While the crabbing and fishing have not been that good for most, there's reason for hope. Richard Baratta had a very good day on Saturday: "Hey Willy
Just wanted to let you know we crossed the bar safely today, but You won’t see it on YouTube. Headed south with two friends, all creatures have moved, used that new app you told me about on the I phone and finally found them. We felt very lucky since the radio traffic was discouraging. Thanks again for all your valuable advice and Reports ( treasure maps )" Nice piles of dead critters, Richard. Two things: One, Richard dropped his crab gear in a spot and checked it after two hours. No crab. He moved deeper and found them. Lesson for us all: Don't leave your pots where there aren't any crab. Run and gun until you locate them. Two, the secret app is Google Earth or Google Maps with the satellite layer on. Before the state created the MPAs they performed a huge coastal survey of the ocean bottom so that they'd know the best places to close habitat value of the areas in question. Your dollars paid for it so you might as well use it. Other than Richard, most people had a hard time getting as many Dungeness as they wanted (who has?) but most crabbers got a few and it seemed like everybody was having a good time in some great weather for December (or actually, great weather for any time of year around this windy place). We're going to try to stay open for day visitors as long as the weather holds and enough people come out to make it worth it. Bring your own food and beer as we will be unable to sell food, drink or alcohol after noon Tuesday. But we can sell bait! Don't eat the squid.
For those of you that are unable to get out boating on the ocean in the near future, here's a couple good reasons to not miss it as much:
https://gcaptain.com/one-apus-returning-to-japan-after-losing-record-number-of-containers/#:~:text=The%20ONE%20Apus%20is%20a,and%20crew%20safely%20to%20port.
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2020/dec/2/cargo-vessel-loses-six-large-shipping-containers-o/
The first story is about 1816 lost shipping containers in the middle of the Pacific. Those probably won't come near here. Probably. The second story is of six containers lost off of Eureka. Those are almost surely headed this way. I'm pretty sure hitting one would be bad. Robert Redford said so. Something to think about while running in the dark, though.
Also, if you haven't read the book "The Devil's Teeth", you should. It's got great white sharks, shark researchers, the Farallones and their history, a bit of a love story, everything you need. The shark taggers and researchers need a bit of a financial bump, it seems. If you're fan of shark week or just interested in white sharks in general, these guys could use a little financial help:
Test
ReplyDeleteI’m gonna need a bigger winch.
ReplyDeleteHow much do those containers weigh?
Christmas shopping, done!
Hey Willy
ReplyDeleteActually the crabs are just cold, we ice them down for ten min. Makes them easy to handle for pictures and the crack’n clean device.
Remember we were talking about Fri. Morning bar crossing and I told you about a boat hanging out in the outer bay late afternoon. It headed out just after sunset. Well when I looked at the picture I sent you of the sunset from Reuter’s place back home on the big screen it is in the picture all the way to the left. Check it out maybe it’s the boat that called in wanting to know if the bar was safe to cross.
Richard
Oops I meant Starbord
ReplyDeleteAhoy Mateys1
ReplyDeleteDecember 11, 2020
The commercial Dungeness crab season in the Northern Management Area (NMA) and Central Management Area (CMA) will open on December 23, 2020. This statewide opener ends delays in place due to meat quality in the NMA and the potential for whale entanglement in the CMA. It also gives the fleet ample time for planning and gear preparation and promotes an orderly start to the fishery. For the NMA Fishing Zones 1 and 2, the pre-soak period will begin Sunday, December 20 at 8:01 a.m. and for the CMA, Fishing Zones 3, 4, 5 and 6, the pre-soak period will begin Tuesday, December 22 at 6:01 a.m. The opening declaration is accompanied by a notice to the fleet to use best fishing practices and avoid areas where whales may be congregating including around the canyon edges of Monterey, and between the Farallon Islands and Point Reyes. Crabbers are encouraged to review the Best Practices Guide and remember to minimize knots and line scope when fishing