Of the many boats launching from here this weekend, these folks were the only ones tha didn't go crabbing. It looks like specializing pays off. The largest ling weighed in at 17.5 pounds and the weird looking fish on the left is a wolf eel.
Thumbs sent in a picture of this big ling, caught at Point Reyes on Dungeness opening day. He says it was pushing 30 pounds. There's some big lings out there right now. This time of year the largest ones are usually females full of eggs, so if you get a photo and let them go, that's okay too.
The southern three-quarters of Ten Mile Beach has a lot of crab. Doug Bagley and I dropped seven pots along the northern half on Thursday. The two pots closest to Keyhoe Beach had a combined six Dungeness. The other five traps averaged 12 per pot. The outer bay has some decent crab if you can soak a pot overnight in the right spot and be the first to pull it. Otherwise it's been difficult. A few guys are still catching fair numbers of Dungeness crab in the bay but there's way more wrong spots than right ones. Most bay crabbers are doing well to catch a couple of legal Dungeness. As long as the weather keeps cooperating, go south if you can. The rockfishing is really good down south, too, in case cleaning a bunch of crabs isn't enough for you. Commercial season is on the books to start this week, although I heard a rumor of a single bad crab in a recent test, so there may be further delay.
Don't kill wolf eels! They're the last remaining predator of the purple urchin on the North Coast.
ReplyDeleteSo starfish don't eat purple urchins?
ReplyDeleteOutlaw
California sheepshead eat urchins too
ReplyDeleteWe ran out of starfish a few years back. That's why we're in the time of the urchin barrens. The starfish are recovering but they need to damn well hurry. It's either them or otters. I'd rather the otters stayed in Monterey for obvious reasons. As far as wolf eels go, I actually think they're cool and pretty smart. Saw one once that would stick it's head out of the water and let you hand feed it. I'd put 'em on the list with molas; leave 'em be as they're doing the Lord's work.
ReplyDeleteYes Thanks Willy. I am aware of the big starfish die off a few years back. I have seen the numbers steadily increasing the last couple years, especially further North. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't misinformed when I was told that the stars do eat the urchins is all. Keep up the good work!!
ReplyDeleteOutlaw
I'm pretty sure that, among sea stars, it's only the sunflower sea star (the huge one with dozens of legs) that preys significantly on urchins. And the wasting disease wiped the sunflowers out.
ReplyDeleteSheepshead eat urchins and so do sea otters. Both of these are found north of the Golden Gate. Not in large numbers I know. Stars other than sunflowers will prey on urchins, however they are easily repelled by the urchins defenses. Sunflowers eat the urchins whole, and are not nearly as easily repelled. I'm not arguing that wolf eels should not be returned to the water if incidentally caught, just that they are not the last remaining predator. Semantics? Splitting hairs? Perhaps, but you are a journalist and as such would hopefully deal in facts. You are correct in reporting that the sunflower star has most likely disappeared from our (and many many other) waters, along with several other stars The other predator is us, humans.
ReplyDeleteOutlaw
Wow! Have you caught california sheepshead up here?
ReplyDeleteHere's a fact: There is not an ecologically significant population of sheephead in ocean waters off Sonoma and Mendocino counties, ground zero of the urchin boom.
ReplyDeleteHere's a fact: I have caught as many sheepshead as I have caught wolf eels. I wouldn't have kept one anyhow, but as I have only seen four brought in here in my life, I would estimate that a statistically insignificant number of wolf eels are killed by sportsmen. Still, if lightning should strike you and you catch one, let it go.
ReplyDeleteI know I started all this, but the fact that wolf eels exist and still the urchins exploded suggests they really aren't a significant predator of the urchins. I guess I'm just a sucker for their jowly faces.
ReplyDeleteI remember the summer barracuda showed up. What other unexpected fish have you seen north of reyes?
ReplyDeleteTriggerfish https://bodegahead.blogspot.com/2012/11/triggerfish-in-tomales.html
ReplyDeletePacific Snake Eel https://bodegahead.blogspot.com/2014/05/spotted-at-dillon-beach.html
Lancetfish https://fishlawsons.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-longnose-lancetfish-are-running-in.html
Lizardfish
Your post said nothing about significance Sir. It said there was only 1 remaining predator of purple urchins on the north coast.
ReplyDeleteOutlaw