Bill McIntyre
10-18-2007, 02:50 PM
An article in this week's WON may be of interest to those of you who dive that area, and maybe of interest to others as an example of what may possibly come to other harbors. I wish it were available on line, but I'll try to cover the high points.
The Harbor Master had totally banned hoop netting just before the season opener. On Oct. 10, he held a closed door meeting with four divers, four hoop netters, and three people from the Port District. The new regulations are as follows.
Hoop nets can only be fished adjacent to the owner's vessel. The article makes no mention of how close "adjacent" is.
On the outside of the breakwall, the hoop net exclusion zone was moved in from the previous 750 feet to 250 feet. Hoop netting is prohibited within 15 feet of the inner edge of the breakwall, within the navigation channel, and in the "triangle"--an area encompassed by the dogleg on the north jetty and the outer breakwall.
Jim Salazar, an employee of Promar, a maker of hoop nets, said that 250 feet still meant that the breakwall was effectively closed and was a diver's sanctuary, and that was unfair. He was in favor of alternating days between divers and hoopnetters, or at least allowing non motorized boats within the 250-foot buffer zone since they have no prop to snag on lines.
Another guy, Jeff Rose, said that this solution was very biased in favor of divers, who have access to every inch of the jetties and breakwall.
In an editorial, WON blasts the new policy, saying that what was supposed to be an open-minded brainstorming session was steered instead toward a predetermined conclusion. It says that no group of sportsmen should have its access to the state's fish and game unfairly limited for the benefit of another competing group.
I realize that this decision has a direct effect on just those who dive the Ventura Harbor breakwall, but since there has been so much heated discussion of general conflict with hoopnetters, I thought all of you who dive for bugs along breakwalls might like to see the latest developments.
The Harbor Master had totally banned hoop netting just before the season opener. On Oct. 10, he held a closed door meeting with four divers, four hoop netters, and three people from the Port District. The new regulations are as follows.
Hoop nets can only be fished adjacent to the owner's vessel. The article makes no mention of how close "adjacent" is.
On the outside of the breakwall, the hoop net exclusion zone was moved in from the previous 750 feet to 250 feet. Hoop netting is prohibited within 15 feet of the inner edge of the breakwall, within the navigation channel, and in the "triangle"--an area encompassed by the dogleg on the north jetty and the outer breakwall.
Jim Salazar, an employee of Promar, a maker of hoop nets, said that 250 feet still meant that the breakwall was effectively closed and was a diver's sanctuary, and that was unfair. He was in favor of alternating days between divers and hoopnetters, or at least allowing non motorized boats within the 250-foot buffer zone since they have no prop to snag on lines.
Another guy, Jeff Rose, said that this solution was very biased in favor of divers, who have access to every inch of the jetties and breakwall.
In an editorial, WON blasts the new policy, saying that what was supposed to be an open-minded brainstorming session was steered instead toward a predetermined conclusion. It says that no group of sportsmen should have its access to the state's fish and game unfairly limited for the benefit of another competing group.
I realize that this decision has a direct effect on just those who dive the Ventura Harbor breakwall, but since there has been so much heated discussion of general conflict with hoopnetters, I thought all of you who dive for bugs along breakwalls might like to see the latest developments.