only species that may be taken in the Valley District between May 1 and Sept. 15. For a description of the boundaries for the Valley District, please see section 6.36 (page 27). In addition, you may not spearfish in designated spawning areas. There are no specific definitions regarding the spears that may be used, so you may build your own or buy a custom made spear. For a definition of what regulations constitute spearfishing, please see section 1.76 (page 13).


Q: When fishing for sturgeon, how many hooks are allowed?

A: Only one single point, single shank, barbless hook may be used on a line when taking sturgeon.


Q: If a legal-sized white sturgeon is caught accidentally on a barbed hook (e.g. while fishing for striped bass), can it be legally kept as long as the angler possesses a sturgeon report card and tag? (Anonymous)

A real crowd pleaser: Famous humpback whale videotaped breaching off Redondo Beach

One of the questions being asked regarding a humpback whale that had attracted such a large crowd for several days off Redondo Beach was this: What happens if the giant mammal decides to breach? Someone could be killed.

Turns out, the whale did breach, and the event was captured on videotape Saturday by Hermosa Beach resident Marc Racunas. The footage was uploaded Tuesday onto YouTube  (pay attention at the 16-second mark).

 

Fortunately, the whale breached after it had been given at least a little space.

It was first spotted outside King Harbor on Jan. 15. Because of its close proximity and summer-like weather, it was visited daily for six days by people aboard paddleboards, jet skis, kayaks, small boats and big boats. Few paid attention to NOAA guidelines advising people to maintain a distance of 100 yards or more, and many seemed to be in clear violation of a federal law banning the harassment of marine mammals.

NOAA did not maintain any kind of enforcement presence.

The last known sighting of the whale, nicknamed "Stinky," was on Sunday.

--Pete Thomas