California sturgeon fishing will never be the same.

= The Associated Press Published 4:15 pm PST Thursday, March 2, 2006

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - California wildlife regulators on Thursday approved emergency restrictions on sturgeon fishing in an effort to bolster depleted populations of the giant fish.

The state Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to reduce the maximum size of white sturgeon that can be caught or possessed from 72 inches to 56 inches. The commissioners, meeting in Riverside, also voted to bar fishermen from taking less frequently fished green sturgeon.

The new regulations are aimed at increasing the number of mature female sturgeon in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system and expand the state's sturgeon populations, according to the state Department of Fish and Game.

The emergency regulations, which would be in place for 120 days, were expected to take effect within the next two weeks pending approval by the state Office of Administrative Law, said DFG spokesman Steve Martarano.

After peaking at about 144,000 in 1998, the number of legal-sized white sturgeon has fallen to a 50-year low of about 10,000, according to the latest estimates. State biologists attribute the decline to poor spawning success, migratory obstacles, poaching and overfishing. ======

Likely to follow the 120 day "emergency" regs, a continued reduced slot will remain along with bag limits and "sturgeon tags". This will likely include additional "fees".

Meanwhile, nothing was done about the real problems of poaching and reduced water flow. Those items were not even addressed. But by God, the DFG *did something*!! They know that the lawful fishermen is easily bullied as they refuse to enforce current regs on poachers. Just last year DFG stated flatly that the lawful fisherman was not at all the problem; poaching is the problem: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/InNews/blackmarket2004.html . Also, they would not consider the fact that their count is flawed in spite of the fact that fishermen are generally experiencing an "as usual" season.

Next in the sights of environmental do-gooders: Salmon fishing!

And no, my grandkids will likely never get to fish for such grand species. The do-gooders agenda is much the same as PETA: The best regulation is NO FISHING. And, unfortunately, regulation by regulation, closure upon closure, they are winning.

Dale www.fishwisher.com

It's disgusting when poachers are given tiny slaps on the wrist on the rare occasions they're caught. Poachers should have ALL their assets confiscated: boats, vehicles, houses (won't need a house if they're put

in jail where they belong!), retirement accounts, etc.

My points about dams referred to Sturgeon in a watershed to the north (the Columbia) that could apply to other systems with dams.

If you want to keep fish in California, keep Stripers. They're a non-native, invasive, potentially harmful pest, probably a big threat to actual native species.

One good thing about two common traits of the anti-environment people: they might kill themselves by allowing pollution, then eating the fish with the pollutants.

It'll be karma if you get cancer from all the pollutants. Because Sturgeon take FOREVER to grow, the ones you're keeping are decades old, having decades of built-up toxins. May your cancer death be especially painful.

The fact you condone the creation of dams is proof you condone the extinction of Sturgeon.

Note how the meathogs are anti-environment, no surprise because if they were pro-environment, they wouldn't be meathogs in the first place.

Paleface ranchers and farmers make use of the water to grow things 'cause people smarter than you have built dams. Our water no longer runs to the ocean, creating annual floods and wiping out injun settlements. Lucky you. And now there is more water for everybody - even the fish!

You clearly hate the wealthy and the paleface and anyone who disagrees with you. Hate. Hate. Hate. It must be miserable being you.

You need to get off your ass and actually do something outdoors! You need some fresh air! By reviewing your posting habits, it is clear that you do nothing but bang the keyboard! Get a life!

Environmental whackos! Gotta fine 'em entertaining, at least!

Dale

Meathog? oooooh. I'm hurt.

I am shocked that you would be inclined to take the side of those who will jump at every opportunity to reduce fishing. Shocked! This may not apply to you, but there are those who don't actually get their hands dirty in the outdoors but are the first to reduce its bounty to those that do. I know the count of the sturgeon is not known. DFG recognizes that fact, too. I admit that I don't know the count. But DFG pretends to and then passes new regulations because that is easier to do than enforcing the regs already on the books.

So now the law abiding fishermen cannot take a fish larger than 56 inches. Many of the larger fish are now reserved for the poacher, courtesy of the State of California. They will not enforce the regs, so only the law abiding fishermen will observe the new slot limit. Nothing new there. The next step is they'll make the reduced slot permanent, introduce sturgeon tags and punch cards and then add taxes to the mix and define them as "fees". Same old bureaucratic response.

And then all the do-gooders will go home and proudly proclaim "We saved the white sturgeon today!" And the poachers will have more fish than ever while more and more law abiding fishermen get fed up and find something else to do. And it all plays into the hands of PETA and other environmental whackos. God bless America.

Dale www. FishWisher.com

I salute you Don Knotts! You provided us with a lot of good clean entertainment. God Speed

Below the picture it said," What kind of prehistoric fish is this?" Many did not know what this fish was back then. In those days not many actually went after sturgeon but they hooked them in the high water of spring while fishing for stripped bass. Most people lost those big fish because they did not have the right tackle, line, knots and hooks to hold them.

Now in the last 20 to 30 years we have many anglers who go after sturgeon with new high quality tackle. They even have party boats that go after them in the big bays here where they live eating grass shrimp.

I don't know if the government agencies always know exactly what is going on with the different fisheries but I think we need to protect them from sport and commercial angling if they are on a serious decline.

I guess if you really go fishing because you enjoy fishing and catching fish, then releasing fish for the good of the sport should not be too hard to do?