Welcome to Fall (and Yom Tov for those observing) . . .
LOBSTER OPENER THIS COMING FRIDAY NIGHT - We've never been known as a "hunting" operation in any sense of the word but we know that some of you still hunt and are looking forward to Friday night's opening of lobster season. A couple of reminders:
• The season open at 6:00PM Friday evening
• Legal daily limit is 7
• Lobsters must be measured immediately
• You can't bring them to the surface
• Short lobsters must be returned immediately from where they were snatched
• Have your lobster card with you (on the boat or in your car)
• WATCH YOUR AIR SUPPLY ON EACH DIVE
• Remember that no lobster is worth your life
SPECIAL LOBSTER TAKE RESTRICTION JUST IMPOSED - Domoic acid raises it's ugly head again. It's been detected in lobsters off of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and down through Long Beach so CADF&W has instituted a special delay in opening some of those areas for the lobster season. You can read more about it here -
LOBSTER OPENING DELAY AREAS - but there's also a map, although it's a little confusing.
DECODING THE LOBSTER RESTRICTION MAP - It can be a little confusing at first glance. And FTR, it doesn't seem to impact any others areas other than those listed. So Catalina, Santa Bararba Island, San Clemente, and San Nicolas are all open, as long as you're not hunting inside an existing MPA or protected area. The green areas on the map below - Redondo and NW Palos Verdes, as well as the second area west of Long Beach down to just past Bolsa Chica - are open but there's a health advisory. The purple area - San Vicente MPA - as well as the blue area - Abalone Cove SMCA - both prohibit the taking of lobster regardless. The brown-ish shaded area in the middle - from the Abalone Cove SMCA to just beyond Middle Gate in the breakwater - is the delayed open area. It's not stated how long this delay will be. I'd assume that there will be more testing done and, until the lobsters are free of domoic acid, the restriction will stay in place. So for a while. Basically, if you grab lobsters along the harbor breakwater, most of that area is at least temporarily restricted. (Thanks to Tony Hanna for the heads-up about this.)