A little more info about the boat sinking on Sunday. In response to my query, Michael Ivey sent me an email: "So while out crabbing on Sunday with my friend( only 2 of us , 3rd person was a kayaker that’s saved us)   , Our boat got caught in a crab trap rope pulling it under water instantly and the life jackets went under water with the boat. We were left in the middle of the water swimming for our life's for about 20-30 minutes until a kayaker heard our screens for help. He was able to pull my friend to shore then a come back and get me. If not for him not sure we would still be alive. The helicopter came and brought me to safety and paramedics checked on my for hyperthermia while the fire department was able to get my friend to safety with their jet ski.""It sank across from the red barn market area on opposite side , not exactly sure though it all happened so quick.  I think the kayakers wife is the one who called 911 because she told him she heard someone screaming for help and he said his wife was on the phone with 911"  Be on the lookout for a submerged boat across from the Landing, as there's a chance the boat may rise to the surface at slack tide. Give the Lawson's Landing a call on VHF 74 if you see it.  Also, for everybody playing along at home, he had life jackets but was not wearing them at the time of the accident. I'm sure Mr. Ivey will agree, just because the water is nice and you can't see a reason to wear one, the reason may still be there, lurking just out of sight. I am guilty of not wearing my jacket when it's nice. My father (who went on a lot of rescues in the 70's and 80's, some of them successful and many of them body recoveries) says that he's seen more boats saved by life jackets than the people that should have been wearing them (The stored jackets floated the boat, not the human). I guess it's time to get an inflatable one. I also guess that it's safe to assume that the entire world is out to get you. Because it is. 

    In other great news, the Point Reyes waverider buoy has gone silent. We've been without the Bodega weather buoy for a year and now we have no wave reports, either. Our options are to use the Point Arena buoy or the San Francisco buoy. These aren't good options, but it's what we have for actual observations. Otherwise, you can look at Windy.com for an educated guess at what is happening. Windy is pretty good but they haven't been 100%. You know, our elders were somehow able to build the infrastructure of this country but now, with a supposedly booming economy, we can't afford to fix what they built. I suspect that something, somewhere, may be amiss. 

    In other good news, "

Recreational Bag Limits Reduced for Some Rockfish Species in 2022 (This corrected version contains photo of a rockfish)

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announces multiple changes to recreational rockfish sub-bag limits which are expected to take effect Jan. 6, 2022. The emergency regulations were adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission in mid-December to align with federal regulations for these species. Changes to the sub-bag limits within the 10-fish daily Rockfish, Cabezon, Greenling (RCG) complex bag and possession limit include: A decrease to the statewide sub-bag limit for vermilion rockfish (Sebastes miniatus) from five fish to four fish A new statewide sub-bag limit for quillback rockfish (S. maliger) of one fish A new statewide sub-bag limit for copper rockfish (S. caurinus) of one fish The RCG complex has a daily 10-fish bag and possession aggregate limit, meaning that each angler’s catch can be composed of any combination of rockfish, cabezon or greenling, as long as total catch remains at or below 10 fish. Sub-bag limits within the RCG bag limit are implemented when harvest guidelines cannot accommodate the 10-fish bag limit being composed of a single species. “New stock assessments conducted in 2021 for quillback and copper rockfish suggest severe population declines for these two species. Also, unsustainably high catches of vermilion rockfish have occurred each year since 2015,” said CDFW Environmental Program Manager Marci Yaremko. “For these reasons, new federal regulations were needed to implement reduced sport bag limits for these three species in 2022.” Despite these changes, there are still numerous opportunities to catch other groundfish species with healthy populations in 2022 when seasons are open. Anglers are reminded that when rockfish or any other species subject to barotrauma are released, use of a descending device is encouraged to return the fish to the bottom. Please visit CDFW’s Rockfish Barotrauma webpage for more information. In an effort to better assist anglers with identifying rockfish species while fishing, CDFW is preparing new informational flyers to distinguish copper and quillback rockfish from similar-looking species, such as gopher and canary rockfish. The flyers will be available soon on CDFW’s Fish and Shellfish Identification webpage and the Marine Region Groundfish webpage. Anglers should check CDFW’s website for the current regulations before fishing for groundfish, which include rockfish, lingcod and other species as defined in the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 1.91, as changes can occur in-season. Though the boat-based groundfish fishery is closed statewide as of Jan. 1, the fishery is open year-round for shore-based angling and spearfishing. The boat-based recreational groundfish fishery season dates and depth limits are expected to be the same as in 2021 and are as follows: In the Northern Management Area (the Oregon/California state line to near Cape Mendocino) and the Mendocino Management Area (near Cape Mendocino to Point Arena) from May 1 through Oct. 31, take is prohibited seaward of the 30 fathom (180 feet) Rockfish Conservation Area (RCA) boundary line. From Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, groundfish may be taken at any depth in these two areas. In the San Francisco Management Area (Point Arena to Pigeon Point) and the Central Management Area (Pigeon Point to Point Conception) from April 1 through Dec. 31, take is prohibited seaward of the 50 fathom (300 feet) RCA boundary line. In the Southern Management Area (Point Conception to the U.S./Mexico border) from March 1 through Dec. 31 take is prohibited seaward of the 100 fathom (600 feet) RCA boundary line. In all Groundfish Management Areas, the RCA boundary line for the established depth constraint is the series of connected waypoints defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 50, Part 660, Subpart C.

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